We're building problem-solving skills; we're building fine-motor skills. This is where the students bring concepts to life, where they innovate. You see how their confidence grows during the year. Fonda Baldwin City Day tech teacher
Students at Chicago City Day School rely on their hands as much as their minds when working in the school's Shorey Shop.
The Shop is the hub of City Day's technology & design program. Visit a tech class on any given day, and you'll see students painting, hammering, sanding, cutting, measuring, glueing, or pouring.
The projects that students tackle in tech class often connect with work they're doing in art, math, drama, or science classes, while adding a uniquely hands-on, "maker" twist.
"We're building problem-solving skills; we're building fine-motor skills," City Day tech teacher Fonda Baldwin said. "This is where the students bring concepts to life, where they innovate. You see how their confidence grows during the year."
All City Day students participate in tech class, with the projects growing in complexity and sophistication as students age.
"We build rockets. We design self-propelled boats. We create working lamps. The range of what we do is remarkable for an elementary school," Ms. Baldwin said.
Explore the images below to see students at work on a number of recent projects — first-graders staining wood panels as they build small toolboxes; third-graders assembling electronic maze games (which function similar to the game Operation); and fifth-graders beginning to put together pneumatic dump trucks.
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