The Fairgrounds Project engaged students in the process of design thinking, solving problems through ongoing experimentation, brainstorming, prototyping, and testing, and all projects were built entirely from recycled materials.

“I learned how to use the design thinking process to create a project that worked and demonstrated our hard work,” said seventh grader Ellie. 

Interpersonal skills were also critical to the students’ success, said fellow classmate Arman. He added, “We learned that collaboration is a big part of having efficient and smooth teamwork … we were one of the first groups to finish and we think that was because our collaboration was really nice.”

The seventh grade computer scientists studied wiring using Crumble kits, a simple controller that can be programmed for a variety of functions such as driving motors, connecting to switches, or powering LEDs. Enthusiastic sixth graders got to see the presentations and demo the prototypes.