Although the human foot has remained unchanged for thousands of years, what people have worn on their feet shows incredible diversity and an endless variety of forms and functions. Regardless, a child's delight in a new pair of shoes is the same all over the world, whether the shoes are patent-leather sandals, straw alpargatas, deerskin moccasins, or wooden clogs. And when they get to design and build a brand new style all their own? That’s a whole new level of fun! In this lesson students get to debate form vs. function, track shoes throughout time, find out what’s in a sole, walk like a Venetian (and rise high!), become shoe designers, cobble together something amazing, and much much more.

 

Kickin It Unit! New!

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Follow the history of shoes through some of its greatest highs and lows.

See a full sized timeline related to shoes

Sources and Resources
This lesson plan is a small peek at the long history of humans and their shoes. We hope it will stimulate further focus on just what’s on their feet by students, and instructors, and a deeper delving into the world of engineering, expand our view of why we wear what we wear, make students laugh, and make them think, make us more observant, and stimulate our imaginations. In the construction of this lesson plan we have been guided by, and recommend the following resources among many others:

The Shoe Surgeon

 

Kickstradomis- Painting Shoes

 

Tinker Hatfield: