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Design Lab

What Design Lab Is All About!

02/15/23

Don Callejon’s Design Lab gives students access to equipment, knowledge, and opportunities to develop critical and creative thinking skills. In addition to our design challenges, hands-on projects, and computer science programs, students will learn collaboration skills and the importance of having a growth mindset.  

Using the Engineering Design Process, students solve real-world applicable problems in order to find optimized solutions. Foundational skill-building begins in Kindergarten. By the time students reach middle school, they will have experience in the following STEAM categories: engineering, block coding, hands-on building and power tool use, robotics and programming, 3D design, media and design, and circuitry. With these foundational skills, students will use the Design Thinking and Engineering Design Process to further develop their skills while working on projects 

Project categories include STEAM-centered and community building and enrichment designs. Students use their knowledge to tackle different types of projects, from  redesigning common, everyday items to more elaborate topics, such as sustainability. A typical project involves planning, creating a prototype, testing the prototype, receiving feedback about the prototype, and redesigning the prototype to better fit the needs of the community it serves.  

First graders explore programming with Blue Bots. 
First graders create an obstacle course using cones and connectors. They program the Blue Bot to weave through the obstacles, go around the cone and travel back to the starting point. 

Fourth graders use block coding to create a narrative using the Scratch platform. Students use Mackey Mackey circuits to run their program by touching the arrows.

Fourth graders use block coding to create a narrative using the Scratch platform. Students use Makey Makey circuits to run their program by touching the arrows. 

Middle school students use Tinkercad Codeblocks to create a pattern inspired by nature. This is a finished product based on the final lesson within the introductory codeblocks unit by Tyler Nishihara. 

Eighth grade students use Tinkercad 3D design buildings, infrastructure, furniture, and useful tools/items for everyday life. This is an example of 3D workplane exploration by Vivian Nguyen.