DESIGN Archives - Page 5 of 6

A TOY FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN, BUT NOT ONLY

When we talk about autistic children and toys for them, we often associate a specific category called ‘special toys for special children’. It means that there are some toys designed for children with special needs such as autism, cerebral palsy or learning disabilities and so on.

Pooki, designed by Tina Tran Dinh, a student of the Monash Art Design & Architecture, is a toy designed for all children, but is particularly attractive to autistic children. The research to bring this project alive is started from

TOY INNOVATION BETWEEN ANALOGIC AND DIGITAL

16 February 2017
Fabio Guaricci
DESIGN, EDUCATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, TOY Blog

The incresing use of technology in our daily lifes is changing consumers behaviour, generating a thin line between the physical and virtual world, giving place to a new sector of toy innovation among analogic and digital.

A COMPUTER FOR KIDS TO MAKE THEM CREATORS, NOT JUST CONSUMERS

18 January 2017
Fabio Guaricci
DESIGN, EDUCATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, TOY Blog

A computer for kids can be something that could be difficult to figure out. Ok, think about something saying to you: “Hello! I’m KANO. Thanks for bringing me to life. What should I call you?”. This is the first sentence that the Kano computer says. Kano is a DIY computer kit designed to help kids assemble a computer and learn basic coding skills.

What’s the reason? Today, children grow up surrounded by objects that appear magic. It’s rare for them to actually know how a computer works. The main aim consists in teaching non-experts how computers work ‘under the hood’.

TOYS TO EXCHANGE MESSAGES

Toymail is a new way to let kids stay in touch with their grownups and friends. Kids can receive and send messages through their toys. It’s like voicemail but in more experiential way. How does it works?

This smart toy connects wirelessly to a home wifi network to receive messages sent anytime, from anywhere in the world. When there’s a new audio message waiting, the toy alerts

TURNING ORDINARY OBJECTS INTO KIDS DESIGN

Kids like to create huge things, yet huge things are usually expensive or massive, so what about turning ordinary objects into kids design? Drinking straws or unwanted cardboard boxes are a perfect example of low-cost objects that can challenge children to think at an architectural scale and become pilots of their own starships.

WOODEN TOYS THAT CAN TEACH KINETIC ARTS

18 July 2016
Fabio Guaricci
ART, DESIGN, EDUCATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, TOY Blog

Children have an innate love for stories. Stories allow kids to communicate thoughts and share feelings with others and it can be innovatively improved using wooden toys that can teach kinetic arts.

LINKKI from Eun Young Park on Vimeo.

LINKKI is a kinetic construction toy based on planar linkage mechanism which children can use to design movements, make kinetic arts and learn basic STEM subjects while playing.

A TOY DESIGNER THAT CARES FOR EDUCATION

27 June 2016
Fabio Guaricci
DESIGN, EDUCATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, TOY Blog

I have always been wondering what a toy designer that cares for education is supposed to do in order to bring his/her vision to the market, and so to the people.

Now, learning by play is the best way for children to have their young minds open and free, facilitating the exploration of new skills. In this sense a toy designer that cares for education at first should find out how to engage kids with what he/she intends to teach. For instance Maths.

MAKING KIDS INVENTORS OF THEIR OWN TOYS

3 May 2016
Fabio Guaricci
DESIGN, EDUCATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, TOY Blog

It is a latest trend the one of making kids inventors of their own toys by helping them to make real their ideas, inviting them to start creating lifelike structures that they can really use. Suppose that you get a great idea but, you do not know how you can transform it into something real..

PLAY THERAPY AND TOYS FOR HOSPITAL PREPARATION

Hospitals usually are uncomfortable and unfamiliar places for kids; examinations and operations are a cause of anxiety and fear in the little patients. Play therapy and toys for hospital preparation can relieve these feelings by informing and preparing children about what to expect during their hospital visit.

EDUCATIONAL TOYS WITHOUT GENDER ROLES

In order to allow children to play freely, encouraging in this way the development of skills non gender-related, there is probably the need to develop educational toys without gender roles, that basically is not to restrict gender to stereotypes.

Parents with both sons and daughters often see differences in the way their kids play. There are toys that define male or female typical play, but what kids do with their toys alone?