Save Humpty Dumpty: A PreK Design Thinking Challenge

Rhyming is an important pre literacy skill for young children.  At Germantown Academy, PreK children learn many Mother Goose nursery rhymes and perform them for an audience in the Spring. 

To complement this work, PreK students are participating in a series of nursery rhyme design thinking challenges.  Their first challenge was to help Humpty Dumpty.  Could they design something to keep Humpty Dumpty safe if he fell off the wall?  The children first thought about ways that they keep themselves safe: seat belts, helmets, etc.  They then made representational drawings of their ideas to protect Humpty Dumpty.  

PreK children were given a variety of recycled materials to build models of their designs in the Tinker Lab.  Students’ creations varied from soft beds for Humpty to car seats with seat belts. Some children wrapped Humpty Dumpty in masking tape while others created a slide so Humpty Dumpty could get down safely.  

They built a wall of blocks and children were given their own Humpty Dumpty egg for testing.  Some cracked and some stayed in tact.  In either case, children were encouraged to go back and revise their designs so Humpty Dumpty would be safer for the next fall.    

Design thinking challenges like this one ask students to be reflective, to solve problems creatively, and to try again if something doesn’t work the first time.  When young children engage in design thinking projects, we give them an opportunity to internalize these habits as they begin their journey into lifelong learning.