As a media coordinator at a large elementary school I have plenty of willing participants who love to do anything
creative. With about 560 K-5 students it was a struggle to find the best way to implement the Global Cardboard
Challenge.
I did not mind doing an event that included families, but I
really wanted all of our students to be able to participate.
Doing a special event in the gym for one day and inviting
each grade level for an hour or so did not seem to be the
right fit. One group had more than 100 students. I finally
settled on using my regular media classes as the time our
students would create their cardboard products. This fit
nicely with the makerspace movement happening in
libraries across the nation.
Students selecting their boxes for the challenge.
The week before the Cardboard Challenge I shared part of
the Caine's Arcade video with all of the classes. We spent
time reading books such as A Box Can Be Many Things by
Dana Meachen Rau and It's Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.
I also prepared a slideshow of ideas for students.
I prepped the space by putting out new MakeDo tools, tape,
glue, scissors, lids, corks, popsicle sticks, brads, paper clips,
cardboard tubes, and anything else I could find. Our local
bargain store had a great deal on construction paper and
poster board. I needed lots of cardboard so off to the
cardboard bin I went.
Putting together their creations with a mix of tools and materials.
I wish I had recorded the students when they first started
choosing their boxes. It was like Christmas! I was not
surprised when they were all very engaged in creating their
cardboard volcanoes, robots, Minecraft men, games,
airplanes, miniature objects, and animals.
All smiles! Enjoying the process of creating.
I did run into some obstacles throughout the week. Students wanted to paint and we simply did not have enough
time. (I have a STEAM Club that meets on Fridays, so those students were able to do a bit more than the rest of the
school.) My original plan was for other students to keep adding to the creations. I knew space would be a problem
STEAMed Magazine
39
October 2016 Edition