3D Printing With Grade 3: When Tiny Designers Meet Big Machines!

Today’s STEM class was an adventure, equal parts creativity, curiosity, and a tiny sprinkle of classroom chaos (the good kind!). I introduced my Grade 3 students to the magical world of 3D printing using our trusty Creality Ender 3.

🎨 Designing Like Mini Engineers – Tinkercad to the Rescue!

We began with Tinkercad, which is basically the Disneyland of design tools for kids—colourful, friendly, and surprisingly powerful. I told them,“Think of it like digital clay… just less messy and no one will accidentally eat it.”

Within minutes, my classroom turned into a buzzing design studio. One student made a rocket, another attempted a castle, and one proudly announced, “Ma’am, I made something but I don’t know what it is.”(Modern art, obviously.)

🔄 From Design to Reality – Thank You, Cura!

Once the masterpieces were done, we moved on to Cura our slicing superhero. I explained slicing as:“Imagine your design is a birthday cake, and Cura cuts it into super thin layers… except nobody eats it, we just print it!”

The kids watched in awe as their 3D models transformed into beautiful lines of code ready for printing. And yes, there were many “Ooooh!” and “What is THAT doing?!” moments.

🖨️ Print Time: Ender 3 in Action

Finally, we loaded everything into the Creality Ender 3. As the printer started moving, the class became more silent than exam day.(If only I could bottle that moment of silence for future use.)

Watching their designs slowly take shape layer by layer was pure magic—for them and for me. There’s something special about seeing children realize that their imagination can turn into something they can hold in their hands.

This session wasn’t just about 3D printing. It was about creativity, problem-solving, patience (especially mine 😅), and showing students that technology is not something to fear it's something to explore, play with, and shape their future with.

Tinkercad sparked the ideas,

Cura refined them, and the Creality Ender 3 brought them to life.And Grade 3? They brought the excitement.

Can’t wait for our next 3D adventure! 🚀✨