Every child deserves the opportunity to learn by building.
Kids with Grit provides hands-on professional development and educational consulting that helps educators connect classroom learning to real-world skills, tools, design, mathematics, problem-solving, and Career & College Pathways.
Our goal is simple: help educators create learning experiences that allow students to discover what they are good at, understand why classroom learning matters, and see the many different possibilities available for their futures.
Professional development is available for teachers, special education professionals, behavioral support staff, school counselors, paraprofessionals, interventionists, administrators, after-school professionals, and other educators and youth-serving professionals.
Participants don’t just hear about hands-on education—they experience it.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOPICS
• Tool Education Pathways
• Design Process: Think It. Design It. Build It.
• Math That Builds
• Career & College Pathways
• Confidence Is Built: Behavioral & Special Education Strategies
WHAT TOPICS DO WE COVER:
TOOL EDUCATION PATHWAYS
Give educators the knowledge and confidence to introduce students to real tools, practical skills, materials, and building concepts in developmentally appropriate ways.
Training may include:
• Tool identification and tool literacy
• Measuring and measurement tools
• Hand-tool fundamentals
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Age-appropriate safety practices
• Hardware and building materials
• Basic construction concepts
• Classroom organization and management
• Project-based applications
• Career connections
Students don’t need to wait until high school to discover that they enjoy designing, fixing, creating, measuring, constructing, or working with their hands.
Early tool education gives students an opportunity to develop practical skills while building confidence, independence, responsibility, and problem-solving abilities.
Tool education also creates natural opportunities to introduce careers including:
• Carpenter
• Electrician
• Plumber
• Welder
• HVAC Technician
• Construction Manager
• General Contractor
• Automotive Technician
• Aircraft Technician
• Maintenance Technician
• Machinist
• Manufacturing Technician
• Engineer
• Architect
• Industrial Designer
• Construction Estimator
• Building Inspector
• Safety Professional
• Entrepreneur
DESIGN PROCESS: THINK IT. DESIGN IT. BUILD IT.
The design process teaches students that their first idea doesn’t have to be their final answer.
Educators learn how to guide students through:
• Identifying a problem
• Asking questions
• Brainstorming
• Planning
• Designing
• Prototyping
• Building
• Testing
• Evaluating
• Improving
• Communicating solutions
Design challenges encourage creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, persistence, and problem-solving.
They also provide an opportunity to introduce students to Career & College Pathways connected to:
• Engineering
• Architecture
• Construction
• Product Design
• Industrial Design
• Graphic Design
• Interior Design
• Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
• Manufacturing
• Robotics
• Technology
• Entrepreneurship
• Project Management
Students begin to understand that designing and building are not simply classroom activities. People build entire careers around solving problems and creating solutions.
MATH THAT BUILDS
Math makes more sense when students understand why they need it.
Math That Builds helps educators connect mathematics to real-world building, measuring, designing, estimating, and problem-solving.
Students move beyond completing problems on paper and begin using mathematics to accomplish something tangible.
Professional development may include:
• Reading a measuring tape
• Fractions and decimals
• Finding halves and quarters
• Length, width and height
• Area and perimeter
• Geometry
• Spatial reasoning
• Estimation
• Scale and proportion
• Measurement scavenger hunts
• Measuring classrooms and real spaces
• Calculating materials
• Measuring and cutting for projects
• Applying mathematics during construction
Math That Builds also helps educators answer one of the most common questions students ask:
“When am I ever going to use this?”
Career connections can include:
• Engineer
• Architect
• Carpenter
• Electrician
• Plumber
• Welder
• Machinist
• Construction Manager
• Surveyor
• Estimator
• Interior Designer
• CAD Technician
• Manufacturing Technician
• Robotics Technician
• Accountant
• Data Analyst
• Scientist
• Entrepreneur
Math isn’t just something students solve.
It’s something they use.
CAREER & COLLEGE PATHWAYS
EXPLORE. DISCOVER. CONNECT.
Career exploration shouldn’t begin when students are already expected to decide what they want to do with their lives.
Kids with Grit helps educators introduce Career & College Pathways through hands-on experiences that allow students to connect their interests and abilities with real-world possibilities.
The goal is exploration—not early career selection.
Students may discover:
“I like designing.”
“I like building.”
“I like figuring out how things work.”
“I like solving problems.”
“I like working with people.”
“I like math when I can use it.”
“I like creating things.”
“I like leading a team.”
Those discoveries matter.
They can become the beginning of career awareness.
Kids with Grit encourages educators to introduce students to the many different pathways available after high school.
These may include:
SKILLED TRADES & TECHNICAL CAREERS
• Electrician
• Plumber
• Carpenter
• Welder
• HVAC Technician
• Automotive Technician
• Diesel Technician
• Aircraft Technician
• Machinist
• Maintenance Technician
• Construction Technician
• Manufacturing Technician
• Robotics Technician
• Solar Technician
• Telecommunications Technician
DESIGN, ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION
• Architect
• Civil Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Structural Engineer
• Industrial Designer
• Product Designer
• CAD Designer
• Interior Designer
• Construction Manager
• General Contractor
• Surveyor
• Construction Estimator
• Building Inspector
STEM & TECHNOLOGY
• Scientist
• Computer Programmer
• Software Developer
• Robotics Engineer
• Engineering Technician
• Data Analyst
• Cybersecurity Professional
• Environmental Scientist
• Renewable Energy Professional
• Technology Specialist
BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
• Entrepreneur
• Small Business Owner
• Project Manager
• Operations Manager
• Sales Professional
• Marketing Professional
• Accountant
• Business Manager
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY CAREERS
• Teacher
• School Counselor
• Licensed Professional Counselor
• Social Worker
• Youth Development Professional
• Nonprofit Professional
• Community Program Director
Different careers require different educational pathways.
Kids with Grit encourages students to understand that successful futures can begin through many routes, including:
• Four-year colleges and universities
• Community colleges
• Technical colleges
• Trade schools
• Industry certifications
• Apprenticeships
• Career and Technical Education programs
• Military technical training
• Entrepreneurship
• On-the-job training
The purpose isn’t to tell students which pathway is best.
It is to help them understand that pathways exist—and give them enough exposure to begin imagining where they might belong.
CONFIDENCE IS BUILT
BEHAVIORAL & SPECIAL EDUCATION STRATEGIES THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Confidence Is Built is an experiential professional development program designed for educators and professionals supporting students with behavioral, emotional, social, and learning needs.
Developed and led by a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, the program explores how structured building, making, problem-solving, and experiential activities can create natural opportunities for students to practice important behavioral and social-emotional skills.
Training is appropriate for:
• Special education teachers
• Behavioral support professionals
• School counselors
• Paraprofessionals
• Interventionists
• Alternative education professionals
• Transition professionals
• Student-support teams
• After-school professionals
• Youth-development professionals
Professional development may address strategies supporting:
• Self-confidence and self-efficacy
• Emotional awareness and regulation
• Frustration tolerance
• Persistence
• Task completion
• Coping with mistakes and setbacks
• Flexible thinking
• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Appropriate help-seeking
• Following multi-step directions
• Teamwork and cooperation
• Social skills
• Independence
• Goal setting
• Self-advocacy
• Identifying strengths
• Positive classroom engagement
WHY BUILDING?
Building creates real opportunities to practice skills.
Something doesn’t fit.
A measurement is incorrect.
The first solution doesn’t work.
A student becomes frustrated.
Someone needs help.
Two students disagree.
The plan has to change.
These moments don’t have to represent failure.
They can become opportunities for learning.
Students can practice tolerating frustration, regulating emotions, communicating needs, asking for assistance, adapting their approach, collaborating with others, and trying again.
The finished project matters.
But what happened while the student was building it can matter even more.
“I figured it out.”
“I didn’t quit.”
“I asked for help.”
“I solved the problem.”
“I made this.”
“I can do hard things.”
Because confidence isn’t simply something we tell students to have.
Confidence is built.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS & TYPICAL PRICING
ON-SITE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CONSULTING
Typical Pricing: $1,000–$2,500 per day
Bring Kids with Grit directly to your campus, district, education service center, or organization for interactive, hands-on professional development.
Training can be customized around selected topics, grade levels, campus goals, student populations, and existing educational initiatives.
Attendance is unlimited.
Hands-on materials are included for up to 10 participating educators.
Additional educators may participate without an additional training fee. When hands-on materials, consumable supplies, or individual participant kits are needed for more than 10 participants, additional materials are available at an added cost.
Travel expenses may apply depending on location.
VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Typical Pricing: $1,500
A 60–90 minute interactive virtual professional development session designed for campuses, districts, education service centers, and organizations.
Attendance is unlimited.
Virtual sessions can include instructional strategies, demonstrations, classroom applications, Career & College Pathway connections, curriculum ideas, and implementation guidance.
Optional participant materials or hands-on kits can be shipped for an additional materials and shipping cost.
COMPREHENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION PACKAGES
Typical Pricing: $4,800–$9,000
Designed for schools and districts seeking deeper implementation.
Customized packages may include one to two days of interactive professional development combined with resources and continued implementation support.
Packages may include:
• Hands-on professional development
• Materials for up to 10 educators
• Curriculum resources
• Project guides and templates
• Reproducibles
• Classroom implementation strategies
• Tool recommendations
• Materials recommendations
• Safety guidance
• Career & College Pathway resources
• Implementation planning
• Follow-up virtual consultation
• Ongoing coaching or implementation support throughout the school year
Attendance is unlimited.
Hands-on materials are included for up to 10 educators. Additional participant materials and kits can be added for an additional cost.
OPEN-ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Typical Pricing: $50–$170 per Educator
Open-enrollment workshops provide professional development opportunities for individual educators, small teams, and organizations that don’t require customized campus training.
Pricing varies according to workshop length, content, and materials provided.
MATERIALS
Kids with Grit does not limit organizational professional development to 10 attendees.
Attendance is unlimited.
Standard hands-on professional development includes training materials for up to 10 educators.
Schools, districts, and organizations are welcome to include additional participants without an additional training fee.
Additional hands-on materials, consumable supplies, project materials, or individual participant kits for groups larger than 10 are available for an additional materials cost.
Custom classroom, campus, and district implementation kits are also available.
CUSTOM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Professional development can be customized based on:
• Grade level
• Campus and district goals
• Career & College Readiness initiatives
• STEM initiatives
• Career and Technical Education connections
• Special education programming
• Behavioral programming
• Available instructional time
• Available tools and materials
• Educator experience
• Student needs
• Desired level of implementation
Training is available for individual campuses, school districts, education service centers, libraries, makerspaces, after-school programs, community organizations, and other youth-serving organizations.
THE KIDS WITH GRIT APPROACH
Kids with Grit believes children deserve opportunities to discover what they can do.
When students measure, design, build, test, make mistakes, solve problems, collaborate, and try again, they’re learning far more than how to complete a project.
They’re using math.
They’re exploring careers.
They’re developing practical skills.
They’re discovering strengths.
They’re learning how the world around them is designed and built.
They’re beginning to imagine where their own interests could take them.
And they’re building confidence.
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn by building.
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