We stoaryboarded everything up and through this were able to figure out the flow and the system. We'd added in a storybook part to the system where the children can learn about the pebbles, get a backstory and be subtly trained on their correct use and give them emotional connections as to why they should do it that way.
We established that this pet was to be a way to initiate them into the classroom on the first day too. The first day can be stressful and nerve-wracking on the child and the parent so this was a way to tie in with the early years learning framework:
Belonging: created a little community within the classroom that they belonged to, and initiated them into the class formally with a common ground with the rest of the children. A kindergarteners icebreaker.
Being: Makes non play related things become play involved too. This framework is about PLAYING.
Becoming: At 4 years old the chlidren are just starting to reach the part of their development where they grow out of their egocentric behaviour. This helps train them as it gives them something to look after and they have to start seeing the world from the pet's point of view. It also gives them a sense of behavious. This moves them along into the journey of becoming an adult.
Playing is learning: Chlidren demontrate what they learnt through playing so correct use of the pet shows the teacher that they are learning and starting to lose their egocentric behaviour.
The inputs and outputs were finally finalised too:
There was no change with the toilet station.
The eating became a seperate dock (like the toilet one) that sat on the wall in the form of little fruits that the pets mouth could be pushed up against. The output was a "tk tk tk tk tk tk tk tk" eating noise and after a 5 minute delay (so the kids didnt fed the pets all day) the stomach would slowly glow on and then slowly off again to indicate being full.
And the sleeping became a large leaft ear that folded down over the eyes to give the outputs of: a little shudder/ vibration, a little 'weeweeweweweweweweeeewwwwwwewewe" sleeping/snoring noise and a soft on and off glow (once on once off) of the stomach to represent falling into sleep.
The data is then sent off to the online database (for teachers or parents without a smartphone) and to the parents app.
The pets rest on the docks overnight at the kindy.
The fruits give the walls in the classroom a cheerful fruite and vege decor.
Felicity this week took a little hand held squishy pink toy to a couple of kindy aged kids and got them to play with it seeing what they did.
After seeing their general abuse of it (including it 'helping' do the washing up) we decided that it had to be indectrustable and waterproof and childproof. We realised that before but it just reinforced it. BUt this did bring up the issue of data transfer as we wanted this to be USB data collection which you could access by taking each kids pet and connecting it to the teacher's computer.
