Grade 1 Students Delight in Design Project–Gingerbread Traps!

One of the highlights of the Grade 1 experience at St. Patrick’s is the exciting opportunity to spend extended time working in the Student Design and Collaboration Lab. As with most design projects in the Lower School, students build on their existing knowledge and skills to create projects that reflect their thinking, creativity, and the iterative process they follow to develop a final product.

In Grade 1, students embarked on a journey through the many variations of the beloved children’s fairy tale The Gingerbread Man—the story of a cookie that comes to life and escapes, singing, “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Inspired by versions like Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, The Ninjabread Man by Fabiano Fiorin and Katrina Charman, and The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Ernst, students were encouraged to explore the tale from fresh and imaginative angles.

In the Student Design and Collaboration Lab, students faced the challenge of designing clever traps to capture the runaway gingerbread babies. Starting with the empathy step of the design process, students brainstormed a list of what gingerbread babies need and want (candy, snow, places to play). Then they sketched their plans and headed to the Design Lab to create traps. The traps didn't work right away, so they had to revise them based on "feedback" (little notes left by the gingerbread babies). Some students crafted extra cozy beds, hoping to lure the tired cookies in for a nap. Others created nets to ensnare a speedy escapee, while some designed sparkling, irresistible objects within a specially crafted gingerbread house to capture their curious prey.  Students were so excited to finally catch those cookies! 

Through these creative design challenges, Grade 1 students not only deepened their understanding of The Gingerbread Man story but also honed their problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Working in the Student Design and Collaboration Lab allowed them to bring their ideas to life in a hands-on, imaginative way, learning that the design process is as much about experimenting and refining as it is about the final product. As they collaborated with classmates and iterated on their designs, students gained valuable insights into teamwork and creativity—skills that will serve them well in future projects and throughout their academic journeys.