A group of students from a Winnipeg elementary school found a creative way to have fun and raise funds.

Using only cardboard and other recycled materials, students in grades 4 and 5 at Lord Roberts School created a classroom arcade. 

"I floated the idea of making machines, and the kids really took off with it,” said grade 4 and 5 teacher Genevieve Brown to the Winnipeg School Division. "They were super excited and so engaged with the project. Every day, as soon as they walked through the door, they’d ask what time science class was.”

They had everything from a cardboard claw machine to pinball and foosball. The group also created some brand-new games. 

“I really like how we all worked on the designing together,” said grade five student Hanyan. “We all brainstormed our ideas for the name of the games and the theme colours. We learned about simple machines and about teamwork, which helped us to succeed."

Once the projects were completed, families were invited for a special night of arcades..

“The students wrote rules for each game. They did invitations, they made advertisements, and wrote letters home,” Brown said.

Students charged 25 cents per game or $4 for an unlimited game pass. They also hosted a canteen, with all funds going to an animal shelter in Winnipeg.  

Moving forward, Brown hopes to eventually take her class to Park Alleys to learn about the machinery behind pinball and bowling.