Children's Learning Aid
Children's Learning Aid from Shannon Davies
Children's Learning Aid

As a group, we were set the task of developing a new product for an existing well established local toy manufacturer. Whose primary materials were natural and locally sourced. After liaising with professionals within the school industry. We developed a product design specification taking vital points into consideration. Including what elements are on the current school curriculum and what the main focus areas for child development are

There are seven main elements
Communication and language development
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
Literacy development
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

With these key elements for development in mind, we had to design a product to aid the nurturing of one or more of these key elements

With the key elements for child development in mind, we came up with a variety of initial concept sketches, that looked at aiding different key elements.
After looking at the initial concepts a concept scoring Matrix was produced to decide which concepts had the most potential. And to determine which concepts would be being taken forward into the development stage
The results of the concept selection grid resulted in these four products being forward into the development stage
After looking into what concepts had passed the concept scoring matrix, it became apparent that there was an opportunity to combine two concepts. Creating a hybrid. This hybrid takes the sensory den element of one concept and the word learning element of another product. Creating a sensory learning hub.
An additional concept scoring Matrix has been conducted to determine which concept has the most merit to be taken froward as a final concept. In order to do this the concepts have been marked against a more specific concept requirement criteria.
This is the concept that scored the highest in the additional concept scoring matrix. As a result of this the concept has been generated within Solidworks to gain a better understanding of how the components relate to one another.
After undergoing an additional development stage some new features have been incorporated into the product concept. including wheels for example to make the product easy to use, which can be locked into place for safety reasons. As well as having slots at the top of the product, enabling 'visual boards' to be slotted into the sides of the product. changing the view from inside the concept and making the product more cosy. Additionally a drawing board has been integrated at the rear of the product
The product initially acts as a base unit, it is essentially a den and climbing unit. However, the development elements have been designed so they can be interchangeable making the product customisable depending upon the school’s budget and specific desires. The product could be purchased and simply act as a den or can be purchased with additional features such as the white board at the exterior or the sensory world boards. Due to it having multiple functions in one place the product will also draw children together, acting as a learning hub children will naturally engage with each other if in close proximity to one another. Improving human interaction and interactive skills. Alongside any additional skills the product provides depending upon what extra elements the school uses with the product.
Engineering drawing showing the dimensions of the product alongside, showing what individual components would need to be cut out to produce the product. Designing the product this way means it can be flat packed. Reducing transportation costs significantly
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Children's Learning Aid

As a group, we were set the task of developing a new product for an existing well established local toy manufacturer. Whose primary materials were natural and locally sourced. After liaising with professionals within the school industry. We developed a product design specification taking vital points into consideration. Including what elements are on the current school curriculum and what the main focus areas for child development are

There are seven main elements
Communication and language development
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
Literacy development
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design

With these key elements for development in mind, we had to design a product to aid the nurturing of one or more of these key elements

Shannon Davies
BA Product Designer. Secondary Education PGDE Morrison, OK