Engineering & ProductionLevel 3 · 14–18 hrs12 sessions · 75–90 minutesTeam 4–6 (5 is ideal; see roles)Project brief, draft
Make me 10 identical cardboard tabletop display stands that meet my spec sheet, and show me they all pass.
Client scenario
Welcome to Cardline Fabrication. You've just joined a small fabrication shop (fictional). Your first order is from Thistle & Thread (fictional), a local craft shop that wants 10 identical cardboard tabletop display stands for its counter and window.
Client: Priya Lang, owner of Thistle & Thread (the teacher in role). She signs off the prototype and accepts the delivery.
Priya needs 10 display stands that all look the same, are the same size and hold her products safely, built from recycled cardboard to her spec sheet.
Roles
Shop Lead
Design Engineer
Fabrication Lead
Quality Inspector
Materials Coordinator
The twist: Priya sends a Change Order (H3): she's switching to a heavier product, so every stand must hold 1 kg (two test bottles) and be 3 cm shorter (220 mm instead of 250 mm). Same delivery date.
Standards mapped
Mapped means the framework is verified and the teacher confirms the evidence. It isn't a claim that a project meets a standard.
NACE (Dec 2025)
ED Employability Skills Framework
CA Standards for Career Ready Practice
NGSS SEP
CCSS Math
Not tagged in this brief: CCSS ELA, ISTE Students.
Safety, devices and privacy
Students use safety cutters only: safety cutters with ceramic or shielded blades, always on a scrap-cardboard cutting board (the default; a self-healing mat if the school has one), cutting away from the body, with the other hand behind the blade.
Condition: any blade-based cutting tool beyond a safety cutter is used only by an adult or the teacher. That includes utility knives, craft knives, box cutters and paper trimmers. Students never use them. Adults also do any heavy or awkward cuts, including breaking large boxes down into flat sheets before Session 1.
No power tools and no electrical equipment. No hot glue, even at a supervised station; white glue, glue sticks and tape only.
Load tests stay low: stands are tested on the table top with filled water bottles (about 0.5 kg each), never above shoulder height, and never with anything that could shatter.
Keep the floor clear of scraps (slip hazard). Sweep up at the end of every session.
School devices only for drawings and spreadsheets. No phones, including as rulers, levels or cameras.
No photos of students. Drawings, test results and the delivery note have no names or personal information. Sign work "Team [#]".
Students with fine-motor or other needs can take any non-cutting role; every role is needed.
Creative Dad On the Job is in-class client project work. It is not a paid, off-campus On-the-Job Training (OJT) placement.
Budget levels
Totals and Amazon links come from the materials sheet.
Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.
Quick Start
Digital downloads only. $0 to buy. Printing is noted separately.
$0 to buy. Printing $3–$5, noted separately.
Quick Start would drop Required items: White school glue and glue sticks, Masking tape — the brief has no print-only version; check it still works
Corrugated cardboard, recycledBorrow or school has25–30 flat pieces, at least 50 × 70 cm$0
The bigger kit, with every optional item included.
About $53–$93 per class.
If needed: ceramic safety cuttersOptional5$12–25Amazon
Optional, not needed: self-healing cutting mats, about 12 × 18 inOptional5$20–35Amazon
Optional: kitchen scale to check test weightsOptional1$10–15Amazon
The rest of the brief is part of a subscription
Sessions, role duties, deliverables, materials, free tools, and the teacher setup use the same Creative Dad account as the project library. There is no separate student login.