Packaging Design & Optimization 6th GRADE (PBL UNIT 3 2024 / 2025)
Overview:
Students visited the school’s cafetorium and spent a day with the chef, exploring how to design packaging for the AISMUN event. Although they did not participate in AISMUN, they learned about optimizing packaging and applying mathematics to real-world challenges.
Driving Question:
¿How can we use mathematics to design and optimize packaging that is efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable?
Purpose of the Project:
By the end of the project, students will present their packaging solutions, demonstrating how mathematics can be applied to innovate and solve problems in ways that benefit businesses, communities, and the planet. This hands-on experience will enhance their understanding of surface area and volume while encouraging creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Objectives of the Project:
Students will explore the relationship between three-dimensional shapes, their nets, and their dimensions to create prototypes that meet specific criteria and constraints. They will evaluate their designs based on material efficiency, durability, and environmental impact.
Challenge 1: Packaging for Local Business
Problem
A local bakery in Barranquilla wants to reduce costs by designing sustainable packaging for their popular pastries and cakes. The packaging needs to use minimal material while protecting the items during transport.
Criteria
- The packaging must fit the pastries/cakes snugly without excess material.
- It must use eco-friendly materials (e.g., recycled cardboard or biodegradable plastics).
- Designs should maximize the use of a single sheet of material (minimizing waste when cutting the net).
Constraints
- Material cost must not exceed a set budget (e.g., $3,000 COP per package).
- The packaging must have a total surface area of no more than 400 cm².
- The packaging should have sufficient structural integrity for stacking and transport.
Outcome
Students create nets of rectangular prisms or pyramids, calculate their surface areas, and test material efficiency. They present their designs to a panel, explaining how their solution meets the business needs.
Rubric
- Mathematical Reasoning and Accuracy:
Are calculations accurate? Are explanations clear? - Optimization Strategy and Design Choices:
Did students maximize volume and minimize surface area effectively?
Were choices compared to select the best design? - Creativity, Practicality, and Real-world Application:
Is the design practical, creative, and useful in real life?
Does it go beyond just math?
Workshop with Mr. Boris at the Innovation Center
Moodboard Creation:
Students used sketches, bullet ideas, and diagrams to synthesize their research on packaging design.
Guiding Questions:
- How will the user transport, open, and eat from the package?
- What parts or components (flaps, handles, joints) would you need to make your snack package work?
- How could you assemble your snack package without using glue/tape?
Prototyping
- Modulation: Creating structures composed of modules or independent parts that can be easily assembled, disassembled, replaced, or reconfigured.
- Goal: Reduce material area usage by modulating design.
Reflections
- Which part of the workshop was the most challenging? Why?
- What would you like to explore further about using geometry to create packaging designs?
Highlights:
