WILL-TV is bringing Design Squad to Central Illinois After-School-Clubs

This spring WILL-TV will partner with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to host Champaign-Urbana’s first Design Squad Global Club. PBS’ Design Squad Global empowers kids to solve real-world problems and understand the impact of engineering in a global context.

Each week the students will be introduced to hands-on engineering and invention activities and the design process.  The weekly challenges will build on each other as the club progresses over six weeks. The program is designed to connect student’s ages 10-13 years old in out-of-school programs around the world.  To enhance the student experience, the students will be paired with another Design Squad Club from another country! The students will be able to Skype or chat with one another about themselves, their countries, and the engineering activities they have completed. In the last session, the students will have a party where they get to watch their partner club’s video presentations about their engineering projects-and they will watch ours!

Beginning in April, King students will connect with students from the Young Palms Club in Lagos, Nigeria.  The students are about the same age so it will be a lot of fun connecting and learning about the things they have in common. Mrs. Turner, King School 21st Century Administrator, said, “I am excited to partner with Design Squad. It's an awesome pleasure to know that the students of our 21st Century Program will be exposed to engineering through hands on activities along with kids in different regions of the world.”

This after school club is a great opportunity for our local students to build on their creative problem solving skills, learn the design process that today’s engineers use, and enhance their global competencies.  Be sure to follow us on the WILL-Education Facebook page to stay connected and see updates from our weekly challenges.