This collection of lessons from Intermediate Unit One combines elements of digital fabrication with mental health wellness supports for all students.
Mini LED Flashlight
Students will design and fabricate their very own mini LED flashlights! Students will create a case that fits all of the internal components of the flashlight. This can be done using…
REMIX: MP3 SPEAKER + MENTAL HEALTH
Students will be given an amplifier/speaker kit to assemble and solder. Students will also create a casing for this circuit system. This can be achieved by using the step-by-step tutorial…
Personalized Rally Towels
Students will create a personalized rally towel that contains at least one image and a name. This can be done using the step-by-step tutorial design that follows, or by creating their…
IN THIS COLLECTION
Intermediate Unit One is committed to improving the educational outcomes of children and adolescents who experience mental health needs by providing both targeted and general mental health wellness activities in classrooms, including FabLab classrooms.
General mental health supports are provided in each lesson so that any digital fabrication instructor can incorporate mental wellness strategies.
about intermediate unit one
Intermediate Unit One (IU1) is a regional education service agency that strives to provide educational support to students, parents, educators, administrators, and communities throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. IU1 operates two campus schools which house digital fabrication labs designed to serve students with severe mental health needs. IU1 is committed to providing the highest level of emotional health care through unique social work opportunities within their fabrication labs.
Mental health wellness and DIGITAL FABRICATION
Good mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. The World Health Organization states that worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders. Neuropsychiatric conditions are the leading cause of disability in young people in all regions. If untreated, these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Visit the World Health Organization for more: https://www.who.int/mental_
Interactive Beginning Sounds: Exploring Letters with Scratch & Scratch Jr
In this lesson, students develop early literacy skills by identifying and pronouncing beginning sounds, with a focus on the letter “B.” Students engage in phonics learning as they connect the…
April 30, 2026
Engineering a Sensor-Based Plant Care System
Students design and build a smart plant monitoring system using an Arduino, a sensor, and an LED. They collect and analyze data such as light levels to determine when a…
April 29, 2026
Fun Quiz on Binary with MicroBits
This is an optional extension activity after the teaching of binary numbers. In the introductory arithmetic module, students learn the four operations of numbers, the PEMDAS or BODMAS rule,…
April 29, 2026
Ergonomic Screwdriver Project: Designing and 3D Printing a Compact Hand Tool
In this lesson, students investigate ergonomics, anthropometrics, and user-centred design by designing a compact screwdriver handle for use in confined spaces. Students begin by comparing everyday products and discussing which…
April 26, 2026
Exploring Plant and Animal Cells Through 3D Models
In this lesson, students explore the structure and function of plant and animal cells using 3D printed models as a hands-on teaching aid. Students interact with physical representations of cells…
April 26, 2026
From Waste to Growth: Designing Biodegradable Seed Starters
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students engage in a design challenge to create a biodegradable seed starter using everyday materials. Students explore how waste materials, such as food scraps and paper…
April 26, 2026
Interactive Storytelling: Exploring Choices Using a Joystick
In this lesson, students create a simple interactive story using a joystick and Arduino. The joystick represents choices in the story, and the Arduino displays the outcome of those choices…
April 26, 2026
Plastic-Free Power: Build Your Own Biobag!
In this hands-on, project-based lesson, students explore the science of materials and sustainability by designing and creating their own reusable bags from homemade bioplastics. Using simple ingredients: water, gelatin, glycerin,…
April 22, 2026
Once Upon a Screen: Digital Story Illustrations
Students will use ScratchJr to create a simple digital illustration of a story’s character, setting, or events and explain how it helps tell the story.
April 22, 2026
Morse Messenger
In the beginning, Samuel flipped a switch. And again, and again. 44 miles away, his assistant heard an eerie sound, and soon understood the words, “What hath God Wrought?” …
April 20, 2026
Snap-a-word Builders: Creating words brick by brick
In this hands-on phonics lesson, students explore short vowel sounds by building and manipulating CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words using 3D printed interlocking letter blocks. Students practice isolating, blending, and segmenting sounds…
April 20, 2026
Plant Saver
During the lesson, students learn the basics of physical programming, biology and geology. The objective: create a simple system that will inform us about the condition of the soil in…
April 19, 2026
Popsicle Stick Presto
This project will lead a group of aspiring drivers through the steps to build a rolling chassis out of popsicle sticks, assemble it with a breadboard, Arduino uno, A motor…
April 19, 2026
Way of the Wind Turbine
How does a wind turbine create electricity out of thin air? Prototype one and find out! In this lesson a miniature prototype will be designed and built to observe wind…
April 17, 2026
Educational Toy Design Challenge
This unit (6 lessons) immerses students in the full MYP Design Cycle through an authentic, real-world challenge: designing an age-appropriate educational toy. Students act as professional toy designers, researching early…
April 17, 2026
How to Not Take the Slate for Granted
This lesson is for instructing beginning video production students using multiple recording instruments for the first time, and will guide them through using a clapboard or “slate” to create an…
April 16, 2026STANDARDS-ALIGNED
Community contributed lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer formal educators innovative pathways to teaching content knowledge. The Fab I Can Statements are a resource to develop technology-literate learning progressions to align with content standards.
FAB TESTED
Periodically lessons are adapted and tested by the Fab Foundation team based on a call for submissions from fabbers, educators, and makers. Our inaugural set of lessons for the SCOPES-DF project were Fab Tested in 2016 and are tagged Fab Tested on the website.
OPEN-SOURCE VALUES
Lessons are distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC license, that permits free use and re-purposing by others.