Ms. Kilpatrick's Kindergarten Students are Designing with Primary Colors

When we think of Kindergartners as engineers many are baffled. It is a very simple process where young students ask questions (think), they make (create), they test and then they play. We no longer want students to produce items that all look the same  as this squashes critical thinking and creativity.  A typical engineering activity will have the teacher asking questions, coming up with a problem for the students to solve and then the students will create and test a solution. There will be no teacher created model where the teacher states, "this is what it should look like" instead the teacher facilitates the process of creating. When students use engineering practices math and science skills are reinforced. These practices promote critical thinking and creativity, and teaches students not to be afraid of taking intellectual risks.

Students in Mrs. Kilpatrick's class read the story "Mouse Paint" in order to explore how primary colors combine to make secondary colors. The students were able to mix colors in order to identify new colors. One student decided to mix all the primary colors to make his own version of "green"!