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Circular-Economy Product Studio

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Grades 6-875-90 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students design a product that is made from the start to be repaired, reused, and recycled. They add screws you can see, take-apart directions, and a tag so the product's whole life story can be followed. It is design where the ending is planned at the beginning.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • Kitchen scaleBorrow or school hasuse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

About $28.99 (estimate, some items still being priced) per class (class of about 30, 6 groups). Exceeds $25 per class.

Classroom cardboard or boxes can lower the cost.

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • small screwdriversRequired1 x 73 pieces73 pieces$28.99Amazon
  • screwsRequired1price not confirmed

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

About $28.99 (estimate, some items still being priced) per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Materials

A simple everyday product to redesign; Screws and a screwdriver (visible fasteners); Paper tags or labels; Kitchen scale; small screwdrivers

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

  • A simple everyday product to redesign

    A simple everyday product to redesign

    No link

  • Screws and a screwdriver

    Screws and a screwdriver (visible fasteners)

    No link

  • Paper tags or labels

    Paper tags or labels

    No link

  • Kitchen scale

    Kitchen scale

    Shop

Steps

  1. Pick a simple everyday product (a flashlight, toy or pencil case). Take it apart and weigh each part on a kitchen scale, sorting by material into reusable, recyclable or landfill.
  2. Calculate the percent of the product's mass that would end up in landfill. Learn why some materials (mixed plastics, glued parts) cannot be recycled and how long they last in landfills.
  3. Design a monitoring method: a repair tag that logs each repair and part swap, and a data sheet to track mass kept out of landfill over the product's life.
  4. Write criteria and constraints: landfill mass under 20 percent, disassembly and rebuild under 5 minutes, cost no more than the original, and still works after 5 drops from 1 m.
  5. Make at least two redesigns, using screws you can see instead of glue and single-material parts.
  6. Test each redesign: time how long it takes to take apart and rebuild, recalculate the landfill percent, and drop it 5 times from 1 m and record whether it still works.
  7. Score the redesigns in a decision matrix against every criterion and constraint using your test data.
  8. Show the best redesign next to the original with the monitoring data and explain how each change reduces waste.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-ESS3-3

    Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.*

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.