rimba a modular furniture set that encourages creative learning for children in a daycare or school environment
This project started out with exploration of the world of children, the realization that in whatever they do, witness and feel is a learning experience. there are a great many ‘firsts’ in their daily lives. hence, one of the main aim of this project is to further enhance this discovery and making it more fun and memorable. children’s furniture| prj:rimba
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problem brief |
More than 60% of children under the age of six are not receiving full parental care, While more than 9 million families spend an average of US$92.00 on child care arrangements, such as daycare centres.
However, our current day-care centre environments are too adult-like and thus, limiting for the creative development of our children. project brief |
design a product or a product set to help better facilitate learning in a typical daycare centre in a metropolitan city. factors to consider |
Limited amount of space Different age groups in one big space at the same time Different ages implies different activities Learning activities are done in groups of 5 up to 10 children for efficiency due to limited number of teachers. Safety issues have to be addressed. Flexibility of products to adapt to age growth and different types of learning.
graph | percentage of children age 0 - 6 years (who are not in kindergarten) in various child care arrangements
centre-based care at home by relatives at home by non-relatives non parents only parents only
14
36 22
source | Child Trends Databank 2005
61 39
% of children
comparisons and observation | day-care centre set ups with a typical office set ups
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experiment |
Learning from a child’s perspective: most things are ‘firsts’ experiences in their lives Children learning new things is like adults learning a new language, e.g. an English speaker learning the number sequence in Bahasa Indonesia:
one
two
satu
dua
three
tiga
four
empat
five
lima
Now, can you name number 2 in Bahasa Indonesia right away, without counting back from number 1?
2=?
two
conclusion |
Being told what and how to learn can limit children’s imagination and their freedom to discover new knowledge for themselves. Hence, balance between instructions and freedom is important.
dance
sing
learning in groups
safety
colorful
no boundaries
keep clean
hygiene
organized
animals & plants
space
freedom of
explore
nature
clean & clear
free / spacious
environment
discipline
positive
+
play
story, characters outdoor vs indoor forest ocean
interactions
eat together
friends
learning
storylines
themes
memory
play instruments
listen & follow
musical
question & answer
curious
sense of wonder
tell story
feelings
active vs verbal
discovery
lead & follow
respect & understanding
product requirements |
relate knowledge
how to learn
play
active & continuous
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writing/drawing/coloring field trips theme-related play:
singing and dancing
playground session
snack time
etc.
numbers alphabets animals fruits habitats colors shapes
understand simple concepts e.g. numbers, colors shapes
fears of unknown creatures able to cooperate and negotiate greater independence
field trips
pretend plays compare & contrasts
understanding concepts
cognitive development/
more expressive of their emotions and worries e.g.
social development
emotional &
3 years old
milestones
activities at day care centeres
children’s furniture| prj:rimba
singing and dancing writing/drawing/coloring
singing and dancing writing/drawing/coloring snack time
playground session
group reading aloud
reading with actions
playground session
understand simple grammar able to tell stories
object identification e.g. name follow simple commands
development
out and collecting objects recognizable simple doodles better sense of balance, climb stairs independently
opening and closing jars, bottles, catching and pouring
motor coordination
hand-eye,
language, speech
4 years old
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Explored concepts for possible group activities, then narrowed them down to 3 for further analysis:
learning floor mat adjustable to different themes, e.g. music/sound vs ripple visual movements
learning possibilities action/reaction & discovery story lines & characters free, open space
too musical oriented
less physical, more of sit down and observe kind of play
3d web indoor playground,
magic/mystery fruit tree
adjustable size, self assembly for different daycare sizes.
where the fruits are the different themes; learning from nature (more literally)
could be used to learn different themes, but need too much structure and web idea is too direct
each session could be a new theme with new set of characters depends on overall size could be played using the whole room
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concept |
Bringing the outdoor classrooms into the indoor environment. Rebuilding a tree-like structure using modular pieces, like a giant lego brick. When all the pieces are put together, the tree could be a giant-sized character; Rimba the Magic Tree. A tree suggests a free open space, with unknowns to be discovered. Rimba: a noun in Bahasa Indonesia that means wilderness, forest or jungle.
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Mini game pieces fall from the leaves like fruits falling off a tree Using the leaves to direct the falling movement of the mini games pieces. And used as floor seating when disassembled.
butterfly pillows as seats: each pillow is smaller and lighter.one child per unit. more opportunity for mix and match colors and fabric covers, and more pieces to play with.
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A-A
top view 120.0 cm
22.0 cm
98.0 cm
front_36 0 angled view scale 1:31
C-C
cross-section C-C
30.0 cm
C-C
top view of one set of leaves
butterfly leaves + stalks polyurethane foam with underwired structure, covered in removable fabric
storage cover zipper or hook and loop attachment
modular base seats + storage covered in removable fabric for easy cleaning
non-slip rubber base front view of all pieces assembled
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1
adults or instructors secretly placed unknown mini games on the leaves before playtime; levels of difficulty can be adjusted to fit the age groups.
3
4
Detachable parts so children get to choreograph their own play space
Witness the “unknown fruits� roll down the leaves, on the count of 3, hurry to pick up the fallen fruits. When finished, gather together to share and reveal knowledge on the hidden identity of the fruits - theme of the day, i.e. sea creatures: fish, octopus, starfish, turtles, seahorse Example of games: matching soft, colored fruits from the tree The level of difficulty and activities is adjustable to children’s learning progress
2
shake leaves and mini games will roll off like fruits; ready for play time. reuse and double-use existing materials find a soft rope or scrap cloth, around the day care centre, loop it around one of the branch and shake
?
? ?
?
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rimba | logo a graphic design exercise - creating a logo for the product using the product name, not necessarily as a brand. Here, Rimba is used as a name of product, regardless of brand.
presentation slides | powerpoint Instead of starting the presentation with a problem statement or product descriptions, the concept is presented first by using a storyboard. The narration is done by the main user of the product, a child who goes to a daycare centre in the city (San Francisco). Hence, the storyboard slides consist of scenes and thoughts from the child’s point of view.
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Hi this is Reese !!
o1
o2
o3
o4
o5
01. Introducing: Reese, the main character. 02. Reese lives with her parents in San Francisco. 03. During the day, Reese’s parents go to work, while Reese spends the day at daycare centre. 04. Reese’s school is represented metaphorically with a tree—a rainforest tree. 05. In school, Reese has many friends.
o8
o9
10
11
12
13
o6 - o7: introducing Rimba’s presence in the school as Rimba the Magic Tree o8. There are secret games hidden among Rimba’s leaves o9. The trick to find out is the strings falling from the branches 10. If we pull these strings, the leaves will shake and shake and the secret games will fall off. 11. “Tadaaa!!” today, there are many colored eggs. Reese wonder what they are! 12. Reese and friends together pick up these eggs from the ground to see hat they are. 13. Reese found a blue egg. Reese notices that Kiki is also holding a blue colored egg.
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The slides shown in the facing page: illustrate the other functions of Rimba such as, detachable seats and how they can be used further during the day at the day care centre. Also shown is an example of group activities—group singalong.
The slides in this page shows the end of the day for Reese, how she is looking forward to “tomorrow”; what secret games will Rimba reveal the next day? The slides below are one example of a theme that can be used to play and how to vary the games around it: sea creatures; count the number of legs, tentacles or body parts.
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