City Shapes

This project, funded by the Froebel Trust, adopts a Froebelian approach to examine how young children experience large 3D shapes that form part of their built, urban environment, and the changes that may occur in young children’s shape awareness when engaged in unit-block play constructions representing large 3D shapes from their urban environment.

It is a collaboration between Dr Penny Lawrence (UCL, PI), Dr Charis Voutsina (University of Southampton, Co-I), Community Playthings who make blocks, Bright Horizons Nurseries and John Hansard Gallery.

The research involves 3- and 4-year-old children and educators in a Southampton, UK, city centre nursery, with activities taking place inside and outside buildings in the nearby Guildhall square.