Stories

First Grade Innovators Learn How Bright Ideas Change the World

February 20, 2026

What makes someone an innovator?

That’s the question Aspen Country Day School First Graders explored in a recent unit entitled A Bright Idea: Innovators Who Changed the World. Through biographies, discussion, design thinking, and informational writing, students discovered how innovation begins with curiosity, grows through critical thinking, and comes to life through purposeful creation.

Before they ever started designing their own inventions, students learned about the lives of real innovators across science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and music. Over several weeks, they learned that the innovators in their books often did not succeed the first time but kept problem solving anyway.

“With this project, students began to understand what it means to see a problem and find a solution,” said First Grade teacher Tori Zimmer. “They planned their ideas, thought about what would be realistic to build, wrote about the materials they would use, and worked through a full design and planning process.”

With a strong understanding of what innovation looks like in the real world, students began looking closer to home.

Inspired by the Mo Willems book There Is a Bird on Your Head, they were challenged to imagine an invention that could help move a pair of birds off of Gerald the elephant’s head and attract them somewhere else. From there, students noticed problems, brainstormed solutions, and began planning. They thought deeply about what would be realistic to build, wrote about the materials they would use, and worked through a true design and planning process before creating hands-on models using reusable materials.

“There was so much collaboration,” First Grade teacher Noga Vardy said. “Students were really excited to combine ideas, figure out disagreements, and learn how to be okay when someone else’s idea became part of the final design.”

Each First Grader designed an original creation meant to solve a real problem. But the project did not stop at building. Students also wrote informational paragraphs explaining exactly how their inventions work and how they should be used, inspired by the biographies they read.

Throughout the process, collaboration became one of the most important and challenging parts of the work.

“We had disagreements, but we talked it out,” shared Charlotte E., who worked with Scarlett D. and Holden P. to design a birdhouse hotel complete with a pool, bathroom, and seasonal nesting spaces. Scarlett agreed that building together took patience. “It was hard because we had to make so many different parts. We couldn’t agree a lot of things, but we all shared ideas to make it work.”

Other groups found that innovation required perseverance. “Innovators work as a team and never give up,” said Levi G. Nate M., whose group designed a bird seed fan to gently redirect birds away from the elephant’s head, said that teamwork prevailed: “We argued about the name, but we had to compromise.”

Students quickly realized that being an innovator requires focus and effort. As Bond B. observed during the process, “Being an innovator takes a lot of work.”

This unit is a powerful example of how Aspen Country Day students connect ideas across disciplines. Reading helps them design. Writing helps them explain. Curiosity helps them create. As students blend literacy skills with STEAM thinking, they practice problem solving, communication, creativity, and perseverance in ways that feel purposeful and real.

By the end of the project, First Graders not only understand what an innovator is but also began seeing themselves as thoughtful problem solvers with ideas worth sharing.