In Ms. Nasser's Artovation classes, our 5th graders turned our classroom into a bustling design studio and entrepreneurial hub. Working collaboratively in teams, they took on the roles of chefs, architects, and engineers to build their very own food truck businesses from scratch.
Here is a look at how they brought their miniature culinary dreams to life.
Step 1: The Blueprint (Downscaling the Dream) Before any construction could begin, students had to master the math behind the magic. Teams brainstormed their food truck concepts—ranging from taco trucks and sushi rolls on wheels to high-end dessert cafes. Our very own Mr. Boutilier, who owns his own, real food truck, spoke with our 5th graders about his experience with his truck.
Once the menus were set, the real challenge began: everything had to be built exactly to a 1/12 scale.
Math in Action: If a real food truck is 12 feet long, how big should our cardboard version be? Our young designers quickly figured out that 1 foot in the real world equaled exactly 1 inch in our studio.
Students measured, calculated, and drafted blueprints, ensuring every window, service counter, and steering wheel fit the precise geometric constraints.
Step 2: Cardboard, Model Magic, and Engineering With blueprints in hand, construction commenced. The classroom transformed into a construction zone filled with the sounds of cardboard cutting and teamwork.
The Fleet Vehicles Using recycled cardboard, hot glue, and a lot of patience, students folded and assembled the bodies of their trucks. They learned firsthand about structural integrity—turns out, making a stable 3D cube out of flat cardboard requires some serious spatial awareness!
The Menu Items What’s a food truck without the food? Students used Model Magic to sculpt hyper-realistic, miniature versions of their signatures dishes. We saw everything from tiny, intricately layered burgers to microscopic donuts dusted with imaginary sugar.
Step 3: High-Tech Wheels with Tinkercad To give their trucks a truly modern spin, students stepped into the world of rapid prototyping and 3D printing.
Instead of just taping on plastic bottle caps for wheels, students used Tinkercad, an online 3D modeling program, to design some awesome wheels for their cardboard creations! Think of Tinkercad like a digital playground where ideas are brought to life. Ms. Nasser taught the students how to use different shapes, tools, and colors to design wheels that are just right for the cardboard projects. Once they designed their perfect wheel, it was printed using a Prusa 3D printer, turning their digital creation into a real-life object ready to roll!
The project culminated in our official Food Truck Festival, where parents, families, and staff were invited to check out the final creations.
The energy in the room was electric. Students proudly stood by their 1/12 scale trucks, pitches polished, explaining their business models, design choices, and 3D-printing triumphs to the wandering "foodies." Parents were blown away not just by the creativity on display, but by the complex math and engineering concepts the students could explain so effortlessly.
A huge thank you to all the parents who attended and supported our brilliant young creators. Our 5th graders proved that you’re never too small to dream big—and build even bigger! And to Ms. Nasser for always bringing incredible innovation to our school!
Check out the photo gallery below to see some of our favorite designs from the festival!
