The Knee High Project

Show Menu

We believe more innovation and experimentation is needed to develop the best ideas for
improving health and wellbeing in the early years.

The Knee High Design Challenge is run by the Challenges team at the Design Council and is funded by Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity.
It is offering expert support and grant funding of up to £180,000 to ideas that will make a real and lasting difference to the health and wellbeing of children living in Southwark and Lambeth.

January 23, 2015

Team update/ Pop up Parks

We need to design in opportunities for active child-led outdoor play before it disappears completely According to the National Trust, since the 1970s the area in which children roam without adults has decreased by almost 90%. Having worked over the past year with communities in densely populated areas of London, it comes as no surprise.…

January 23, 2015

Team update/ Creative Homes

Following the excitement of reaching the final round of the Knee High Design Challenge and officially launching Creative Homes as a business, we’ve spent the past few months in preparation for the year ahead. For us this means building our small team to include two important new members: we’ve recruited a brilliant intern to join…

January 23, 2015

Team update/ KidsConnect

Today I went to NEF Consulting (part of the New Economics Foundation) to talk to Rosie and Sarah, and Jane from Narativ, about how we’re going to measure the impact of KidsConnect over the coming year. This is something we thought a lot about during the Knee High Design Challenge competition but it’s great to…

January 15, 2015

All Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood

Following the Dad Design Challenge, where I worked as the project lead, I was asked to share insights and my experiences at the recent All Party Parliamentary Group meeting on Fatherhood. I had heard of the ‘APPGs’ before but I didn’t know who was involved, why they happened, or what value they have. I was…

January 9, 2015

Team update/ KidsConnect goes live

Since late November now KidsConnect has been out there in the real world being used by actual parents to find activities and services for their under fives in Brixton and the surrounding area. Following the best principles of agile design we were keen to get our first ‘Minimum Viable Product’ into the hands of parents…

November 11, 2014

Dad Challenge/ Cub music workshops

My goal is to get dads down to children’s spaces for example Children Centre’s or soft play areas such as crazy chimps. Spaces where dads and their children can enjoy a fun filled hour of musical madness. Many professional studies suggest that dads aren’t utilizing the services provided for them and their children, whether it’s…

November 11, 2014

Dad Challenge/ DADDY CARD

As parents, we recognize and have experienced the difficulties fathers face in relating to and bonding with babies before birth and in the first few months after, so we were keen to investigate ways to make this time easier. We have seen that there is a lot of fantastic daddy time going on but that there are also…

November 4, 2014

Dad Challenge/ Pizza Portraits

“I am a designer and freelance illustrator, currently nannying and living in Lambeth. I have created a workshop that I believe bridges the gaps between potential distant fathers and their children helping them to bond and connect through food. I am particularly focusing on the sensory experience that this workshop provides. Playing with food encourages…

November 4, 2014

Dad Challenge/ Scan cards for dads

“I hope to improve bonding between dad and baby from an early stage, and enable dads to feel important from the beginning. During the Dad Challenge I have pulled together information, printed it on labels and stick them on the inside of scan photo cards that I give to dads. They have information about how their…

October 15, 2014

Join us for a celebration

Over the past year, Design Council, in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, has suported the development of new products and services that make a real and lasting difference to children in their early years. With everything from new ways of exploring your local area and…

September 22, 2014

Announcing the Dad Challenge teams

We’re very excited to introduce the five winning ideas from our Dad Challenge, aiming to help more dads become actively engaged in their child’s early years. We very recently launched an open call for ideas for the #DadChallenge. Although only open for a short time, we were thrilled to receive such passionate and creative ideas. So now…

Dad Challenge

We are looking for ideas that will help dad’s be more actively involved in their children’s early years. Apply by noon on September 12th, for the chance to receive £500 and opportunities for mentoring and support.

September 1, 2014

The Leapfrog Bus returns!

Recently, Leapfrog Bus had the chance to run again over the summer! Through links that were established during Stage 2 of the Knee High Design Challenge, we were commissioned to provide a series of local summer trips for three children’s centres in Southwark. Over 3 separate days in early August we ran trips from three children’s…

August 26, 2014