First graders joined forces with preschoolers for a STEM Design Thinking project building gingerbread man traps! It was so fun to see the first graders in Ms. Kubly’s class be leaders and collaborate with Mrs. Klobe’s students, and to see the amazing ideas that they came up with together.  They started by researching three different types of traps and then the PreK buddy picked a type of trap that they wanted to build to catch a gingerbread man.  They worked with their first grade buddies to design their trap, draw a blueprint, and determine a materials list for building. First grade buddies collected materials from home and then we built!  Following the design thinking process, each group built, tested, revised and retested their traps.  Many had to adjust their original plan as they were building which was a great lesson in flexibility.  In the end, most traps were successful in catching the elusive gingerbread man and those that weren’t were still a success because of all that was learned through the process.  We love watching the wheels turning and the pure excitement as our students learn together and grow as innovators and creators! All in all the gingerbread trap project was a blast for all involved!