WELCOME TO GLOBAL FUTURES!
THE MISSION: A COMMUNITY CENTER, REIMAGINED
Your team is about to set off on a quest to research, design, and build a model of a new community center based on the needs of the local community, its culture, and a healthy dose of creativity.
Choose your hometown, allowing students an opportunity to learn about and become even more active members of their own community. Or your class can choose instead to take the global pathway and explore somewhere else in the world!
The 3DuxDesign Modern Zoo ... Reimagined
The 3DuxDesign Zoo Challenge Bundle is a modular, project-based experience for grades 2 - 5. Each lesson fits into a single class period, making it flexible for classrooms, STEM labs, or specials while building momentum as the zoo comes to life.
As students design habitats and engineer moving features using simple machines, they apply meaningful math and science concepts while exploring STEM-related careers.
The experience blends creativity, collaboration, and academic depth while remaining easy to facilitate. With clear facilitator guides, student videos, workbooks, and pre-packed team kits - everything is ready to go so educators can focus on inquiry, discussion, differentiation, and assessing student understanding rather than managing logistics.
- About
- The Animals
- Math Extension
- ELA Extension
- What's Included
- Warmup design challenges build foundational engineering and modeling skills.
- Five scaffolded animal modules, each centered on a habitat and simple machine, with instructional videos, educator supports, and ready-to-use materials.
- Capstone experience: with student-selected "mystery animal" research project culminating in a custom enclosure that integrates self-selected simple machines..
- Structured team presentations to build communication skills, with flexible formats based on technology access and instructional goals.
- Optional extensions, including family-friendly take-home activities and academic “side quests” that deepen math application, financial literacy, literacy skills, and STEM career awareness.
Tiny Town Challenge - Students grades 4-6 learn geometry and financial literacy as they design structures with efficiency of space and cost in mind (design phase)
Sustainable Futures - Students grades 3+ learn about electricity, circuits and renewable energy sources as the bring their designs to life using 21st century innovative sources like LED lights, solar panels and wind turbines. (design phase)
Drafting in 3D - Future engineers, architects, and designers learn the basics of scale, perspective, 3D drafting and shading with. Ideal for grades 4+ (design phase)
Art and Architecture - Students have an to opportunity share their own culture with the 3DuxGlobal community by incorporating local architects' and artists' work into their design. Take a deeper dive into art history as students explore local designers of past or modern culture by researching current trends(design phase).
Picture Perfect - Students learn from the pros how to create beautiful photos with a smart phone. Learn about best angles, backdrops, and how to create lighting with easily accessible tools. (presentation phase).
Make it a Movie - Students have an opportunity to bring their presentation to the next level and show off their theatrical talents. This tutorial will offer some fun high tech and low tech options. Explore ideas from ranging from acting and puppetry, to green screen or time lapse. (presentation phase).
1. The Penguin
Students design a penguin habitat that supports the animal’s needs, including water access, cold-weather protection, and food. Teams engineer an interactive food delivery system - a working lever system that keeps the penguin well fed while delighting zoo visitors with a fun, hands-on feature.
2. The Bengal Tiger
Students design a Bengal tiger habitat that meets its needs and are challenged to help the aging feline navigate its enclosure by engineering a gentle inclined plane between levels. Along the way, they explore slope, friction, and center of mass as they test and refine their design.
3. The Elephant
Students design an elephant habitat that accommodates its size, movement, water access, and enrichment needs. Teams engineer a working pulley system that allows zookeepers to lift food high into a tree, mirroring the elephant’s natural foraging habits and connecting life science with simple machines.
4. The Polar Bear
Students design a polar bear habitat and are challenged to engineer a working linkage system that helps the zoo team retrieve toys that keep getting lost under the den, applying simple machines while testing and refining their designs.
5. The Giant Panda
Students design a panda habitat focused on climbing and enrichment, engineering a working wheel and axle system to transport toys across the enclosure while applying simple machines and strengthening teamwork.
6: The Mystery Mammal
Teams put their learning to the test, becoming independent zoo engineers as they select a mystery mammal, research its habitat and needs, and design an enclosure that promotes health and safety. Each team integrates simple machines in meaningful ways, deepening research, engineering thinking, collaboration, and presentation skills.
Critter Cage Calculations
The Critter Cage Calculator extension transforms the engineering build into a real-world budgeting challenge. Students measure the surface area of their enclosures and use formulas to calculate material and construction costs. This reinforces geometry, measurement, and financial reasoning while asking students to justify their design to a “zoo director” based on affordability and value.
Snack Shack Extension
The Snack Shack Business Plan extension adds financial literacy by challenging students to design and stock a zoo shop that generates enough profit to fund their enclosure. Students calculate cost of goods, retail price, and profit, estimate inventory, adjust quantities to meet a target profit, and develop a basic business plan. Together, these extensions deepen math application, budgeting, and real-world decision-making while connecting engineering design to economics and entrepreneurship.
Literacy & Presentation Extension
Literacy is woven throughout each animal module as students use guided script prompts to clearly explain their habitat designs and engineering decisions. The capstone deepens this work through focused research, as students investigate a chosen animal, gather and synthesize information about its habitat, needs, and environmental challenges, and apply their findings to inform a custom enclosure design.
Students organize their thinking into a clear, structured presentation, delivered live or digitally depending on classroom access and instructional goals. With an authentic audience through the 3DuxDesign Global Student Showcase, students build confidence, clarity, and pride in sharing their work.
Eight pre-filled, small-group design/build backpacks for easy distribution/cleanup.
One GoBox Classroom Supply Kit with additional connectors, die-cut shapes, and "machine-making" crafts for 25 students.
Eight 20" 'x 20" Site Maps
Educator packets with student workbooks, "STEM Spy" take home booklets, drafting sheets, rulers, task cards, and more!
1 year access to web-based curriculum guide with educator and student tutorial videos
Option for curriculum/consumable refill package with annual curriculum access..
Eligible for project publication on the Global Futures Student Showcase Page
