Expert Insights: Mr. Greg’s Design Journey with the Paddle Port

Grade Two is about halfway through our fourth unit of inquiry called How we Organize Ourselves.  Our central idea is, “Many products go through a process of change before they are consumed or used.” In this unit we are studying the origins of products (form), processes of change products go through (change), the distribution of products (connection), and how we use and consume products (responsibility).

So far, we have had Mr. Greg speak to our class as an expert designer.  He designed, built, manufactured, and sold a product called the Paddle Port.  He spoke to our class about the different steps you go through to design and manufacture a product. He also taught us about what it means to have a profit.  Many students liked his tip to always keep a notebook handy to write your ideas on so you don’t forget your great ideas.

Tea Factory Adventure: Unveiling the Design Behind Tea Leaves

We also visited Teh Villa Indonesia tea factory. Students learned how the tea leaves go through a process of change to become the final product in a tea bag that we use at home.  We saw each step of the process from collecting the tea leaves from the factory in a giant bag, to placing the leaves in tea bags, packaging it, labeling it, and wrapping it in plastic to be sold later.  They loved learning the proper way to make tea and then sampling it at the end of the day!

Students were most excited about connecting our unit on production to the Festival of Steam.  We learned how to reuse products to decrease our impact on the Earth.  One way we tried to help is to collect old bottles and then to reuse the plastic bottles to make furniture. We welcomed many visitors to our classroom for the plastic bottle furniture workshops on Saturday, February 15th!

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