Eclective was thrilled to run a children’s workshop during Open-City’s Archikids Festival at Leadenhall Market. Twenty pint-sized participants got to design special habitats for, ‘Henri’ a fantastical creature dreamt up with interactive story games.

We created stories and shelters for many Henris: one–eyed, flying, seven–legged, or sushi eating!

The aim was to both stimulate imagination and increase collaborative problem-solving and practical design skills. The workshop was broken into 4 exercises:

Make up Henri’s Story
Using our fill-in-the-blank storyboard, children were able to quickly make up provocative and wacky descriptions of what the illusive Henri might be like.

Draw Henri
Using this story as a jumping off point, children and facilitators had to sketch their version of Henri.

What does Henri need for his home?
Facilitators prompted children to discuss the needs of the animal and how they may be translated into a 3D shelter. They considered scale, access, style and fun details. Henri’s habitat was sketched on paper before taking a life–size form.

Building a Habitat for Henri
Using the materials provided – cardboard boxes of all sizes, coloured tapes, tissue paper, crayons – the children built a 1:1 house for Henri. The most important ingredient used was, of course, their imagination.