Sixth Stop
Workshop at the Gothenburg City Library · March 2026
Workshop Leaders: Leila Natsheh and Simona Cavalieri
Workshop Assistant: Priyadarshini Chilaka
Workshop Assistant: Priyadarshini Chilaka
PHoto: Simona Cavalieri, Leila Natsheh
We started building a spaceship, but...
We introduced the children to this workshop by telling them that we started building a spaceship, and we would love to go somewhere with it, but we are missing many components to make this happen. "Could you help us prepare our spaceship for our first trip?" We asked.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
Where would you like to travel? Why?
"Mmm... Greece. To try something new." — J, 10
We had a pleasant conversation with one of the children at the workshop about travel, places he likes, why he likes them and places he would want to go or travel to.
He highlighted that they have a farm with animals, and he likes to be there because there is a lot to do there; feed the animals, walk in the nearby forest, look for animals in the wild, and have a peace of mind. He likes the calm. He has never been to Greece, but if he were to travel, he would like to go there, to try something new.
Another child who was 6 wanted to travel to Spain to meet his grandfather. Two other children, who were siblings, said that Cyprus was their favorite place and they have been many times, and there they are allowed to have ice-cream for dessert every single day.
Places can mean different things to people based on their experiences. We love places for various reasons. Tying stories and people we care about to places we love is common among the children we had spoken to during this journey.
These conversations give us insight into what kind of places are important to children. What is it about these places that stay with them in their memories?
At this stage of the process we are trying to better understand children's perspective through conversations and play, without putting pressure on mapping and looking at concrete places.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
Companions
During our workshops, some children built robots to have as companions on their journeys. Some robots were very plain and geometric, others had human features, faces and expressions.
Could a companion with a story be what ties places together on The Children's Smart Map (Barnens Smarta Karta)?
Photo: Leila Natsheh
The Collective Design of Features
A post box at the entrance of the spaceship, with a gravitational feature so that the letters slipped into it don't float away, was one of many details that the children thought about during the workshop.
Stepping in through the door of the spaceship, you find a key-holder on your right side. Then you get to the main controls of the spaceship. There is a table with many different buttons, a laptop with a charger and a keyboard to enter destinations, a map to show your location and where you are going, and of course a fridge for food and snacks.
The children thought about the whole experience of the explorer, and they collectively designed this experience, complementing each other's work and ideas, without overstepping or repeating existing features. It was really impressive to see how children worked naturally with a collective mind-set, and without having to be instructed to do so.
Photo: Leila Natsheh
Would you like to join us next time?