How It Works

SLAB Seeds (Grades K–3)

Imagination-First. Exposure-Focused.

At this age, it's all about sparking curiosity. SLAB Seeds brings UW mentors into the classroom to help students explore the world of building through fun, creative, and artistic activities.

What It Looks Like:

• Drawing "dream spaces" like playgrounds or treehouses
• Building with LEGOs, blocks, or recycled materials
• Class-wide teamwork activities like tallest tower or bridge-building contests
• Decorating or naming a pre-built SLAB structure delivered to their school

Goals:

• Inspire early creativity
• Introduce design thinking in playful ways
• Build positive memories of teamwork and making

SLAB Foundations (Grades 4–6)

Guided Design. Real Impact.

This is where students take their first step into building real structures. Over four weeks, each class works with UW mentors to imagine, design, and build a small, safe structure—like a bench, bookshelf, or planter—right at their school.

Week-by-week structure:

Sessions typically take place on Fridays, turning the end of the school week into a hands-on learning experience.

1. Design Brainstorming: Students vote on a simple structure they want to build.
2. Planning & Sketching: Mentors guide the class through drawing and prep.
3. Pre-Build Setup: Final prep, safety orientation, and material review.
4. Build Day! Students rotate through building stations, guided by UW mentors.

What they build:

• Buddy benches
• Outdoor reading nooks
• Garden planters
• Birdhouses or shade stands

Goals:

• Experience the power of teamwork
• Learn how design turns into action
• Leave something behind for their school community

SLAB Studio (Grades 7–8)

Real Projects. Real Skills.

In middle school, students work in collaborative teams mentored by UW students to design and build structures that solve real problems. These projects simulate a real design-build studio, giving students exposure to creative problem-solving and hands-on construction.

Format Flexibility

SLAB Studio is ideal for after-school clubs, career and technical education (CTE) classes, or project-based learning blocks. The extended format allows for deeper dives into design, planning, and more ambitious builds that require collaboration over several weeks.

Program Features:

• Teams tackle more involved builds (e.g., outdoor study benches, custom furniture for a school library, or a custom photo booth).
• Mentors introduce basic measurement, site planning, and construction roles.
• Projects connect to real-world needs, like improving a school courtyard.
• Includes design sketching and intro to browser-based modeling tools.

SLAB Studio+ (Grades 9–12)

Real Projects. Real Process.

SLAB Studio+ gives high schoolers a chance to work side-by-side with UW juniors and seniors to design and build a real structure that solves a problem on their campus or in their community.

Rather than following a fixed 4-week format, each Studio+ project follows the natural phases of a professional design-build:

Project Phases:

1. Site Visit & Project Scope

   Students help identify a challenge or opportunity at their school (ex: nowhere to store sports gear, lack of outdoor seating, etc.).

2. Design Workshop

   With UW mentors, students sketch concepts, vote on ideas, and test them using browser-based tools like Tinkercad or SketchUp Free.

3. Planning & Prep

   Teams finalize dimensions, materials, safety protocols, and roles. Mentors prepare cuts off-site and help organize build day logistics.

4. Build Execution

   In a single Build Day or multi-day session, students rotate through roles to bring their project to life, assisted by mentors at every step.

5. Final Walkthrough or Reveal

   Projects are revealed with a class celebration, presentation to staff, or student-led explanation to younger peers.