DAMBO Supports Inquiry Learning for 5th Graders at Shibuya City Uehara Elementary School through Shibuya's 'Inquiry: Shibuya Future Department'

DAMBO LLC has taken charge of the inquiry-based learning project for fifth-grade students at Shibuya City Uehara Elementary School as part of Shibuya Ward's 'Inquiry: Shibuya Future Department' initiative.

In this project, approximately 70 children formulated their own questions, considered 'why they are creating' and 'who they want to reach,' and engaged in real-world learning that encompassed concept design, product development, communication, sales, and donations.

As a result, two products were born: the 'Uper Light,' inspired by the endangered axolotl and developed through a whole-grade effort, and the 'African Elephant Tape Cutter,' which originated from an idea initially not selected during the inquiry process but was revived through the children's own initiative.

Although developed through different processes, both products share the common vision of 'bringing children's ideas to society.' This year-long initiative went beyond classroom presentations, actively connecting learning with real-world engagement.

The project began with the fifth graders of Uehara Elementary School in fiscal year 2025, who explored questions such as 'What can we do?' and 'How can we connect with society?' They researched endangered species and environmental issues, deepening their ideas through dialogue with peers.

DAMBO participated as a supportive partner, respecting the children's creativity and guiding their inquiries into societal impact. Instead of providing finished concepts, DAMBO valued the process of children thinking, choosing, and deciding for themselves, helping them transition from ideas to actual creation and outreach.

The 'Uper Light' is a desktop lamp inspired by the endangered axolotl, born from a collaborative inquiry project across the entire grade.

Around 70 students divided roles and worked on concept design, product and packaging design, and communication strategies, treating the project as real-world learning that included sales and donations.

It is a product shaped by continuously asking not only 'what to create' but also 'why create it' and 'who to deliver it to.'

On the other hand, the 'African Elephant Tape Cutter' originated from an idea that did not make it to the final selection during the inquiry phase. The children who conceived the idea continued to believe in its potential and proactively reached out to DAMBO, restarting it as a commercialization project.

Developed with a focus on African elephant conservation, the team also paid attention to underlying environmental issues, carefully selecting materials and designs. The project includes a mechanism to donate a portion of sales revenue to conservation efforts.

Additionally, through collaboration with Adventure World, which supported the project as an advisor during the inquiry phase, a workshop is scheduled for August 2026 where the children themselves will participate as developers.

A key feature of this project is its design to raise awareness not only about African elephant conservation but also the broader environmental challenges behind it. The children's team, 'Africa Channel,' focused from the beginning not only on the conservation status of African elephants but also on the environmental problems behind them.

The project is designed so that it does not end with product creation—instead, sales are used to raise awareness of these issues, and a portion of the revenue is donated to conservation activities.

This model is intended to be applicable not only to African elephants but also to other endangered species and environmental challenges. Furthermore, environmentally conscious materials such as Palm Yashikku® and recycled ocean plastic waste were adopted, with the materials themselves playing a role in conveying environmental messages—a crucial feature of this initiative.

The key characteristic of this project is that it extends inquiry-based learning beyond classroom activities like 'research and presentation,' actually bringing children's ideas to society as tangible products.

Children experienced the entire process: formulating their own questions, discussing with peers, developing concepts, creating products, and delivering them to society. Not only selected ideas but also previously unselected ones evolved into new projects through the children's own initiative.

The 'Uper Light' and 'African Elephant Tape Cutter' are outcomes born from different learning journeys.

The children's questions and interests took shape through dialogue and collaboration with others and expanded into society. This experience itself is considered a vital value for future inquiry-based learning.

DAMBO will continue to respect children's creativity and autonomy, acting as a supportive partner that connects their questions to society, and will keep proposing new possibilities at the intersection of education and product creation.

About Collaboration and Support

About Adventure World

Adventure World is a theme park located in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture. Under the park theme 'Looking at life, continuing to question. A place to discover the beauty of life,' it provides opportunities to encounter and learn about diverse forms of life through a world where humans coexist with animals on land, in the sea, and in the air. Adventure World supported the children's team 'Africa Channel' as an advisor during the inquiry phase, leading to this release event and the upcoming workshop.

About DAMBO LLC

DAMBO LLC operates under the mission 'Connecting feelings for children to the future,' creating children-focused products using recycled cardboard materials and proposing spaces and experiences that connect to the future of our planet.

Additionally, through workshops in environmental and scientific fields that families can enjoy together, and inquiry-based learning projects in collaboration with schools, companies, and experts, DAMBO actively works to connect children's questions and ideas to society.