Fun and games (and learning) at the Inman arcade

The 5th grade at Inman Elementary programmed their own fun with a homemade arcade. Incorporating Economics, STEAM, and perseverance into an interactive learning experience, students worked to create their own arcade games to captivate their classmates.

Inspired by a boy from California named Caine who spent his summers at his father’s auto parts shop developing his own arcade games out of cardboard boxes, students brainstormed what they could make for their own. They then completed a blueprint, gathered materials, and developed their own rules for their game.

Students earned tickets from their teachers for hard work, kindness, and meeting school expectations that they used to pay for necessities for their project, like business licenses, applications, painting space, and other supplies.

Over the course of the unit, students applied for jobs, interviewed, became business owners, conducted market research on pre-K and Kindergarten classes, constructed games, and calculated shipping costs.

The big finale was an arcade game extravaganza, complete with prizes supplied by the gamemakers.