To enhance second-grade students' understanding of the Lenape Indians at The Brearley School in New York, investigator Luigi Cicala established the "Maker" project. For many years, second graders at The Brearley School have learned about Native American Lenape culture in their social studies classes.
．Origin of the Project
In this popular project, every autumn, they visit the 4,400-acre Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and Museum. Here, they see real huts, learn about indigenous tools, and imagine how the Native Americans lived.
Guides boil water with rocks heated by a campfire, start fires with sticks and drills made of natural plant fibers, and demonstrate Neolithic tools such as axes and adzes.
But the real challenge was how Native Americans created entertainment from their limited materials. Students made darts by tying feathers to dried corn husks, caught a football made of tanned leather, and tried to catch a toy made of polished horn by poking a stick through a central hole (similar to a modern kendama).
Students quickly discovered that these "toys" actually served a special training purpose, helping young people like them acquire hunting-related skills such as hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, and flexibility. Among these, the bow and arrow toy was particularly popular.
This "spinner" toy features a star-shaped piece of carved wood with two holes drilled through the center. A thin string is threaded through the holes, and the other end is tied to form a handle. When pulled, it causes the wooden piece in the middle to spin. This winding action creates great tension in the string, which can be released by pulling the handles apart. The resistance generated by the spinning wood is significant, making students feel like they are drawing a bow, developing the skills and strength of the Native Americans who once lived here.
．How it works
Establishing a "Maker" project in the second-grade curriculum can more meaningfully connect this field trip. This year marks the first prototype testing of the "Lenape Cultural Artifacts" project, and we are delighted to share it with Ultimaker and 3D printing users here.
As an art teacher (and parent) of computer science, my goals include a lot of hands-on creation—encouraging children to find viable solutions using craft methods and simple materials. I want students to have the courage to try and enjoy the process of computation, prototyping, and iterative refinement. When they encounter difficulties in their future studies, this will help them find the connection between future scientific and engineering activities and practical problem-solving methods; these projects are based on the development of art, design, and engineering.
．First Lesson
I brought some photos and asked each student to comment. With plenty of toys and photos, it was easy to understand the materials Native Americans used to make these items and their purposes. We didn't have horns, bones, shells, or wood to make spinners—but I had a way to make them without blueprints.
I showed how artists overlap multiple different simple shapes to draw complex shapes—thus, one can first draw a hexagon and then add triangles to make a hexagram, allowing students to create their own combinations of shapes. Students can replicate these geometric shapes and cut them out on paper, then glue them together to form thick stacks of paper.
I can rotate the Ultimaker Original + on the screen and show the shapes printed by the 3D printer, making a connection between the shapes students made and 3D printing, and seeing that we can use PLA—a common material around us—to replace parts made of wood or bone.
．Second Lesson
The computer teacher later met with the same group of students and taught them basic iPad skills and how to use Doodle3D. They drew shapes on the iPad that could serve as spinners and exported STL files. Within a few weeks, adults 3D printed these creations at the appropriate scale, eliminating the step of gluing components together.
．Third Lesson
Finally, I brought string, small sticks, and each student's 3D printed "spinner" to class. Assembly was tricky; students of this age already have many ways to quickly thread and tie knots around sticks. They had to patiently adjust or repair their tools, but the students helped each other. Their final reactions were mostly positive, keeping this project popular!
It's great to see the age of those exposed to 3D printing getting younger and younger, and we are happy to see the education sector continuously expanding the latest technologies. If your project is underway but you don't have a 3D printer, you can refer to our website now, or we also offer high-quality printing services. All the latest news will be shared on our fan page, so please stay tuned!
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Original link: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/52521-a-3d-printing-unit-inspired-by-toys-created-by-lenape-native-americans