Sixth Graders Turn Holiday Challenges into Creative Inventions

How could dipping apples in honey be less messy? What would better protect an etrog? At SAR Academy, these familiar holiday challenges inspired sixth graders to become designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs through the Sukkot Holiday Store project.

Drawing on their own experiences celebrating the chagim, students worked with partners to identify a problem and consider how an invention could make holiday preparation or celebration easier. They then developed their ideas into prototypes, testing and revising their designs along the way.

The inventions ranged from practical accessories to imaginative approaches to holiday spaces. One student fashion line featured concepts for fireproof Chanukah gloves, a bracelet with a key charm for use within an eruv, and patches to cover clothing stains on Shabbat. Other designs included a sukkah with built-in Murphy beds and a rotating, heated, multitiered platter designed to transport an entire meal to the sukkah at once.

Throughout the process, students discovered that bringing an idea to life requires experimentation and persistence. Unsuccessful attempts and changes in direction became contributions to the classroom’s “Whoops Wall,” where pieces of the design process were displayed as opportunities for reflection and learning.

The wall encouraged students to recognize the work behind a successful design and appreciate how mistakes could help move an idea forward. Setbacks became experiences to share, examine, and build upon.

As the Holiday Store approached, students added marketing to their responsibilities. Each pair needed to attract customers, explain the problem their invention addressed, and communicate its value. Preparing a sales pitch challenged students to make their thinking clear to an audience unfamiliar with their work.

Teachers, principals, and visiting administrators attended the store, giving students an opportunity to present their prototypes beyond the classroom and answer questions about their designs. Surprise visitors added to the excitement as students shared the ideas they had come to know inside and out.

The Holiday Store brought together the learning that had unfolded throughout the project: collaboration, creative problem-solving, perseverance, and the confidence to share an original idea. Behind every sales pitch was a story of decisions and revisions, with lessons from the “Whoops Wall” remaining on display to inspire students throughout the year.