A teacher friend called me the other day, and as per usual, we got right into our “teacher talk.” We have this habit of bouncing ideas off each other until we’ve basically mapped out a whole month of school. Our “quick” conversations always end up being 40 minutes or longer, you know how it is when the creative gears start turning!
In this recent conversation, we began brainstorming some great ideas for Grade 3 and 4 STEM. We were looking for a fresh way to spark curiosity, and it led me back to a topic that never fails to get kids talking: Ordinary Objects.
As teachers, we spend so much time over-analyzing our lesson plans that we sometimes forget the magic hidden in a simple pencil or a roll of tape. Inquiry-based learning doesn’t always need a complex kit; sometimes, it just needs a really good “Why?”
Thinking about this took me right back to my own “young investigator” days. I can still see myself sitting on the floor with a broken cassette tape, determined to save my favorite music. I wasn’t just fixing a toy; I was an engineer on a mission. I remember the focus it took to re-thread that delicate ribbon around the tiny plastic gears, making sure it would pull in the right direction. Hours would disappear in a blink because I was so lost in the “how” of it all.
That’s the energy I love in my classroom. Have you ever given your class a broken toaster or an old mechanical keyboard and a screwdriver? (Safety goggles on, of course!) Just to find out how it works?
As our conversation began to dive in deeper we realized that this is the ultimate bridge for our Structures and Mechanisms strand. As students unscrew the casing, they see the internal structure (the frame) and the simple machines (the gears and levers) that make it “go.” There are so many curriculum connections to be found just by un-inventing the world around us.
I challenge you and your students to look at a common object, like a backpack and “un-invent” one part of it. Think, what if backpacks didn’t have zippers? Suddenly, Grade 4 students are brainstorming pulleys, toggles, and gears, while the Grade 3s are thinking about how the structure of the bag would have to change to keep things from falling out.
When we teach kids to question the things they see every day, we are teaching them that the world is designed, and if it’s designed, it can be understood and eventually, improved by them.
What is one “ordinary” object in your classroom that your students might want to un-invent? Let’s swap some ideas in the comments!
