WALK FRAMEWORK
Walk Framework (in progress!)
What: An interactive walk for kids
To see some prototype photos, check out: https://jlongo64.wixsite.com/capstone/prototypes?pgid=l382bslz-96341b68-f47d-41c8-953c-cd8199bb5a55
For audio samples, check out: https://jlongo64.wixsite.com/capstone/qr-codes-audio
Who: Kids ages 4-7 and their caregivers.
Where: There’s no set community location at this time.
Initial prototyping will take place in a Wedgwood-adjacent neighborhood in Seattle, solely because it is outside my home. This location does have some qualities I would want in a future location: flat, paved (although some sidewalk is uneven & not every corner has bump-outs and curb cuts), minimal traffic, and 0.2 miles away from public transit, but it must be noted it is an area with a lot of financial privilege, minimal commercial real estate, and minimal foot traffic beyond dog walking and flower peeping.
When: Wherever the walk is set up, it would be available for people to participate. Could potentially be a permanent installation or even just offered for a few hours one sole afternoon or anything in between. It’s adaptable for every circumstance.
Length of walk should be limited to ½ mile maximum (https://www.kellogghubbard.org/_files/ugd/0f622b_e1b3745b5e75441fa50ba88274da79fb.pdf) and about 50 paces between stops (the arrangement of stops can vary due to terrain & obstacles & how many stops planned; as long as users can clearly tell where to go next, the inconsistency isn’t an issue).
Not sure how long it would take; that could vary as well, especially because the amount of steps is flexible. Shortest time probably about 20 minutes, but could be longer. (Seven stops with my nephew took about ½ hour.)
Why of the walk in general:
Need for safe outside, passive programming due to pandemic & other concerns about gathering inside (“Fresh-air initiatives spotlight the ability of librarians and library works to support their communities with ingenuity, even in difficult times.”) (https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/programs%20/The-Outside-Chance-Innovative-Outdoor-Programming)
Offer something unique that’s free and accessible, combining play & learning
Opportunity to create a joyful, fun shared experience for kids and caregivers
"Projects like Urban Thinkscape give parents some time to decompress and enjoy themselves with their child… and give children an opportunity to experience joy alongside their parent. Joy and learning go together.” (Robert Golinkoff, developingchild.harvard.edu)
“Furthermore, the ILMS called out the fact that the lines between formal and informal learning were blending in this new century. The IMLS (2009) indicates that library users expect library staff to act as “partners to enhance the learning systems across a community.” Dubbed “21st century skills,” the IMLS called out the “4 C’s” of successful 21st century learning: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. Building a successful program around the “4 C’s” requires us to find new ways to design, create, implement, and evaluate learning.” (Learning Beyond: 21st Century Summer and Out of School Time Toolkit, p. 1)
Constraints:
No prep/print at home/drawing on creative energy of caregiver; they can participate and have the experience too
Minimal touching (and to be more specific about what I mean by this, I don’t want this to be a hands-on puzzle or shared chess game type of thing. I think some level of touching might be necessary when prioritizing audio & text) – Fomite transmission not thought to drive Covid infection but people increasingly not comfortable touching shared items (also, risk of other germs?)
Not reliant on access to a park, like most StoryWalks®; wanted something that could potentially work in a variety of spaces – whether rural trail, neighborhood around a library, or even in an enclosed parking lot or courtyard spaces or offered through the windows of storefronts or the library, like Beatriz Pascual-Wallace cleverly did for her pandemic storywalk & shared about in her interview with me.
Particularly important because not everyone has the same access and experience in parks: “the coronavirus pandemic has revealed disparities of access to parks, access to local places in which communities can safely be outside and recreate because they’re within walking distance…. for communities of color, low-income communities, urban communities, that disparity is high” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/21/energy-202-minority-groups-more-likely-have-limited-access-nature-new-report-finds/?gsBNFDNDN=undefined&utm_campaign=wp_the_energy_202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_energy202) And a recent incident that made national news when a Black birder was harassed by a white woman, who thought nothing of weaponizing the police against him because she felt her whiteness entitled her to the Central Park space, put a spotlight on a real danger for people of color, particularly Black men, in nature – white people's racism: “For black men like Christian Cooper, the threat of a call to police casts a cloud of fear over parks and public spaces that others associate with safety.” (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-26/amy-cooper-exposes-green-space-s-race-problem). Parks are not automatically an accessible & safe solution for all & I didn't want this project to default to one.
No buildings – I want to focus on design solutions that don't require anyone to have to go inside for any reason for this project. Partly to see what solutions could come from this strict constraint because it did indeed happen during shut-downs, but also because even though shut-downs are over for now, there are currently people who are not safe in public inside spaces, especially with no mask mandates or social distancing (a reminder: no one under 5 can even be vaccinated yet) and/or it can be draining, stressful, & distracting to constantly evaluate you & your family's the risk in the moment – what's the air flow? How many people are in here? Are they masked? Who's coughing? How far apart is everyone? Etc etc. Also, perhaps families have to use their risk budget for daycare, in-person jobs working in close contact etc, and just want to minimize their risks in other scenarios that they can control & while an activity at the library would be fun, it’s not worth taking on that additional risk, physically or financially, especially if you can’t miss days of work whether due to your illness or your kids, don’t have alternate child care options if you get sick, can’t see a doctor, etc. Or they are connected to other vulnerable people and don’t want to put them at risk.
Want to provide a solution that offers text & audio (With that comes a concern about not all potential participants having smartphones, but audio could easily be delivered via QR Code scan from a phone. Testing out in-sign audio as well via https://www.ebay.com/itm/154640930335?hash=item240151561f:g:dnUAAOSwG4Nhnoq4)
Just something to think about re: audio: currently my test audio is voiced by me, a non-squirrel, white, feminine-sounding woman – important to consider the impact of the voice choice for future iterations. And also that the voice the squirrel is written in has impact too, particularly word choices.
“A glance through the iTunes store reveals these apps are created with a monocultural child in mind – the white, middle-class child. Essentially the “All-White World of Children’s Books” with the aid of digital enhancements has now morphed into the “All-White World of Children’s Apps” While some culturally sensitive apps and other digital media are available to help them explore global cultures, children are predominantly exposed to apps with an with an embedded, socially constructed script perpetuating the notion of a singular culturally generic experience. As in the children’s literature world, this generic experience generally represents white, middle-class culture. An app about a seemingly innocuous bunny going to school is by societal default an app about a white, middle-class child going to school. On the surface, this may not seem bad, but if all the print and digital media that a child encounters depicts only white culture, then he or she learns that white, middle-class culture is superior to all other cultures. As such, in order to prepare our children to succeed in a culturally pluralistic, global society, it is extremely important to provide opportunities for cross-cultural connections through print and digital media representing diverse cultural experiences.” (Naidoo, 2014, pp. 125-126)
Want to keep flexible & leave room for different situations – ability to offer other languages besides English, varied budgets, varied goals, varied interests, varied safety issues, etc.
For any tech, wanted to keep in mind: “Used responsibly and intentionally, technology and interactive media can be valuable tools for supporting children’s development and learning… When truly integrated, uses of technology and media become normal and transparent—the child or the educator is focused on the activity or exploration itself, not the technology.” (https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/principles)
For details on sign thinking/design & options explored, check out notes in Prototype photos. (Final decision really can't be made until in a community partnership & working with their space/budget/weather, etc)
Tried to embody an inclusive design mindset – variations in activities, offering both audio & text, tried not to make any assumptions about the user, accessible in a variety of ways.
Importance of community partnership and designing together
“Co-design is key to a thoughtful, well-planned program because it uses collaboration and creativity to make a program that actually serves the needs of your community. Too often we make assumptions about what our community wants or needs. Not only can these assumptions be wrong, but they can be complicit in failing to achieve the participation and interest level you had hoped for. We all want to see that the people who participate in our programs are representative of our community. By using the co-design philosophy to create your program, you guarantee that it is genuinely responsive to your community’s needs.” (Association for Library Service to Children, 2021, p. 12)
“Rather than guessing what an unfamiliar community might want or need, we encourage you to get to know that community. To spend time in that community. To listen and learn from them. And then, with community partners at the table, to figure out how you can most meaningfully work together to achieve each of your goals. — Arts Council of Ireland 2019” (Association for Library Service to Children, 2021, p. 13)
The Why of the Content:
Joy!
“Educators who engage in developmentally appropriate practice foster young children’s joyful learning and maximize the opportunities for each and every child to achieve their full potential” (https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/contents)
Include a variety of types of activities
“Kindergartens and grades 1-3 tend to be considered elementary or primary education, and, as such, may have increasingly prioritized cognitive learning at the expense of physical, social, emotional, and linguistic development. But integrating cognitive, emotional, social, interpersonal skills and self-regulatory competencies better prepares children for more challenging academic content and learning experiences.” (https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/principles)
Urban Thinkscapes/Playful Learning Landscapes
“Key messages:
There is a science-based connection between learning & play.
2. Play helps kid develop academic skills.
5 principles of how kids learn: 1. Make it fun 2. Make it active 3. Make it engaging 4. Make it meaningful 5. Make it socially interactive
>> Joyful, meaningful, socially interactive, actively engaging iterative <<
6 Cs: 1. Collaboration 2. communication 3. content 4. critical thinking 5.creating innovation 6. Confidence”
(https://developingchild.harvard.edu/innovation-application/innovation-in-action/urban-thinkscape/ & https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/project/urban-thinkscape/)
Offer scaffolding within the activities
“Scaffolding can take a variety of forms, such as giving the child a hint, providing a cue, modeling the skill, or adapting the materials and activities. It can be provided in a variety of contexts, not only in planned learning experiences but also in free play, daily routines, and outdoor activities.”
(https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/enhance-development)
Importance of shared play with caregiver
“Beginning at birth, a child’s language is dependent upon the child's interactions with caring adults, and rich early language input from caregivers can lay the foundation for the child's future reading comprehension and school success (Beecher & Van Pay, 2020). In addition to developing language, interactions with a caregiver enable a child's brain to develop visual, motor, and social-emotional connections that prepare the child to later learn literacy skills (Kupcha-Szrom, 2011). A caregiver's influence on a child's education may be even more powerful than the influence of other adults in the child's life. For example, researchers found that classroom interventions, such as interactive reading, did not alone improve children's language skills but improvement occurred only when the same intervention was also used at home” (Cahill & Ingram, 2021)
Zone of Proximal Development - Vygotsky
Squirrel story
“Whatever form or format, storytelling supports youth programming goals of youth service librarians by engaging, empowering, and enlightening both the audience and the teller.” (Campana & Mills, 2019, p. 34)
"Human brain predisposed to think in story terms (Kendall Haven (2007)" (Campana & Mills, 2019, p. 26)
Story or character element gives it a coherent throughline to tie it all together/gives it goal and also offers closure/a journey to a satisfying end. Could use character images for markers/sharing on social media, articles, etc/stickers/takeway.
Why Squirrel specifically? Coded as cute, the particular image is smiley and friendly, frequently a familiar animal to kids, represents “outside”/out-of -doors. Squirrels are found in many areas of the US – whether you are in a rural farm area or busy city. (Another image considered was pigeon but to me, I felt they only represented “city”) But is important to note that they are more likely in areas with at least some trees/green, so perhaps there are disproportionate areas in cities where they aren’t any at all, like formerly redlined areas: https://www.americanforests.org/article/redlining-and-greening-of-cities-whats-the-connection/ ? (It doesn’t have to be a squirrel and could be something more relevant to a particular area, like school mascot for example; whatever makes the best sense for each walk.)
Squirrel asks for help with a task – appealing to empathy. The squirrel takes on the role of leading the walk & becomes another member of your walk group, relieving the caregiver of the role of leader.
Considerations for most of the 7 elements of story: (Lambert, Digital Storytelling Cookbook): POV, Dramatic Question, Emotional content, Gift of your voice, Power of the soundtrack, Economy, Pacing
Kept these in mind for design: “Bircher (2012) provides a concise list of the qualities that successful picture-book apps should embody.. Her suggestions include the following:
Interactive but not too interactive.
Meaningful counterpoints between all features of the app
Dramatic page turns
Puts users in charge
Easy to navigate
Offers surprising and joyful experiences
Withstands repeated use
Extends the existing print book.” (Naidoo, 2014, p. 121)”
Note: Would want to double-check about any significance of squirrels or acorns to any cultures that would make this an inappropriate choice; cursory investigation didn’t turn up anything, but I certainly could have missed something
Current Squirrel text/audio:
(Note: To hear the recordings, see Audio/QR codes)
Start/#1: Oh no! I lost my special golden acorn! Can you please help me find it? Follow the signs to retrace my path!
Mentioned the whys of this earlier – but engaging story that hooks kids in and makes it consistent and cohesive. Introduces Squirrel and they become another participant with you & their experience shapes the walk.
Appeals to empathy!
Stop #2: Hmm… No acorn here but I remember this is where I did some silly squirrel dancing. Dance your way to the next stop, but anytime anyone says “Squirrel!”, everyone has to freeze in place for five seconds!
Note: Not sure if it is clear that they should all feel free to say “Squirrel!” whenever they want. My nephew understood but he might just be more familiar with that type of prompt
Did specifically say it but I'm hoping most would interpret the silly dancing to be any movement they want and are able to do. Revisit the language to make that clear?
Focuses on having fun & being goofy, supports executive function and self-regulation
“A good way to have children practice physical self-regulation and executive functions is to involve them in “stop and go” or “freeze” games, in which children stop and start different actions, as directed by the leader. Parents can play these games with their children on the playground or while they are waiting in line at a restaurant or in the supermarket.” (https://toolsofthemind.org/learn/tools-for-parents/)
Stop #3:
(telephone ring) Hi! This is Squirrel! I can’t answer my phone right now because I’m looking for my golden acorn. Here’s one of my favorite jokes though: Why was six afraid of seven? Because SEVEN EIGHT NINE!!! Hahah. Anyway, please leave a message if you see my acorn. (BEEP/end of message)
Note: This one really works best in the moment as audio. Was also thinking about having them call a real number (using a google voice #) to get this message – they could be encouraged to leave a voicemail too – and could be used as an assessment to see how many did this stop. But then that means they need to have a phone, plus willing to call a strange # on a sign. Calling some other established # – poetry, kids encouragement line, etc was also an idea.
Also, my nephew said he didn’t recognize the phone sound! But then said he recognized it when I asked him again later. What phone sound do 4-7 year olds actually know?! (Gah, I’m old!)
Element of playfulness but ties in importantly at the end! (it also is my favorite joke to share)
Stop #4: Oh, here’s where I spelled my favorite word: CREPUSCULAR (kruh: puh: skyuh: lr). It means animals that are most active at dawn and dusk, like me!
What’s the longest word you can spell?
Show us by tracing the letters in the air with your finger!
Bonus question: Do you know what nocturnal & diurnal mean?
Nocturnal (naak·tur·nuhl)
– Animals that sleep during the day and are active at night, like most bats & moths
Diurnal (dai·ur·nuhl) – Animals that are active during the day and sleep at night, like most humans & dogs
Note:
“With your finger”: could be more inclusive?
Also a lot of text for one sign, although not as much as #6
Challenge by introduce big stretch vocab, encourage learning & connection-making
Tracing letters – VIEWS2; Supercharged Storytimes; Alphabetic knowledge/Exploring with letters (Campana et al., 2016, p. 159)
Stop #5: Where did I put that acorn?! Do you know what sound a squirrel makes? It’s this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lXkZxFO7nc&t=11s (short clip from)
If you were an animal, what sound would you make?
Drawing on what they know, but also a chance to be creative and imaginative too. Gets them thinking about what they want – agency (Also, might introduce them into a new animal sound.)
VIEWS2: “Language use: Encourages children to identify animals and invites personification (e.g, making animal sounds, moving like an animal)”
(Campana et al., 2016, p. 160)
“The intentional and appropriate use of digital media is a boon to any storyteller’s tool kit.” (Naidoo, 2014, p. 70)
Notes:
Another one relying on audio currently. Could phonetically spell it out?
ALSO – Could this accidentally trigger squirrel attacks or something!?!!!!
STOP #6: I remember being here! I smelled some fresh cut grass, heard a very loud dog bark, and then I saw a dog chasing me! I got out of there quick!
Pause here, if you dare, and take a deep breath. Can you smell anything? If so, what is it?
Do you hear any sounds or feel any vibrations? What do you see or sense around you?
Take three more deep breaths and skedaddle (that means hurry up!) to my next stop.
Note: Don’t want this to feel exclusive. Does it? Might need to be led by the adult a bit; I paused the audio for Owen to answer.
Introduces new vocab
Mindfulness, engaging senses, reflection
Grass could be replaced with what works best for location
VIEWS2: Communication & Comprehension (Campana et al., 2016, p. 159)
End/#7:
(Golden Acorn sign & prototype pinpad (and yeah, I know … touching but minimal! :)) to simulate something you need to access with a code)
You found my golden acorn! Thank you!
Do you remember the answer to my joke? That’s the code for a thank you prize!
Don’t remember the code? Check the acorn for the clue! Thanks again!
(enter 7-8-9 (I made beeping sounds while Owen tapped the buttons) & receive prize!)
(Clue: the code is also written left to right on the acorn)
Scaffolding, recall
Fun twist that ties it all together
Note: I think it would be great to offer a pin or sticker (even squirrel or golden acorn themed) as a prize here. Or a token to redeem somehow. Or a magic vending machine. But my nephew was superbummed at getting a pin; I went for a heart design because I thought that would appeal to him, and I was very wrong)
What you can do with this really depends on what is available with the space and what you have access to. For one of my prototypes, I used a Little Free Library to hold the prize. In my unlimited budget dreams, I would really like to create something magical like the atm experience from the Color Factory walk (There’s an atm in the back of the store; you punch in the code from a clock on the wall nearby, and then receive a piece of beautiful artwork from the atm. So cool!)
Possible/not tested yet:
Here I drew a fun picture [include image] What are the three shapes I used? Can you draw something in chalk using only these 3 shapes too?
(Shapes – half circle; triangle and square?)
Scaffolding, creativity, drawing, spatial thinking
Understanding the names and properties of shapes is important for school readiness. Early geometry knowledge is related to children’s future success in STEM fields. – https://modules.ilabs.uw.edu/module/spatial-skills-and-reasoning/learning-the-names-of-geometric-shapes/]
VIEWS2: Literacy Concepts for 36 to 60 months: “Writing Concepts: Provides activities that encourage basic drawing of geometric shapes” (Campana et al., 2016, p. 161)
Concerns are chalk – supplying it, lot of touching, is it space that’s ok (permission-wise, suitability-wise, safety-wise) to chalk?, might it be commandeered by non-participants for other chalking? Also, in wet weather won't work
Other ideas to incorporate:
Something with rhyming, poetry
Cryptic decoder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu62Zy4iNHA
And so much more!!! :)
Things to remember:
IDEO Design Thinking For Libraries Mindset: “Approach: Patron-centered, based on learning by doing, experimental. Mindset: Freshly naive, creatively confident, and optimistic” (Design Thinking for Libraries)
Have fun!
“The biggest challenge is to design programming that you know does not and cannot represent and serve all cultures but to do it with enough curiosity and humility that intentionally includes the other. It is very important to acknowledge that you will make mistakes.” (Campana & Mills, 2019, p. 14)
Additional concerns (that maybe or may not be also mentioned above):
Vandalism – needing to monitor, replace elements of walk frequently (PopUp StoryWalk has a tough time with vandalism in Seattle parks), inappropriate material for kids?
Accessible?? I’m sure there’s areas I missed.
Tampering with QR codes (what if someone was terrible and replaced the QR codes with really bad ones? This seems especially concerning because of the age group of kids involved and the trust families would put into this experience. Maybe it's an outlandish concern but it makes the case for not having materials left unattended/unmonitored)
Too distracting – safety of kids crossing street?
Don’t want it to be too focused on specific types of movement or certain abilities. My hope is that every kid could participate in the activities in whatever way they are comfortable and able & to use language that includes variations and promote inclusivity. For example, I would want to avoid something along the lines of simply “Hop on one foot.”
Insurance (this is more of question of when there’s a partnership, but potentially could be complicated)
Assuming smartphones are a viable option: (https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/)
If there is audio and people play it loudly, it might have a big impact on neighbors, businesses, and neurodiverse people.
In areas, like Seattle – weather!
Using technology might be the most convenient and efficient way to offer multiple languages at once – does that make it inaccessible?
Concerns about issues I might have missed or contributed to, also well as future ones that will arise out of more concrete solutions, set locations, etc.
More thinking ahead:
Note to self: don’t forget to revisit the Programming A to Z template throughout process
Spot to jot ideas for future assessment:
Feedback/surveys (could be included w/ small prize give away at end even)
Could use the voicemail idea to get them to tell you their favorite part
Accessing any QR codes, links, etc can be counted, so you can get #s for those using the tech
Some type of action in the activity that indicates there were there – put a rock in the pile or something
What other ways to find out how they actually felt about the experience though?
Future conversations? (complication – if they don’t frequent shared spaces, how would this happen?)
Walk Framework google doc link