The “Wild Things Babies Project” brought science, literature, art, and technology together in a way that captivated our Grade 3 students and everyone who has visited the Science & Design classroom to see these fantastic creations. Using the beloved creatures from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, students explored heritable traits while also stepping into the exciting world of 3D design and fabrication.
The project began with something personal: students examined their own traits, learning to distinguish inherited characteristics from those shaped by environment or choice, such as hairstyle, scars, or clothing. After the class read Sendak’s classic aloud, students partnered up to study a specific Wild Thing in detail.
Each pair of students recorded their creature’s standout features in a detailed traits table, noting everything from snouts and horns to color patterns and claws, and then sketched the creature from two different perspectives.
Then the student pairs exchanged trait tables. Suddenly, two Wild Things, the one they studied and the one described by their classmates, became the “parents” of a brand-new imaginary offspring. Students sketched what this baby Wild Thing might look like and then sculpted it using modeling clay on top of a pre-made 3D-printed baby form. This tactile step allowed students to create complex, organic shapes in a way that digital modeling can’t easily match.
The project then shifted into the digital realm. Each sculpture was 3D scanned, converted into a digital model, and printed back into the physical world as a blank, all-white figure ready for painting. In total, students and teachers completed roughly 25 scans and 80 prints!
More than a genetics lesson, this project showed students how technology can amplify imagination, bridge disciplines, and make innovation feel accessible. Special thank you to the Ellen Browning Scripps Family Foundation for supporting this exciting expansion of our design program.