October 2012

November News and an Announcement

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Hi friends! Yesterday I shared that I would have some news for you today. Since, apparently, I’m terrible about keeping secrets across social media you may have already heard: I’m working on a Tinkerlab book (!!) to be published by Roost Books (2014). Holy Cow! I’m sharing this, in part, to explain why I haven’t [...]

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Tinkersketch Art Ideas

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Are you a creative parent or teacher who’s looking for some art ideas? Do you know about the ongoing #Tinkersketch art journal challenge that’s brewing over on Instagram? Every day, people just like you and me show up to snap and share photos of their sketchbook art ideas.  The idea behind this challenge is to [...]

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50 Simple Halloween Ideas

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Are you scrambling to pull some off some kid-friendly Halloween magic? Here are some simple Halloween ideas to help you move gracefully through the next few days. Simple Halloween Ideas: Science Experiments Dry Ice Experiment, Tinkerlab 5 Fun Science Experiements, Science Sparks Elephant Toothpaste, Preschool Powel Packets Erupting Pumpkin Experiment, Growing a Jeweled Rose 20 Best [...]

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Looking at Art with Kids: Norman Rockwell

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Have you spent any time looking at art — in a MUSEUM — with your child? Even though I’m an arts educator who spent years leading gallery tours and training docents, we don’t spend as much time in art museums as I’d like because, you know, my children look at everything as a potential playground. I [...]

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Fall Luminary: Make a Lantern

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Today I’m joined by Arts Educator extraordinaire, Amanda Gross, who’s back to show us how to make a Fall Luminary from leaves and melted crayons. Not only are these beautiful, but the processes of collecting leaves, peeling crayons, and melting the wax with an iron are sure to capture a child’s attention. Make a Lantern! [...]

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Fall Crafts: Glycerin Leaves

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We’re ga-ga for all the multi-colored maple leaves of the season, and my older daughter, N, is likely to burst into a chorus of “red and yellow leaves” as we drive down the road. I’ve been reading up on how to preserve the leaves so that they’ll last more than a couple days and it [...]

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We only think when confronted with a problem

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“We only think when confronted with a problem.” — John Dewey, American philosopher and educator What do you think about this quote by John Dewey?  I spend a lot of my time considering how to set the stage for open-ended discovery as a way to foster a child’s confidence and independence. If you caught my [...]

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Organize a Self-Serve Creativity Zone

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“The drive to master our environment is a basic human characteristic from the beginning — from birth.” –Jack P. Shonkoff, Harvard University (From Mind in the Making, Ellen Galinsky. New York: Harper Collins, 2010). Do you have self-serve spaces in your home that are dedicated to creativity, art, science, and tinkering? Today I’m sharing our [...]

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Organize Your Art Station

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Is your furniture constantly moving around your house, or are you the kind of person who finds the right place for something and it rarely moves? Me, I’m a mover. My furniture may as well have wheels underneath it thanks to all moving it does. And now I have one more excuse to rearrange my [...]

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