Cardboard Carnival

Science Teacher Carlos Charriez gave his seventh graders a design thinking task: create a carnival for your clients—Westtown fourth graders. Teacher Carlos gave them the following criteria for their carnival activities: they must be fun, engaging, challenging, made with cardboard, and cater to fourth graders. For this task, students divided into team to interview their clients and assess their needs and wants. They asked their clients and themselves about the best and worst elements of carnivals they’d been to and began to brainstorm ideas, then winnow them. Next they designed and made prototypes of their carnival games and activities. They tested their designs, got feedback, reflected on ways to make them better, and improved them. The project culminated in the Cardboard Carnival in which the fourth grade clients came to the Science Center to enjoy the final products, and enjoy them they did! See more of the carnival here.