2nd Grade - DT Philly |

DT Philly Design showcaseKindergarten – 2nd Grade

reduce bullying?

Nine teams at two schools completed projects in this year’s pilot K – 2 program, exploring issues like:

ensure privacy in the bathroom?

How might we…

Read on to see what our student designers accomplished!

help students’ keep belongings safe in their desks?

reduce mess in the cafeteria?

keep school announcements from being too loud ?

make erasing and eraser sharing fun and easy?

Incredible Thinkers

The Problem: Students fight over erasers at the desks and waste time erasing.

Our Question: “How might we help kindergarten students in Room 101 and 104 share the erasers so that they can fix mistakes and finish work?”

Our Research:

• Talk to table captains

• Talk to teachers and students

• Observe students use the erasers

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• Pass the eraser in ABC order

• Put an “X” over the mistake instead of erasing

• Count while you erase

The final design is a system where each student has his or her own extra eraser on the top of the pencil. Students count to five while erasing so they don’t erase too much.

at Laura H. Carnell School

We Need:

• A way that is polite

• A way to erase less

• A way to be fun, fast, and easy

Awards and Badges

Bulldogs

The Problem: Classmates steal things in other students’ desks and/or things get lost.

Our Question: “How might we help students keep their belongings safe in their desks so they have all the supplies their parents bought?”

Our Research:

• Talking to classmates

• Talking to an expert, a 2nd grade teacher

• Observing students

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• A desk with lasers and an alarm

• A pencil with a camera

• Robot desk guards

The team created two prototypes, a secret compartment for hiding objects and their final design, a pencil tube for storing pencils in a way that makes them easy to find.

at Fox Chase Elementary School

We Need:

• A way to be cost effective

• A way that is safe

• A way that saves time

Awards and Badges

Oceans

The Problem: Broken locks on the bathroom doors mean students can walk in when others are using the space.

Our Question: “How might we help Fox Chase students have privacy in the bathroom so they can do what they need to do?”

Our Research:

• Talking to our principal and teachers

• Asking an expert

• Observing the non-working stall doors

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• A “necklace” loop lock that you take with you

• Signs that let others know when the stall is being used

The final solution is a two-sided sign that can be hung on the outside of the stall to let students know when the stall is occupied.

at Fox Chase Elementary School

We Need:

• A way to be safe

• A way to be protected

• A way to be confident you will be alone in the stall

Awards and Badges

The Cool Kids

The Problem: The cafeteria is messy because kids throw trash on the floor.

Our Question: “How might we help the students in the cafeteria keep the tables and floors clean so it will not be messy and smelly?”

Our Research:

• Talking to students and teachers

• Talking to cafeteria staff

• Observing students throwing food, mixing food together, and not throwing away their trash

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• Magic hoop trash can that moves

• A robot that picks up trash

• A flying camera to see who isn’t cleaningThe proposed solution is a fun trash can hoop for students to use when they throw away their trash.

at Fox Chase Elementary School

We Need:

• A way to keep order

• A way to help students care about their space

• A way to keep the space clean

Rewards and Badges

Monkey Scientists

The Problem: Announcements over the school PA system are too loud and hurt our ears.

Our Question: “How might we help our schoolmates listen to the announcements in their classrooms so it won’t hurt their ears?”

Our Research:

• Talking to experts, like the principal

• Asking the principal and the counselor how to make the speaker quieter

• Observing students’ reactions during announcements

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• When you talk into the phone, it will correct you automatically

• A robot that does the announcements

• Speak clearly, like a radio guy

The proposed solution is a list of instructions so people hold the microphone at the right distance and make announcements correctly. The team also made a model of a remote control that could be designed to regulate the volume in each classroom.

at Fox Chase Elementary School

We Need:

• A way for the audio to make sense

• A way for the announcements to be heard softly

Rewards and Badges

Carnell Cool 1st Graders

The Problem: Some kids say things

that hurt other kids’ feelings.

Our Question: “How might we stop bullying in A-3 because we don’t want anyone to feel hurt or sad?”

Our Research:

• Talking to experts, like the principal and teachers

• Asking experts how they handle bullies

• Observing bullies and kids who are bullied

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• The dean talks to the bully

• The bully’s mom has to stay at school with him

• The bully misses recess for that day

The proposed solutions are having the dean talk to the bully, having the bully miss recess and/or lunch as a consequence, and having the bully’s mom stay at school with him or her for an entire day.

at Laura H. Carnell School

We Need:

• A way that is free

• A way that is easy for teachers

• A way that is fair

Rewards and Badges

Carnell Champions 1

The Problem: The bathrooms are dark, scary, dirty, and not nice.

Our Question: “How might we make the bathroom more clean for the kids and teacher so it can be nice and pretty?”

Our Research:

• Talking to the principal and teachers

• Observing the bathroom to see what could be better

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• Paint the bathroom

• Have a hall monitor to make sure students aren’t making a mess

• Help clean the sink in the girls’ bathroom

The final design is a mural to be painted in the girls’ bathroom to make the space feel more like being outside and less dark and scary.

at Laura H. Carnell School

We Need:

• A way that is pretty

• A way that is safe

• A way that is clean

Rewards and Badges

Carnell Champions 2

The Problem: The classroom trash

can overflows, smells, and attracts bugs and mice.

Our Question: “How might we keep trash off the floor at Carnell so we can keep our school nice?”

Our Research:

• Talking to the principal, our teacher, and the janitor

• Talking to our classmates about how they feel about the mess and the bugs

• Observing how full the trash gets throughout the day

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• Clean up the trash sooner

• Sonic sensors that attract the fallen trash

• Huge trash cans that can handle the mess

The image shows the current trash problem. The proposedsolutions include the teacher bringing in a larger trash can and the students helping take the trash to the janitors’ closet on the 3rd floor after breakfast or lunch.

at Laura H. Carnell School

We Need:

• A way that is nice

• A way that is clean

• A way that removes trash fast

Rewards and Badges

Carnell Mind Champions

The Problem: Students slide down stairwell railings and it’s dangerous.

Our Question: “How might we keep students from sliding down railings on the stairs to keep students safe and our teacher happy?”

Our Research:

• Talking to teachers

• Observing what students do when they go down the stairs

Our Solution:

Brainstorm Ideas:

• Make it hard to slide

• Let students walk fast

• Build an elevator

To solve this problem, the team made the railing less slipperyby covering it with fine grade sandpaper.

at Laura H. Carnell School

We Need:

• A way that is safe

• A way that makes it more fun to walk down the stairs than slide

• A way that encourages students to do what they’re supposed to

Rewards and Badges