3Dux Designs was a pandemic find. March of 2020 hit us hard, and many of us were searching for things for our children to do to take the place of school.
3Dux Designs creates architectural modeling sets and project-based learning resources.
3Duxdesign.com
I purchased the Iconic Home Architecture Set to ignite some creativity during our time at home. The package contained 37 connectors, 42 cardboard pieces, and a few crayons. My son and I quickly created several ideas for the perfect home and had a blast doing it. The beauty in this kit, however, is the ability to use the connectors for ANY project. We simply took a few pictures of our home, disassembled it, cut some fresh cardboard (thanks to many Amazon Prime deliveries during the spring of 2020!), and created something new.
Fast-forward to the Fall 2021. A new first grade student joined the gifted group, and I wanted him to research, write, and create right away. I found this plan for building a Tiny House on the 3Dux website. It was perfect.
We started by reading “If I Built a House” by Chris Van Dusen. In the story, young Jack imagines the house of his dreams with a racetrack, gigantic slide, and flying room. Our creative juices were flowing. We watched this video about a family that actually lives in a tiny house. We took notes on why this family liked living in the tiny house, what families NEED in a tiny house, and what families WANT to have in a tiny house. We talked about what parts of our house could have two functions, such as a foldable table that could double as a desk for schoolwork. Then we brainstormed what features his tiny house would have. He chose to have table/desk, a hammock for seating, and sofa for seating and sleeping. His final challenge was to use the cardboard and connectors to build his design. This part was so much fun! It was interesting to watch my young learner create a tiny house structure including a second story loft area for sleeping and watching TV. He quickly realized that it was easier to add drawings to the inside of the house before it was assembled, not after. This was a life lesson!
Our gifted classroom now has a Jumbo Connector Set. We have used it for a few more projects including our fourth grade gingerbread house that featured “candy” pieces made with the 3Doodler.
3Dux Designs is so creative. I love how you can use your imagination to create so many things with one set of inexpensive connectors. The PBL resources keep evolving and growing. There is so much potential with these products!