Dream School Dussehra Camp

Day 1 | Feel Trip

Day 1 was a successful ‘Feel Trip’ at the Spread Design Barn, where kids were introduced to design, by first learning to empathize with people and ‘feeling’ about the issue at hand.

We began the day with an activity to introduce the participants to each other and played a guessing game. Kids had to guess the person who was being spoken about by a sketch they had drawn of themselves and super powers they identified with. We had some really fascinating super powers: from mind reading and shapeshifting to communicating with animals!

The kids enjoyed a wholesome breakfast of ragi idlis and upma and went back to work mode. We then spent some time speaking about Design and Design Thinking and saw some videos about it. The kids split into individual teams and chose a challenge for themselves which was around plastic waste, sanitation or water consumption.

They made their team mascots and we were very impressed with what they had imagined and created, from robots, the Koi fish, to Bio Kids, Chompie, and Aqua Dog who can sniff pollution from 3km away!

The teams then put their thoughts down into a chart that helped them understand their feelings towards the challenges they were taking up.

Post a healthy lunch with vanilla ice cream for dessert, the teams set out to interview people in the neighborhood about the challenges they are working on. They were most excited about this, especially the cameras they got to use.

When the kids got back and shared their experiences and what they learnt from different people, we filled up a board of what the interviewees wishes and dreams were.

The day was filled with lots of new experiences and learning and we wound up looking forward to fun, learning and pushing ourselves further along in the challenges of Day 2, including thinking and ideation!

Day 2 | Think, Think, Think!

It kicked off with the children sharing the design research they undertook at home the previous day. The exercise was great in helping kids learn more about their challenges and we could see some very interesting outcomes, many ideas that were new as well. For example, did you know that Indonesians litter the most? Or that there is a wall that is painted with a substance that squirts back when someone pees on it?

A healthy breakfast of idli, sambhar, egg muffins, and lemon basil water was served, which the kids savoured very much. Some kids said that ‘this is the yummiest sambhar I have had and I love it’!

Post that the teams zeroed in on to the problems based on insights and observations of day 1 and flipped them into opportunities. Based on these the teams brainstormed to get many ideas which were shared with everyone and one big idea was shortlisted together.

The day’s lunch menu comprised of pav bhaji and biryani (vegetarian and chicken), raita and off course, ice cream! Post lunch the teams visualized their big idea onto an ‘idea scape’ and presented them to get feedback and inputs.

The day ended with a visit to the ‘Spread Design Farm’ where the children were greeted by Gori and Gora who barked and wagged their tails at the same time. They visited the greenhouse and identified carrots, lettuce, beans, squash, looked closely at the guppies in the lotus pond, and also shook a tree to collect gooseberries which were rather tart but a great experience!

The teams were now set to prototype their ideas – a TrashBot that will #smashthetrash, Sustainable Toilet designed as #loowithaview, an app that will help save water while showering that says #watersup, a Pee Sensor that would stop the habit of people peeing on the roads and a Portable Straw Filter that will give make water potable and be a #lifesupport.

Day 3 | Do Day

The teams came in with ideas on how to build prototypes of their concepts. The day began by seeing some inspiring videos on how rough prototyping and user testing are an important part while designing a solution.

After a quick snack break of lemon rice, scrambled egg, paneer bhurjee, Pav and lemon juice, the teams continued working on their prototypes.

The next few hours until lunchtime, the children worked in their groups to build their prototypes. They discussed, sketched, distributed tasks and got busy creating mock versions of their ideas. When finished, they contemplated how they would go about their presentations.

It was great seeing their energy and enthusiasm. Many were very excited about making a skit as a way of demonstrating their concept.

Each team had a run through of their presentation and were given some good feedback to take ahead. The children then indulged in their favourite food – pasta and fries and played games until the presentation began at 3:15.

As soon the parents came in, the teams started their presentations – first, they reflected on what they have doing and what were their learnings.

Post that, each team came and presented their ideas.

1. Team Bio Kids (Ishnavi, Kanishk, Ruhan) presented their friendly *TrashBot* that will be placed in the streets and it will recycle plastic waste into reusable things like – plates, cups, and glasses. The hashtag for the bot is #smashthetrash

2. Team Yin Yang (Lakshmi, Moh, Kashvi) designed *Toilet with a View* that aims to bring a change in rural people’s habit of using lakes as their toilets while saving water. The toilet would be built with eco-friendly material like mud and it will have a one way 180 degrees window for the view outside. It will also collect the rainwater for use inside and the water used for washing hands in the sink will be reused to clean the toilet

3. Team Chompies the Shark (Rohan, Hassan, Prathyush) designed a *Pee Sensor* that would stop the habit of people peeing on the roads. If someone is peeing on the roads the sensor will capture the vibrations and give out a loud alarm so the offender gets sacred and the offender will be caught on the camera and pictures would be sent to police.

4. Team Aqua Dog (Siddharth, Grace, Ali) designed a *Life Support* a Portable Straw Filter that will make any water potable with its 3 tiered filter system and iodine coating inside to kill the germs.

5. Team Robb water (Aditri, Shayan, Krish) designed a sensor that can be installed next to a shower wall, with the water usage being mapped on an app called *WatersUp*, this would help one reduce the usage of water while taking a shower. The app is designed like a game where you can compare scores with your friends.

The teams also answered all the questions that were posted from the audience and it was very heart-warming to see how well they answered each of them. Both the parents and kids realized that the level of confidence came from deep involvement in their work and fun.

We had an amazing time working with these young dreamers – who may or may not choose to become designers -but have certainly started on a path of curiosity, inquiry, feeling, thinking, and doing something positive and tangible towards pertinent issues. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to cultivate these qualities and to direct one’s imagination and intent towards creative action from a young age. We thank all the parents who could be part of the session and for their positive feedback.

Dream School is back in December!

Dream School December Camp is happening Dec 17th-19th at the Spread Design Barn. We aim to bring Dream School to many more communities and schools – if this strikes a chord, do get in touch with us at hello@spread.ooo or call 74100 00807.