Back to Schedule

Project challenge:

Magic door

Suggested Ages: K – 3rd Grades

Knock, knock. Who’s there? It’s your friends from Galileo with this challenge to create a secret door that opens to a magical land! To do this, you’ll need to BE VISIONARY by imagining unique and surprising details for your door and scene.

Engaging Design-It-Yourself projects to inspire young innovators

This is no ordinary DIY project for kids: It’s a step toward becoming an innovator.

 

Every Galileo Design-It-Yourself Challenge teaches the same techniques and mindsets that professional designers an engineers, artists and chefs use in their work. With skills like these, we believe you can change the world.

Get Involved—For Grown Ups

Materials list:

Help your child find these materials or a close substitute: 

 

  • Thin cardboard, like from a cereal box
  • 1 sheet of paper
  • Glue stick
  • Tape
  • Coloring tools like markers or crayons

 

Activity GUIDE:

Refer to these steps to keep young innovators on track as they create:

 

Prep Support:

Cut a piece of thin cardboard about 5” x 6” for the door frame. Kids will cut their door shape out of this piece.

 

1. Draw and cut a door shape—Remind kids to make the door at least 4 fingers wide and help with cutting if necessary.

 

2. Trace the door shape on a piece of paper.

 

3. Tape the door to the frame.

 

4. Decorate the door.

  • Support being visionary—If kids are having a hard time coming up with ideas for their door, you can Google “cool doors” for inspiration.
  • Ask: What patterns, shapes, colors can you add to make your door look extra special?

 

5. Add a handle.

 

6. Draw a magical land.

  • Ask: Tell me about what kind of land you’re imagining. What details do you see?
  • Ask: What might you add to make an extra fun surprise for whoever is opening your door?

 

7. Cut and attach the drawing behind the door.

 

More Ideas:

Every project presents opportunities to add your own twists or extensions. Here are some ideas to get you started:

 

  • Innovate On! Make a whole series of doors to hide around your house. How many different lands can you invent?
  • Magic doors can make fun cards. In addition to drawing a scene behind the door add a message to someone special and send it to them!
  • Play magic door hide-and-seek. Hide your door somewhere and see who can be the first one in your family to find it! Whoever finds it first can hide it in a new place.

 

Wrap Up Questions:

Lock in the learning by asking your child these questions about their project and how they practiced the featured Innovator’s Mindset element: 

 

  • What visionary ideas did you come up with for decorating your door or magical land?
  • If you were to make another magic door what other ideas might you try?

Share!

Great learning can come from sharing successes and failures—to solidify your own experience as an innovator and to inspire others.

 

SHARE WITH galileo

 

Share a photo or video of your creation with the Camp Galileo Anywhere Facebook Community.

 

Share with family and friends

 

Your innovation doesn’t stop with you. Inspire someone else by sharing your project challenge—maybe they’ll try it themselves or maybe your project will give them a new idea.

 

  • Who: someone in your house, a family member, a friend
  • How: in person, on the phone, online
  • When: anytime, starting now!