Encouraging the use of 3D Printers and other technology in the Classroom by sharing examples and good practise - from a classroom of wonderful junior school students in New Zealand.
This has been added as the final slide at present to our 2026 Slideshow - you can click on the link here to view that original post or view the video directly below.
A reminder that the students in New Zealand are on the second week of the school holidays and we will be returning to the classroom next Monday.
Background: As term one has come to an end student were given various tasks relating to creating an item of their own choice. This student decided that they wanted to create a stand for their cellphone to ensure that it had a dedicated and personalised space.
The student used their iPad and the Tinkercad design app to create the shape that they felt would work. This task was one where it was straight forward to print it, and it was obvious that it would require some attention however it was going to lead the students potentially in another direction.
Background: This was an open challenge to students to come up with a storage idea that they could personalise and create themselves that was original. The student in this case came up with the concept, the idea and the execution of the design. This was completed by a eight year old student using Tinkercad working independently without any teacher input.
The student used the Tinkercad App, the Tinkercad scribble tool for the skateboard design.
Level of Difficulty: Low - the student was able to do this in a short space of time because they were confident it could easily be completed. There were some small issues to be resolved (see below) but the student was able to complete this easily.
Cost/Price: Using the Bambu Studios Software prior to printing we are able to determine that the print uses 122g of PLA to complete and this has a price point of $3.06.
Timeframe: On the regular settings for the Bambu H2D to complete this print the print took three hours and fifty one minutes. The main storage area and the supports were printed as a single print, the student could have reduced the amount of support required by printing both of these separately and then gluing after completion.
What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:
The student could have spent more time on the design on the Skateboard which is the centrepiece for the design. The supports needed some attention - while they certainly tilted the design and had it on a clear slope, as shown in the above photograph the connection between them and the storage needed to be more robust.
The reverse of the box/storage currently doesn't have any decoration or design and this is something were additional detail could easily be added.
It has now been updated, and will be updated with further material from 2026.
Background: This print was originally part of the cyclops 2026 print series - although it is going to be revised following the school holidays. The very first use of the eyes took place in November 2025.
The student wanted to create a design with multiple eyes with various shapes and additions to create something that had a varied texture.
All of this design was created by a eight year old student who is part of the second cohort of classroom students. They used their iPad and the Tinkercad app to complete the design independently using Tinkercad for the design. The teacher then converted the .stl file into Bambu studio to complete the printing of the project.
With the design the student used the Tinkercad Apps AR/VR feature to test the design virtually. They used the 'motion' feature to ensure that the design was solid and then removed any additional spikes that were not fully attached.
Next steps for the students/What would we do differently: The students design could benefit from further refinement. The eyes are sunken in significantly with the design and therefore they are not obviously visible. The print was completed in glow-in-the-dark filament - although this was perhaps something to be reconsidered if it was to repeated again. The base of the design is a little uneven because of the weight of it and therefore it would be adjusted slightly in future prints.
Background: It has been explained that we use in the classroom the Tinkercad Classroom set up to manage the students and their designs. Again this is something that we've done repeatedly over several years. There is no charge to establish or run this and we have several years of classrooms on file, where the designs of the students have remained live after the class has closed or moved on. Students are given an individual account, monitored and managed by the teacher, with essentially a limitless amount of design space.
In this instance the purpose behind this is the student wanted to develop their own design skills. They have located an .stl file which is the cat on the right hand side. The student felt that they would be able to replicate and copy the design using the main features on the Tinkercad design interface.
Size: The print measures 90nn from the head to the tip of the tail. The main body was 40mm high, 40mm wide and 60mm long. The feet were 10mm square. The head was 30mm square.
Cost/Price: The print used 28g of regular PLA which according to the Bambu Studio Labs software had a price point to complete the original design of $0.70c.
What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: The student need to refine their design so it closely matches the original in details, and features. The intention is to say to the student once they have completed their copy and encourage them to develop their own design and consider what would be the purpose of the design.
Background: As explained previously this year we have revisited several different tasks from last year including our cyclops challenge, details of which you can read here.
We've always looking at ways to extend the students thinking and using craft items that can be incorporated into 3D Printing and students design.
In this instance the student opted to go with two eyes but to ensure it was not the traditional pair of eyes in this instance the student opted to have them on top of each other on the shape of a snowman with additional texture provided by the hair.
Level of Difficulty: Low - the fact that the design was a monster allowed for it not to have traditional measurements or features - which meant there was no right or wrong answers for the design that the students created.
Cost/Price: The print used 26g of filament and had a price point of $0.65c. This information was supplied by Bambu Studios as part of their software when the .stl Tinkercad file was imported across into the printer software.
Timeframe: Using the standard settings on the Bambu H2D this print took one hour to complete. There was minimal rafting, mainly around the hair at the back.
What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: The location of the two eyes could be more refined. There is a small gap for the eyes however the smallest eyes required a slightly larger gap. The design does not have a solid base and this has meant that there is something of a 'wobble' present which upon testing of the print limits what can be stored in it. If the print was to be expanded and store more stationary then the base would need to stabilised.
Background: An eight year old using iPad and Tinkercad. The student was completing the earring challenge and looking to create something that was recognisable. They decided to challenge themselves by selection two cartoon characters with an extremely high recognition factor among students. The student was able to colour match both characters and add details based on their knowledge of both characters. The student created multiple versions or pairs using these as the base design. There are versions involved both characters on the left and the right as a identical pair.
Level of Difficulty: Medium/High. The context of the challenge is relatively easy however the student chose to undertake a detailed print of a high profile character. The print shown left is the first attempt from the student to do so and revision would be expected in this case.
Size:: As can be seen from the screenshot of the Tinkercad design screen in the top photo the figures are 45mm across and 50mm high. The prints are 5mm wide. For a pair of earrings these would be the most common size.
Cost/Price: Two print both of the pair the printer used 7g of PLA to complete the print and this had a price point suggested by Bambu Studios Lab of $0.17c to complete.
Timeframe: The print took twenty two minutes to complete. While the prints have a pleasing level of detail it can be seen that the finish on the top right hand side of the right figure looks a little rough. When the print is revised the figure in this location would need some refining (perhaps to increase its width).
What we would do differently/Next Steps for the students: Refining of the top right hand corner of the print colour matching, ensuring that details like the legs on the left hand side are both equal. This is something that could be repeatedly printed to ensure that it is completed to a high standard as the print itself is able to be completed easily and has a small amount of PLA ussed.
Background: We have mentioned the process and the link between Minecraft and Tinkercad in a design sense. You can see a range of posts on this blog recently of particular note was a recent post when a student completed a 'Masterclass' when a villager was created. You can also view summary posts from last year here.
In this task the student completed a similar process - and were able to produce the figure shown left. The student used the colour palette to create more detail - although we have noted that we intend to use the Versa Sign Maker to complete a sticker to show more detail for the character as the 3D Printing was going to lessen the details.
Size: This figure was determined to be a novelty figure so the intention was to always keep the design simple, small but functional. The design measured 20mm across at the base of the feet 40mm at the arms and 50mm at the arms and the design was 60mm high.
Timeframe: To complete this print the printer need to work for forty five minutes. There was limited rafting on the print, essentially just under the arms.
What we would do different'y/Next steps for the students: This print as noted needs the support of either a range of PLA or the use of a third party tool, which we anticipate will be the Roland Versa Studios Sign maker
While the student from cohort one has only been designing for a short space of time this student completed this in their own time and could add additional finishing details to the figure.
Background: Due to the nature of the design, the simplicity that it is possible to complete the task with and also the printing time - this has evolved into a standard creation, production and printing task for the students.
As the term was coming to the end we used this as a challenge where we spoke to the students - we also wanted to make it clear to the students that if they continue to design, create and make in the School Holidays here in New Zealand we will be able to print their designs during the break so they will be ready for their collection after the break.
In this instance having being regularly posting on this site for many years this is one of the tasks that we have a wealth of examples from - from one off basic designs to students who have created entire micro-businesses with the concept and used it for previous school Market Days. You can view the links to all of these posts on this blog or use the search bar top right and use the term 'earrings' to see pages and pages of potential examples. You can click on this link to the 2023 project which started as a design task and then evolved into this 2023 Market Day business.
We also had students switch to the laser cutter in 2024 or you can view the Pac-Man super slim examples from 2021 by clicking on this link here. This summary slideshow created in 2025 contains all of the steps from start to finish in the process - aimed very much at a teacher carrying this out as an activity with an entire classroom.
Background: Regular visitors to this blog will recognise this challenge from last year it was one based around the use of a prop or third part challenge and the goal for the students was to incorporate the item into the 3D Design. We have previously proved successful in doing so with pencil sharpeners (which you can see via this previous post here or inputing this into the search box top right hand corner)
This challenge focussed on the craft eyes shown left. They were purchased from a local chain store from the craft section for $5.00. Each of the eyes has an adhesive sticker on the back of it to fix it into place onto paper or cardboard as we are ultimately mounting it on plastic PLA which would mean that we would be gluing it in place with some form of strong adhesive. As we have mentioned in the past we have a range of previous prints from this site collected over the years for the students to use as an inspiration point for students- one of the featured prints is the series of 'cyclops' prints from last year,
To ensure that this years designs were original, and not simply a copy of the example shown left students were challenged to create a design that featured multiple eyes - with a minimum of at least two, however we specified to the students that they needed to ensure that they were not 'traditional' that is they were not placed adjacent to each other like we would expect to see in a regular face.
We started by having the students sketch a 'monster' figure and designing it on regular paper. We then had the students exchange plans with each other and have students use Tinkercad to create the digital image object of the other students idea. Once they had their creation checked they were then encouraged to add depth and details to their original design.
To further provide a point of interest this print was printed in green glow-in-the-dark as we have been using some material left over from last years Market Day.
The biggest challenge for this task for the students is allowing for specific measurements for a range of 'eyes' for the print to work in conjunction with. They provide a striking contrast to the print filament itself but to ensure that it works effectively they cannot really be glued in place without any kind of insert or opening for the eye.
This monster will be featured in an additional post on this blog.
Background: Without wishing to sound repetitious there are a series of posts from this site over the last few days and weeks relating to the use of the students iPasds, Tinkercad (the browser) or the Tinkercad App for the students to be involved in CAD design to create their own versions of these creatures from the game Minecraft.
A reminder that as a visitor to this blog you can use the search bar top right to use the keyword ''Minecraft' to view several years of examples from the students from our school. One of the more challenging examples from this series was the 'rate panda' shown left. In this example students spent a considerable time to gain the recognition factor by correctly reimagining the facials in particular of this animal. In the Tinkercad version the students were very aware of the colour matching required.
Background: As previously noted in a series of posts on this blog there has been a recent Minecraft theme for the students to build utilising the use of Tinkercad.
In this design the student focussed on the Minecraft Panda. Students had completed this design last year and one of students from cohort two who was present wanted to complete a different version of this design. The thinking behind the design was that the colour of black and white would be easily created using the colour palette which would greatly increase the recognition factor of the design.
Level of Difficulty: Medium. This design was somewhat complicated and the student spent considerable time crafting the facial features, the student could have potentially spent more time working on the legs of the creature particularly when they are seem in profile.
Recently we have been expanding our digital footprint by increasing our scope. While we don't necessarily complete our work for the benefit of page numbers and view etc it is noticeable that we have achieved in the month just ended the best thirty day period for a blog that has been running since 2015.
The photo above is a view from our school field - while we are a rural school we have core values based around innovation and engaging with technology for our learners.
Our students have just completed the first term of four here in New Zealand and are currently on a two week term break we will return Monday 20th April.
In the meantime you are always welcome to email the teacher running the site at myles.webb@gmail.com. You can also view our 'Facebook' page for this site by visiting it here.
Background: Much like last weeks Axolotl which had been completed and organised for storage, this Minecraft cow originally featured as a AR/VR post on this blog which you can view by clicking on the link here.
The print was deliberately designed to be oversized and we were interested in pushing the limits of the Bambu H2D, as shown in the dimensions below.
The link between Minecraft and Tinkercad has been documented numerous times by the students at our school as the blocks of Minecraft can be replicated directly or indirectly via Tinkercad. You can view examples of this by clicking on the link here.
Background: We have recently started having regular enviro group meetings here at our school. One of the tasks that the students who are involved in the project have been given is to use a variety of seeds to grow some basic vegetables and herbs.
These were supplied to students in compostable seedling pots that required watering. When water the pots themselves tended to become wet, maintained the moisture and lost their shape etc.
One of the students who is in the classroom recognised the potential to address this by using the 3D Printer to create a base in which either the entire place could be grown or the compostable hessian like container could be placed and any soil or water leaking from the seedling could be contained. The student who is eight years old was able to use their knowledge of Tinkercad and the designs that had been created this year to complete this in their own time easily and without the teacher providing any input.
The student made the decision as the Enviro group was the focus for the group that this was the labelled that was placed on the front of the design. This was created as the prototype design to see if this was a viable creation and would in conjunction with the potential to seed raise.
Size: The design measured 70mm across at the front was 100mm long and 5mm deep at the base. The tower part of the design was 45mm high from the base of the plate. The tower had a diameter of 60mm which allowed one of the compostable containers to sit in the design, If the intention was to replant the seeds then this would need to be increased or the seeds tipped out.
Cost/Price: Using the Bambu Studio Labs software to determine the price point and the cost of the design we can determine that the print used 41g of filament to complete at a cost of $1.01.
Timeframe: One hour to complete using the Bambu H2D - a reminder that this machine is essentially twice as fast as the previous machines that we were using (Snapmaker) and as such we would expect the time to be considerably more if another machine was used.
What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: With the example shown while the student has solved a problem there are some refining issues that could be completed. The obvious one was the addition of the students name, perhaps on the reverse of the design or by the Enviro label so that the owner of the container would be obvious. The size of the contained could be increase slightly so that the compostable container sits clearly within it. Finally the tower part of the design does not have any drainage holes inside it. While if used to house another container it would not be a significant amount of moisture if this was to be a more permanent growing location then something would be required.
Background: Its been established and detailed on this blog that the challenge from last week was to design a Minecraft character - a number of these examples were detailed here on this blog. One of the students who completed this task and produced the amazing Axolotl we featured on Thursday. He was determined to complete another design and used his knowledge of Minecraft to think about what figure he wanted to produce.
One of the challenges of producing a character in 3D is that essentially the figures in the game are generally quite flat and therefore producing details on the figures can be challenging. The student in this case was to choose a figure that had a distinctive feature - the hat.
We have also considered the prospect of using the Versa Sign Maker to print a sticker with the details of the Minecraft character on the sticker which would then be applied to the 3D Printed figure. This is a post however for another day.
Background: This classroom game was unable to be used as the sliding bar at the base of the game was no longer functioning. It was the students themselves who came up with the solution to this which was to print a replacement version for the piece allowing the game to be played.
This task was completed by students who are eight years old working independently who have used Tinkercad and the Tinkercad App (which is essentially the same program) since the start of this year as they are part of the cohort one group of students in the classroom. The task was split into two parts. The first part involved the printing of a basic bar. This bar was 250mm long 20mm high and 5mm wide. This bar when placed in the location that it was required (as shown in the photograph above) could not remain in its location independently, as it fitted relatively well but the students had to use tape to stick it into place. They also decided that rather than replacing the tape every game it was easier when the game was completed to tip the game upside down so that the counters slid outside.
Background: Previously we've adapted versions of this task with various groups of students from Y3 onwards. In this specific example the student working on the project is eight years old. It was a Minecraft Chicken.
This print and project was completed by two students using their iPads and the Tinkercad App. Minecraft Education was also used for the inspiration where they located the animal as a model to recreate.
This term in New Zealand is about to end, so as part of the finishing off activities we've been working on a number of projects for the students as we complete other work as an incentive. In this case this design was created by two students working together who then conducted AR/VR testing by taking the design and projecting it in the classroom and outside.
There are some design issues with this project - and perhaps in hindsight they could have been addressed prior to printing, however on the balance of the design the decision was made to progress with the printing as it is anticipated that the students are going to add additional features to this print.
