Design Challenge Prototype - Challenges and Successes

Over the last couple of weeks I have been looking into a range of upcycled design challenges ranging from garden decorations to playground equipment and I have made my final decision.  My design challenge will be an upcycled garden bed using old kitchen and household appliances and tools.  This particular design challenge links in with the Years 5 & 6 Design Technologies Curriculum under the strand of materials and technologies specialisations as children will be "investigating the characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use" (ACARA, n.d.). Throughout the process of the design challenge they will also created designed solutions through investigating, generating, producing, evaluating, collaborating and managing their product (ACARA, n.d.). This Design Cycle process will take into consideration the needs and opportunities for the design, developing, communicating and documenting the 'making' process for an audience (the class group and teacher), utilising safe work practices, creating a criteria for success with a high focus on the sustainability aspect and developing plans that consider the resources used for the finished product and their effectiveness (ACARA, n.d.).
I have sourced my materials from around the house and local op shops and my final resources are an old ironing board frame, fish tank, cupcake tray, teapot, small pan and a pair of old shoes (see below). These were rated against a decision making criteria table in order to assess them across a range of areas (see below).

	Fish tank	Cupcake tray, teapot, pan and ironing board	Boots	Soil and plants
Criteria	1	2	4	5	Total Cost
Cost	$7.00	$10.50	$3.00	$28.00	$48.50
Toxic to environment	Low	Low - rust	Low	N/A
Size	Small	Small to Medium	Small	Small
Absorption	High	High	Low	N/A
Space for planting	Medium	Small	Medium	N/A
Durability in weather	High	Medium - rust over time	Medium rot over time	N/A
Practicality	ü	ü	ü	ü

Once I had compiled my resources I needed work out how to hang or balance the items on the ironing board for practicality, durability and aesthetic purposes before planting my seedlings in the items and creating the finished product of an upcycled garden bed. Throughout this process I was challenged by creative thinking and practical skills. 

I decided to use wire from old coat hangers which I bent to shape using pliers and old fencing wire to attach the hanging objects from the ironing board.  In order to do this I needed to drill and cut holes into the shoes, tray, teapot and pan so that they could be attached and hung level for planting purposes.  This process required much trial and error.  I discovered I was able to drill holes into the cupcake tray and cut holes into the shoes however the tea pot and pan were made from stainless steel and therefore required the holes to be punctured into them using a metal hole punch tool and a hammer. The hole punch process was a challenging one and I will admit that for this particular section of the project I did use some man power to assist me however the rest of the drilling, cutting and bending wire processes I completed by myself. See the pictures below.

Once the holes were drilled, cut and hole punched and the wire was bent into shape it was time to attach the hanging garden beds!

It was very exciting to see the hanging garden bed begin to take shape and I could not wait to show it to my family.  I asked my mother to come outside and look at the progress so far and she thought it looked great however was concerned that I had not drilled any holes for drainage for the water from the plants and that some of them may become waterlogged without this element. I realised this was a factor I had not considered and that I needed to add some holes to the objects in order for my garden to survive so out came the drill and hole punch again!

Once the holes were all created it was time for the plants and soil to go in and for my upcycled garden bed to really start to take shape.  This required careful handling to ensure the root systems remained intact and that the hanging garden beds remained level.  I decided to plant potted colour, in the metal items and petunias in the shoes for aesthetic purposes and herbs in the fish tank garden bed on top of the ironing board to use for cooking and salads to have a practical purpose.

 

 

Once all of the plants were planted it was time to assemble the upcycled garden bed and water the flowers and herbs and stand back to admire my work!

I thoroughly enjoyed this design challenge and the final product I created by upcycling old materials and therefore reducing my impact on the environment.  This project is one I believe that children would be able to really get into as it is 'hands on', creative and I believe that this upcycling phase has a purpose in 21st century society.  It would also allow the learning environment to be taken into the home with parent input into the project and learners could also work collaboratively with peers to form a group project.  This project also allows learners to feel a sense of achievement and pride in their work as they have completed the design process from initial idea through to final product.