Exploring Senses Artists David Allistone, Hannah Coxeter and Madelaine Conaghan provided a series of free CommuniToy Toy Hacking workshops for six schools located within East and West Sussex. The event was located within the University of Brighton ‘Product Design’ department at the Moulsecoomb campus. Madelaine has been working with Exploring Senses since the October 14th 2013 CommuniToy Toy Hack at Providence Place Gardens, and has helped on many occasions during some very busy, and exciting Toy Hacking events!!: )
Madelaine is just finishing her BSc Product Design course and asked ES if we would like to provide a Toy Hacking session at her degree show for visiting local schools. ES thought this was a great idea, and a wonderful way to say thank you to Madelaine for supporting us!
The CommuniToy Toy Hacking day was very hectic, ES provided 6 x 30min sessions for the following secondary schools form East and West Sussex;
- Ringmer Academy
- Seaford Head School
- Rye College
- Uplands Community College
- Robertsbridge Community College
- Midhurst Rother College
All the students thoroughly enjoyed the CommuniToy Toy hacking activity, and were all keen to do more! The supporting teachers from the schools also loved the experience, and were astounded at how engaged their students had become during the activity. It was clearly visible that Toy Hacking inspired the students, who had created some amazing hybrid creations. The teachers agreed that Toy hacking activities have the potential to become an inspiring educational tool, to help motivate and empower students to work more creatively, and to produce innovative outcomes.
Exploring Senses would love CommuniToy Toy Hacking workshops to become part of the curriculum, and are developing a series of progressive workshops, which will include digital technologies, art, design, and craft skills, plus an introduction into the reuse of materials. Exploring Senses believe CommuniToy to be highly innovative vessel for communication, a spring board into a journey of creative discovery, which will empower young people to become innovative, entrepreneurial, resourceful. Such experiences should increase a persons chances to identify, research and develop a successful sustainable career of their own!!: )
Exploring Senses would like to work in partnership with schools to further develop CommuniToy’s potential as a learning tool. We would like to achieve this by writing joint Awards for All grants funding bids. Please email mail@exploringsenses.co.uk if your school is interested in helping make this happen!
