The team at Kidesign has launched a new version of their 3D printing teaching and learning package.
Teaching and learning techniques have been improving constantly over the years, whilst teaching subjects themselves have undertaken some renovation to bring them up to date. 3D printing is becoming more and more relevant as part of the curriculum, and Kidesign strives to make sure this is done the right way.
You can’t just sit a child in front of Solidworks and tell them to model something. Children need to be greeted with something friendly, something that appeals to them. However, the main intention behind 3D printing, the desire to create, is something which is deeply embedded in every child, every human even.
Kidesign has taken a simple, but genius angle with their teaching kits:
- Kideville starts with a board, which represents the ocean
- An island is then formed on top of the board using green cards, which sets a stage for making, as well as introducing obstacles
- The children then design their residential houses and settle on their island
- They are then introduced to a town planning brief
- Research then begins on their chosen building
- The children are then given lessons on how to sketch their designs, as well as how to use CAD
- Their buildings are then 3D printed from their CAD models.
This fun game not only encourages students to use their imagination, but it also introduces them to obstacles and specific requirements. Doing this encourages them to combine rational thought and problem solving with their own ideas. It’s very important to teach young designers to put themselves into other peoples shoes and judge the requirements of others closely, and Kideville does just that.
3D modelling training is also quickly becoming an almost essential part of industrial design, so teaching students from a young age provides them with knowledge that will provide scaffolding for any later, in depth learning on any CAD software they may be introduced to in later life.
The 7 new features of this package are:
- Reduced pricing for all kits
- An upgraded and expanded curriculum
- New and improved puzzle board design
- Increased number of student packs in starter kit
- New digital content including video tutorials and downloads
- Improved packaging, making it easier for you to store
- New and updated buildings to design
They currently have a limited offer of their games, meaning lower prices across all of their packages. The kits are customizable depending on the size of the class, and the types of buildings you plan for your class to design and build. All kits contain full teaching resources, an ocean board and student packs for each child.
About Kideville
Kideville is a city design project for children, with an innovative 3D Printing curriculum developed for schools and education workshops. Much like a game, each kid is assigned a creative mission, based on their interests, that takes them through a full design and project management process. The teacher curates this journey that includes research, ideation, sketching, CAD modelling, 3D printing and presenting. The Kideville educational process is collaborative, cross-disciplinary and fun and inspires students to obtain the skills and knowledge in STEM and pursue careers in design, technology and engineering.
Five years of experience with Kidesign projects have gone into creating the Kideville learning process. Through workshops carried out internationally, the Kidesign team has learned what motivates children to experiment with D&T equipment and what experiences stand out in their memories. CAD and 3D printing can be a hard subject to teach, but it is a crucial one to raise the quality and modernity of education. This curriculum kit has been academically studied and used by thousands of boys and girls around the world to obtain the best project formula.
