Project Littlefoot
While not official "Deli Work", this is one of the first big projects in which my now wife and I collaborated. Project Littlefoot is a children’s program that was developed during our senior year thesis in the Industrial Design program. The service we designed was a response to gaps identified in current education trends. We prototyped Project Littlefoot in two settings; a childcare facility, and as a public library summer program.
The Need
We have entered the conceptual age but many schools are still teaching the skills of the industrial age. In typical classrooms across America there's not much time available for creative problem-solving, or creativity in general. This is due in part to the stress put on schools and students to do well in math and science testing.
A New Framework
Project Littlefoot is an early education model that focuses on highly desired skills for the conceptual age; design thinking, creativity, narrative skills, and collaborative work. PLF is a truly human-centered service. Activities planned for the program are based on each child’s skill level, interests, and progress from previous sessions. This allows for the growth of an idea to take shape in unique and unplanned ways.
Design Thinking. A creative process where groups build concepts by allowing a free flow of shared ideas. The kids learn to quickly iterate their concepts to push them further, practice planning, and come up with new ways to represent a single idea.
Creativity. An expressive intelligence which inspires confidence. Creativity enhances problem solving skills leading to meaningful and personalized learning opportunities. Along with a supportive environment, children are given all the tools they need to express their ideas.
Narrative. Children learn to represent ideas through stories, a valuable life skill. Through the use of felt boards, storyscapes (a storyboard landscape), and acting, just to name a few, children learn the structure of stories as they construct their own narration.
Collaboration. Children learn the importance of being a part of something larger than themselves. Communication skills improve and shared interest creates a community. The program sets out to create one story, thus all the activities are done as a team. Individual ideas are encouraged, but compromises and team mentalities are created through the program.
Validation of Efforts
One of the key tenets of our program ensures that after the participants put forth all of this hard work, they gain something in return. To validate their efforts and praise their strengths, we built slightly higher fidelity mockups of their characters and sets to help bring the stories to life. The kids get a chance to show off their stories and artwork through movie premieres with friends and family.
