Toy and Game Design with Davisville Public School

When Mr. Farbstein learned that his good friend Amanda Casselman started teaching at Davisville Public School, he was excited about the possibility of collaborating with her class. He proposed an idea: her Grade 2 students would be the clients for his Grade 11s’ Technological Design project. Ms. Casselman very enthusiastically agreed.

At the end of March, the Grade 11 class visited Ms. Casselman’s class at Davisville Public School where they were assigned their ‘clients’ for the project. For this project, the Greenwood students would design and build a game or toy for the Grade 2s and the design should also incorporate woodworking and 3D printing. On the first visit, Grade 11s asked the Grade 2s what kind of games or toys they wanted. This would form the basis of the design brief. The requests ranged from checkerboards to puzzles and an air hockey table. With their design briefs, the Grade 11s got cracking on the design and fabrication.

Two weeks later, the Grade 11s returned to Davisville to show the Grades 2s photos and 3D models of the projects’ progress. In that meeting, the Grade 2s gave feedback on what colours, designs and additions they wanted for their toy. Over the next couple of weeks, the Greenwood students were busy implementing their clients’ feedback and putting on the finishing touches. 

Mr. Farbstein invited Ms. Casselman’s class to Greenwood for the final presentation. The Grade 2s also had the opportunity to take a tour of the Innovation Lab. Many of the Grade 2 students were fascinated by the lab’s 3D printers but that paled in comparison to their joy at seeing their board games and toys in person. Some of the board games were even larger than the students! The Grade 2s presented handmade thank you cards to their Grade 11 buddies. The experience was enriching for both classes of students involved. 

“Oh, we’re definitely going to do this next year too,” Mr. Farbstein beams.