GraceGerdes.com | Hue Hatchlings Project

Hue Hatchlings: Toy Design | Fall 2019

Title

Overview

Hue Hatchlings encourages children to recognize patterns in color theory and three-dimensional shapes through organic interaction with the modular nest and hatchling family. Non-directed play can also even begin to touch on family roles and storytelling. In the beginning it was important to achieve a basic understanding children’s learning capabilities and developmental stages, as well as what they’re actually interested in.....- I quickly learned that understanding a child’s needs is much different than being one. I also used my experience in Waldorf education to settle on a few additional parameters: I decided to deviate from the trend to incorporate technology by leaving the characters and history of my toy ambiguous in order to encourage the use of more imagination. I also ensured that I used natural materials to create a toy that is warm and comforting to play with. The whimsy of the nest and dragons inside encourage children to play long after they understand shapes and colors.

Design Objective

Create a learning toy that teaches color theory and shape through pattern recognition and organic interaction.

USER RESEARCH

User Needs

The first step was to understand not only what five-year olds learn, but also how they learn. I chose to focus on color, shape, and pattern based on the following options from the research list. I remember particularly enjoying modular toys as a child, so I also decided to incorporate that element into my design.

Educational Goals

Waldorf Philosophy

I also chose to incorporate some of my own experience and do more in depth research about the philosophy of Waldorf education. I learned that protecting a child’s imagination in a world of increasing technology is important. Many Waldorf toys are simple – almost “non toys” because they mimic real life items – and are made of natural, comforting materials. There is less focus on academic development and more emphasis on fostering a love of learning itself.

Sketchbook

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Moodboard

Concept Sketches

Moodboard

FINAL PROTOTYPE

Pieces and Assembly

The inner structure of the toy is made of laser cut chipboard. Two smaller pentagons are glued inside two larger pentagons to add depth and allow the edges of the felt to be folded over and hidden cleanly. There is a hole in the center of the inner large pentagon (the green side) that allows for a magnet to attach to the hatchlings through the felt. The small pentagon of detailed stitching and glue secures the magnet while the larger stitching along the outside holds the edges of the felt in place. All other elements such as the bodies of the hatchlings and the angled pieces that allow the sides of the nest to attach are made of light wood.

Pieces

The Set

Hue Hatchlings has a set for each secondary color. The primary colors are shown on the outside of the nest and the secondary color is revealed inside, this shows that the secondary color is made up of the two primaries. This concept is reinforced because the two slightly larger parent dragons are both primary colors, while the smaller baby dragon is a secondary color. When all three sets are combined, amethyst, amber, and emerald make the whole color wheel. There is even potential to create further sets with tertiary colors as a third generation of nests and dragons.

Set