In an effort to combine classroom knowledge, technology skills and service to the community, students at Elwood Middle School designed and built toys in their technology education classes using some of the latest design hardware available. They then donated their creations to the Developmental Disabilities Institute in Huntington for use in their classrooms.
In order to create the toys, each class, under the direction of technology teacher Matt McGuire, first researched and chose a specific toy to manufacture. After making their selections, the students followed a design process utilizing computer-aided design programs to develop and tweak the unique games to their exact liking.
Students designed many different toys, ranging from foosball and Nok Hockey tables to ring toss games and puzzles.
Once their designs were finalized, the classes were able to use a computer numerically controlled router, provided through grant funding from the Toshiba America Foundation, to cut out the finished products.
Additional material funding for the project was supplied through donations from Marjam Supply Company.