Unit Overview:
Talia’s Toy Box Company has received complaints from parents about how messy toy boxes can get and how hard it is for their children to find their toys without dumping out all of the toys. In this unit, students investigate standard units of measure and sort objects according to their physical properties before applying them to design a toy box organizer.
Engineering & Technology Connections:
Create a toy box organizer design plan, follow the engineering design process
Literacy Connections:
Use story structure to identify key details, compare and contrast story details, identify the main purpose of a text, name cause effect events from a story, summarize narrative text
Mathematics Connections:
Learn about standard and non-standard units, use tools to measure length
Science Connections:
Sort and describe materials by physical properties, conduct fair tests
Computational Thinking Connections:
Follow and develop algorithms for thinking about sequencing of events and accomplishing tasks.
Download PDF of curricula – PictureSTEM Designing Toy Box Organizers_July 2017
Hi, I am trying to purchase the materials to start this unit, and I am wondering if you can tell me the exact size of the “toy boxes” that I need to purchase.
Hi Bridget-
The toy boxes I like to use are the following:
Snapware Smart Store 12×3
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Snapware-1119141-12-x-3-inch-Storage-Container-With-Cerise-Handle-Pack-Of-6/47500082 (you can get them elsewhere too – I know JoAnn’s sells them). They are fairly expensive, but the lids and size are perfect for this curricula. They are also really sturdy so can handle the beating that young students might put on them.
Best,
Tamara
Thank you!
These are sold out everywhere! Do you have another recommendation?
Dear Caitlin
I assume you are talking about the boxes we use for toy boxes. We have found them at JoAnns and Sears sometimes. But here is what we like about them. They are clear with lid that has a handle. They are about the size of letter-sized paper which allows students to lay them over a 1” grid paper and the grid fits almost perfectly. If you find something with these criteria, that should work fine. I have also had teachers say they just used cardboard boxes. This is a much less expensive option but lacks the ability to see though the bottom to lay the box on the grid paper. It is better if the students cannot lay directly on the grid paper, but it would work to put grid paper in the bottom of a cardboard box with a lid.
I hope this helps.
Tamara
Will any robot mouse suffice?
Hi Darlene
The Robot Mouse we recommend is particularly useful for the activities we have set up. If another robot mouse will allow for the same type of computational thinking to be integrated, then it would likely work.
Best,
Tamara
Hi Darlyne-
I did find the Bee-Bot and the Blue-Bot which are similar to the robot mouse. However, they miss the mapping part. That is the important feature here as the students will make blueprints of their designs later in the unit
Best,
Tamara