Akar Learning Kit
collaborators:
Akar Learning Kit is an educational aid that teaches children about famous taboos in Malaysia and the basics of public speaking.
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Malaysia is a country that is rich with culture, each having their own set of do's and don'ts, otherwise known as taboos . For example, in the Malay culture, one should avoid sitting on their pillows and in the Chinese culture, one should not stick their chopsticks into a bowl. These unique practices are becoming less relevant to the younger generation.
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Our approach is to introduce these practices to young children, whether they wish to follow the practices entirely up to them. Instead, we provide an additional value; public speaking skills, so that they will be able to tell their own stories as our grandparents did.
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Our Stories
The Learning Kit comes with 3 types of cards; the story card, character card, and voice card. Each story card depicts a Malaysian taboo in a fun and comedic way. some text in the story is highlighted with a different font and colour to guide the reader's tone of voice.
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To take things to the next level, the character and voice cards can be used to put their acting and body language to the test.
Future Friendly
As children don't stay children forever, we decided to turn this kit into more than just educational material. In line with circular recycling, we use seed paper to make the cards. These seed papers are made from mashed up scrap papers and then dried with seeds embedded in them. When the cards are discarded, they will sprout into plants! The softened mashed paper will then serve as a nursery for the seedlings.
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For the packaging of these cards, burlap material was used as it is made up of natural fibers. In Malaysia, burlap is commonly known for its function as a gunny sack for potatoes.
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The unique woven texture of the burlap makes it a strong material. It also provides good aeration throughout the bags. These qualities allow the bags to be reused for groceries of even daily activities.