Your Challenge: Redesign common spaces to meet social-distancing guidelines.
Background: With the current social-distancing guidelines requiring us to wear masks and stay six feet away from each other, it can be challenging to stay connected. Common spaces like movie theaters, stores, coffee shops, classrooms, and restaurants aren’t being used right now so we can slow the spread of the virus. What if we could use them? How would they need to change?
Considerations: As you start designing, consider these questions:
-What can you include to help people stay connected even when they can’t be right next to each other?
-What are the most important parts of social interaction?
-How does body language and facial expression contribute to feeling connected to each other? How do you incorporate this element of human interaction?
Goal:
1. Pick a common space (e.g., movie theater, coffee shop, cafeteria) used to hang out or connect with friends and family.
2. Use an online design program, like Homestyler.com or Planner5D.com, or paper and pencil to design your space. Graph paper helps you draw straight lines and scale drawings.
3. Label your design with the features that meet social-distancing guidelines or create a video presentation of your design.
4. Share your plan with others.
Modifications for Younger Learners: Have students sketch a map of their bedroom or house. Slightly older students can turn a familiar space into their dream space. Have students draw on paper, in Google Drawings, or a program like homestyler.com or planner5d.com.