This May Architecture [children] Fund has extended geographical borders of its activity: four volunteers of the initiative have participated in Archikids* festival in London and run workshop for children "Postcards from London".

In spring Open-City organisation announced the open-call aiming to select 10 inovative, original and fun ideas for the programme of the festival. They invited architects, artists, designers to suggest educational activities for children aged from 8 to 12. Architecture [children] Fund has suggested to explore the surroundings through the photography, drwaing and discussion. The process of the workshop has been fun, and the volunteers - Sigita Simona, Karolina, Aurelija and Sandra - inspired by this experience are looking forward to run the same activity in Lithuania.

We tried to explore architecture through different topics: nature in the city, entrances, scale, materials and surfaces, silhouettes, constructions. We presented topics in separate sessions, however at the end it was obvious that topics could be adopted for the different age ranges. For example, very often 2 years old could find more interesting contrasts between nature and the city, than the teenager, who might consider this topic boring.

Children and their parents didn't need to have any specific knowledge or education to be ready to participate in our workshop - sensibility and observation were the most important. And for us it was important to get in touch with every participant personally. We encouraged discussion with children and parents, through which children could discover something, we could share our knowledge with them and also learn many unexpected things ourselves.

Participants took pictures independently and after they came back with the shot, we used to ask "Why?". Why did you choose to photograph this space? What and why admires you in this picture and what doesn't? What might be different? We were astonished by children's insightful notices and certainty, but most of all - by views from the perspective of a child.

The pictures were not about plane details, buildings or other things, but they were thoughful shots revieling the essence of specific topic. We printed out the children's pictures instantly and exposed them in the exhibition at the venue of the workshop. Therefore the result of the workshop was visible not only for the participants but also for all passers-by. After the festival the pictures were sent out via mail as postcards to the addresses that children have put on the other sides of the pictures. In this way, the educational process has gained some continuity - every picture was carrying a certain message about the surrounding and the city and this message has been forwarded to other people - grandparents, parents, friends, siblings...

After the festival we had a meeting with Victoria Thornton the founding director of Open-City organisation and initiator of the Archikids festival. Victoria noticed, that Archikids festival is targeting adults rather than children, since participating children are usually assited by their parents. Indeed, we were astonished by adults participating actively, topics of the workshop intrigued to explore the surroundings 4 year olds as well as ones in their forties. Our workshop was not an activity where children could be brought and left by parents who might sit and chat - parents and their children had to partner equally while participating.

More information about Archikids festival, its prehistory and other issues about architecture education for children and young people will be available soon on the interview with Open-City's founding director Victoria Thornton.

*Archikids festival