Tinkering in Freiburg with Spielmobil
I moved to Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany in 2020 and for the past year and a half I have been working to develop connections with local artists and makers who could possibly be local collaborators. Soon after arriving I was lucky to meet local kinetic artist Claus Schneidereit who has become a valued friend and colleague. And then last fall I biked by a local festival and saw something that looked like a giant marble machine. Next to the structure was a large truck with the work Spielmobil (play mobile) painted on in vibrant colors.
When I got back home I looked up the website and emailed the contact form, asking to meet with someone in the group and share ideas. They invited me to check out the next action, so a couple weeks later we went over to see the event and chat with the educators.
It turned out that this organization has been running playful programs here in the city for more than 40 years. They have a variety of exhibits/materials including stilts, bubbles, pogo sticks, a giant marble structure made from pipes and ladders, a beer crate factory roller slide and simple wooden table games. They drive the truck to different public square or youth center somewhere in Freiburg or the outskirts and set up an environment for kids and families to come a play. Just observing the interaction at the first event I really enjoyed seeing the social interactions, engagement from families, autonomy of the children and the open-ended play. I think they also really reach the different neighborhoods and communities in the city in a way that’s difficult for a science center that people have to spend time traveling to and money to attend.
They were closing down shortly after for the winter months but we agreed to reconnect in the spring. In the meantime I started working with the Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio to develop new ‘uftes’ (unfacilitated tinkerable experiences) that I knew would be a perfect addition for the Spielmobil program. So last week I was invited to bring the balancing sculptures ‘ufte’ to two events where I could share the prototype with the local youth.
It was great to try out the ‘ufte’ in this new context. I set up a little tent with five balance stands, lots of sticks (with two kinds of clips), weights and little acrobats. There were many kids there on there own, many care-givers with young children and larger family groups. As in the Exploratorium environment there were a lot of other things around to divide attention so it was perfect for seeing how learners got engaged and went deeper in the explorations.
One thing that was really interesting about the test was that I was really hands-off as a facilitator. Firstly that’s because I was working in German and my language skills are still pretty basic. And as well at this event the staff was pretty hands off, letting the kids drive their own experiences. For me that was also important and for the most part went pretty well. There’s still challenges for reset and initially finding a place to work which is something to consider for all uftes.
Another thing that really struck me was the possibilities for learners to make innovative and unexpected structures. In the last couple weeks I’ve been researching materials and building more flexible parts that I think really support multiple pathways of exploring balance. I’m excited to see the next developments for this ‘ufte’ and I’m looking forward to the next chance to collaborate with Spielmobil
The LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network initiative is made possible through generous support from the LEGO Group.
