Design An Enjoyable Dining Experience

Our inquiry unit has been focusing on the 5 food groups and how to create healthy meals. Last Friday the kiddos were given the challenge to design an enjoyable dining experience for a partner. We came up with several questions that would guide our thinking and designing. 

The first stage began with the kids interviewing each other to dig deep and find out what what would make a dining experience enjoyable. EMPATHY 

After they interviewed, reflected, asked more questions, and made notes in their design thinking journals, the kids entered stage two. They defined what their partner needed to have an enjoyable dining experience. DEFINE

Next, they entered stage three. They sketched four different designs to meet the needs of their partner. IDEATE 

Stage four is FEEDBACK. Each designer shares their ideas with their user. The user states what would work, what could be changed, and what they are most excited about. 

ITERATE, stage five, is choosing one final design to sketch incorporating the user's feedback and any new ideas. 

The final stage is PROTOTYPE! This is by far the kiddos favorite stage. It is when they build their design and oh are they so proud of their work! 

We had a sushi robot, which makes sushi for it's user. There was a zapper which can order food from a user's favorite restaurant and have it delivered. There was a bowl that doesn't allow noodles to slip out and spill. Many, many creative designs! Ask your child what they designed and why.