Join us for Summer Imaginations

This summer, encourage your students to think like engineers and inventors! D!Lab is offering weekly design thinking challenges that develop creativity and engage students in the process of innovation. The D!Lab Summer Imaginations program engages students’ minds and hands in a summer where academic and creative connection and engagement is crucial. 

This week’s challenges are listed below. Participants will have a month to complete and submit photos and videos of their completed challenges. An archive of all challenges will be updated throughout the summer and can be found here.

At the end of the summer, Amazon gift certificates will be awarded to winners for each challenge by grade-level categories K-1, 2-4, and 4-7 for most original designs. Students who submit for multiple challenges are eligible for multiple prizes. Students will be notified by their submission email. Submissions for summer prizes should be sent to dlab@saes.org.

Week Seven

Creativity Challenge: Roll of the Creativity Die

Creativity is often at its best when it is at its most spontaneous.

Here is your challenge:

Select five materials and some tape. Some suggestions for your materials: toothpicks, sticks, cardboard, flat rocks, yogurt containers, plastic bottles, paper towel tubes, shoe boxes, or balloons.

Then roll a die (single of a pair of dice). If you roll a 1, make a tower. If you roll a 2, make an animal. If you roll a 3, make a vehicle. If you roll a 4, make a game. If you roll a 5, make a piece of furniture. If you roll a six, make a toy.

Your materials should be chosen and gathered before you roll the die.

Here are the constraints (limitations) for this challenge.

1. After you roll your die, plan the object you will make. Draw your plan.
2. Make your object out of only the five different materials that you selected in advance.

Evaluation for this challenge will be based upon the following criteria…

1. Creation of an object based on the roll of a die
2. Only five materials were used to create the object
3. Age appropriate skill applied to making the object

Note: In order to be considered for summer prizes, your submission for Creativity Challenge #7 must be received on or before August 21, 2020 and emailed to dlab@saes.org. Include a good photo of the submission, the maker’s name, age, and school. Please have your parent send the email. You can also mail in a photo of your submission to D!Lab/Charles James 8804 Postoak Road, Potomac, MD, 20854.

Design Challenge: Marble Run Reaction

In this week’s design challenge, use marbles to start a fun three-phase chain reaction. In this challenge the chain reaction is caused by the energy of a rolling marble. For example, the marble may strike something that hits something else and causes a final reaction.

Here is your challenge:

You will need a variety of found materials and some marbles.

Create a ramp for marbles to roll down and design a chain reaction caused by the marbles.

Here are the constraints (limitations) for this challenge:

1. The chain reaction can have different levels and materials
2. The chain reaction should have at least three phases or reactions caused by the marbles
3. You may add any special features or materials you wish to your marble run. Be imaginative!
4. Make a sketch of your marble run and explain what you think will happen during the chain reaction

Evaluation for this challenge will be based upon the following criteria:

1. A working three-phase chain reaction started by one or more marbles
2. Imaginative extra customized features for the marble run and chain reaction
3. The marble run is accompanied by a drawing describing what you think will happen
4. Age appropriate skill applied to designing and creating the marble run

Note: In order to be considered for summer prizes, your submission for Design Challenge #7 must be received on or before August 21, 2020 and emailed to dlab@saes.org. Include a photo of your drawing and photos or video of the working chain reaction with the maker’s name, age, and school. Please have your parent send the email.