Dogs and people — two of my favorite things. I like to kick off our Picks with creative inspo and this one cracks me up. Want to know more? Read on in pick number 7 below 😉

Photo: Stephen McMennemy (Instagram)

I have a fun collection of design inspiration, open-ended art projects (my favorite), science news, and creativity prompts for you today. I’ll start with a few from TinkerLab…

1. Do you have a young child who likes to paint? New on the TinkerLab blog is a roundup of ten open-ended painting provocations that encourage creative thinking.
2. Now that it’s officially spring (!), it’s making me think about Earth Day (April 22). Check out this massive list of 50 Earth Day Activities for something that’s sure to inspire your family or students.
3. Related, spring is a great time to start thinking about how to utilize a garden or outdoor area for creativity. This three-part article shows you how to set up a mud kitchen, mud kitchen accessory ideas, and creative ways to shop for your mud kitchen.
4. This will blow your mind: an underwater restaurant, Under, five and a half meters below the ocean’s surface opened this week in Norway. If nothing else, look at the photo on the home page. No surprise it’s fully booked for the next six months!
5. Have you ever wanted to sleep in a shipping container? Flophouze in Round Top, Texas offers an opportunity to stay in their uber-stylish, super modern shipping container hotel. They even have a shipping container pool. Feeling DIY? They’ll show you how you can build your own container home.
6. Caslon, Bodoni, Garamond, Cooper Black, and Baskerville. What’s behind these popular typeface names? Fast Company shares a new book, The Designer’s Dictionary of Type, and divulges the history of these 5 typefaces for us to enjoy. I didn’t realize that Garamond has been around since 1532!
7. Stephen McMennamy’s collage photo combinations (see above) are not only hilarious and sometimes profound, they can inspire your kids to come up with their own clever combinations. Take a look at his Instagram feed and you’ll be hooked. The videos are captivating, especially the girl with the dog-wagging ponytail.
8. Misophonia: have you heard of it? I remember my mom, who was hyper sensitive to sounds, getting upset when my brother and I chewed (loudly, maybe) gum in the car. Turns out that some people get enraged when other’s make sounds, and NPR tells us more about it in this article.
9. Let me preface this one by saying that I had no idea pocket projectors (a tiny projector that attaches to a phone and shines on the image on a wall) are a thing. Just the idea of it is amazing, and now I’m caught up with the 21st century. So, you have to check out this really cool idea for using a pocket projector as a tool for a light provocation for young children. (Fairy Dust Teaching)
10. This is a clever idea for creating Mondrian-style circle art from old maps. You just need some maps (or other black and white images) and markers to pull this off. Scroll down a few images to see the maps, although the other ideas are intriguing as well. (Imagination Box)

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

p.s. Have you been inspired by anything this week? Tell us about it in the comments and we may share it next week.

Sugary cereal rarely makes an appearance in our home, but this paper cereal animation is a catchy metaphor for filling up on artsy inspiration today. 🍭Mmmm.

Source: Giorgia Grassini

I’ll start us off with a couple new projects from the TinkerLab blog…

1. If you have paper plates and paint, try this super easy open-ended drawing and painting prompt at home or school: Painting and Drawing Paper Plate Craft (TinkerLab)
2. One of our all-time favorite camp crafts was making God’s Eyes, or Ojos de Dios. If you have popsicle or chopsticks, yarn, and scissors, you can easily whip out one (or a few) of these in under 15 minutes. (TinkerLab)
3. If you believe that movement and breathing breaks help students stay focused on learning, you’ll enjoy reading about some successful school-based mindfulness techniques here. (Mind/Shift, KQED)
4. Would you like to invite your toddler to participate more in the kitchen? Sprout creates modern kid-friendly furniture and they have a gorgeous adjustable wood kitchen helper that encourages independence and connection. They’re offering our readers 10% off orders over $95. Use the code Rachelle10 at checkout. (affiliate, Sprout)
5. Sometimes good design comes in the form of smart consumer packaging. Hats off to Trader Joes for their commitment to cutting one million pounds of single use plastics from their stores, in favor of compostable and renewable products. (Fast Company)
6. Lego Fans, I know you follow me! This will knock your socks off. A full scale VW Retro Camper, made of 400,000 plastic toy bricks. Just wow. (Web Urbanist)
7. These Easter Egg Stash-Buster Collages (just use whatever paper you have lying around) from are super simple and are easy to make for the littlest makers. (CraftWhack)
8. Maker and STEAM folks: learn how to make colorful salty circuits. (Babble Dabble Do)
9. Gorgeous chocolate play dough recipe here. You can practically smell it through the pictures! (Imagination Tree)
10. Apparently listening to music can impair creativity. Who knew? (Digital Journal). On the other hand, listening to happy music facilitates divergent thinking (Plos One)

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

p.s. Have you been inspired by anything this week? Tell us about it in the comments and we may share it next week.

Make an easy God’s Eye Craft, also known as Ojo de Dios (oh-ho-day-DEE-ohs), with yarn, sticks, and scissors. The technique is simple, materials are basic, they’re fun to make, and kids learn an easy weaving technique along the way.

God’s eyes, originally come from the Huichol people of Central Northwest Mexico, were created as protective and spiritual symbols that helped them connect more deeply to the natural world. 

Supplies

Yarn
Sticks
Scissors

Step 1: Connect your sticks

With a small bit of yarn, tie your two sticks together. Knot the yarn so it doesn’t come undone.

Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the sticks

Firmly hold the end of your yarn against the center of the sticks.Wrap the yarn in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction (you decide – just be consistent) around one of the sticks.

Move on to the next stick and then wrap it again.

Keep moving around in a circle, wrapping the yarn around each stick as you go.

If you run out of yarn or want to change colors, simply knot a new piece of yarn to the existing piece and keep going.

Make a knot around the stick when you’re done.

Watch the video for a visual tutorial on how this all comes together.

Watch the Video: How to make a God’s Eye Craft

When you’re done, you can hang the God’s Eye somewhere important as a symbol of good luck.

More Weaving on TinkerLab

Easy Box Loom Weaving that preschoolers can can proudly make with a little assistance.

Paper plate weaving is also simple. Instead of chopsticks, you’ll use a paper plate as your base. And you’ll notice we used a popsicle stick as a shuttle to help the yarn weave easily. We also show you how to turn your weaving into a small doll hammock!

More God’s Eyes

If you’re good with small details, try your hand at these tiny matchstick sized God’s Eyes, perfect as pendants, charms, or ornaments. > Pink Stripey Socks

Make a large God’s Eye with four walking stick sized branches and long scraps of fabric. > Petit and Small

Add some tassels to your God’s Eyes > Craftaholics Anonymous

Make a large hanging God’s Eye as room decoration > Petunia Pickle Bottom