Designing the Zoo, Designing the Future:

Building and Piloting a Classroom-ready STEM Program

Where It All Began...

🐼 The very first Zoo Design Challenge started during the height of COVID. At Burr Elementary School, in Fairfield CT, we hosted a “Back-to-School STEM Night” over Zoom with 5th graders and their families in an effort to bring some joy to our community in difficult times and share our love of STEM.

🐯 What began as a simple evening of hands-on play quickly turned into something special. Kids were laughing, parents were smiling, and everyone was fully engaged in building their own zoo exhibits with cardboard and creativity.

🐘 Even the principal jumped in, taking on a challenge to build a pulley system to save the stidents from a failing platform.

🐧 The joy and excitement of that night planted the seed for what would become a much bigger program.

The group

A Forest for the Bengal Tiger

Every student has a chance to share

Principal Bloomfeld's crane saves the day!

Building on Early Success

The next step came when 2nd graders in Pennsylvania tried a built-out version of the Design-a-Zoo project in class. Again, the response was overwhelming. Students were deeply engaged in designing and storytelling, and their teacher loved seeing the children’s creativity shine.

It became clear: this wasn’t just a fun activity — it was a powerful way to spark curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.

A word from Community Zoo Director, MaryRose Palumbo

🐼 It was a zoo at George W. Miller Elementary School at the end of the 2023-24 school year. No, this had nothing to do with rambunctious students anxiously awaiting summer vacation - there was a makeshift zoo set up in the school cafeteria, created by Nanuet second grade STEM students!

🐯 The class was “hired” as engineers, in charge of designing animal enclosures for the world famous Nanuet Zoo. Applying engineering skills and the 4 “C’s” (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Communication), the young zoologists created habitats for five different animals. Each enclosure was based on a presented challenge and required the use of a simple machine (and a lot of cardboard).

🐘 “This project brings together a lot of the skills and concepts students have been developing throughout the year,” says Miller’s STEM teacher MaryRose Palumbo who notes how students worked together to gather information for each enclosure. “They put a lot of thought into how to make the zoo exhibit and did a great job solving problems throughout the process.”

🐻‍❄️ And they couldn’t wait to share it with their kindergarten and first grade classmates. “The students were so excited. I am so proud of these engineers!”

🐧 Thank you to 3Dux Design for the amazing concept! 3DuxDesign!

Panda Enclosure with lots of playful toys for exercise!

Customers interract with the animals with the "Feed the Penguin" catapult.

They help the tiger get up and down the tree safely with a gentile slope.

Elephants feel at "home" eating from the treetops. The pulley system helps!

Polar bears get toys stuck under the den. A wedge will help free the toys!

A proud and accomplished engineer- that's what its all about :)

Come one. Come all. The pandas are awake and active today!

These young engineers understand how simple machines and forces work in the real world.

And when the engineersing is done, leave some time for your young designers to visit the zoo and play!

Growing the Idea

Given the wild project success, the 3DuxDesign team decided to build out the Zoo Challenge as an out-of-the-box STEM program for classrooms. Our goal was to combine the joy of hands-on play with:

1. Academic connections in math, science, and literacy

2. Critical future-ready skills like teamwork, perseverance, and communication

3. Teacher supports that make PBL accessible and manageable for any educator

Putting the Challenge to the Test- See the Data

To put the Zoo Challenge to the test, we launched a pilot in three schools - 3rd- and 4th graders researched animals, designed habitats, integrated simple machines, and collaborated to build creative zoo exhibits. The following schools participated: Bridgeport, CT — a Title I urban elementary school, Central Ohio — a suburban private school, Meadowbrook, New Jersey — a highly resourced suburban public school. The project ended with final presentations.

Key Findings

Math, science, and financial literacy scores rose significantly.
STEM career interest jumped by more than 20 percentage points.
Students began to see art, creativity, and teamwork as essential parts of STEM.

Read the White Paper

See the Highlights at a Glance

Teacher feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Highlights include:

"The structured modules gave me the confidence to try PBL. I could see students building skills step by step — and I was learning right along with them.”

Teacher, Ohio

“I saw new leaders emerge. Kids who don’t normally speak up in class were suddenly guiding their groups.”

Teacher, NJ

““Students got really creative with how they added movement to their animals. Many explored new ways to use the fasteners and axles.”

- Facilitator 3 (NJ)

“Students were always excited to get to work on the next animal/simple machine… the continuity was great, and kids knew what to expect. That helped with management.” -

Teacher, N.J.

“One of the greatest parts of the project was seeing how groups responded to the constructive feedback from facilitators and other peers… they wanted to improve.

- Facilitator 1 (Ohio)

“I did find that some students led who do not lead as a norm… this was pure joy.”

Facilitator 2 (Ohio)

“Some students became more excited as the weeks went on and took more ownership of their work.”

- Facilitator 2 (Ohio)

Final Presentations: From Classrooms to Communities

In Bridgeport, families filled the classroom for the final showcase. Students beamed as they explained their exhibits, pointing out the math, science, and design decisions that brought their zoos to life. Parents leaned in, asked questions, and celebrated their children’s creativity.

In New Jersey, the 3Dux Team joined another showcase where every team shared their zoo design. The excitement was palpable. Students weren’t just presenting to classmates — they knew their projects would be highlighted on the 3DuxDesign website. That sense of purpose gave them extra confidence and pride.