Discover Your Own Neighborhood with the KieZi Backpack
How do children experience their neighborhood? Where do they feel comfortable, and where do they see a need for change? With the “Kiezi” backpack, children become neighborhood explorers: They explore their surroundings, document their perspectives, and develop their own ideas for a child-friendly neighborhood.
The Kiezi Backpack is a project of the School Social Work for Children program in the state capital of Wiesbaden and was developed as part of the “Auf die Plätze, fertig, los!” project in cooperation with World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026. It invites children to consciously explore their neighborhood from their own perspective and engage with their immediate surroundings.
With the backpack in hand, they head out into the neighborhood: children explore familiar and unfamiliar places, search for their favorite spots, take a closer look at their route to school and playgrounds, and discover what makes their neighborhood special. At the same time, they explore the question of just how child- and environmentally-friendly their living environment actually is. Where are the green spaces? How clean is our neighborhood? How do we get around? Where do we feel comfortable, and where could things be improved?
In the process, the children themselves become explorers of their neighborhood. They observe, take photos, gather impressions, and develop their own ideas. Topics such as the environment, mobility, climate protection, and sustainability are linked to concrete, on-site experiences. In this way, children not only get to know their neighborhood better, but also realize that their observations and ideas are important for its future development.
The KieZi Workbook—Your Guide on a Journey of Discovery
The centerpiece of the backpack is the Kiezi Workbook. This interactive, hands-on workbook guides children as they explore their neighborhood and includes numerous activities and ideas: from a photo scavenger hunt along the way to school and a playground check to a trash challenge and the topics “Green Neighborhood” and “Climate Heroes.”
In it, children can document their discoveries, evaluate places, express their wishes, and develop their own ideas. A letter template also allows them to share their concerns with the neighborhood council. In this way, the workbook combines exploration, environmental education, and genuine children’s participation.
The backpack also contains additional materials to support the discovery tour—including games and writing supplies, an instant camera for documenting special places, and a trash grabber.
Join in and go on a journey of discovery yourself
The Kiezi Backpack is designed as a permanent offering of the School Social Work for Children program and can be used even beyond the 2026 project year. Organizations involved in school social work for children, open child and youth services, as well as other organizations and groups, can borrow the backpack for their own neighborhood explorations through the Office of Social Work at: schulsozialarbeit-kinderwiesbadende. Please also specify the desired time period and your contact information. This program is intended for elementary school-aged children starting in third grade.