CREATIVE KIDS TOP Workshop [Report] Kids Creative Research Institute at Meiji University

Workshop

2015.08.17
[Report] Kids Creative Research Institute at Meiji University

From a CANVAS Facebook post

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[Kids Creative Lab at Meiji University]

On Sunday, August 9, we held the Meiji Research Institute event!
Since we were right in the middle of summer vacation, the children shared stories about their fun summer experiences with us.

The theme of this program was “Touching Sound.”
Our world is filled with “sound.” It might actually be harder to find a place where there’s no
sound at all. We took the time to listen closely to
all kinds of sounds, created our own sounds, and finally held an orchestra concert together!

To make sure they didn’t miss even the slightest sound, they listened with their whole bodies!
The children were listening intently.

What kinds of sounds can we make just by “touching” things? Children’s hands can turn their
bodies, objects, and all sorts of things into instruments that produce a wide variety of sounds.

Just as if they were conducting a study of sound, the children discovered many different sounds—such as how the sound changes depending on how they touched something, what they touched, and where they touched it, and how the darkness of the pencil affects the sound.
They also shared their various discoveries with one another, exclaiming, “That sounds different! That’s amazing!” as they listened
to the sounds their friends made.

Finally, each group held an orchestra concert using the sounds they had created with the materials provided. Before
the
performance, some children said, “I’m so nervous…”

Even when using the same instruments, each child produced
a different sound. In some groups, if one child played loudly,
the others would join in—even though they hadn’t coordinated beforehand! Some kids kept perfect
time and were really getting into it!

Watching them this time,
I really felt that they were truly “engaged in research.” On the way home, at home, and in all sorts of places—what kinds of sounds can they hear?
What kinds of sounds can they create? …If you pay attention to the ordinary things you don’t usually notice, you might discover a slightly different way of seeing the world.



　

Profile


  • Digital Picture Book Author

    Professor, Keio University; Ph.D. (Policy and Media)
    Director, B Lab
    Chairperson, Learning of Tomorrow (General Incorporated Association)
    Chairperson, CANVAS

    After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he served as a visiting researcher at the MIT Media Lab before founding the NPO CANVAS and the Learning of Tomorrow Association, a General Incorporated Association, and assuming the role of representative. He serves as an outside director for Matsuya Co., Ltd., Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., and Digital Garage, Inc.
    He has served on various government committees, including the Information and Communications Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as the NHK Central Broadcasting Program Council. He also serves as a director of the Digital Signage Consortium, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Media.
    His publications include *Turning On Children’s Creativity!*, *What Are Smart Kids Doing on Their Smartphones?*, *The Forefront of Online Education in Japan: Considering Learning in the Post-COVID Era*,“What Is Programming Education? 45 Questions Parents Want to Know,” and “Declaration on Digital Education.” He has also provided supervision for numerous works, including “Ah, I See! Programming Education for Parents and Children Through Manga.”