This document provides lesson plans for three toy design units: Lego toys, tube toys, and Indigenous Australian toys. For each unit, the document outlines the curriculum connections and learning aims. It describes lessons where students will watch videos, draw toy designs, build toys using materials like Lego or tubes, create advertisements for their toys, and evaluate their designs. The document encourages using natural materials for the Indigenous Australian toys unit and providing examples of historical Indigenous toys.

1. Toy Designs
By Joanne Villis
This unit has been designed compliment another unit I wrote:
http://www.slideshare.net/j_villis/y2-forces

2. AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM K-2
Explore needs or opportunities for designing, and the
technologies needed to realise designed solutions
(ACTDEP005)
Visualise, generate, develop and communicate design
ideas through describing, drawing and modelling
(ACTDEP006)
Use personal preferences to evaluate the success of
design ideas, processes and solutions including their
care for environment (ACTDEP008)

3. LEGO TOYS
Lesson 1 & 2:
Watch the story of Lego. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdDU_BBJW9Y
It is embedded on the following page.
Aims:
Students discuss, draw a design of and build a new Lego toy (ACTDEP005) (ACTDEP006)
With guidance, students make judgements about their design ideas and suggest areas for
design improvement (ACTDEP008)
Tell the students that we are going to pretend that they have been asked by the makers of Lego
to design and build a new toy. Place students in small groups and ask them to draw a design
for a new Lego toy. Then allow students to make their toy. Encourage student to refer to their
original design. If you have limited access to Lego and you have iPads
you could use the Toca Builders app.

4. LEGO TOYS
Lesson 3 & 4:
Ask students to create an advertisement for their toy and then present their
new toy to the class.
Lesson 5:
Ask students to evaluate their new Lego toy using De Bonno’s 6 thinking
hats.
Describe the features of your toy.
Do you think your toy would be fun to play with? Why?

5. LEGO TOYS
Lesson 5 continued:
Did you find anything difficult when designing or making
your toy?
What is good about your design?
If you made your design again what would you change?
List the steps you used to make your toy.

6. TUBE TOYS
Aims:
Students design and build a toy using tubes and other materials (ACTDEP005)
(ACTDEP006)
With guidance, students make judgements about their design ideas and suggest
areas for design improvement (ACTDEP008)
Lesson 1 & 2:
Ask students what type of toy could they make out of tubes (toilet rolls) and
other craft materials (ie buttons, pipe cleaners, felt, coloured paper). Allow
students 5 minutes to discuss with a partner.

7. TUBE TOYS
Lesson 1 & 2 continued:
Then ask students to draw a design of a toy which they would like to make.
Encourage students to label the different materials needed for their design.
Ask students to think about the steps involved in making their toy. Show
students how to write a list of steps then ask them to list the steps required in
order to make their toy.
Lesson 3:
Allow students time to make their toy.
Lesson 4:
Ask students to evaluate their toys using the same questions used for Lego
toys. Or you could ask students to persuade the class why their toy is the best.

8. TUBE TOYS

9. INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN TOYS
Aims:
Students design and build a toy using natural materials (ACTDEP005)
(ACTDEP006)
With guidance, students make judgements about their design ideas and suggest
areas for design improvement (ACTDEP008)
Lesson 1:
As a class, learn about the Indigenous spinning top from Cape York (pre 1900),
the Indigenous pandanus toy propellers from Arnhem Land (1948) and the
Indigenous cross boomerang from the Cains area (1900). Discuss what the toys
were made of, how they were used and why they might be fun to play with. Let
students know that they are going to be asked to design their own toy using
natural materials only. Students are encouraged to collect materials from home.

10. INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN TOYS
Lesson 2 & 3:
Using natural materials which students have collected from home and those
collected by the teacher, invite students to consider what type of toy they may
like to design. How will they use the materials? I recommend that students are
able to use string, glue and tape in order to join parts of their toy.
Following same ideas of the previous lesson plans, students design, create and
evaluate.

11. INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN TOYS
An echidna with moveable feet?

12. Copyright
I give permission for the following:
Adaptations and sharing of this resources for educational
purposes only. I do not give permission for commercial use of
this work. When sharing or adapting this work I ask that you
give credit to the original creator, Joanne Villis at
http://intertecheducation.edublogs.org/ .These ideas may be
used for non-commercial purposes only.
Contact details:
http://intertecheducation.edublogs.org/
jvillis@inter-tech.com.au
http://www.pinterest.com/joannevillis/