Grade 1 Design Thinking Projects: How Keystone Learners Solved Real Travel Problems

Keystone School

Oct 28

5 min read

From a tiring bus station to a crowded bus aisle, three classes asked how travel could be easier, safer and more comfortable

A bus pulls into the station and the brakes hiss. Passengers step down with heavy bags in both hands, squinting in the heat and weaving through the crowd to find their way. On the next bus, someone holds a rail and sways as the driver brakes. A few seats away, another passenger has been standing for most of the journey.

It is an ordinary scene in any city. Yet behind it are small struggles that are easy to miss: the weight of a heavy bag, the lurch of a sudden stop, the tiredness of standing in a packed aisle.

For Grade 1 learners at Keystone School, these familiar moments became the starting point for three Grade 1 design thinking projects. What makes a bus journey difficult? Who finds it hardest? Could a thoughtful design make part of that journey easier?

Goodall, Kalam and Miyawaki each chose a different problem and built a different response: a foldable luggage trolley, a wearable safety belt called Buckle Buddies, and a flip seat. Together, their projects show how children can connect everyday experiences with empathy, design and purposeful thinking through Idea Loom.

Grade 1 Goodall, Kalam and Miyawaki learners at Keystone School with their design sketches and travel-solution prototypes

It Started With a Real Problem

Every project began with something a child could picture: a bus station, a sudden brake, a bus with no empty seat.

The Goodall class, the Tiny Creators, looked at travellers at bus stations. Heavy bags, hot weather and crowded spaces make luggage hard to move. Carrying bags over long distances causes strain, fatigue and discomfort, and it slows people down.

The Kalam class, Magic Hands, asked a quieter but important question: what happens to passengers when a bus brakes suddenly or takes a sharp turn? Without individual restraints, children and elderly passengers may be especially at risk of falls and injuries.

The Miyawaki class, Smart Seat Co., looked at a bus where every seat is taken. Standing for long stretches means discomfort, fatigue and trouble keeping balance, especially for elderly people, children, pregnant women and anyone who finds standing difficult.

This approach reflects something central to both the IB Primary Years Programme and Cambridge Primary: meaningful learning starts with genuine inquiry and real-world relevance, not content delivery.

Ideas Don’t Arrive Fully Formed

A first idea is rarely the best one, and it rarely looks impressive. Each class had to move from “what is the problem?” to “what could help?”

The Goodall learners began with the travellers, not the trolley. What makes carrying luggage so tiring? What would a better option need? Their answer had to cut the effort of carrying, yet stay easy to carry and store. Mobility, portability and ease of use guided every decision, and sketches slowly became the foldable luggage trolley.

From sketch to solution: Grade 1 Goodall’s design drawing of a foldable luggage trolley transformed into a working prototype

The Kalam learners thought about the passengers first. They wanted a wearable belt that could reduce sudden movement, but they also wanted it to feel friendly for younger children. So the straps connect to a soft central cushion or toy. That is how Buckle Buddies took shape.

From imagination to making: Grade 1 Kalam’s Buckle Buddies sketch of a wearable safety belt with a soft cushion, built as a prototype

The Miyawaki learners focused on two needs: a seat when someone needs one, and saved space when they don’t. Their answer was a seat that flips open and folds away, the Sit Case / Flip Seat

From observation to innovation: Grade 1 Miyawaki’s design for a foldable flip seat for crowded buses, shown as a prototype

Learning Doesn’t Only Happen at a Desk

The Goodall learners went on an immersion visit to see the problem for themselves. Watching how travellers manage heavy bags did something a worksheet can’t: it made the problem human.

Across all three classes, learners kept real people in mind: tired travellers, children, elderly passengers, pregnant women. That is empathy in practice, and it is why each design starts with a person rather than a product.

What the Learners Built

Foldable Luggage Trolley (Goodall – Tiny Creators)

A trolley that helps travellers move heavy bags without carrying the full weight by hand, and folds down when it isn’t needed.

Reduced physical strain: less effort to move heavy luggage.
Easy mobility: simpler to move through crowded bus stations.
Foldable and portable: collapses so it is easy to carry.
Space-saving design: needs less storage space when folded.
Improved travel comfort: less fatigue from carrying heavy bags.

Buckle Buddies (Kalam – Magic Hands)

A prototype wearable safety belt with straps joined to a soft central cushion or toy, built to show how a restraint system might help passengers stay seated.

Passenger safety: explores a concept for helping passengers stay seated.
Reduced risk of falls: aims to address sudden movement during braking and sharp turns.
Comfort-focused and child-friendly: a soft cushion or toy makes safety feel approachable.
Safety awareness: starts conversations about responsible travel.

Note: Buckle Buddies is an educational prototype. Its effectiveness as a passenger restraint has not been established, and it should not be used as an actual bus safety belt without professional engineering assessment and appropriate safety certification.

Sit Case / Flip Seat (Miyawaki – Smart Seat Co.)

A compact foldable seat prototype that flips open when needed and folds away when not in use.

Improved comfort: explores temporary seating support.
Reduced fatigue: aims to ease the strain of standing for long periods.
Space-saving design: folds away to make the most of limited bus space.
Inclusive thinking: considers elderly people, children, pregnant women and others who find standing hard.

Note: This is an educational prototype. Any seat intended for use in a moving bus would need professional engineering assessment, secure installation and appropriate safety approvals before practical use.

Why This Matters

Three classes chose three different problems, but the path was the same: observe, empathise, design, build. None of them stopped at spotting a problem. They asked how their ideas could meet a real need.

Along the way, learners practised sitting with a problem before rushing to solve it, and discovered that a first idea is only a starting point. Curiosity, empathy and the willingness to revise will stay with them well beyond Grade 1.

At Keystone School, we believe innovation begins with curiosity, grows through problem-solving, and creates impact when it responds to people’s needs.

Each of these projects was shaped by the Idea Loom — Keystone’s thinking framework that guides learners from problem to exploration to solution.

Want your child to learn this way? Explore admissions at Keystone School, or read another Grade 1 story in The Thinking Behind the Making.