Name and Aspect of Development
Today, there are numerous different toys on the market which makes the process of creation of new ones difficult. At the same time, it is still possible to create toys which would be in demand; one of them is the Ferrofluid Lava Lamp Do-It-Yourself Kit. The lava lamp is a common toy which is present in many households, yet the one containing ferrofluid, which enables people to interact with the toy, is rare. Moreover, the product will be shipped as a DIY kit, which allows the entire family to create their own lava lamp. The Ferrofluid Lava Lamp is targeting the cognitive aspect of children’s development since it is a toy which facilitates their understanding of different physical phenomena, including density and magnetism. As a result, interactions with the lamp can promote further interest in children in science, laying the foundation for their scientific reasoning and thinking skills.
Literature Review
The area of cognitive development of children has been studied thoroughly over the past decades, which makes it possible to trace how it occurs. One of the core ideas inherent to the aforementioned toy is collaboration since the DIY kit implies joint efforts of children and their parents or friends. Research shows that collaboration is an important factor which has a significant impact on the cognitive development of children aged between 4 and 7 (Sills et al., 2016). Collaborative interactions positively contribute to different skills in children, including problem-solving, tasks measuring visual perception, and rule-based thinking. Collaboration particularly has benefits for children with lower cognitive abilities, yet only when they work together high-ability peers or adults. Thus, the lava lamp can promote collaboration between children and their friends and family and thus encourage their cognitive development.
At the same time, there is also evidence on the factors which have negative effects on the cognitive development of children. There are many adversities children face which can disrupt their cognitive development these include parental mental health and relationship instability among members of the family, as well violence exposure and bullying (Guinosso et al., 2016). Essentially, children experiencing household dysfunction and unsafe environment eventually encounter difficulties in terms of their proper cognitive development. At the same time, such problems can still be resolved under certain circumstances. For instance, education programs which deliver early experiences and stimulation to children can contribute to better cognitive outcomes even among children who were subject to adversity in the past (Guinosso et al., 2016). Such information shows that it is vital for children to receive education to improve their cognitive abilities, and the lava lamp DIY kit can deliver educational experiences.
Parents play a significant role in the life of children, and studies show that is also relevant in the case of cognitive development. While mothers usually spend more time with children, the influence of fathers on the child’s abilities is often overlooked. At the same time, according to research, fathers’ involvement considerably contributes to the stable cognitive development of children (Rollè et al., 2019). The involvement may manifest itself in different forms, including in collaborative play, which implies the use of toys. The DIY lava lamp is a solid example of a toy which can facilitate communication between the father and child and stimulate their collaborative activities. As a result, the toy can increase the involvement of the father in the life of the child and thus stimulate their cognitive development.
Toy Description
As already mentioned, the toy proposed in the current presentation is the Ferrofluid Lava Lamp Do-It-Yourself Kit. The toy will have the standard lava lamp dimensions of 6.1″D x 6.1″W x 18.9″H. The main feature of the toy will be the presence of the ferrofluid, a material with unique qualities since it acts both as a magnetic solid and liquid (Rudnick, 2020). As a result, when put in a container, it can be dragged along the sides of the container using a magnet. The DIY kit will contain wax, a lamp bottle, a mix of mineral oil, and ferrofluid.
Function/Developmental Relevance
The function of the ferrofluid lava lamp is similar to that of the standard lava lamp, only that it is more interactive. In the case of the ferrofluid lava lamp, the ferrofluid can be mixed with the wax, thus allowing people to interact with it with the help of magnets. Essentially, by placing a magnet to the side of the bottle, people will be able to drag blobs of wax and ferrofluid up and down. The lava lamp’s function is demonstrating how fluids of different densities interact with one another, as well as showing the qualities of magnetism. Such a lava lamp enables children to better understand the aforementioned physical phenomena, which contributes to their cognitive development.
Marketability and Bias
The innovative lava lamp kit only has a target age which is children and teenagers between 4 and 18 years old. There is no target gender because the toy is relevant or both boys and girls aspiring to learn more about the world around them. The toy certainly fills a void in the toy market because there are no ferrofluid DIY kits available to consumers. There are, of course, DIY lava lamp kits and already assembled ferrofluid lava lamps, but the current product improves on these options and constitutes a unique offering. There is also no bias associated with the toy, but some people may experience difficulty when setting up their lava lamp, therefore a detailed manual will be shipped together with the product.
Conclusion
The Ferrofluid Lava Lamp DIY kit is a toy which can significantly contribute to the development of children’s cognitive development. The product promotes understanding of physical phenomena such as density and magnetism among children, thus improving their scientific reasoning and thinking skills. Research shows that collaboration and parental involvement ad significant factors encouraging the cognitive development of children. Children can build the lamp and interact with it together with their parents and friends. The target clientele of the lava lamp DIY kit is children aged between 4 and 18, as well as their parents.
References
Guinosso, S. A., Johnson, S. B., & Riley, A. W. (2016). Multiple adverse experiences and child cognitive development. Pediatric Research, 79(1), 220–226. https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2015.195
Lava lamp. (n.d.). How Products are Made. Web.
Rollè, L., Gullotta, G., Trombetta, T., Curti, L., Gerino, E., Brustia, P., & Caldarera, A. M. (2019). Father involvement and cognitive development in early and middle childhood: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1–18. Web.
Rudnick, L. (2020). Synthetics, mineral oils, and bio-based lubricants: Chemistry and technology. CRC Press.
Sills, J., Rowse, G., & Emerson, L.-M. (2016). The role of collaboration in the cognitive development of young children: a systematic review. Child: Care, Health and Development, 42(3), 313–324. Web.
‘The inspiration’ ferrofluid lava lamp. (n.d.). Inspired Designs. Web.