On this blog, I tend to post about a lot of ideas that I find, and some readers don’t always get a chance to know if I ever tried them – or if they were complete flops. This week, I want to feature a few past ideas that I did try and that were successful – and that I definitely want to do again.
In 2013 I stumbled across the Global Cardboard Challenge, and decided to see what my GT students could do with it. I had great hopes for it – and I was not disappointed. Here is one of the posts that I did while we were in the midst of the project. My GT students in 1st through 5th grade all participated. You can see some of their creations here.
When I say that I have never been so completely useless as a teacher in my life (except when I administer standardized testing), I am not exaggerating. Why was I useless? Because once the students got to work, they were completely engaged for hours at a time – and they really did not want my help or suggestions. I stood around and made cuts in boxes and distributed packing tape.
I am planning to expand the Challenge this year to include not only my GT students, but also students in a Maker Club that I am going to be sponsoring after school. We also have a fundraiser in the works where the students will display their final products at a local business and the community will be invited to play the cardboard games for a small donation to a charity that my students will determine.
This year’s Global Cardboard Challenge is scheduled for October 11, 2014. But you do not have to actually create on that date! Go to the site for the details and resources, and think about what works for your community of creative kids. And, if you or your students have not seen Caine’s Arcade, the amazing video that inspired this event, make sure you watch it!
