Tenth Stop
Workshop at Kulturhuset Kåken · April 2026
Workshop Leaders: Leila Natsheh and Simona Cavalieri
Workshop Assistant: Priyadarshini Chilaka
Workshop Assistant: Priyadarshini Chilaka
Photo: Leila Natsheh
A Visit from Outer Space
Allen the alien is visiting soon. He needs us to tell him about the best outdoor places and activities on earth that he could access for free.
We asked the children to show us their favorite outdoor places through drawing, or building with blocks. While drawing and building we conversed and asked some questions to better understand their perspective. What do you enjoy doing outdoors? Where do you like to go? Who do you like to be with in these different places? Are the activities better alone, together with family, with one friend, or with many friends? How do these places and activities make you feel?
Shipwreck at the Mariana Trench — K, 12
”I want to find a shipwreck, and on it a treasure chest full of gold and jewels!” — K, 12
Fantasy and Storytelling
Fantasy is a big part of so many children's world. It excites them, it is how they communicate their ideas, and through it we can connect to discuss big complex questions.
Fantasy invites people of all ages to let go of reality and rational thinking, and truly follow instinct and desire. It helps us shift the focus from conventional solutions to aspirational ones, which can bridge the gap to real-world answers.
We always encourage children to respond to the workshop tasks and activities the way they want to, because even if "finding a shipwreck" is not the most rational answer when asked to share their favorite way to play outdoors, the conversation around it lead to discussions that help the co-creative process grow.
This conversation confirmed that storytelling really is at the core of so many children's experiences. Through fantasy and storytelling, children create realities for themselves that make the mundane surroundings exciting. True engagement lies not in over-design, but in creating opportunities that empower children to freely explore and move within their own fantasy.
Snowball Fight with friends — C, 6
"A snowball fight is best when there are many people on an open field!” — C, 6
Experts in Play
Children know what situations make play better. Even in the middle of spring, they know that when it is snowy, and one wants to have a snowball fight, one has to find an open field, and many friends to play with!
Children know what to look for. They are experts in play, and in their own surroundings. Through Barnens Smarta Karta children will guide each other in finding the best spots in the city for all kinds of play.
Sunbathing and Swimming at the beach, and jumping in rain puddles — C, 6
Nuances of Emoticons
We are just beginning to scratch the surface in trying to understand how children express their feelings about a place, an activity or a type of play.
When we originally introduced describing places we used words, such as "active", "calm", "somewhere fast", "a slow place", etc. Realizing that it is difficult for children to understand these concepts, or to name their feelings about a place, we iterated the activity and used emoticons. Children could then more intuitively choose and place emoticons on their drawings, to describe how they feel when they are at those places.
Now, we are exploring the range of emotions. Trying to understand whether feelings about places and the nuances in emoticons would be too personal to be understood by other children, or if there are common threads.
Would you like to join us next time?