Little Investigators - Big Visions

The Little Investigators project started by asking children two simple questions; what do you like and what don’t you like about where you live? The Built Environment Trust and Architecture for Kids CIC, worked with 450 year 3–5 pupils (ages 7–10) to explore 10 different areas of London. Our mission was to encourage children to become 'little investigators' and uncover what they think and notice about the area where they live.

By helping children to understand their connection to the built environment, we hope to inspire the next wave of architects and city planners. The workshop included a walk in the local area to observe and sketch local landmarks. The children were asked to mark each landmark with how it made them feel; good, bad, relaxed, dangerous, happy etc. On returning to the classroom, the children drew maps of the walk, adding personal touches, such as clouds, people, tree and cars. They then picked one landmark to turn into a 3D model.

This exhibition showcases the work of those 450 pupils and the things we at the Built Environment Trust learned; what did 1 in 3 children say was the thing they liked most about where they live? Or 1 in 4 children mentioned ‘traffic’ as the thing they didn’t like, but what was it about the traffic that they didn’t like?