Sean and bobo swing it full#

Ada Harris Elementary teachers said as far as they’re aware, Project Toy is the first of its kind. Students, working alone or in teams, started their toy projects more than three months ago and spent about three hours a week on them.

“Please see our commercial for more information,” they said in unison when their presentation wrapped up. They explained the toy is marketed toward girls ages 5 to 12, because that demographic is especially interested in stuffed animals, and they’re old enough to handle the scented pouches. They ended their three-minute pitch with, “Don’t be a hater, be a skater,” drawing laughter from surrounding parents.Īlex Ross and Shea Irons invented the “Scented Stuffy,” a stuffed animal that comes with a vanilla scented pouch, with other scents sold separately. Samuel Tisdale, Ethan Sherman, Samuel Kantorovich and Andrew Prentice teamed up on the “Skim ‘n’ Skate,” a board that lets people skate to the beach and then skimboard on waves. “You have to have a lot of skills, and that’s something I wanted the students to take away from this,” Green said shortly before the Toy Fair began. Green, who was among those checking out the final products at the toy fair, said students learned that entrepreneurs wear quite a few hats. “They looked at toy market trends, and from there created products from beginning to end,” Nguyen said.Īlong the way, they got advice from local entrepreneurs like Brian Green, the inventor behind Cardiff Skate Company, which makes strap on roller-skates. The marketing push included shooting commercials on their school-issued iPads. And last, they wrote letters to retailers like Target to make the case that their toys will be top-sellers. Next, students put together graphs with data on similar toy prices to justify their price points. Students first sketched out toy designs, and then they used ratios and proportions to create scale drawings of their products. Nguyen said the program was also designed to reinforce sixth grade math, science and language arts lessons, which is in line with new Common Core education standards that emphasize experience-based learning. Teachers Matt Jewell and Veronica Nguyen started Project Toy three years ago so that students would gain valuable real-world experience. Sean originally envisioned a ball and glove with magnets, but he realized Velcro is a better solution after going through the prototyping process. “I wanted to catch like him,” Sean said while a video of the catch played on an iPad at his booth. Sean explained that he came up with the invention after watching a replay of Odell Beckham Jr.’s spectacular one-handed touchdown grab against the Dallas Cowboys last year. Sixth grader Sean Bobo, adorned in a suede suit and bowtie, touted “The Odell Ball,” a football and glove outfitted with Velcro straps, ensuring every pass is caught. Called Project Toy, it culminated in the toy fair, where students went into sales mode as parents perused their creations.

Students this semester were tasked with designing and prototyping toys, reviewing similar products to find a price point and then marketing to would-be buyers.

Sean and bobo swing it full#

The school’s third-annual mock toy fair was in full swing. Standing in front of booths, they aggressively pitched their products to anyone within earshot. Sixth graders came prepared with business cards, prototypes and promotional videos on Dec.