KITEC - Children's technology project

As an after-school centre, KSB gave us the opportunity to integrate the Kitec (children's technology) project into our work. Regular visits by »artists and craftsmen« were already part of August Hermann Francke's school curriculum. The idea of illustrating information through practical applications and models was not revolutionary in this sense, but it was first brought into an educational concept at the Francke Foundations at the beginning of the 18th century, which benefited both boys and girls from all walks of life.
Following this tradition, the after-school care centre of the Francke Foundations participates in the KiTec project of the Wissensfabrik e.V. thanks to its project partner KSB Werk Halle. Children discover technology: with the help of materials and instructions provided, the young tinkerers can try their hand at various tasks from construction, vehicle and electrical engineering. However, learning how to use the necessary tools and basic knowledge in various technical areas is only one aspect. Developing ideas and solving problems together trains social skills and promotes creative thinking. In a two-day workshop, the staff and children of the after-school care centre received a practical introduction to the project, with comprehensive basic theoretical knowledge about the materials and their respective uses. »We were able to experience how exciting and interesting but also how much fun it is to work, tinker and try things out.« Thanks to the enclosed manuals, even the inexperienced hobby craftsmen among us were able to complete their works. When we built the suspension bridge, the »self-driving« car and a drawbridge, we could not stop marvelling. The project's pool of ideas and materials is far from exhausted and will continue to accompany the after-school children's handicraft work in the future.