RDH Blog

Our next stop on the virtual Ruffing Design House tour is the Innovation Lab! A collaborative space to problem-solve, design, and create, the Innovation Lab will support students as they bring their ideas to life. This space will be home to cardboard construction and engineering, 2D and 3D design, electronics explorations, reuse and repair, and creative self-expression.

View looking into the Innovation Lab.

Materials in the Innovation Lab were thoughtfully chosen to spark joy and inspire divergent thinking. With repurposed cardboard, colorful art and craft supplies, and a healthy supply of interesting doodads, students will find what they need to address a variety of different challenges. Much of what lives on the shelves in this space was donated by our community, repurposed, or recycled, underscoring our commitment to sustainability. We aim to cultivate in our students a sensitivity to how we use and dispose of common items and challenge them to think about the lifecycle of the products and how we might use them in different ways.

Shelves hold different materials from pipe cleaners and felt to springs and magnets.

The tools in the Innovation Lab range from traditional hand tools such as scissors, screwdrivers, and drafting tools, to more advanced technologies such as 3D printers and a state-of-the-art laser cutter. We also have a number of devices including laptops and tablets complete with 2D and 3D design software, coding platforms, and drawing and animation applications. Technology will be introduced where developmentally appropriate and used to thoughtfully and meaningfully extend students’ learning. Key programming in our technology curriculum will include basic computer literacy, digital citizenship, coding, and robotics.

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View of the Innovation Lab looking into the attached AV Studio. Stay tuned next week for our feature on the AV Studio!

Our technology corner hosts different tools including 3D printers, a laser cutter, and Cricut machine.

A primary tenet of the Innovation Lab is codesign, a process of designing with, not for. Codesign directly involves those most affected by an issue or idea, bringing them into the design process to partner as active collaborators. For our students, we envision projects where older students tinker alongside younger students, working together to design and test prototypes, and create solutions to directly serve our community.

Donations are a crucial part of our sustainability focus at Ruffing Design House. In the Innovation Lab we are always looking for interesting building materials including popsicle sticks, dowels and wood scraps, metal findings, plastic parts, and other reusable materials. A fun recent donation included a handful of trampoline springs that we can’t wait to repurpose! While we have a sizable stash of cardboard, plastic bottles, and packing materials, we can always use paperboard or thinner cardboard (non-corrugated) like you’d find in cereal boxes and food packaging. Finally, we’re always looking for items to repair or repurpose. If you have an old VCR, electronic devices that no longer work, or something you think students might get a kick out of taking apart, please let us know! 

Have something to donate? Please contact Annie Homan at annieh@ruffingmontessori.net. We ask that you please email before dropping any materials off at the front office or Design House.