A RUFF ESTIMATE? PUTTING ON A SHOW
For these imaginary pets, a dog’s life is one of luxury. To finalize their designs, students incorporated
the models into a class-wide dog park. Then they
presented their creations along with spreadsheets
detailing their planning and budgeting.
Skylights for natural lighting. Multi-room canine
cottages. Oversized windows for cool, fur-
ruffling breezes. No feature was too extravagant:
each student received an unlimited budget for
“purchasing” supplies.
Student Rachel Thomas showed off the house she
built for Balto the Siberian Husky — perfectly sized
for him to turn around and lie down. Jessica Chilcote
designed a small, cozy space for Penelope the
Pekingese. And Morgan Wilson decorated Justice the
Corgi’s home in red and blue.
Students tallied their spending by calculating the
surface area of their designs. They used spreadsheets
to account for supplies: plywood, Plexiglas, and paint
— and, of course, letters to spell out each dog’s name.
Once designs were finalized, students flexed their
creative muscles by creating miniature models at
home. Popsicle sticks were used as wood beams.
Cardboard boxes served as drywall. Plastic wrap
became glass for windows. “It was a fun way to apply what we were learning into
a real-life scenario,” Morgan says.
And when the models were complete, students
brought them to class for their grand unveiling. As far as she knows, none of the students have
gone on to build a full-size version of their designs.
However, Bolmer says one of the models was big
enough to where she had to prevent students from
climbing in.
Bolmer says she was pleased with her students’
projects as well. She is planning to implement a
similar church-themed project for next year.
Luckily, no students are known to
have ended up in the dog house.
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