This is our second installment of Creative Inspiration.
Today we have some inspiring holiday ideas, articles, and new blog posts to share.
Enjoy, and as always, please let me know what you think!
Education and Creativity Articles
Is Creativity in Decline? A longitudinal research study from the University of Washington Information School and Harvard University show that “some aspects of creativity — such as visual arts — have been rising over the years, while other aspects, such as creative writing, could be declining.” From Science 2.0
In Jordan, a Traveling Gallery Brings Paintings to Children. As a museum and arts educator, I really enjoyed this story about raising an awareness for art and bringing a rich arts experience to underserved children in Jordan. “The atmosphere was uproarious as children ran back and forth to the row of easels, proudly holding their drawings next to the originals for comparison. A few of the older boys at first acted as if they were too cool to draw. Yet, in the end, they, too, produced thoughtful depictions of their homes, their friends, and the rolling hills of Ajloun.” From The New York Times
Holiday Activities
Note: some of these activities contain affiliate links. We only share products that we love and/or that we think you’ll find useful. Your purchases through our links help keep our tinker-engine running, so thank you!
How to have a simple and sweet holiday: Alissa from Creative with Kids put together Keeping Christmas Cozy to help you design experiences that build family connection. Keeping Christmas Cozy is a PDF Dowload + Email Set selling for $4.99. It includes holiday activities, conversation starters and recipes. Starting December 1st, a set of weekly Cozy Christmas Emails to help you stay centered and enjoy the holidays.
Elfin Advent Calendar Idea: My dear friend, Jen, is an art therapist. She used to run a fantastic kids’ activities site called Paint Cut Paste. Have you heard of it? She doesn’t post very often since her career has taken off, but we’re in for a treat because she just shared a Waldorf-inspired elfin advent calendar. Since there are still a few days left until December 1, I thought some of you might want to give this one a try!
Free thank you card Printable! Print out these sweet thank you card notes from Playful Learning, and encourage your child to express gratitude. From the article: “Did you know that research supports the fact that gratitude makes us healthier and happier? With this is mind I set out to find a new way for us to share what we are thankful for together.”
Hands-on Holidays from Modern Parents Messy Kids is an enormous e-book that’s packed with ideas for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween (save those for next year!). If you buy this book by the end of the year, you’ll also get a free copy of the wildly popular Project Organize your ENTIRE Life Deal! Click here for more details and images.
New Blog Posts on Tinkerlab
Creative Table: Doilies and Scissors. If you’re a busy parent or a caregiver with a full day of meal-prep, cleaning, and activity planning, you’ll appreciate the simplicity of this invitations. All you need is some paper (maybe doilies), scissors, and tape.
Exploralab Book Review: We were thrilled to get an advance copy of Exploralab by The Exploratorium (Weldon Owen, September 2013) to review for our readers. Click over to the post for a full review and info on how you can win a free copy!
DIY Activity Advent Calendar: This oldie, but goodie, is brought back with some updates for 2013. The end of the article include a huge list of activities that can keep you busy all season long.
Join us for Sharing Friday
Coming this Friday: Share a photo of your Creative Table (AKA creative invitation, set-up, or provocation) on my Facebook page. The benefit? You’ll share your awesome idea and everyone comes away with tons of inspiration to carry them through the next week.
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