Mark Champkins

Hey…hey you! Yes.. you in the stupid hat! Don’t you design all kinds of tat for kids in school? What’s that all about then?

Well … Since you ask… All the ideas come from talking with students and teachers, and watching what goes on in a typical classroom.

The idea for the Chairpadbag came when I saw a boy hang his rucksack over the back of his chair. All his classmates had to continually get up and go over to their bags to get books and equipment, except him. I thought that was pretty clever! Later in the lesson I asked the pupils to design their “classroom of the future”, and aside from introducing chocolate rivers, and monkey helpers, all the kids insisted on soft, comfy chairs. Whilst thinking about how to make existing school chairs more comfortable, and looking at the stowed rucksack, the idea came to me!

Hydration is really important to parents too. Just 2% dehydration leads to a 20% drop in the ability to concentrate.

The Bottlecoolerpenholder idea came about when a parent complained to me that they gave their child a bottle of water each day, and it always came home untouched. Watching a lesson I saw the one thing all the pupils always remember, and have in front of them when working is their pencil case. If their water could be kept with their stationery, I reasoned, then they would always remember to have it in front of them when working, and would be prompted to drink during lessons.