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Plan
By Phase By Day Calendar
Empathize
Students will launch the toy design challenge, observe how younger children play, gather ideas from community experiences, and record picture-based evidence about what makes a toy fun, safe, and worth keeping for a preschooler.
Days 1 - 7
🎁 Toy Challenge Mystery Bags
Launch 40m
🧠 Preschool Play Noticing Lesson
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🗣️ Preschool Interview Practice Cards
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🧸 Preschool Buddy Play Visit
Community Experience 40m
🏛️ Denver Toy Museum Sketch Walk
Community Experience 40m
🌿 Wheels Wings Soft Sort
Deliverable 40m
📁 User Research Picture Page
Assessment 40m

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Define
Students will sort and study what they learned from preschool interviews, museum observations, and nature play experiences to define a clear toy problem for a younger child. They will use pictures, talk, movement, and simple design tools to name preschooler needs, choose whether a toy should use wheels, wings, or soft materials, and create a picture-supported problem statement that guides later sketching and building.
Days 8 - 14
🧺 Toy Clue Sorting Mat
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🖼️ Preschool Need Picture Map
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🎭 Safe Play Puppet Scenes
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🌿 Wheels Wings Soft Hunt
Research 40m
🧩 My Preschool Toy Problem Card
Deliverable 45m
💬 Two Friends Feedback Swap
Project Work 40m
✅ Problem Card Build Conference
Assessment 40m

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Ideate
Students will use what they learned from preschool interviews, museum observations, and play notes to generate many toy ideas, sort them into wings, wheels, or soft-material options, and choose a strong direction for a preschool toy design. They will practice imaginative play, sketching, quick modeling, peer feedback, and revision so their next prototype choices clearly match a younger child’s needs.
Days 15 - 23
🧺 Toy Idea Bag Launch
Launch 40m
🖼️ Preschool Need-to-Toy Match
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
✏️ Three Toy Sketches
Deliverable 40m
🛠️ Shape and Material Try-It
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🎭 Play-It-Out Toy Stories
Project Work 35m
🧱 Quick Model Build
Project Work 40m
💬 Two Friends Feedback Round
Deliverable 40m
🌿 Nature Shapes Idea Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
✅ Best Idea Build Conference
Assessment 40m

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Draft
Students will turn their toy ideas into first prototypes by studying how shape and material choices affect play, building with simple tools and classroom materials, trying out their designs through dramatic play and movement, and revising from teacher and peer feedback before a draft checkpoint.
Days 24 - 35
🧺 Toy Parts Match-Up
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
✏️ Labeled Toy Plan Board
Deliverable 40m
🛠️ Tape, Hole Punch, Stuff Demo
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🧱 First Toy Prototype Build
Project Work 40m
🎭 Safe Play Toy Tryout
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
👂 Two Friends Feedback Cards
Deliverable 40m
🔧 Prototype Revision Build
Project Work 40m
🌿 Nature Movement Toy Check
Research 40m
🏫 Preschool Teacher Safety Look
Community Experience 40m
🪡 Stronger Draft Build Day
Project Work 40m
🗣️ Draft Share and Revise
Deliverable 40m
✅ Draft Prototype Checkpoint
Assessment 40m

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Test
Students will test their first toy prototypes with classmates and community users, notice what works for preschool play, gather picture-supported feedback, and make evidence-based changes before moving into deeper critique.
Days 36 - 44
🧸 Toy Test Rules Circle
Knowledge/Skill Building 30m
👀 Preschool Play Look-Fors
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🛠️ Feedback Tags and Photos
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🎯 Partner Toy Tryout
Project Work 40m
📝 Test Board Checkpoint
Deliverable 40m
🏫 Preschool Buddy Toy Trial
Community Experience 40m
🔁 Revise One Toy Part
Project Work 40m
🎭 Safe Play Demo Round
Deliverable 40m
📸 Before-and-After Build Conference
Assessment 40m

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Critique
Students will study feedback from play tests, use kind critique routines with peers and adults, and improve their toy so it better matches a preschooler’s needs for fun, safety, and play.
Days 45 - 52
🧠 Feedback Picture Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
💬 Kind Critique Talk Moves
Knowledge/Skill Building 30m
🧸 Toy Checkpoint Circle
Deliverable 40m
👫 Two-Peer Feedback Round
Project Work 40m
✏️ Revision Sketch and Plan
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🛠️ Maker Space Fix-It Build
Project Work 50m
🎭 Safe Play Demo Critique
Community Experience 40m
✅ Improved Toy Build Conference
Assessment 40m

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Notice & Reflect
Students will organize evidence from their toy-design journey, rehearse how to explain their choices, present and gift their finished toy to a preschooler, and reflect on how observation, feedback, testing, and kindness shaped their final work.
Days 53 - 60
🖼️ Toy Journey Photo Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🗣️ Preschool Toy Talk Practice
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
👂 Toy Showcase Peer Coaching
Deliverable 40m
🎭 Safe Play Demo Circle
Project Work 40m
🧺 Toy Treasure Showcase Setup
Deliverable 40m
🎁 Preschool Gift and Gallery Walk
Community Experience 40m
✅ Final Toy Story Conference
Assessment 40m
⚽ Maker Reflection Ball Share
Deliverable 40m

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