I also loved that everyone was on a level playing field during the
Cardboard Challenge. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor, a strong
reader or not, outgoing or introverted.... Everyone found success in this
activity. Many kids would have been happy to work all day on their
projects. For the rest of the school year, students often headed to my
stash of cardboard as they developed other projects. For example, we
were using Finch robots in one class one day and a student decided to
make cardboard ramps for the robots.
OTHER IDEAS TO TRY!
Here’s some additional ideas
Tonya recommends to help
you get started in your own
classroom:
Work with the art teacher to
focus more on the design
process.
Creativity, innovation, collaboration, problem solving, persistence,
design thinking, global connections - WOW! Who knew cardboard could
make such a difference in our children’s lives? Try hosting your own
Global Cardboard Challenge soon!
Include working lights and
sounds with LEDs and kits
like LittleBits.
Note: You don’t have to be an Imagination Chapter to participate in the
Global Cardboard Challenge, but the Imagination Foundation is a great
resource for educators. There were 30 pilot Imagination Chapters all
across the world in 2014. One hundred more were added in 2015. Our
chapter currently involves about 550 Franklin Elementary School
students. We are a group of makers, tinkerers, engineers, designers,
thinkers, artists, scientists, inventors, coders, readers, and Minecraft
players. Learn more about the Imagination Foundation at imagination.is.
Host a time so other kids
can play with the cardboard
games.
Design fun passes and
choose a charity to support
with the proceeds.
Choose a theme such as
fairy tales or science.
Have a parade with
cardboard masks and
costumes.
Tonya Fletcher is the long-time media coordinator at
Franklin Elementary School in Mount Airy, North
Carolina. She has been an educator with Surry County
Schools for 18 years. She is a North Carolina Teaching
Fellow and was a finalist for the 2014 North Carolina
Media Coordinator of the Year, is a SciGirls leader,
and is one of 130 Imagination Chapter leaders in the
world. She blogs at genimagination.blogspot.com and
tweets at twitter.com/tonya_nc.
STEAMed Magazine
41
Download the Global
Cardboard Challenge
Playbook at
cardboardchallenge.com.
October 2016 Edition