Hi, it's Deysi from Design Squad Global,
and I'm here at 826 Boston,
a place where kids can come to become great writers.
Today, Kelly and Samaya from 826 Boston
are teaming up with Zoe and Eleanor from Design Squad
to create a personal reading pod,
a quiet place where kids can go to read and dream.
The first thing we need to do is interview the kids at 826
to understand what their design needs are.
SAMAYA: It would be easier
to eat our snacks in the literacy pod
if we have a cup holder.
KELLY: Well, I'd love a book shelf
because then the books will be right in the pod.
We should have a bean bag to make it really comfy.
ZOE: A light would be good
because it's going to be very dark in there.
DEYSI: Awesome!
But remember, our pod is a very small space,
so you have to be creative in how you make everything fit.
Our challenge is to reuse cardboard
that we have at 826 Boston to create a reading pod
that is easy to move and doesn't need electricity.
This has to be taped down to the bottom.
Okay, got it!
I got it.
ZOE: We used two cardboard boxes
to make a bookshelf, and we cut a hole on the inside.
And since the space was limited inside,
we decided to put the bookshelves outside.
And here's our bookcase!
Do you want to do it this way?
This would be like a miniature house.
We created a sliding door on tracks so that it would move.
DEYSI: Cardboard strips on the top and bottom
create channels,
holding the door in place so it can slide back and forth.
You put the handle like this so that you can move it
from outside and inside.
Yay!
For a seat inside the reading pod,
the team created a bean bag chair out of packing peanuts.
And that's the bean bag chair!
DEYSI: Now that our reading pod has a fun way to get in and out,
a place to stash our books, and a comfy seat,
we need a way to brighten up the inside
without using electricity.
We're creating skylights out of plastic bottles of water.
SAMAYA: We're going to put the skylights
in the shape of a "C" to look like a crescent moon.
ZOE: This is the darkest part of the pod,
so we're going to cut holes in the ceiling
and put the skylights here.
DEYSI: The light from outside the pod enters the bottle
and the water refracts the light,
spreading it in all directions,
which means it's omni-directional.
Lights like these are being used
in countries where electricity is not readily available.
They're making a big difference for people
who wouldn't otherwise have light in their homes.
Okay, we need scissors, stat!
Turn it like this.
Make it cover the top, see?
Put the side up.
Cup holder!
DEYSI: And now it's time to show the rest of 826 Boston
our finished reading pod.
I like the bean bag chair in it and I like the bookshelf,
and I really like the part how the water,
the light is reflecting from that.
I think that's really creative and it's cool.
DEYSI: We did it!
We got creative and we worked together.
Another success for Design Squad Global.
Yay!
(laughing)
Send your designs for your reading pod
to the Design Squad Global website
and see what different ideas you can come up with.