Principal's Student Challenge: Stencil

 

Challenge: Principal has challenged students to create a useable stencil for him to work in conjunction with his notebook.

Background: Last year our Principal challenged the students from our classroom to create a unique trophy that could be awarded at school as part of our prize-giving.  You can follow the progress of the project when it started here see it develop further here and finally look at the finished product here.   Since we started this year working on our original stencils the Principal saw some of the students early examples which alerted him to problem that he was wanted to solve - to have a unique stencil for his 'Principals Notebook' (with the example shown left).   He met with a small group of students personally, supplied the design and explained his requirements.

He also previously challenged students to create an official school paperclip which you can see us blogging about in August from last year by clicking on the link here

It took some of the students (who again we would like to point out are seven and eight years old) under ten minutes for the first design to be completed.   This design was important as it allowed us to look at the students understanding of the task - what had they determined from their instructions, and what adjustments did they need to make.    We also discovered something more with Tinkercad - that you can indeed design something that is bigger than the plate and still export it as an .stl file - and then subsequently print it.

We decided to make this a class challenge - when we were going to award a reward for the project that the Principal would identify as being the one that best followed his instructions and created a brief.  As this was the case we made sure that the students created an AR/VR version of their design once it had been completed and then using the Tinkercad App projected it virtually into the classroom to allow students to check the design for flaws or faults.   In the example shown left the student needs to make some adjustments to the design - hence the important of being able to design and create, but in this case not necessarily have to 3D Print.   In 2025 we developed a slideshow of examples of activities that met this brief - you can click on the link to view the post about the slideshow here.

We printed the first examples shown left - and then allowed the Principal to have a follow up meeting with the students to give them feedback to refine their design.   We already knew from the stencil printing that we would be looking at a print time somewhere in the region of thirty minutes to an hour and this proved to be the case.   

Again the feedback from someone not involved in the production with the students has been invaluable to get them to understand the concept of feedback and refine their designs.   Again while there is no intention for repetition but the stencils that the students have been producing has led directly to this spin off and the 1mm width of the design has meant the print time is extremely reasonable.

Since we have started to complete this it has then come to the teachers attention that producing something similar to this stencil but using it as a whiteboard border or a organiser for the classroom would potentially be a practical and a really great use of the 3D Printer - and then using magnets etc to attach it to the whiteboard should work really well.

The final stage of the process will be the feedback - when the Principal will then be selecting the best virtual versions which will then progress through to the printing process.   The details that are contained below are the first prototype to give an explanation of what is likely to be required for the finished product (which when completed this week we will publish).

Level of Difficulty: Medium.   Success of this process will require the students to respond to specific dimensions and directions from the Principal of the School to ensure their designs are perfect to complete the brief.

Size:    The top design measures 250mm by 170mm and the second design is slightly smaller measuring 190mm by 170mm.  In both cases as we have been completing with our stencil work the width of the print is 1nn.

Cost/Price: The larger print used 50g of PLA the smaller slightly less in 40g.    The cost for the larger print according to the Bambu Lab software was $1.20 and $1.00 respectively.   

Timeframe: The larger print took one hour and ten minutes and the smaller print took just under one hour.

What we do differently/Next Steps for the Students: Feedback and more feedback from the Principal and the task is completed.   This will depend on the students following the feedback and communicating with the Principal until it is successful.

3D Printed Trophy - Second Physical Prototype

 

Challenge: To produce a detailed alternative for the school awards prize giving at the end of the school year.

Background: We detailed this in a previous post on our blog which you can read by clicking on the link here.  The challenge was for the class, which everyone initially designed and this was our second choice to print.   This was completed on the School Bambu H2D printer.

It was designed by a Y4 student on Tinkercad so the student is eight years old.    The design was completed independently and was submitted for printing.

Level of Difficulty: Hard.   This is a challenging project that would test the limits of most of our junior students.   It has been revised several times by the student under the direction of the Principal with the student working in an extended capacity. This is going to continue to be revised and reworked as this is something that will need to be of a particularly high standard to complete it for the purpose that it is intended, which would go home to award winners.

Size: The dimensions of the print as it stands has a base that is 120mm wide and 90mm long.  It is currently 10mm thick.   The award is 130mm tall from this base.   At this stage this may require some revision to ensure it is realistic to print enough of these to ensure one can be issued to every prize winner at our school.

Timeframe: Four and a half hours.  As noted changes are anticipated as a result of the completing of the process.   This was with the Bambu H2D printer.

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: This is version two point of of this project.  This student is been motivated to complete this task and it is going to be a significant project for our school involving our Principal who envisaged it and is regularly meeting with the student to ensure that it meets expectations.

3D Printed: Non Printing Design and AR/VR

Challenge: Set by the Principal for the students (Juniors) to create a suitable prize giving award for students at school.

Background: This challenge was set by the Principal of our School, following up from the paperclip challenge from the previous week.   This challenge was detailed on this blog, which you can view by clicking on the link here.

The challenge was created by our Principal who wanted a miniature trophy to be created by the students.    For the end of year prize giving our students are awarded a number of trophies, the idea is for students to keep the miniature version as a permanent reminder while the larger version could therefore remain in possession of the school.   The specific brief for the students was to feature the name of the school, and also have suitable details that were authentic to the school.

We provided with students to complete this task a physical example - that was a trophy created on Bambu Printer specifically for the 2025 School Step Master Dance Machine Competition.  This allowed our students to compare their AR/VR designs with an original design so they could compare the designs viability and composition.

In this instance the dimensions of the prints will mean that not all students projects will be printed.   We are going to allow the Principal to judge the competition on the basis of the virtual design and then select three to five designs to undergo the printing process.    This allows the class of twenty five to be all involved in the printing process, to refine their designs, share their designs and then complete the process.

We have documented a slideshow of ideas based around the use of projects that involve creation and design which is located on the tab here.

Size: Although this has not been completed yet - print wise, having the physical example present has been an excellent way to reinforce to the students about the exact potential measurements of their designs and print.   Tinkercad has the ability to do this accurately using the 'ruler' option.   The prints will have a base in the region of 80mm square and the disc with the heading and details will be 100 mm across.   These dimensions will obviously change on the basis of the final design.

Timeframe: Depending on the final design we would be anticipating the print time for this project would be four hours for the Snapmaker and two hours for the H2D Bambu.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students: While this project is not yet completed it is dependent on the guidance from the person who set the challenge.   Once the best designs have been selected and printed this will provide feedback to the entire class.   One of the issues that would be potentially the importance of the local story local aspects to our trophy - rather than have a generic mountain for instance in the base to have something specific to our locality.

3D Printed Junior Challenge: Paperclip Extension

Challenge: To produce a unique paperclip or creation that can hold together a small number of sheets of paper.

Background: This challenge was about the students creating innovation and also making something that in turn could be used to advertise our school.   The paperclip design had to feature the name of our school and was detailed in a post that was put on this blog which you can read by clicking on the link here. 

Students by using the bookmark template which is available on Tinkercads main screen were able to complete the basic aspect of the design extremely quickly.   The next step to challenge the students was to have them refine, explore and develop their ideas.

An example is shown left, in this example the student was able to create a copy of the school uniform as he felt the two t-shirt tops, locking together would create a point of interest.   The paper would then be held in place between the two shirts.    He also customised the school logo, which is visible in the version on the right.

Another further example was shown left - the student created their own unique and original frame, then added some extra in the form of the dots before placing the name of the school at the bottom of the design.

In both instances the designs are creative and interesting and 'nearly there' in that they require additional refining to complete.

 Size: The shirt deign measures 40mm down and was 60mm across.   The current format with the design is 10mm wide.   The dimensions are intended so it doesn't overwhelm the paper, however this maybe refined.  The second paperclip was 90mm high was 50mm wide and was 5mm thick.   This allowed more personalisation with the design - although there was no personalisation with the star or the different shapes on the demand.  The student was charged with identifying symbols and meanings (such as four stars for the Southern Cross constellation) of symbols locally associated with the school to further add finesse to the design.

Timeframe: Both prints took currently under one hour with the default settings that are being currently used with our Snapmaker machines.  

What we would do differently/Next Steps for the Students: As detailed these projects are far from completed.  The require revision and reworking in both instances.  The emblem which is located above the shirt is an important symbol for the school and its meaning needs to be maintained, and it needs accuracy.   The second example, as mentioned, needs refining in regards to the symbolism and features, while. the design is striking meets the partial brief it needs more polish (for instance the name of the school at the bottom needs to be clearly shown, at present it is not).

3D Printed Challenge: School Micro Paperclip

 

Challenge: Our School Principal set a challenge to our students, to include in our school information pack for enrolments a paper clip or way to group four regular sheets of paper.

Background: This challenge was set by our school Principal at relative short notice, however it was one of the challenges that our students took to with speed and a design challenge that was impressive.

The brief was simple - for a paper clip or a way to puncture paper to group it together.     Our students had a class shared brief and were instructed to complete the design as quickly as possible - so we could start running prototypes and initial prints.

Tinkercad and the class page was of course the starting point for our students.   The design had two

particular points, 

The first is that the name of our school must be included in the design, Auroa School.   The second is that the design must be able to be hold the paper together securely.

One of the most fantastic aspects of design from Tinkercad is that there is a range of templates available for easy design that students can adapt.  In this case, without prompting a number of students located the 'simple bookmark' which was available via a search.   This design was the basis for the first two prints shown above left which were then developed in under three minutes or so by the students.

The next stage of the design is to challenge the students to develop their ideas and develop their creations that are unique.   An example is the t-shirt shown below.   The idea from the student is to copy the student uniform at school, and have a ability to lock the two items together forming the way to keep the paper in place.  The student is looking at ways to test the locking mechanism prior to printing.

Size: Both of the paperclips shown in the photo were 40mm across and 100mm and 120mm long.  The base of the design, which was the bookmark is only 3mm thick, this allowed it to be flexible but also have some strength.   The gold design had a head that was 10mm thick, the pink design which was the glow-in-the-dark filament was 5mm thick at the top of the design.  

Timeframe: Both of the designs took forty minutes to print.  Ideal for a group or class project when during the course of the next few days as many designs as possible can be completed.

What we would do differently/Next steps for the students:   The next steps for the students to is to complete their designs, share them with the classroom and use this to encourage the designs from the other students.   Each student will essentially create their own individual bookmark, they will be presented to the Principal who will choose the design that best meets the intended brief, which we will duplicate copy, and each student will receive their own bookmark.