Spooktacular Light Design

This week we made fantastic light designs. We challenged the kids to do this using only foil, pipe cleaners and a hand held torch or a string of fairy lights. By constraining the materials available, we forced them to explore the possibilities and limits of what you can do with foil -squish it, mould it, fold it, fan it, puncture it etc.






When we turned off the lights in the studio, the fun began. There was lots of exploration of the qualities that foil might contribute to the design- whether the light is reflected by it, passing through a space in it or distorted by an edge of it.

The pipe-cleaners were sometimes used to sculpt a beautiful illuminated object  (like the wire light sabre at the top) or this intricate fairy garden design below.

Sometimes the interplay between the light and the shadow it cast animated its surroundings. Some of the kids were fascinated by this idea and designed intricate shadow boxes and light projectors.   

One wire sculpture evolved into a carnival  over the course of the class, with a dinosaur, two riders and dangling shapes casting a playful scene onto the wall.  Another, a green bear shadow maker.


This flower-like projection (above) was developed, by moulding the foil onto the face of the torch and experimenting with the effects at different angles.

One design team decided to pursue a Halloween theme.  Here is their iridescent pumpkin parade (left).

It took serious collaboration to come up with this installation!

Designing Play Workshop

What if...

…your playground was sushi-themed, with sticky rice trampolines, nori slides, a dual level cucumber monkey bar and a springboard salmon ramp for the swimming pool.

…your playground was a sports deck (exclusively for Grade 6 students) with a basketball court, a giant minecraft climbing tower and a skateboard park.                    

….you could climb on the roof maze, before landing on a giant rotating wheel.  And if you make it along the monkey bar maze, you can stop at the video game station.  

..... you could use your stick token in the hunger game jungle maze (as long as you promise not to kill anyone)

... you enter your playground through a giant squirming snake tunnel

... there are real monkeys on the monkey bars and a petting zoo on the upstairs play deck

... there was a roller-coaster connecting different parts of the playground.

... you could go fishing during recess

... there was an electronics centre in the playground

... or there was a slide from the upper deck down to a trampoline on the lower deck???

Invention squad has redesigned the school playground!  In this week's workshop the emphasis was on 2D drafting. We encouraged everyone to design beyond traditional play structures and you can see some of the ideas above. At the end of this landscaping session we challenged the kids to transform their blueprint into a 3D model of the playground.  This kind of quick cardboard modelling is an exercise in form, function and scaling and can be tricky.  It requires spatial perception, mathematical thinking and basic crafting skills.

Designing Play Workshop (pre)

Playground Design: next week we’ll be asking the kids to redesign their own school playground.  

Our typical idea of a playground is maybe something like the play structure on the upper deck (only nicer).  Maybe something like the Trinty Bellwoods playground?  

But we’ll be trying to think outside the box a little.  Our jumping off point could be some of the better play spaces in Toronto: a dynamic playground like the sandpit water area in Dufferin Park Grove, one that incorporates natural features like the slide hill in Corktown Commons one that makes cultural references to its setting- like Canoe Landing Park or a design that employs colour, sound and light like the brand new June Callwood park (check it out down by the waterfront). 

There’s really a world of possibilities when you take inspiration from abroad.  I love the use of recycled tires at the Tire Koen in Japan.  Kids roll/slide/stack the tires and often times the adults get involved too.

Our Invention Squad kids will start off with a scale cardboard platform of the two layered playground at their school.  That’s the constraint.  After that anything goes. We’ll provide recycled paper and cardboard for them to build their fantasy playground. Let’s see what they come up with!

Toy Struck Workshop

Our first challenge in the after-school workshop was to build a prototype toy design for a young child. The kids dived straight into heaps of recycled cardboard plastic and fabric materials to make their toy designs. We set them a challenge to think about the senses-touch, texture, sound and colour- and they made exploratoriums, cars, rattles, snow mixers and sensory books.

image from http://dthsg.com

     

Our aim in this class, was to get the kids comfortable with constructing a prototype. In this session they were given a broad selection of materials to use and these objects themselves suggest ideas to the kids. In other sessions we will try a more deliberative planning approach with draft drawings or team brainstorming. Different methods suit different children, but we want them to experience them all and come up with some cool ideas whilst they do that.                                                          

Fall 2014 Workshop Schedule: Niagara Street

Here's the schedule of events for our Fall workshop at Niagara Street School

Week 1: Toddler alert

Squeeze it, chew it, pull it, shake it.  Using colour and texture, invent a new toy for toddlers. 

Week 2 :Play as you go

Redesign the Niagara Street Playground.  Go ahead- add water features, nature zones, tree houses or crazy play structures.

Week 3: Spooktacular Light Show

Scare your friends by creating a ghostly chandelier, a haunted light sculpture, an illuminated decoration for Halloween.

Week 4: Evil Genius 

Invent a machine to catapult a marshmallow grenade across the playground. 

Week 5: Move over Lady Gaga!

Design an out-of-this-world outfit for a rock star super-hero.

Week 6: Rock-On!

Join the junk band: twanging, tooting, bashing, plucking your own hand-made instruments. 

Week 7: Game on

Designers test a new event or sport for the 2015 Pan-Am games.

Week 8: Structure challenge

Build a bridge that can hold an elephant.

Week 9: DEMO DAY

A showcase of the squad’s inventions and ideas for families and friends to see.