Little J is initially scared to approach the ‘monster’ in the back yard. Encouraged to face his fears, he vows to catch the frilly-necked monster and sets about building a monster trap with the help of Levi.

Explore - Explore needs or opportunities for designing, and the technologies needed to realise designed solution.  Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling.

Theme - DESIGNING

Teacher resources

Access the following website for resource materials and ideas for engaging with, and exploring the design process:

• The design process in action
• Kid Engineer: The design process 

The Design Process:

• Design:
  • Define the need
  • Brainstorming
  • Designing the solution
• Make:
  • Develop scaled drawings
  • Make smaller models to test mechanics
• Build (test, evaluate, re-design)
• Evaluate
  • Sharing the design and receiving feedback

At the F-2 level, there is no expectation that students will produce detailed designs and construct objects from these. The objective is to encourage students to be inventive, to imagine and to play with combinations of materials.

Find a ‘problem’ or ‘need’ that students can explore and have them suggest a solution for it. Sample ‘needs’ could be: a car that runs on garbage; a chair that you can use on the side of a hill; a hat that you can drink out of; a shoe with a phone; a garden that is a house; a house for a Bunyip, etc.

Have students reflect on these questions when drawing their designs:

• How does it work?
• What purpose does it meet?
• Who will use it?

Display the designs to share with others. Have students enter the designs in a Design journal.

Suggested resource:

 

• Photogram facts for kids 
  This is an resource that focuses on photograms. This resource displays work of Man Ray and his rayograph.