An exciting reunion! Primary school students visit the university students at PXL University and HOWEST University in Belgium (Europe). By train or bus, with their minds full of anticipation and excitement, they arrived at the universities to provide feedback on the design proposal submitted by the university students. A moment the children had been eagerly counting down to. The relief was palpable, the enthusiasm infectious. But of course, it didn’t stop at a simple announcement. Now it was up to the children to help shape the machine.

The students enthusiastically embraced their role as “clients”: they shared their ideas, requirements, and wishes with the university students and brought their vision to life through a model. In this way, the Dream Machine gradually took shape with the input of everyone involved.

After that, it was time for an educational STEM activity. The students made their own brush machine. They received a bag containing all the individual components and were guided step by step through the process of fully assembling the brush machine. They learned how to use the correct wires and a battery to start the motor, making the brush dance across the floor. “Now this brush can clean my room, whenever Mom asks!” they said.

With a new experience and plenty of positive energy, the children headed back to their school. With all the models, insights, and enthusiastic ideas in hand, the student teams now return to their drawing boards. In the coming weeks, they will work on the final concept for the class’s Dream Machine, a machine as unique as the young minds who conceived it.