Project between Edinburgh Napier and Castleview Primary School brings inventions to life
Rocket boots that help with cold feet and a robot that opens your Christmas presents are just two of a number of inventions being brought to life thanks to a new creative project between Product Design students at Edinburgh Napier University and pupils at Castleview Primary School.
As part of their placement module, third year Product Design students Laura Baird, Erica Wyse and Sasha Dagianti have brought the Little Inventors initiative to Primary Three pupils at Castleview.
Little Inventors is a creative education organisation that inspires imagination by taking children’s amazing ideas seriously. Its mission is to give children across the world the opportunity to develop and showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills, alongside building their confidence and curiosity.
Since February, the Edinburgh Napier students have been holding weekly design and creative workshops at the school, helping the pupils to develop characters that are affected by an issue alongside inventions that would provide a solution.
The sessions have been themed around ‘Our City’ and Scotland, with ideas ranging from the wild and wonderful – from a kilt that makes you dance, seashell walkie talkies, a highland cow dress that helps you make friends and more.
The sessions are aiming to inspire the next generation of creators by demonstrating the power of creativity and the potential of design and what it can be used for.
The inventions have been physically created by first year Product Design students at Edinburgh Napier and were showcased at a very special exhibition last week (9 May), giving the primary school pupils a chance to see their creations in real life.
The students have been creating the inventions – under the guidance of the third year Product Design team – for a number of weeks, with the exhibition showcasing the work of the entire project.
For the third year Product Design team, the placement has been a chance to gain confidence and consolidate their thinking on future career plans.
Sasha Dagianti said: “I feel like I’ve gained a lot of confidence across the entire project – especially with public speaking and leading a classroom. It was great to get the kids excited and into what we were doing. It’s confirmed my thoughts that this sort of thing – and potentially teaching – could be something I do in the future.
Laura Baird said: “I already work with children a lot in my job but it was great to lead a big team in what was a very loud and enthusiastic environment! I’m really keen to get into prop design and set design and I feel like this type of project has helped confirm that – it’s been great seeing the inventions brought to life!”
Erica Wyse said: “Like Sasha, the project has been great for building my confidence, getting my speaking in front of people and chatting and leading the project. It’s been really enjoyable seeing the pupils come up with the ideas and getting excited about design.”
More information on the Edinburgh Napier and Castleview Primary Little Inventors project can be found here.
Interested in studying Product Design at Edinburgh Napier? Full details on the course can be found here.