Norway (Makerspaces in the Early Years)

The project in Norway was undertaken with a museum and a kindergarten.

Participants included (a) a team of researchers, including five educational researchers with different experience and focus but sharing a concern with the design and

understanding of technology-enhanced spaces for learning; (b) a team of three museum curators and educators who have a specific responsibility for developing science enquiry experiences for young children in the science museum; (c) and four kindergarten educators from a kindergarten in the Oslo area, along with a group of twenty kindergarten children between 5 and 6 years old. The participatory design

process involved design meetings, as well as observations in the science museum and the kindergarten. In addition, interviews were conducted with museum and kindergarten educators during the process. The workshops were recorded using traditional zoom-lens cameras, as well as wide-angle action cameras, to ensure adequately capturing embodied interaction in both the design and the designed spaces.

The team started by observing an existing activity in the museum. Then, they arranged a design meeting with museum staff where the goal was to design a making

activity. After that, children were observed involved in arts-based activities in the kindergarten and engaging in a new making activity in the museum. Three exploratory design meetings with partners in the project were also held as part of the research study.