Last week, my furniture design class turned in our handmade cardboard chairs to a local elementary school! The school's teachers had selected books, which we were then given to draw inspiration from for our chair. My book was Wild About Books, a fun tale about animals at the zoo going "wild, simply wild, about wonderful books!" It's truly a cute read--I highly recommend it for any children in your life!
If you've been following, you might have seen the progress my giraffe chair has made...
From sketches, to a process model, to last minute design changes, I have to say it was a fun project and also a great learning experience. Overall, I'm very pleased with how it turned out, but I did see some room for design changes after meeting with the kids. In the design world, there is always room for improvement! That is why process models and tests are so important.
My finished chair & a look into the hallway of our furniture building...
Here's a look at some of the fun with the children upon delivery...
There are 40 of us, so the elementary school now has 40 awesome cardboard chairs, some going to classrooms and some staying in the library I think! The kids had so much fun interacting with all the different designs--it was so rewarding to see our "clients" happy!
Along the reading note, I came across this info graphic the other day which startled me.
As a kid growing up, my parents read to us every single night, and my mom was always reading for her book club (still does), so my brother and I were constantly exposed to reading. I love to read! Granted in college I haven't been able to read quite as many "fun" books as I would like (although I know I could make time), I still enjoy at least 3-4 non-school related books a year. The fact that so many people my age or older haven't read since their schooling is sad. And the notion that many families are not buying or reading books... those kids aren't experiencing the fun, the knowledge growth, the excitement of a new book that others are. Reading is so important!!
So sit down in my giraffe chair, crack open a book, and get lost for 30 minutes. Have your kids do the same! Let's not let the art of reading die!
--Caroline
