Interview with the Löwenstein siblings: Out of necessity came fun for children – “Quarantine Kids”

Siblings Anne & Ruth are passionate game and learning designers who, due to the current situation, have launched a blog to bring joy to children during the quarantine period.

With all daycare centers, schools, and all leisure activities nationwide canceled, the idea was born to create a platform where creativity can be unleashed every day. To learn more about the Quarantine Kids idea, we interviewed the Löwenstein siblings in a fascinating interview.

1. Can you introduce yourselves briefly?

Hi, we're Ruth and Anne, two play and learning designers. We started this blog on March 14, 2020, to give children some daily fun and variety during the upcoming quarantine period. We moved to Halle/Saale to study play and learning design at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design.

While Ruth is still in the middle of her studies and lives in eastern Germany, Anne has already completed her studies and works for a renowned toy company in northern Germany. Shortly after the nationwide announcement that all daycare centers and schools would be closed, an initial idea emerged out of concern and compassion for all families about how to best navigate this time: "We need to offer the children some variety, something stimulating, enlightening!" This, combined with the possibilities of Instagram and the internet, gave birth to the concept of "Quarantine Kids." It all began on Saturday morning! The website was reserved and designed. The concept matured with every step, and everything was published that evening.

2. What is Quarantine Kids?

School's closed, the cinema is closed, and you're feeling claustrophobic at home? Then we have something for you! We're Anne & Ruth. As play and learning designers, we love creating beautiful things and bringing joy to children. Every day, we'll give you an idea for how to create play worlds with minimal materials and let your creativity run wild. You'll see what treasures lie hidden in your cupboards. Grab your scissors, sharpen your pencils, and look forward to the ideas post. There's new mail for you to download every day at 8:00 a.m.

3./4. How did the idea for Quarantine Kids come about, and did you have the idea for a while, or did it arise from the current situation?

It all started on Friday, March 13th, 2020, at a bookbinding workshop we offered at a primary school. The headmistress came in and announced that the school would be closed starting Monday. We witnessed the children's reaction: they were totally shocked, already missing school, and afraid of being so bored. Things moved quickly; our minds were racing, and we asked ourselves how we could use our passion for design to bring joy to children and parents. At first, we only thought about our circle of friends, but the idea quickly grew, and on Saturday morning we started the concrete implementation: website, Instagram channel, and, of course, the first posts. We went online on Saturday evening and were very surprised by how many people were excitedly following the countdown to 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning.

5. As far as I know, you don't have any children yet. What inspires you? And where do you test your ideas?

We love remembering our childhood and reviving some old ideas. Of course, we don't reinvent everything, and we also browse through books and the internet, but we enjoy tinkering and shaping things to fit the world of our character animals. These form the counterpart story to the quarantine kids at home: Frieda Kringeldich, the creative pig; Klaus Abgetaucht, the playful whale; and Günther Aufachtung, the clever crocodile. These animals are in quarantine at the zoo. Without visiting children, they're bored, so they come up with tasks for each other.

In any case, our field of study had a profound impact on us: Game and Learning Design. Our love of design, our joy in children, and our fascination with combining play and learning led us to our studies. The fantastic Burg Giebichenstein Art Academy offered us the opportunity to unleash our creativity. The Bachelor's program in Game and Learning Design is unique worldwide in Halle an der Saale. After a comprehensive aptitude test, we were both allowed to begin our studies at the Burg Giebichenstein and, four years apart, we literally passed the door handle to each other.

6. Do you have a small campaign that you want/can share exclusively with our readers?

This is the first post of ideas, presented by the creative pig Frieda. This idea dates back to our childhood; we remembered making funny paper men with a ball in their stomachs tumble down the stairs. A few paper models later, we finally figured out the perfect size. We drew the pattern and printed it with our lovely friends. This makes it not only fun to roll around with, but also to color and assemble.

7. What spontaneous craft or game idea do you have for our tassel garland *flashy tassel*?

Thank you both for the creative interview!

And for those who haven't discovered it yet, we're providing mara mea coloring pages for you to download during the quarantine period. Check it out here .