Middle Schoolers in NY Using 3-D Printer to Create Prosthetic Hand for Child in Need

— -- These middle school students on Long Island, New York, are quite literally lending a helping hand.

Since late November of last year, a group eighth-grade students from Howard B. Mattlin Middle School have been working nearly every day with a 3-D printer to create a prosthetic hand that will be donated to a child in need.

"They love that they are a part of something that's going to make a difference and something they never thought would be possible," said Melissa Goscinski, an art teacher at the school who spearheaded the program.

Goscinski told ABC News today that her kids "use almost all their free time in between classes, before school and during lunch" just to work on the project.

"They have really taken ownership of this, and the great thing is that when they run into problems, they don't give up," she said. "They talk to each other and work together to figure it out on their own. They're really developing great problem-solving skills."

Goscinski's students are making the hand as part of an online collaborative project called the Prosthetic Kids Hand Challenge.

The project's website provides information about what materials are needed to create the prosthetic hands as well as simple video tutorials on how to put them together.

The detailed but easy-to-follow instructions on the site have empowered even young children to create prosthetics, according to Chris Craft, the project's founder.

More than 550 groups have signed up, and the project has received more than 350 hands since it started last year, Craft told ABC News today.

The hands are donated to individuals who contact Craft as well as various nonprofits around the world, Craft said.

Recipients of the hands are featured on the project's social media pages.

Goscinski said she is not sure yet who may receive the hand that her students are making, but, nonetheless, her eighth-graders are excited to make more and get more groups of students involved.