Using new tools and developing new skills means taking risks, something Chicago City Day Students do regularly in their tech & design class.
Our senior kindergartners, for example, recently finished building candy mazes, a project that involved sanding blocks of wood, hammering nails, and gluing joints together.
"It was the first time performing those tasks for many of them, and it was hard work, but they persevered," said Fonda Baldwin ("Ms. B"), City Day's tech & design teacher. "They were so happy to see the finished products."
Fourth-graders, meanwhile, are building water-powered rockets in class. They kicked off the project by using precision hobby knives to cut out fins and other cardboard attachments. And City Day's third-graders got their first taste of stripping wires and using a soldering iron during a recent class.
The students were both nervous and excited about venturing out of their comfort zones.
"I've never done this, so I'm a little nervous," one of the third-graders said with a smile as she picked up the iron. "But it also seems kind of fun."
Tech class is where City Day students design, create, and build. The class is held in the Shorey Shop, a true "makerspace" that provides students with safe, age-appropriate access to a variety of materials and tools.
"We build problem-solving skills in here," Ms. B said. "When students see a project through to the end, their confidence and curiosity grow."
See more images below of the risk-takers in kindergarten, grade 3, and grade 4.
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