Ava Vaccarella
Sensory Toys
Prompt: "As technology advances, we've become increasingly reliant on social media for communication, leaving face-to-face interaction in the background. This reality has become more pronounced in our daily lives. In this final project, students will work in groups of three or four to create a set of physical objects that will enhance social interaction."
Since there has been a strong decline in attention spans of children, we decided to make sensory toys for ages 4-7 to inspire focus and creativity. Each group member was assigned one of the 5 senses and had to made toys inspired by the sense that also fit the theme of cooking and the kitchen. We also made a crate for easy transport of all items. For smell, plush fruits infused with essential oils were sewn, sound featured rattle toys in the shape of various desserts, and touch is represented by a blender with a working button and removable lid. The toy for sight is a pizza-building set with removable felt pieces sewn together, and the toy for taste is a sorting game where users are meant to test jellybeans added and put them in the appropriate boxes.
Collaborators: Bianca Shkembi, Magdalena Brito Perez, Courtney Horgan, Palak Morwal