Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master in Interior Architecture [Adaptive Reuse]
Department
Interior Architecture
First Advisor
Wolfgang Rudorf
Abstract
This project explores the design of a sustainable, open-ended wooden toy that encourages children’s creativity, collaboration, and physical development. Recognizing the important role of play in learning, the toy aims to connect children to natural materials while supporting skills like eye-hand coordination, flexible thinking, and visual-spatial processing. Free-form linear elements constructed from wood, a renewable, durable, and biodegradable material, the toy invites children to assemble and create various structures using dowels, pegs, and fabric. By offering different connection possibilities and free-form pieces, it fosters imagination, problem-solving, and group play. This project also addresses sustainability by focusing on material longevity, reusability, and emotional attachment, aiming to reduce environmental impact and inspire early awareness of sustainable practices through hands-on play.
Recommended Citation
Dastranj, Farnaz, "Wood in Hand: Open-Ended Wooden Play" (2025). Masters Theses. 1384.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1384
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Industrial and Product Design Commons, Other Education Commons