Meet the Think Lab

What if your students were not just doing the lesson, but running the mission? Welcome to Professor Pumpernickel’s Think Lab, where ordinary classroom days turn into missions, and the kids are the agents who save the day.

Your students are the heroes

Every Think Lab mission opens with a short briefing from the Professor. A problem lands on his desk, he cannot solve it alone, and he recruits your class as his crew of agents. From there, students brainstorm, design, build and test their way to a solution with real stories and hands-on STEM projects. The Professor never takes the hero role. He delivers the mission, and your students finish it.

He has two sidekicks who help him along the way. Here is the whole crew.

Professor Pumpernickel

Delivers the mission

The curious scientist who sends the briefings, hands your students the problem and cheers them on at the end.

Spud

The Big Idea

The potato robot who sparks the brainstorm and design step. Spud never speaks. He shows ideas with gestures and a glowing lightbulb.

Grunt

The Muscle

The furry helper who leads the build and test step. Grunt never speaks either, so students read his actions and figure out what he means.

What you get, free

Three printable character sheets, one each for the Professor, Spud and Grunt. Use them to introduce the crew before a mission, as a reading and discussion starter, or just to decorate your Think Lab corner.

Creative Dad Company makes story-driven STEM projects for K-5 classrooms. Want a closer look first? Read the blog.