Published on: 25 March 2021




In their Health lessons this term, the Pre-Primary boys have been exploring different emotions and the ways to identify and manage them with the help of 3D printing.

“As we explored what it was to ‘worry’ or feel ‘worried’ we read a wonderful book called Silly Billy by Anthony Browne where the main character worries about many things and ends up making ‘worry dolls’ with his grandmother that he then tells his worries to,” explained Pre-Primary teacher Ms Brianne Utting.

After reading this book, Ms Utting decided it would be a great opportunity for each boy to print their very own worry doll using the 3D printers in the School’s Innovation Space.

To get them started, Dr Steven Males invited the boys to explore the Innovation Space where he taught them about how the 3D printers work. He showed the boys the different coloured plastics and explained how the extruder heats up and melts the plastic to print the 3D object. Dr Males then set up a small 3D printer in their Pre-Primary classroom which they have used to start printing their own worry dolls.

“Now the boys can tell their worries to their dolls before going to bed and place the doll under their pillow as Billy did in the story,” said Ms Utting.

“The boys’ favourite part of using the printer has been sitting, watching and counting down the minutes as the printer prints their worry doll. They will often be eagerly waiting as the screen says one or two minutes to go!”

Not just a cool piece of technology, 3D printing has significant educational benefits and practical applications for the next generation of engineers, architects, designers and creatives. 3D printing features prominently in the School’s pedagogy across all age levels.