Pimp my Furniture

Purpose and process

Following an auction, the school was given 40 old chairs. The students, seeing an opportunity for setting up a viable business, decided to recycle them in a creative way - to fix them up in different styles and then to sell them in the local community.

Learning outcomes

Students can:

• Learn to take care of their environment and understand more about recycling
• Develop entrepreneurial skills and attitudes through running their own student company - 'learning by doing'
• Find out how a chair is constructed and creatively apply Design Technology skills and knowledge in a practical context with a 'real' purpose.

Curricular or thematic relevance

This project fits particularly well with subjects such as Design Technology

How to organise:

Can take place as a project integrated within timetabled lessons; could also be an activity run as an extra-curricular enterprise.

Assessment and evaluation approaches

Students and their teacher assess progress and achievement of the brief on an ongoing basis; the main test of success is sale of the recycled chairs.

Volunteer involvement

Success of the project (product sales) partially depends on thorough research and eventual involvement of the potential customers in the local community

Additional comments

This project could be used to give new life to other 'found' or unwanted items as long as students have ensured there is a market for them once they have been revamped.

Provider country

Norway