About

Older generations learnt not to waste and to keep everything that might be useful in future. Many old or unwanted objects are re-used around the home in new ways, old bottles become candle stick holders, an old tyre hung from a tree becomes a swing, and so forth. To upcycle is like to recycle, but you get something old and make it into something new and better. Many people like to upcycle old furniture and change it into something new and different. “Waste not, want not.” If you don’t waste, you will never need anything.
 

Your task

Find an old and unwanted piece of furniture at your home, it may be broken too. Get the permission of your parents or guardian to use the furniture for this project. Think of ways to reuse and upcycle the furniture to give it a new and useful life. Make your upcycled furniture and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
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Follow the design steps

To design something well, do it step-by-step and use the methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website. There are four design steps. The first step is LEARN. To design something, you must first learn about it. There is much to learn on any topic, and it is always interesting. Learning will help you to understand the thing that you are designing, so you can do a good job. The second step is DRAW. Try to think of as many different ideas as you can while you draw them with pencil on paper. Keep drawing until you have some ideas that you really like. Improve your ideas and combine them into a single excellent idea. Drawing is easy and fun. Enjoy it! The third step is MAKE. Make the thing that you are designing to show your teacher and classmates. You can only tell if your idea works by making it. Improve your idea while you are making it. Making something with your hands is fun too! The fourth step is TRY. Once you have made something, you should try it to see if it works or not. You can also let someone else try it to see what they think. When you try, you will often find ways to improve your design idea. That will make you a better designer.
 

​​​​​​​Note for teachers

Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the MAKE Step for Level II to safely supervise this design task.