What values do primary children attribute to everyday objects within their experience?

Design and Technology in the National Curriculum requires children to evaluate the work of others. Through the criteria that the children use to evaluate everyday products the question of values and valuing arises. Young children are avid consumers and users and are allowed to make many choices related to what they use, eat and wear. These choices reflect their likes, dislikes and the values that they hold. This paper attempts to ascertain the values primary children attach to a particular everyday product within their experience, in this instance carrier bags. The objectives for this research were to find out: what values nine and ten year olds attribute to carrier bags from three different retail outlets; where these values came from; what these values are based on.