Map MatsMap Mats were a response to a proposal to create an interactive Mapping project for primary-aged children at a school in Shropshire. The competition called for proposals to be interactive, both during and after construction, as well as being educational and inspirational.
I proposed a series of classroom mats constructed from a tensile, flexible material, which could be zipped together to create a fully-formed 3-dimensional globe. The children would work in separate groups on their own region of the Earth, but would need to communicate with other groups to ensure that their continents and oceans would line up once completed.
The mats can either be used as soft-seating, or, when required, zipped together to form a globe. This would help the children to understand how the world works in 3 dimensions, as well as instilling a sense of pride and ownership in what they have created.
