After reading the book "Too Tall Houses" by Marino, students were challenged to design and create their own tall house using no more than 10 index cards.  At first students didn't think this was possible without some sort of adhesive but after one great idea after the next, and a lot of trial and error, Congress Park's record is 59 cm!  Now the question is can we go even higher?

Global Day of Design is a day focused on creating, making, and building.  This year I had the privilege to work with two first grade classes.  Since they focused on fairy tales earlier this year, we set up a design extension challenge to the traditional tale of the Three Little Pigs.  Their task was to build a new house for the pigs that could withstand the breath of the wolf (AKA Big Bad Blowdryer).  Students were given the budget of $10 design dollars to build their house.  If successful, they moved on to the next level which added another layer of difficulty.  After the event, students reflected on their product, collaboration, and process.