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Planned-Obsolescence Investigation

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Grades 6-860-75 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students take apart real products, old and new, to compare how easy they are to repair. Then they look into the business reasons that push companies to make products that do not last. It is part teardown and part money-detective story.

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

  • Source-tracking sheetPrintinguse what you have
  • printed reading set on plastics and e-wastePrintinguse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$28.99 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

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$28.99 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

An old and a new version of the same kind of product (teacher-approved); Screwdrivers or hand tools; Camera or school device for photos; Source-tracking sheet; small screwdrivers; printed reading set on plastics and e-waste

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

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

  • An old and a new version of the same kind of product

    An old and a new version of the same kind of product (teacher-approved)

    No link

  • Screwdrivers or hand tools

    Screwdrivers or hand tools

    No link

  • Camera or phone for photos

    Camera or phone for photos

    No link

Steps

  1. Compare an old and a new version of the same product (for example, a phone, toy, or flashlight) and predict which will be harder to repair.
  2. Take both apart, photograph them, and build a materials inventory: list each part and its material (plastic, metal, glass, rubber, glue).
  3. For each synthetic material, gather information from at least two reliable sources on its natural resource origin (plastics from petroleum or natural gas, synthetic rubber from oil, glass from sand) and how it is made.
  4. Research impacts on society: jobs and costs, e-waste, pollution from making it, and benefits like lighter or cheaper products. Record facts on a source-tracking sheet.
  5. Score both products on a repairability scorecard with criteria (fasteners, glued parts, replaceable parts) and constraints (cost, size, durability).
  6. Find one design choice that makes repair harder and research whether it matches known industry practices.
  7. Present a report card for both products that includes a 'where it came from' resource map and advice for shoppers and makers.

Standards mapped

  • 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.

  • NGSS · MS-PS1-3

    Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.