(Video link here.) This video of Sunita “Sunny” Williams giving a tour of the International Space Station came via our new friend and prolific idea-generator Susan Dworski, with this note: Totally astonishing. Have no idea how to use. Polar opposite from chairs made of dowels. Maybe you could compare and contrast somehow? Every kid should see…
Read Morekid’s modernist chair designs we want to fabricate
We are knocked out by the insanely beautiful, moderne chair designs made out of construction paper by 3rd & 4th graders at Turtle Lake Elementary School in Minnesota. They are highly architectural, thoughtfully made and colored, with a sophisticated minimalist aesthetic. We see them as fine inspiration for chairs and chaises made of plywood or heat-bendable plastic…
Read Morelooking beyond the obvious
We found this image at The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things. The commentary said it all: ….they are not merely ignoring the art on the walls, but literally looking beyond those walls….This is intense, curious looking… The square grid-like vent seems congruous with the canvasses of the modern art gallery, and the children are inspired…
Read Morediy stamped gift wrap (from erasers + potatoes)
A few weeks ago, after Susan Dworski mentioned that she carved stamps out of erasers, we started thinking about all the things you could do with home-made stamps. Why not stamp a pattern on sheets or rolls of paper to make your own fab holiday wrapping paper? (It’s easy, you just get yourself some Staedtler…
Read More‘the world sends us garbage, we send back music.’
(Video link here.) Susan Dworski alerted us to this stunning video, in an email with the subject line: “ah, the improvisational human spirit”. It’s about a remarkable orchestra from a remote village in Paraguay — a slum built on landfill — where its young musicians play with instruments made from foraged trash. The village’s inhabitants…
Read More‘improvised life’s’ favorite last-minute thanksgiving recipes
For the past couple of days, we’ve been getting calls from friends asking for recommendations for the Thanksgiving meal: the best way to cook the turkey, what side dishes, what to drink. So for all our readers who may still be at odds with what they are going to make tomorrow, here’s our round-up of…
Read Morebriliantly curated apps, videos, books for kids (+ adults)
We are smitten with Tinybop, a site of books, apps, videos, toys for kids. The curating is GREAT here. Many of their suggestions will help your child-in-mind (or you) to bloom. We’ve found a ton of stuff that WE want. Dig these cool apps:
Read More‘games we play’ + a design game to play in your head
(Video link here.) This video about the private little games people (especially kids) play in their heads reminded me of one I’ve been playing for years. When I walk by a really tacky store–say, of clothes or furniture–I look at the display and imagine, if I absolutely had to, how or what would I choose…
Read Morereader’s improv: the extreme parenting video project
(Video link here.) Today in our inbox we found an email from Elizabeth Aquino, a long-time reader and an acute, avid commenter. She wrote to tell us of a video project she collaborated in making: I am the parent of a child with severe disabilities, a job that calls for near constant improvisation. I asked…
Read Morewhy not half a mustache?
We LOVE Sofia Rower’s half a mustache!!! We want one! It makes us wonder why we never see men sporting half a mustache…what a surprise that would be. (Sofia was in Peru this summer with 100 clowns from all over the world. They were painting murals in poor villages and working/transforming the vibe in clinics.…
Read Moregrownups on swings
The other day walking in a nearby park early one morning, we came upon a line of swings – big kid’s swings – in a playground. So we thought ‘Why not?‘ and did what we hadn’t done in many many years: swung HIGH looking at up at trees and sky. via DVDP Related posts: xhousegifts to…
Read Morefort magic (pop-up rooms indoors and out)
Having no hidden rooms in our apartments, we have written a number of posts mulling ways to make an “instant”, impermanent guest room in our space. They are usually along the lines of something a kid would make, since secretly, we love the feeling of forts, teepees, treehouses. We are always on the lookout for…
Read Moreharlem nyc 98 degrees: beating the heat
In Harlem, the response to NYC’s recent heatwave has been highly improvisational; rigged umbrellas are everywhere, lashed to fence posts, tree trunks and baby carriages. Hats of all kinds have been configured, lots of chairs arranged under trees. We saw some folks who set up a giant open air cabana on the street so they…
Read Moreisabel rower’s hand paintings
Occasionally, Maria Robledo emails a picture of the latest “hand” drawing her daughter Isabel has made. We’ve got a small collection, and love them because we’re big fans of hands (and other parts of the body) as a drawing/writing palette (we especially love to write signs hidden in the palm of our hands). The one…
Read Morecopy these: plywood chairs + tables (for kid’s or adults)
We are smitten with these vintage plywood children’s chairs whose very direct, modern lines and whimsical port holes make us envision an adult version. (Turned on it’s side, a chair could easily morph into a table…). There’s something Donald Judd-esque about them, softened by the curved corners. They wouldn’t be too hard to copy…They look…
Read Moreaging as growing (0 to 12 years old in 3 mins)
Hans Hofmeester filmed his daughter Lotte once a week for the past twelve years. Then he edited snippets of film together to produce this time-lapse video of her growing from a baby into lovely 12-year-old, in under 3 minutes. For us, GROWING is the operative word. Once you get past 40 or 50, aging often…
Read Moretv break: the little rascals improvise a cake
(Video link here.) Of the many episodes of The Little Rascals produced in the ‘thirties, this clip has to be one of the best: the poor, ever-resourceful, uninhibited, unsupervised gang of kids make a cake filled with prizes, following the recipe in a completely original way. The backstory: Dickie’s abusive dad is so mean to Dickie’s…
Read Morecaine’s arcade: a miracle of cardboard, tape, imagination
(Video link here.) This morning, we found several emails from readers alerting us to this video that is flying around the internet like wildfire. It’s about 9-year-old Caine who devised an elaborate arcade out of cardboard, great quantities of packing tape, plastic toys – whatever he could find – over the course of a summer…
Read Morethe best fabric pen for ‘drawing just for fun’
On the great blog Made by Joel, when we found a post that began: “I was drawing…just for fun.” We love to hear about people experimenting, with no particular destination in mind. In the end, he took one of the drawings and turned it into a little pillow for one of his kids. He also mentioned…
Read Moreed emberley’s drawing book: make a world
A friend once told us that when she was young, she learned to draw from Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book: Make a World. We recently checked it out, and loved how Emberley breaks down a drawing: using simple shapes as building blocks, you create objects and faces one piece at a time. Even those of us…
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