Last Sunday, we brought our ABCD of Architecture booth to KidsPark, a one-day festival that sees Victoria Park in Kitchener turned into a land of adventure, with themed activity zones, a wide range of live entertainment and an assortment of food trucks. We were located on the Activity Lane, amongst a number of booths that promoted a variety of educational and recreational opportunities for kids in the region. There, we felt we succeeded in making a place out of our location. We appealed as a destination for children from ages 2 to 12, by offering a variety of age-appropriate tactile activities (different types of building blocks, architectural guessing games, a drawing table), which were fun, simple and educational. We also kept parents / caregivers and children engaged, and comfortable, with places to sit, such that they wanted to stay around for a while, rest and savour the moment. In many ways, the ABCD of Architecture booth offered an escape for both children and parents / caregivers.
It was our first intention that those who visited our booth learned some simple concepts of design and architecture through play, and through the feedback we received, as well as our observations, we believe this was achieved. Throughout the day, our booth was buzzing with little designers hard at work - drawing, dreaming and building, just as we envisioned. Our second intention was more subtle, in that we are hoping, that after people of all ages enjoyed sitting, chatting, and relaxing at our booth, they can later realize that this was by design.
If you're an architect practicing in the Grand Valley Society of Architects area, and you'd like to take the ABCD of Architecture to a local child-friendly community event, please reach out to us ([email protected]). We have the kit packaged together for easy borrowing – it all fits in an average midsized car. Please contact us if this interests you, and we'd be happy to provide more information.
ABCD of Architecture is made possible with funding from the Ontario Association of Architects.
