A lot of time and thought went into these miniature creations – starting with a day of learning about design. 5th and 6th-graders can tell you that designing something takes a lot of thinking – making decisions about who will use the product; what they do for a living; should it be fashionable or functional - or both; what would make people want to buy it; and what kinds of creative details it has. We learned that Michael Jordan designed his first pair of Air Jordans to look like his Ferrari, and Gwen Stephanie’s designs contain real diamonds and gold. With all of these questions burning in their minds, they drew the shoe or car entirely of their own. Then they had to craft a miniature version out of clay. There have been many creative, ingenious, and possibly marketable ideas. Some of them are listed below:

• Shoes that play a beat to the rhythm of your walk, jog or sprint
• Cars that get 100 mpg
• “Mood Shoes” that change colors depending on how you’re feeling
• Rocket cars
• Shoes with heaters and fans to pamper your feet from the elements
• Shoes with retractable heels for quick getaways
• Shoes that automatically change to match your outfit
• Shoes with training wheels, or feet, to help babies learn to walk
• Shoes with anything from skis, skates, and rockets to springs and spikes
• Bulletproof, superfast, invisible cars
• Flying cars