The Urban Griot Playground curriculum was originally designed for in-person workshops, where trained facilitators guided activities, and researchers could directly observe and gather data. While effective for engagement and insight, this format limited the reach of both the learning experience and the research itself. Extending UGP’s multimodal learning approach into the home raised new questions: How could families facilitate learning without prior training? How could researchers gather meaningful data when no longer physically present? And how could the rich cultural and pedagogical framework of UGP be preserved across varied, uncontrolled settings?

Designing the Home Learning Kit meant reimagining the entire experience—not just for children and their caregivers, but also for the integrity of the research. It had to be engaging and intuitive enough for independent use, yet structured and consistent enough to support data collection and preserve the fidelity of the curriculum.