Designing
Bandages
Students design bandages for specific purposes.
TECHNOLOGY TOPICS
Design
Resources
Constraints
PROCESS SKILLS
Designing
Assessing quality of
products
Safely using tools
Identifying constraints
Visualizing solutions
Testing
GRADE LEVELS
K-6
TIME REQUIRED
Advance Preparation
10 minutes
Set Up
Activity
Clean Up
5 minutes
35 minutes
5 minutes
SUPPLIES
Medical tape (1 roll per group)
Rolls or large squares of gauze (2 squares per
student)
Scissors (1 per student)
Pencil
Paper
ADVANCE
PREPARATION
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Cut gauze roll into strips about 10 cm (6”) long.
Cut off two 6-inch strips of tape for each group.
Photocopy Master A, and cut it into 8 parts.
SET UP
Set out:
Gauze strips for each group
Tape strips
1 piece of blank white paper per student
1 pencil per student
INTRODUCING THE
ACTIVITY
Let students
speculate before
offering answers to
any questions.
The answers at
the right are
provided primarily
for the teacher’s
benefit.
Ask the students the following questions in bold.
Possible student answers are shown in italics.
Have you ever needed a bandage? Why do we use
bandages?
To stop blood loss. To keep out infection: germs in the
air and on surfaces can infect wounds. To keep clean:
protect the wound from substances and further injury.
CLASSROOM
ACTIVITY
Students should work in 8 groups. Each group does a different Design
Challenge.
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Procedure for Designing Bandages
1
Give a first aid design challenge (from Master A) to each group. Have each
child design a bandage for the challenge given to the group.
o The challenges are:
Design a bandage to go where the index finger bends
Design a bandage for the wrist
Design a bandage for a big scrape on the calf
Design a bandage for a deep wound on the stomach
Design a bandage that is funny so the patient will laugh
Design a bandage that fits on your elbow
Design a bandage that won’t pull hair off your arm
Design a bandage that fits on your nose
o Tell the students that they will have gauze and tape, which can be cut
into any shape.
o Everyone will draw a picture of a design for a special type of bandage.
2
Make your bandage.
3
Share your design with the group.
4
Have each group show one bandage to the whole class. Have them show
the original design and a student modeling the bandage.
5
If there is time, show additional designs.
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EXPLANATION
In-depth background information for teachers
and interested students.
Earle Dickson invented the first Band-Aid® in 1921. His wife cut herself very
often, and he got frustrated with having to cut out a piece of gauze every day,
and taping it to the cuts. He took a big length of tape, and stuck pieces of gauze
every few inches, so he could just cut off a new bandage every time he needed
one. He even covered it with special paper for storage.
Until the 1860s, people didn’t know about germs. People didn’t know about
cleaning cuts, and keeping them covered. Doctors didn’t even wash their hands
before operating. In the 1840’s, Ignaz Semmelweis figured out that washing
hands prevented sickness but didn’t have a way to explain why. Then, in the
1860’s, Louis Pasteur, a French scientist, discovered germs. At about the same
time, Joseph Lister was the first surgeon to clean instruments and his hands with
antiseptic chemicals, chemicals that kill germs. Deaths in his hospital fell by twothirds once everything was kept sterile.
Now we always wash cuts off to get rid of germs, and cover them with bandages
to keep germs from getting in.
OPTIONAL
EXTENSIONS
A. Have the students make observations on how to
improve their designs. After this critique, have them build
a better bandage, and share with the class.
B. Have students practice putting Band-Aids on each
other without touching the gauze. It’s important to keep
the bandage sterile, so no germs get in the wound.
CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS
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MATH
Collect data for a month of the class’ use of
bandages. Gather information about when the
injury happened, where it happened (kitchen,
bedroom, playground, classroom), and what part of
the body was hurt. Make a graph, and have the
students find patterns.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Write a story or play explaining how the patient got
hurt for your group’s design challenge.
Write a story about a time you or someone in your
family got hurt.
Write a story imagining that you are a doctor or
paramedic.
HEALTH
Discuss how to call 911 in an emergency.
Read an appropriate life-science book, like
Grossology, Germs Make Me Sick or The Magic
School Bus Inside the Human Body.
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First Aid Design Challenge Assignments
Design a bandage: Design a bandage:
For the index
For the wrist
finger, where it
bends
Design a bandage: Design a bandage:
For a big scrape on For a deep wound
the shin
on the stomach
Design a bandage: Design a bandage:
For the elbow
For not pulling hair
off your arm
Design a bandage: Design a bandage:
For making the
patient laugh
For fitting on your
nose
Give one card to each group.
Master A
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