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Circular-Economy Product Studio

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Grades 9-122-3 hoursSource: Creative Dad Company

Students design a product meant from day one to be repaired, reused, and recycled, building in visible fasteners, take-apart instructions, and a tracking tag so its whole life story can be followed. It's product design with the ending built into the beginning.

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Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.

Prep: 10 minActivity: 30 min1 session~$2/groupOne table for the Circular-Economy Product Studio evidence and prototypeBeginner-friendly

Setup

Print or handwrite the four Circular-Economy Product Studio challenge steps and place common paper supplies on one table. Prepare one small sample, dataset, scenario, or recycled-material model drawn directly from the project description; no device, paid tool, room decoration, or purchased kit is required.

Activity

  1. Read the Circular-Economy Product Studio challenge aloud, then pick a simple everyday product and predict which of its parts are hardest to repair, reuse, or recycle in its current form.
  2. Use paper, index cards, recycled objects, or facilitator-provided sample data to redesign the product using visible screws instead of glue, and plan a tag or label for tracking its repair history.
  3. Run one tabletop trial and take the redesigned product apart and back together to test the repair experience, and discover a step that's still awkward, then simplify it.
  4. Finish by present the redesigned product alongside the original, showing exactly how each change makes its next life easier; record the evidence that supports the decision.

Done when: The group completes a defensible Circular-Economy Product Studio solution, records at least one test result or comparison, changes one claim or design in response, and supports its final decision with that evidence.

Materials

cardboard, small fastener assortment, fabric scraps, blank QR code stickers, notebook

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Disclosure: Materials links below go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Steps

  1. Pick a simple everyday product and predict which of its parts are hardest to repair, reuse, or recycle in its current form.
  2. Redesign the product using visible screws instead of glue, and plan a tag or label for tracking its repair history.
  3. Take the redesigned product apart and back together to test the repair experience, and discover a step that's still awkward, then simplify it.
  4. Present the redesigned product alongside the original, showing exactly how each change makes its next life easier.