Middle School Tartans Design Magnetic Wall Activity Center for Preschool – True Cross-Divisional Learning

The Outdoor Classroom in the Early Childhood Development Center received an exciting new activity center that has the preschool Tartans buzzing—thanks to the ingenuity of St. Margaret’s Middle School students.

Students in the grade 8 design and fabrication class have worked for several months conceptualizing, planning, designing and constructing 3D-printed and laser-cut ramps, chutes, cups and rings to go with a newly installed magnetic wall in the Outdoor Classroom. Preschool students can organize the parts on the wall to create pathways for a ball to travel, and test different combinations.

ECDC director Cris Lozon and STEM teacher Londa Posvistak came up with the idea while attending a STEM conference for early childhood learning. An engineering-based interactive exhibit like a magnetic wall with movable ramps intrigued Dr. Lozon, and Ms. Posvistak thought designing and creating parts would fit well with the curriculum in the grade 8 design and fabrication class.

The project culminated last week as the grade 8 students delivered the ramps, rings, chutes and cups they designed and created to the Preschool. Activity in the Outdoor Classroom is voluntary and student-driven, and soon, many curious preschoolers gathered around the older students to interact with the new wall.

“Through play, the preschool students can learn about gravity, mechanics, cause and effect, slope and engineering,” Dr. Lozon said. “Plus, they learn about teamwork and cooperation to make the ramps work.”

The Middle School students started the unit back in March, taking measurements of where the wall would be and determining an ideal size. They took into account factors such as how high a preschool student could reach.

“Once the wall was mounted and a few prototype parts were made, the Middle School students went over to the preschool to have them test the wall to see what works and what doesn’t,” said Ashley Ricart, who teaches the design and fabrication class. “The students also interviewed some of the preschool students afterward to see what shapes they would like for the wall.”

Those interactions, Dr. Lozon said, were what made the project so special.

“The wonderful part of being a four-division school is the community the students build with each other,” Dr. Lozon said. “The grade 8 students found a purpose in their learning in providing a service to their preschool friends, and the preschoolers found a community of older peers that listened and cared about their ideas.”

After listening to feedback from the younger Tartans, the Middle School students started working on the design process. They had to follow strict safety guidelines, making sure pieces were large enough to be safely used by children as young as 3, didn’t have sharp edges and featured affixed magnets that couldn’t be removed.

About 20 different parts were created, some with the laser cutter and some with the 3D printer. While the laser cutter quickly cut the wood pieces for students to finish assembling using wood glue, the 3D printing was a longer process. One piece took 40 hours to print.

During the printing process, the preschool students visited the Middle School Design and Fabrication Lab to see first-hand how objects are 3D-printed.

With all the pieces completed and the magnets affixed, the grade 8 students returned to the Outdoor Classroom to show the preschool students how to play with their new magnetic wall. Before long, several young Tartans had gathered around the wall, moving the parts around and seeing how the change affected the traveling ball.

“They love it,” Dr. Lozon said. “And the Middle School students were thoroughly engaged in helping the preschoolers understand how it works.”