John, hello and happy Wednesday! We're having some delightul drizzly weather (I got caught in it on my bike this morning!), students are arriving back on campus, and our dorm's maker space is about to get organized with fresh supplies. You can follow that journey as it evolves over on my Instagram stories. Calm before the storm, for sure!
I have a fun assortment of kids activities, sketchbook prompts, parenting ideas, and creativity inspiration for you today. If you filled out my survey, thank you! And if you'd like to share your ideas with me on how I can better help you when it comes to creativity and making things, pop over here. It should only take 5 mintues. Thanks!
- As you might know, my husband and I oversee the Design Dorm at Stanford. One of the coolest things about the space is the Art-o-mat machine that dispenses art for our students. We're partnering with The Anderson Collection this fall to bring the Art-o-mat into their galleries. If you're in the area, I encourage you to check it out.
- Paint or draw 50 different lines. Try this easy art prompt to super charge your creativity, or introduce this to your child or students. A fun exercise that's simple for anyone to do.
- Related, if you keep a sketchbook (if not, do it!) and could use some creativity prompts to warm up, try one-minute drawings, scribble all over the page, or fill in some cirlces
- If you haven't already seen this, check out the updated for 2019 big list of 50 fall activities you can do with kids. Because we're into minimizing these days, there's no way we're doing all of them, but the list has sooo much inspo for fall and you'll want to print a copy for your fridge. Related, print a copy of the Pumpkin Pie Playdough Recipe so you'll be ready to go with a seasonal sensory activity that will keep your little one safely entertained.
- In case you missed it, a baby zebra was born with polka dots instead of stripes. Adorable, amazing, and one more reason to let kids color and draw animals however they like!
- French knots! In case you're teaching your child emroidery, this French knot tutorial is so easy to follow and a great technique for adding texture to your work.
- If you're a Disney fan, through the end of September kids can get a bedtime call from some of their favorite characters by calling 877-7-MICKEY
- The freedom to choose creates competent kids. A sentiment I agree with wholeheartedly, from our friends at Teach Preschool.
- If you consider yourself a maker or a creative, How to turn a Creative Spark into Something Real is a fun read. Cliff note headline version: Pay attention, write it down, put a stake in the ground, create boundaries, ask for feedback, map it out, go down rabbit holes.
- My friend Anna at The Imagination Tree writes about the benefits of playing with of play dough. After getting inspired, you might want to try making our famous play dough recipe or try the no-cook version here.
Coming soon: an invitation to join me as a TinkerLab collaborator, a giveaway of STEAM books from Quarto, a giveaway of the Habbi language reading wand, and details about our next TinkerLab challenge for families.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoy the newsletter, feel free to forward it to a friend.
Your creative collaborator,
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Rachelle Doorley
TinkerLab
Read my books: TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors + Creative Adventures in Cursive
Join me in our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clubtinkerlab/
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinkerlab/
