Buddies paired up to examine toy monkeys and wrestle with a glide system that made the monkey’s mouth move. The children looked closely at the toys and talked about the essential elements. Each designer-team created a plan for materials and assembly, capturing their ideas first in gestures, words, and on paper. Using tongue depressors, puff balls, foam sheets, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and hot glue, they were delighted to find new ways to make a connection that kept the body together while allowing the mouth to operate smoothly with the push of a thumb. As children unlocked the engineering and shared new possibilities, several squealed with enthusiasm and declared they would make another kind of animal during studio time. “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed…!”
