After we (MAZJX team) spent considerable time researching about the role of art in kids thinking development and the educational values of design thinking process to raise mental competence from very early ages, we started our first “Design Junior” workshop.
We wanted to create a very unique learning experience with the kids, an experience that would let them think and make at the same time, which is something difficult to find in our community.
We believe that those kinds of exercises that merge between design and experimentation must start very early with our kids. Kids are talented by nature, super enthusiastic artistically, excited to produce plentifully. All what they need is an educational environment that makes them flourish.
Design Junior wasn't a normal learning class, it was an experience that encourages communication and thinking development for both, the teacher and students.
Day 1: Fashion
In our first class, the kids have been told that they will design for real people. Our design juniors were given the chance to look at their client's social media profiles, analyse their posts visually as part of the design process. We wanted to link them to the real world, let them go through a real learning experience and enhance their thinking and making skills.
Day 2: Home
In the next class we introduced human-centered design to our little designers. We provided them with a brief to design home for refugees. And to make it more effective, we have explained the meaning of being a refugee in a very simple and suitable way to their age.
Day 3: Packaging
Our third class was in packaging design. Our designers client was Dunkin Donuts. We asked the kids to redesign the donut packaging. We started the session by taking a tour inside Dunkin Donuts cafe to see the product closer, interact with the buyers, ask them more about the product, make sketches. Later, we gave the kids some time to visualize the product by turning the donuts to letters, characters, comics and patterns.
Day 4: Lighting
Lighting Design was the last session. We wanted to show the importance and beauty of the group working. Also, we wanted each kid to know his colleagues and take something from him back home.
We stuck a white paper in front of each participant, then we started asking them to react to a brief quickly and move to the next seat. Therefore, each student had to participate in the creative process of every other piece. For example, we asked them first to draw shoes, then move to draw a hand for the shows, then draw a monster, use your left hand, draw with an closed eye … elc. When the kids took a full round and returned back to his first seat, they took the participatory work in front of them and turn it into a lighting fixture.
