Think with Things

Yesterday I shared the first question behind Thinking Ecologies.

Today’s is:

What if the room is already influencing the outcome before anyone speaks?

Think about it. Before the person leading the conversation, workshop, or class even opens their mouth, the room has already said quite a lot. I’ve seen this again and again, from exhibition spaces and classrooms to workshops and team days. The environment tells us where to sit, what we can touch, whether we can move, whether it feels safe to share something unfinished, whether we are invited to collaborate, make and test ideas, or simply listen. It may even tell us how seriously we are expected to behave. The space is already shaping the thinking before the thinking has officially begun.

What changes if we start designing those conditions intentionally?

On 29 September I’m bringing just 8 people together in the Garden Library to play with exactly this: space, objects, participation, nature and the physical conditions that help different kinds of thinking happen.

If that makes you curious, this day is probably for you. Limited spaces available. Look to the first comment for the link to learn more and sign up.

How do people, objects, space, and nature shape the way we think?

This question has been sitting underneath my work for years.

What if the room itself could help people think differently? What if objects, movement, play and nature were not extras, but part of the thinking?

That’s the idea behind Thinking Ecologies, a one-day workshop at the Garden Library on 29 September for facilitators, educators and experience designers.

8 places only.

Learn more and sign up: https://www.thinkwiththings.com/things-shop/p/thinking-ecologies-workshop

or comment 'Tell me More' for more info.

The first workshop in our new space has happened! Even with only a framed structure and exposed installation it was the most beautiful space! We are filling up with artists, meetings, workshops and full day trainings and can’t wait for the official launch in the beginning of 2027!

If you’re interested in testing this space as a pilot before the end of the year, send me a message!

I would love to see how many different things we might be able to host here!

Share Wildly! We are in Wiltshire between Bath and Oxford just a mile off the M4 🙃😘😎

We already have several bookings for our garden library, which is still in construction, but going to be an amazing space for teams, artists, meetings, and more!

Check it out and let me know if you are interested in joining our founding year!

For the past year, something has been quietly taking shape behind the wildflower meadow at Bothy Gardens.

What began as a simple idea has grown into the Garden Library. A unique space for meetings, workshops, creative gatherings and Living Lab experiences, all set within our restored Georgian walled garden.

It's still being completed, but we already have several bookings filling up a limited number of Winter 2026 pilot dates, ahead of our Opening Season in 2027.

If you would like to learn more about the space or experiences, look to 'The Garden Library' on our website. https://www.bothygardens.com/garden-library

We're excited to begin sharing more of the journey over the coming weeks, from the design decisions behind the space to the experiences it has been created to support.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

Technology is transforming how we think and learn.

But some of our most powerful thinking still begins with something we can hold, move and share.

While searching through my old sketchbooks yesterday, I found this drawing from 2013, which I made at Turtlewings in Schaerbeek.

At the time, Turtlewings filled 230m² with hundreds of baskets of THINGS. Blocks, buttons, wood, fabric, containers, everyday objects and curious materials waiting to become something else. In the basement, we had a Creative REuse Centre connected with Remida Reggio Emilia, so there was no end to the amount of THINGS and Materials we had to create engaging spaces and playful learning experiences.

One month during our Nature Exploration, the Makers Lab held the research question:

What shape is a giraffe’s house?

Children explored it using animals, blocks and making materials. However, the same question was posed to teachers, university students and business teams. The objects stayed the same. The question stayed the same. What changed was the framing.

For a business team, a giraffe’s house opened conversations about customer needs, product design, constraints, resources or belonging.

In higher education, it led into architecture, biology, ecology, storytelling, and challenged students to explain an idea from a completely different perspective.

This sketch was my attempt to show that THINGS should be as available for thinking as paper and pencils, especially in primary and secondary classrooms.

A small collection is enough to begin. Try placing a handful of objects on a table and asking:

What shape is a giraffe’s house?

Then resist explaining what you mean. Notice what people build, what they assume, what they question and where the conversation travels.

I would love to see what your giraffe’s house becomes. Share a photograph or tell me what the question opened up for you.

This is next week! Check it out ❤️

Looking for fresh ideas to explore WIRE with your children?

Wire is a material that invites experimentation, transformation and possibility, and in this short and practical webinar we’ll explore;
✨ Relevant ideas you can use straight away
✨ Inspiration for working with materials
✨ Tips for setting up engaging invitations and learning
contexts
✨ Ideas for noticing and responding to children’s
learning

Will we see you there?