European project: Empower the Young with talking objects

Co-creation

Together, we are co-creating activities for children aged 4–8, as well as training programs for teachers and educators. Our interactive audio objects will also play a role. What form they will take and what exactly they will do is something we will discover together.

In addition to Go Wonder, the following partners are involved:
Naturalis Bioviversity Center
BAMM (Belgium)
Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve (Portugal)
WisMon onderwijsinstituut
Studio Kabritu

We are looking forward to this process. On this page, we will keep you updated on the steps we take.

Met dank aan…

Empower the Young with Talking Objects (2024-1-NL01-KA220-SCH-000247597) is a three-year project funded by Erasmus+. It runs from 2024 to 2027. The project is coordinated by Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden.

Project kick-off

It was incredibly inspiring and enjoyable to meet each other in Leiden on March 5, 6, and 7, 2024. At last, we were able to come together in person to launch the Empower the Young project—a project in which we are developing tools to facilitate conversations with young children about the major themes of today.

We visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam to try out different kinds of Talking Objects.

We discussed educational strategies and frameworks, unveiled our beautiful project logo and communication strategy, learned how to program a Talking Object, and made plans for all deliverables.

Full of inspiration and positive energy, we are ready to work together on this project. The atmosphere is great.

Concept phase

We always begin with an orientation and concept phase, during which we explore the possibilities together. What form could the Tellmie take? What is its mission? And how do we achieve the educational goals?

Versatile

At Go Wonder, creating a Tellmie is always a collaborative process with our partners. However, this project is more complex than usual. Why? Because we are working with multiple partners, addressing different topics, and aiming to use the Tellmie in a variety of settings: museums, workshops, and schools.

The Tellmie therefore needs to be highly versatile and flexible enough for partners to adapt it to their own needs.

Getting started

During our first meeting in the Netherlands, we got creative with all partners. We worked with clay, glued random objects together, and discovered that the design could be quite abstract—something like a Barbapapa.

When it came to interaction, we quickly aligned: of course, the Tellmie should be able to speak, play audio, and respond to touch (and perhaps even movement—such as being passed from one person to another). It should also be able to recognize where it is, so it can tell stories that match its location.

What’s next?

We are working together on a concrete storyline about climate change for a workshop, as well as on a design proposal that a costume maker can start developing.