February 24th, 2018
21st Century Classroom
SACS students ‘tilt the future
By Megan Martinson & Melissa Haberman
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — St. Albans City School’s Art Department hosted guest artist Ben T. Matchstick of The Cardboard Teck Instantute and co-founder of the PinBox 3000, for three days.
City school fifth graders worked with Ben to assemble and customize The PinBox 3000, a cardboard tabletop pinball machine. The machines come in ready-to-assemble kits and require no special tools.
With a STEAM-based interdisciplinary approach and guidance from Ben, students were able to design the playboard, build ramps and add obstacles, all in the name of play.
The students worked in small groups to decide on a theme for their machines, which ranged from Vermont, to sports, to unicorns, to animals and space.
This activity promoted teamwork and cooperation, problem solving and design implementation. In a digital world, it is amazing to see students so engaged in something that only requires cardboard, a few rubber bands and an imagination.
All machines were displayed in the library during the school’s Unified Arts Night. They were set up in a Pinball Arcade where people had a chance to play each game. Ben T. Matchstick joined the event with some of his pinball machines on display. ––– Megan Martinson and Melissa Haberman teach in the arts program at St. Albans City School.
SACS students ‘tilt the future
By Megan Martinson & Melissa Haberman
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — St. Albans City School’s Art Department hosted guest artist Ben T. Matchstick of The Cardboard Teck Instantute and co-founder of the PinBox 3000, for three days.
City school fifth graders worked with Ben to assemble and customize The PinBox 3000, a cardboard tabletop pinball machine. The machines come in ready-to-assemble kits and require no special tools.
With a STEAM-based interdisciplinary approach and guidance from Ben, students were able to design the playboard, build ramps and add obstacles, all in the name of play.
The students worked in small groups to decide on a theme for their machines, which ranged from Vermont, to sports, to unicorns, to animals and space.
This activity promoted teamwork and cooperation, problem solving and design implementation. In a digital world, it is amazing to see students so engaged in something that only requires cardboard, a few rubber bands and an imagination.
All machines were displayed in the library during the school’s Unified Arts Night. They were set up in a Pinball Arcade where people had a chance to play each game. Ben T. Matchstick joined the event with some of his pinball machines on display. ––– Megan Martinson and Melissa Haberman teach in the arts program at St. Albans City School.