DESIGN FOR PLAY

Prashasti Sinha 10613007 Guided by : Prof. Ravi Hazra

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Acknowledgement
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude towards my guide Prof. Ravi Hazra who not only guided me throughout the project but also helped me out with getting contacts of people and thus making my work much easier. Also I would like to thank all the faculty members who gave me useful feedback which made me look at other aspects of the projects also, which I had overlooked. Last but not the least, I would like to thank all my friends in the class who constantly critically appreciated my project and gave valuable suggestions.

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Approval Sheet

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Declaration
I declare that this written submission represents my ideas in my own words and where other words and ideas and words have been included, I have adequately cited and referenced the original sources. I also declare that I have adhered to all the principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not misinterpreted or fabricated or falsified any ideas/data/fact/source in my submission. I understand that any violation of the above will be cause for disciplinary action by the institute and can evoke penal action from the sources which have thus not been properly cited or from whom proper permission has not been taken when needed.

Signature Name of the student : Prashasti Sinha Roll No. : 10613007

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Abstract
The project aimed at designing products for a pre school/ nursery classroom environment with children of 2-5 years of age. The project was an effort to relieve the stress of todays pre school education and bring in more of the fun element to the classroom. I tried to keep it all fun for the kids, on the surface, but with underlying objectives of balanced development, increased social interaction, experiential learning and creative development. An indirect way of learning in a collaborative environment which would make the kids love going and being at school as opposed to being stressed out by the strenuous syllabus which requires learning by the book.

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Contents
1. Objective 2. Introduction 3. Overview 4. About Pre- schooling 5. User study 6. Target User 7. Required Development 8. Design Brief 9. Ideation 10. Idea Evaluation 11. Refined Ideas 12. Contraption 13. Form 14. Details 15. Final Product 16. Feedback 17. References 1 3 4 5 9 19 25 29 31 47 49 65 77 85 95 101 110

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Objective
To design a surrounding with elements that would be fun to play with and/ or enhancing the development of a child aged 2.5 to 5 years ABSTRACT: The project started from designing a whole interior space to narrow down to design of products in a preschool classroom for kids aged 2- 5 years of age. The objective underlying was to provide an environment in the class which probably triggers their imagination and creative skills.Thus, provide an environment that helps in the balanced overall development of the children. To provide a product which would be novel and fun for the kids. Something that they would look forward to playing with when they go to school. A product that might become one of the attractions because of which they might want to go to the school. A product that would pull them out from the quicksand of exams and assignments which start from pre school and last them a whole lifetime.

Introduction
The project started with a small observation that the kids, with every passing generation are becoming lesser and lesser of their childish selves. They are being exposed to unnecessary exposure. Also, with the increase in number of single child families the children start behaving more like the adults around them. Some might argue that this change is for good as the children are becoming smarter and maturing faster but I would beg to differ. I think every age has its own charm. The process and the time taken to shift from one age to another is whole point of having this life. Eventually, everyone will know the ABCs and the 123s, why speed up the process? What would one get learning them much earlier than one is supposed to? The whole system could be looked at in a different light. Even if these concepts need to be taught to the kids, a more interesting environment could be provided to let this learning happen without them knowing about it. So, I took it up to design a space which would do so.

One of activities forgotten: Climbing the trees which was very popular with the earlier generations

Ref. :www.emillustration.co.uk/blog/index.php?m=01&y=09&entry=entry090126-161259

Overview
DATA COLLECTION

DESIGN BRIEF

IDEATION

REFINED IDEAS

CONTRAPTION

DETAILING

FEEDBACK

About pre-schooling

Pre- school Education

ORIGIN: Pre schooling is more of a foreign concept which entered the Indian scenario in and around the 1980s. The first pre school called Head Start in Michigan was started as a government initiative to provide the basic education to the poverty ridden kids, before admitting them into primary school. It was started as a five week program and was soon realised that the time span wasnt enough. It then became a full year plan. In India the concept reached pretty late but it has grown by 40% (According to The Hindu). The concept has transformed to more of a daycare than preschool education. The primary objective of the working parents is to get rid of their child for a few hours so that they can do their work. STRUCTURE The structure for pre schooling is as follows: Daycare for kids below 1.5 yrs of age Preschool year 1 : 1.5+ yrs Preschool year 2 : 2.5+ yrs Nursery : 3+ yrs Kindergarden : 4+ yrs

OBJECTIVE OF EDUCATION The objective of such education is for: Helping them stay out of the comfort zones of their homes Strengthening their socializing skills Gain a sense of me and you Build confidence Learning to do things themselves as opposed to everything being done for them. eg. kids start telling their teacher when they want to use the washroom. The parents and the schools often miss out on these objectives. The parents are over concerned about their kids. They are obsessed with pushing the kid to learn as early as possible so that they are able to stand up to the tests of the competitive world. The schools provide what the parents are looking because their main objective is to impress the parents so that they get more business. Its all about making money. The sufferer in all of this is the child. Due to the pressure from the parents on the school, they design a Syllabus for children as little as 18 months old. They have tests and parent teacher meetings every month to discuss the progress of the 2 year old. The progress discussed is not about the motor development or the cognitive development, its about if the kid knows his ABCs yet or not. This madness goes to such an extent that the tests are conducted for kids who havent started talking yet too. Such tests are conducted by giving them physical options for the answer. Whichever object the child picks up is taken as the answer.

Children learning to match negative and positive spaces

User Study

Schools Surveyed
Most of the schools I visited were very secretive about their classroom setup and interaction with the children was a strict no-no. Apparently, all the equipment put inside these classrooms was patented and designed especially for each school chain. Very few schools were ready to discuss my project and show me around. They were: Kangaroo Kids, Chandivalli, Mumbai Kidzee, Hiranandani, Mumbai Rose Buds School, Lucknow Odyssey Pre school, Singapore Cherie Hearts Pre school and Early Development Centre, Singapore As I talked to the teachers, I realised there were two schools of thought. One that believed that : Kids from play-based programs usually catch up academically, while kids from academic backgrounds may never catch up socially (believed in by Caireen Kids, Ghatkopar) So the kids were taught through, what is called the Play Way Method. In which, the kids are taught through play. Its more of an experiential learning than conceptual / lecture type learning. Others believed that : A young childs brain is like a sponge so learning comes easy and academic schools do allow for play time not just work. (believed in by Kidzee, Hiranandani) It is true that a young childs brain can absorb much more information than any adult. According to me, both approaches are correct in themselves but I would still be bias towards the first one. I strongly believe that at this age, no one would like to be burdened with studies. This is the only time when one can really explore. Hence, they should be allowed to do so without any hinderance.

Little girls from Nursery at Kangaroo Kids 10

Kangaroo Kids
I visited and spent some days with the kids at Kangaroo Kids, Chandivalli, Mumbai. I also got to help out at the Annual Function. I was responsible for six beautiful 3 year olds. My job was to keep them quiet for the duration of the function and change their dresses two times. During my stay and while chatting with Ms. Deepa Shah (Co-ordinator), I got the following insights Space crunch : Especially in cities like Mumbai, the space available is too less. Hence, compromises are made in terms of class space, outdoor space and play areas Less active : Kids are, in general, becoming less active due to all the electronic media which requires them to sit in one place. The space could be transformed for different activities to be carried out in the class since separate spaces cannot be created for each activity. Something new every month Sharing the space and equipment

Pre school kids with their teacher

Three of the adorable girls i was taking care of at the annual function 11

Door to the class

The teacher teaching the little one to dance

Setup inside the Doll House 12

Kidzee
I made a short visit at Kidzee too, where the teacher gave me some valuable information about the childs psyche: Frequent mood swings : Every day is filled with different varied moods. Every emotion is short lived Want to be treated as adults Get bored from one gameplay, often develop their own gameplays

Children being handed over to their parents at Home Time Footnote: I was not permitted to take pictures of the classrooms 13

Rose Buds
As compared to Kidzee and Kangaroo which are chain schools, Rose Buds environment was more of what could be called as Jugaad. It was a school which was being run in a residential building. Also, the economic group was different Due to the less number of toys, kids learnt to share more Common spaces provided than individual Tiled walls to prevent writing on the walls

Outdoor play at Rose Buds, where kids are more risk taking even with the stone flooring where there are more chances of getting hurt 14

Common play where all kids share their toys

Cherie Hearts
To get an idea of how things might be working outside India, I visited two schools in Singapore. Cherie Hearts was one of the budget preschools, so the environment was very humble. Yet the following were worth noticing: Interesting teaching through different senses (eg. Plastic bottles filled with different grains and materials to create different sounds) Had a pretend play dressing wardrobe with different costumes Ms. Shuchi suggested to have big movement like painting on a wall than on a small piece of paper Children love to behave like superheroes / fictional characters

Pretend play area with lots of props and space available 15

Odyssey Preschool
Odyssey was one of the uptown schools, located in the heart of the city. They had patented furniture and setup, especially made for the three centres of Odyssey. It was a huge campus with a balance of indoor and outdoor spaces. Schools especially in Mumbai overlook the outdoor space which is essential for the balanced development of the children The whole space has been divided into separate spaces for different activities. Eg. Art room, music room, dining room, etc. The huge outdoor spaces were cleverly used (eg. art from trash space, exploring sound objects,etc). Here children were learning through spaces All round development through classes of different subjects Suggested that there should be NO theme

Footnote: I was not permitted to take pictures. In fact, I was not permitted inside the classrooms too. 16

Pretend play area with lots of props and space available

Day and school routine

The routine of the kids differs a lot from school to school and house to house. Still I tried to consolidate what most of the schools had mentioned as their routine for every school day and what parents claimed to be their son/ daughters routine. At school : 20 mins: Free play (Corners, books, painting, blocks, etc) 5 mins: Prayers 15 mins: Concept (big & small, hot and cold through puppets, alphabets, numbers based on 'Theme of the month') 20 mins: Snack time 15 mins: varying sessions (Picture book, rhyme, gym, group discussion, dance,etc) 15 mins: Alphabets Outdoor play Day routine for pre school kids: 7:30- 8am: Get up 9am : reach school 11am : Leave for home 12 noon: lunch and sleep Till 4 or 5pm : sleep 5pm : Home work, computers and play 8pm : TV and dinner Sleeping time differs (from 9pm to midnight) (The school timing differs from school to school and batch to batch. The two hour slot can be anywhere from 8am to 2pm)
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Target User

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Target
Based on the surveys and observations made, I fixed on the target user to be: Upper to upper middle class kids aging from 2.5 to 5 years studying in: Preschool year 2 : 2.5+ yrs Nursery : 3+ yrs Kindergarden : 4+ yrs

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Why this group?

Noticed a major differnce between the kids of this economic class and others Lost childhood Increasing pressure from the parents to make their kids someone big Overly pampered Mostly single kids so arent really open to sharing with others Kept in a overly protected environment Trained to be adults from childhood Less active

Over protected environment with soft flooring and restricted zones

Growing attachment with the virtual than the real world 21

If I could
If I was running a preschool of my own and if it was left to me I would : Let the kids just be and not pressurise them to do anything. It is when all the natural instincts take control Let them free from the overly protective environment to a slightly more risk taking environment Not tell them but let them find out things on their own. Not block their minds with all that we know and let them explore and find out something new on their own Let them have the best time of their lives without any interference The result could be If they are exposed to the environment discussed in the last chapter, the result would be: Enhance their self-esteem Allows for natural consequences The child considers multiple possibilities and outcomes Develops his own ability to solve problems Talk to others Share and generally like others

Children are not scared until we tell them to be so. We fill their heads with fear. A child might play with crocodile heads unless told otherwise. 22

Over protected environment with soft flooring and restricted zones

Client
Most of the products available in the market are for household use. Very few brands manufacture for the schools. School products: Inducing social interaction among the kids Requires many players Should be durable so that it lasts the school a number of batches the budget can be high as it would be an investment for the school Home products: Requires fewer players, sometimes theyre single player games for single kids the budget is generally low The product need not be so durable as the product would be disposed off as soon as the child grows old for it. Brands like Toys R us and Funskool manufacture for the home sector. It could be proposed to manufacture for the school sector as it is a growing sector with 40% growth and it would get them good profits as the budget can also go higher.

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Required development

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Discussing development
Interviewing Mr. Chandrashekhar, teaching Human development at SNDT, Juhu To discuss about the developments happening and the developments required for the kids aged 2.5 to 5 years, I visited Mr. Chandrashekhar teaching Human Development at SNDT, Juhu. He gave me the following key points that were very beneficial for the project. He suggested that: It should be a space where physical, social, communication, emotional, intellectual and aesthetic development happen No gender specific toys or equipment Could use it as a tool to introduce cultural elements Changing setup Could induce communication through planning and team making Time when 5 senses are at their peak Infinite exploration unlike normal toys which have just one gameplay

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Required Development
There are major develpments happening in the body and in the brain of the little one. For the balanced development to take place, the following activities should be in the routine of the kids. PHYSICAL Jumping, Hanging, Climbing, Gym, Balancing,etc MENTAL Story telling Puppets Blocks Interactive games SOCIAL Sharing toys Imitating elders Serving the society

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Design Brief

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Design Brief
Design elements to be placed in an interior space (20 feet x 20 feet) of a pre school or nursery classroom. The prime objective should be to let them have fun and nurture learning without them knowing about it. Key points to be considered : To engage them Magical element Developmental Not to have a specific game play No gender bias The need: Introduce fun element in learning process Relieve the stress the kids are put through A product especially for a school scenario considering the number of kids using it and the learning being imparted Basic Considerations: Not easily broken, Easy operation, Appealing form Usage should be intuitive No sharp corners

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Ideation

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Thought process
The thought process followed to design was as follows: Come up with products that could be placed in a preschool class Not one but all the products I could think of Products that might be of more interest for the kids Those that have a magical element and those that induce social interaction, physical development or lead to experiential learning

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Initial Ideas
Idea 1 The first thing a child would want to do with a toy is break it. It might be taken as a sign of curiosity as to know what is inside the toy. Children love to throw things around. My aim is to provoke these natural instincts more than curb them. What if we allow them to hit on the artificial fruits hanging from an abstract tree and when they get the fruit down, to their surprise, its stuffed with candy.

Attributes: Mind body co-ordination Motor development Fun Socializing

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Idea 2 One of aspects considered was to Game table, to be played by the whole class together Attributes: Socializing skills Reflex action development Learning in terms of picture, sound and animal name

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Idea 3 Collapsable Play house, similar to an umbrella Attributes: Roleplaying Socializing

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Idea 4 Formed foam Partition which is stored in a spiral and can also be used by the kids to go in and out through the circle Attributes: Physical development Motor skills Structural element

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Idea 5 A fun accessory to use a number of colors together Attributes: Incentive to hold the pencil and use it Magical Novel

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Idea 6 Sensory Play with different materials and textures Attributes: Cognitive development Sensory development Mind bod co-ordination

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Idea 7 Tree climbing brought into the indoors with binoculars to view the scene from above Attributes: Physical development Motor skills Socializing

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Idea 8 Prop for play which leaves footprints behind Attributes: Roleplaying Social Development Physical development

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Idea 9 Hanging slide with hangers and speed breakers ahead. Attributes: Physical development Social Fun

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Idea 10 Story telling via shadows using cutouts and a lamp Attributes: Learning concepts Imaginative skills Fun Novel

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Idea 11 Alternate uses to the furniture to keep the kids on their toes, literally. Attributes: Physical development Makes the kids more active Social interaction

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Idea 12 Another prop for role playing with mobility Attributes: Role playing Physical development Inducing Social interaction

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Idea 13 Height measurer Attributes: Pure fun exercise

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Idea 14 Crocodile tunnel which can be picked up and carried around Attributes: Physical Development Motor skill development Social interaction through role playing

WHAT I LEARNT: The fun element is primary but it should be supported by some kind of development as ultimately it should benefit the child in some way or the other An idea which has more number of attributes should be considered The evaluation should happen taking into consideration the various developments and fun element

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Idea Evaluation

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Result The following ideas were rated three or more dots on the chart. a) Magical shadows b)Tree climber and fruit plucker c) Animal Footwear d) Train Wagon e) Crocodile height measurer However, two of them, namely Tree climber and fruit plucker Crocodile height measurer were dropped and only three were carried forward due to workability issues. The three taken forward were: Tarin Wagon Animal Footwear and Magical shadows

S.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Idea Name Magical Shadows Railing slide Rope climber Tree climber Fruit plucker Underwater aquarium Door in a door + slide Indian doll house Crocodile height measurer Objects having emotions Swingable chain Train Wagon Stepping stones Swingable door Animal ball table What to do clock Umbrella play house Twistable tunnel one or many pencils Balance Animal footwear I love green magnetic animals

Physical Experiential Social Learning

Fun

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Refinement of three selected Ideas

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1: Train wagon
The idea of a mobile seating was taken forward and the details of the same were worked out. More features including footrest cutouts and loops to make a chain.

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Features
Projected surface to hold on to while moving

For the child to sit on Cutouts for the loop to snapped onto

Snap-able loop

Five castor wheel base

Cutouts that can be used as foot rest while in use

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Push and roll

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Roll on together like a train :

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Stackable

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2. Footprints
All animal footprints for the whole class

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Features
Space for the foot

Expandable strap`

Protruding non foot space, just for form purpose Soft silicon strap Trigger to play the specific animals sound when stepped on

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The footwear while in use

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The sole has disappearing ink which creates an impression at first and then vanishes

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3. Magical Shadows

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Silhouette prints

Diffused light to make an even image

Knob to rotate the light

Frames all around the disc

Flat base

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Looks magical when in use

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Students and teacher lie down for nap time as the teacher tells a story through the product

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The image can also be projected on the wall for an active storytelling session

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Concept Evaluation
IDEA Magical Shadows FUN Learning with fun Its magical, attracts the attention of the kids Fun for the teachers too Roleplaying / acting like different animals Can walk in different style of footwear in a different gait WORKABILITY Yes DEVELOPMENT CONS

Strong creative development by Needs a dark room boosting their imagination Kids might not be able to Conceptual learning too. operate it themselves Encourages social interaction and role playing The ink used might create fumes which might be hazardous to health

Animal footprints footwear

Ink constraints

Train Wagon

To move around the class Loop could be an issue together like a train Revolving and colliding with each other.

Social interaction

Might not work out so much because

After looking at all the aspects, the most feasible one seemed to be the Magical Shadows as it allowed for more development with a magical feel and also didnt have any workability issues.

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Working mechanism

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Tests
Before the rig to show the mechanism of the product could be made, various tests were conducted. The tests were to find the : Light block size Distance between the image and the LED Relevance of a lens Image size Color of the images

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Battery connector

Finding the light block size To get an evenly lit image, I used Star LEDs, used in street lights. These LEDs are known to throw light to a great distance and the light is soft spreading in all directions. To block the light and convert it into a spot light, I used a PVC pipe cut piece. The length of this piece had to be ascertained. Four pieces were cut in 1, 2, 3 and 4 cm sizes. The spot light sizes were as follows: 1cm - created a 13 feet spot on the ceiling 2cm - created a 6 to 7 feet spot on the ceiling 3cm - created a 4 feet spot on the ceiling 4cm - created a 2 feet spot on the ceiling

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resistance

*The ceiling was 10 ft high

Heat Sink

LED setup used

1 Watt LED

2cm long PVC pipe over the LED setup 67

Finding the distance between the image and the LED The size and sharpness of the image changes when viewed from different heights from the LED. To get the best result I made a setup that would help me do so. The LED was fixed to a base with a pillar to its side which had drilled holes to place the slides at various heights. At 23.5cms the image seemed to be of appropriate sharpness and size.

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Pillar with drilled holes at various heights to fix the wheel with images

LED setup with a 2cm high piece of PVC tube used to block the light

Relevance of the lens Even after blocking the light and fnding the optimum height of the image from the LED, the images werent sharp. A lens seemed unavoidable. To experiment if the lens really helped, I broke open a toy phone and got the lens out. The images had to be scaled down for the lens which was good as it brought down the size of the complete product. It turned out that the images were much sharper with the lens.

Lens with the plastic component from a toy phone

Lens used along with the prior setup to test the difference

The image formed is much clearer. In fact, one can spot the pixels too. 69

Finding the best image size Initially I experimented with large images ranging from 10 cms to 3 cms. Later I realized that the images could be made as small as 0.5 - 1 cm big. However, due to the print quality the smaller images didnt turn out so sharp. This issue could be solved during mass production by using better print quality. The image size made the product almost half its initial size

Various image sizes were tried out to find the best suitable 70

Color or Black and white When trying out different sizes of images, I also incorporated color. Color images are only visible in white LED light and not in yellow LED light. However, only black and white images were acceptable as they left some to the imagination of the kid as compared to detailed drawings. Also, children can handle abstraction very well.

1x1 cm and 2x2 cm frames in black and white and colored 71

Contraption
The results of the tests were put together to make the contraption. The lens used in the tests was very cumbersome to use. Note: The images used here were semi circular just because of the length of torch. In the final product the lighting setup would be placed in the centre and hence, the wheel would have space to rotate.

Torch with a lens already fit in it with 1.5x1.5 cm frames 72

Wheel rotated to change the frame

Image created on the wall with the contraption

Next frame coming up as the user rotates the wheel

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The physics behind it

My first guess for the lens was a convex lens which is used in a magnifying glass because a small objects image is extraordinarily huge. For my product too, I required to project a small image as a big image.

The figure shows if parallel light rays come from a source like the sun, the rays will converge at the focal point. So if a piece of paper is kept at the focal point of the lens, in a few minutes the converging rays would burn the paper. It is also fascinating to see the paper burn without any matchstick. Its almost magic.

If the object is kept closer to the lens, within the focal length, the image is larger, inverted and virtual. The actual image is actually being formed behind the lens. This is why the film should as close to the lens to get a larger image. This was the ideal lens and ideal distance to be be used for my product.

Ref. : http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/outreach/8thgradesol/BackgrndConvex.htm

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Resultant large and inverted image

The figure on the right shows how convex lens works for the product. The LED is placed just below the image and the image is as small as 8 mm. A lens is placed above it so that when the light rays pass it forms a huge 3.5 feet image on the surface.

F Convex lens Film Image F

LED light

Disc with images 75

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Form

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Blob like

Magical

ColorFUL

Bubbly

Animated

Fireflies

Shadow patterns
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Form exploration

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Further Form Exploration

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Tentative Form

Tentative form

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Features
Opening for the celing To project

Impression for the finger to open Opening for the wall

Openable case to change the disc

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Case open

Disc inside of Princess and the frog

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Details

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Cross section
Part to block and project the light

Lens

To restrict the flow to one frame at a time

Main lighting component containing the LED and two pipe like structures to block the light from going sideways and direct it upwards To rotate the image wheel

Image wheel

To change the direction of light To project the light on the wall

Lens To hold the lighting component Outer body

Battery 86

Charging point

Dimensions
20 FRONT VIEW!!!

8 25 120 100 15

20

15 60 45 All dimensions in mm 48

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The setup can be easily shifted to view on the wall from the ceiling view. For this a lever is provided on the side which pushes the whole light component to the second opening for projection. So the teachers can easily switch in between also to keep the interest of the children for a longer time.

To the ceiling

To the wall

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Placement of the product

When in use a) By the teacher The teacher could choose to keep it on the table for an active storytelling / concept teaching session. He/ she could also place it on the floor b) By the kids It would be fun to watch how they can use it. Its sure that they will come up with new ways of using it like projecting on the palms or on their t shirts. They can also tell stories on their own as they turn the film. It could also become a tool for interaction among the kids. They might have discussions as per their different perception of the images on the film. For the product to be used by kids, certain considerations should be taken. The product should benot easily broken, have an opening mechanism that the kids cant crack, easy operation, appealing form and the usage should be intuitive When stored Care was taken to make it as small as possible so that it takes up little space in the classroom. When not in use the product could be used as a showpiece in the classroom or be easily stored away.

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Different scenarios for use

Although the product was designed keeping in mind the preschool environment, the product can very well fit other scenarios as well. At home: It can be used to tell bedtime stories to the kids with the parent lying next to the kid and the image being projected on the ceiling. It would almost be like a personal story screening. Discs of the childs favourite stories could be bought and kept for the same.

For other ages : With slight changes in the form, it can be used for older kids, aging 6-10 years, as well. The content, of course can be changed accordingly. The product can make learning a pleasurable experience for a wider range of age group. Discs to explain particular concepts could be available to spare the teacher the pain of making presentations. The device could be used one per class.

Ref. : rabbicreditor.blogspot.in, dot-edu.edc.org/projects/indiastory2.htm

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Content on the discs

Teaching aid The product could be used as an aid to teach various concepts to the class. They might include topics like, What do we do in the morning or a visit to the zoo. This might come in handy for the teachers to grab and keep the attention of the kids when they are teaching. Also, for teachers who have been teaching using the old traditional methods, this might be a new exciting device to use.

Ref. : www.shutterstock.com

Imagination instigator The frames could have abstract forms which each child might recognize differently. Each child is different with a different perspective of seeing things. It would be interesting to get a class full of ideas for each picture.

Ref. : www.illustrationsource.com

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Prototyping
Light changeability The light direction needs to be changed for usage on the ceiling and on the wall. There are many ways to achieve that but i thought of a simple lever mechanism wherein there is no ambiguity. All that the user needs to do is pull up and down the lever for the change in direction.

Lever and the slot visible on the outer body

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The lever can be easily pulled up and down to change the direction of light

The light points towards the ceiling when the lever is down

The light points towards the wall when the lever is up

Film Discs The film discs are based on various subjects. One disc contains only 30 frames. So the discs should be changeable. For which the discs would be made available in the format shown on the right. It would be mounted with the help of loose snap fit projections. Then the disc would be removed to play another disc

Discs would be available in such format with porjections

The disc will be mounted on the gear component

The discs are removable 93

One frame at a time One major concern was to have only one frame at a time and that the user should not be adjusting the knob to fit the frame. It should happen automatically. For which, I used a gear like mechanism wherein there are smooth curvy teeth which fit into a spring loaded projection from the outer body. What will happen is, the knob will rotate the gear. Since the disc is mounted on the gear, it will rotate along with it. The projection will restrict the flow of the gear to one tooth at a time and hence one frame at a time

The gear like component would ensure that the wheel can be turned one frame at a time

A projection from the outer body would be used to restrict the flow of the film wheel. 94

Final Product

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Product views

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Mechanism

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Usage

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Changeability lever

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Disc Changeability

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Feedback

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User 1 at Kangaroo Kids

The contraption and the scenario sketches were shown and explained to the teachers at Kangaroo Kids, Chandivalli, Mumbai. Ms. Deepa Sharma was interviewed as per the viability of the product. QUESTIONS ASKED: Do you think this product can be used in a pre school environment ? It can be. Interesting idea. How do you rate it as a storytelling aid ? On a scale of 10, I would rate it as 8. Stories should be very very simple. Two year olds dont understand stories like Cinderella or Snow White. It could be more of a pictorial display of things like What do we do in the morning? or Lets go to the zoo. If sounds could also be included like roars or chirps, it would enhance the product. It could be also used as a teaching aid to explain various concepts. Do you think the kids would enjoy it? Definitely. Its always good to have visuals. When they are just listening to the teacher, their attention level goes zero. But if they have visuals along with it then they can relate what the teacher is talking about and understand better. Are these black and white images good to be used for the kids? As long as the images are identifiable so that the children can relate to them, its fine. It need not be detailed, children can very well handle abstraction. Does it fulfill these requirements : a) Fun element b) Developmental c) Social a) Full marks b) Product wise I would give 10 out 10 but it depends on child to child to grasp and understand

The teacher in her class, teaching 102

c) In such a product the social element can only come through the teachers skills. The teacher can talk to the kids and include the kids in it. Would you like to buy it if it was available in the market? Yes. Definitely. Can/ Should it be open for use by the kids? No. It can be provided to over 5 year olds. How would you rate the whole experience? It would definitely be fun. Children would enjoy it. We already have shadow plays in the class using a white sheet, torch and laminated sheets of animals and fruits. We use them to sing rhymes with the children.

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User 2 at Shishu Vihar

The contraption and the scenario sketches were shown and explained to the teachers at Kangaroo Kids, Chandivalli, Mumbai. Ms. Deepa Sharma was interviewed as per the viability of the product. QUESTIONS ASKED: Do you think this product can be used in a pre school environment ? Yes it would be. How do you rate it as a storytelling aid ? Its good to use visuals. Sometimes, when I teach, I ask, what do You see? Every child sees a different thing. Only that, this might not put them to sleep but all the more excite them. Dont restrict it to a nap time activity. It can also be an active session. I think this might all the more wake them up. But stories might be difficult to grasp. It shoudl finish in 4-5 minutes because they can not keep memory of the first frame for a long time. Do you think the kids would enjoy it? Thoroughly. Lying down on the floor and looking up is just wow. Kids have seen LCDs against the wall but lying down and something happening on the ceiling. They do like to lie down. They might watch it for a long time. Are these black and white images good to be used for the kids? Be it colored or black and white it stimulates their imagination and creativity. Does it fulfill these requirements : a) Fun element b) Developmental c) Social a) Out of 10, I would rate it 8 b) Developmental value might be 7 on 10. c) The kids are capable coming up with such things on their own. I dont know if you can really incorporate it in your product.
Explaining the concept to an older child 104

The teacher giving feedback on the product

 Would you like to buy it if it was available in the market? I have never seen a product so simple and novel. I would definitely buy it. Can/ Should it be open for use by the kids? Not really for operation by the 2-3 year olds but in a school like ours where we have all ages of kids, a 6-7 year old can operate for the younger ones. The little kids really look up to the elder ones as their role models more than the teachers. How would you rate the whole experience? I think it would be a great experience to both teach and learn with such a device which is novel. Im bored of using all the old methods to teach. I would definitely want to experiment with this.

Kids were fascinated to see the image being projected on their clothes 105

User 3: The real user

Better than picture books Could recognize very well the abstracted pictures, even silhouettes Very excited

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Further improvement
The product seemed to be a success but still it requires some more improvement. The form could help in changing the mode from ceiling to wall projection The film could be placed in a flat disc manner than being perpendicular to the disc. This would drastically reduce the storage space occupied by the discs. The discs could be directly inserted into a slot than a traditional old hinged opening.

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References
Books: Designing for children : marketing design that speaks to kids byCatharine Fishel Kids spaces : architecture for children by Images Publication Green design by Poole, Buzz, Published by New York : Mark Batty Pub. 2006 Sites: Pg 28 - raisingmaine.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html Pg 29 - s291.photobucket.com/albums Pg 30 - today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-staff-see-hidden-benefits-of-ucla-172595. aspx Pg 86 : - picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Iq8r1vKgl6CiCJbhFX3KI - www.topit.me/album/2143/item/1434961 - http://angelatvxq.yupoo.com/page23/ - s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk89/sunshine_Dijana - http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669248/tom-dixons-new-lamp-throws-amagical-matrix-of-shadows - http://photo.qip.ru/users/4ertowka.fotoplenka/150719459/164524131/ - www.flickr.com/photos/archiparlance/2085989694/ - www.flickr.com/photos/cozumel18/7091478053/ - http://vn.360plus.yahoo.com/cun_nghichngom_v2n_9x/ photo?pid=679&fid=

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References
Books: Designing for children : marketing design that speaks to kids byCatharine Fishel Kids spaces : architecture for children by Images Publication Green design by Poole, Buzz, Published by New York : Mark Batty Pub. 2006 Sites: Pg 28 - raisingmaine.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html Pg 29 - s291.photobucket.com/albums Pg 30 - today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-staff-see-hidden-benefits-of-ucla-172595. aspx Pg 86 : - picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Iq8r1vKgl6CiCJbhFX3KI - www.topit.me/album/2143/item/1434961 - http://angelatvxq.yupoo.com/page23/ - s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk89/sunshine_Dijana - http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669248/tom-dixons-new-lamp-throws-amagical-matrix-of-shadows - http://photo.qip.ru/users/4ertowka.fotoplenka/150719459/164524131/ - www.flickr.com/photos/archiparlance/2085989694/ - www.flickr.com/photos/cozumel18/7091478053/ - http://vn.360plus.yahoo.com/cun_nghichngom_v2n_9x/ photo?pid=679&fid= (As on 19th June, 2012)

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