Third Grade’s 3D Printing Unit

Third graders kicked off their 3D printing unit by working with their kindergarten buddies to create cookie cutters for a baking project. Together, they designed their cookie cutters on paper with pencils and crayons. 

In technology class, the third graders re-created the paper-and-pencil drawings into the iPad app InkPad. This particular app allows users to create images using vector graphics (images created with math and lines rather than dots) or .SVG files. We talked about why images made with vector graphics are more useful than bitmap images and then imported our creations into TinkerCAD. 

The students learned how to use the application TinkerCAD to manipulate the physical attributes of their cookie cutters (e.g., color and size). They also explored some basic functions within the app, such as zooming in and out, rotating the camera, and using the geometric blocks and letters to create 3D .STL files. Finally. the students took a trip to the server room to see our very own 3D printer printing out their creations! We look forward to showing you our work!