Creative Purpose in IDEA Lab

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them”  Albert Einstein

On the first day of IDEA Lab, students were warned: “This course is in a state of flux! Please be prepared to design structures, to meet challenges and to ask questions.” With such an introduction, one can imagine that IDEA Lab, part of the seventh grade enrichment rotation, kept students on their toes - collaborating and thinking critically in a space that encouraged student choice and flexibility.

Following some lessons on potential and kinetic energy, a few different challenges were posed throughout the trimester. Each challenge had some guidelines. They began with designing an egg drop with specified parameters to the final project - creating a Rube Goldberg machine or a roller coaster that was designed to achieve a task. Creative, out-of-the-box thinking was encouraged. Inexpensive, easily accessible materials were reimagined and manipulated for the desired results. The teams worked together to set balls in motion to pour a glass of water, dominos to fall in sequence to serve a breakfast of milk and cereal, and even spring trigger a mallet to paint spontaneous art. Whether it all worked perfectly didn’t matter, the lesson was in the process. Understanding the power of potential energy and making something out of nothing was enlightening!
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Mayfield Junior School

Located in Pasadena, California, Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a K-8 Catholic coeducational private school. Our kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school experience best prepares students for high school education and beyond.