Family Pet ESTEAM® Design Challenge Kit (Grades 1-5)

Physical kit, shipped to you

A hands-on family pet design challenge for up to 30 students in grades 1-5

Students invent products and services for pets and the people who care for them, from a smarter food bowl to a pet-sitting service. Kids start with a topic they already love and practice empathy, engineering and pitching.

Every ESTEAM® Design Challenge brings science, technology, engineering, art and math together through entrepreneurship. Students empathize, brainstorm, prototype, test and pitch, and you get everything you need in one box.

Grades: 1-5  |  Students: up to 30  |  Time: 30 minutes to 2+ hours

What's in the box

• 15 pre-made material bags: Tape, pipe cleaners, notecards, foil, paperclips and craft sticks, ready for teams to build.
• Facilitator guide: Step-by-step instructions, discussion prompts and student reflection tools.
• 4 extension activities: App prototyping organizers, feedback, market research, revenue and business model activities.
• 12 mindset posters: Classroom visuals that reinforce entrepreneurial thinking.
• 1 deck of mindset cards: Quick prompts that keep entrepreneurial habits in play.

What students practice

• Students identify a real need and design for it.
• Students build working prototypes with limited materials.
• Students storyboard and pitch how their idea works.
• Students see that any passion can start a business.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the challenge take?
Run the core challenge in about 30 minutes, or add the four extension activities for two or more hours of programming.

What materials come in the box?
The box includes pre-made material bags for 15 teams, enough for up to 30 students working in pairs.

Want to see it first?
Preview the ESTEAM® Design Challenge program deck to see the student and instructor materials.

Teaching several topics?
The All 4 Challenges bundle includes all four kits for the price of three.

Educators use these kits in classrooms, afterschool and enrichment programs, makerspaces, summer camps, school counseling sessions, gifted programs and homeschool co-ops.

Your purchase supports VentureLab, a nonprofit that brings entrepreneurship education to young people in San Antonio, St. Louis and classrooms across the country.