Hi John,
I hope this message finds you well!
Our kids are settling back into a school routine, which is always a big shift from summer, while Scott and I are getting ready to welcome our college residents back to campus in a couple weeks. Crazy how time flies.
I have a fun collection of design inspiration, open-ended art projects (my favorite), parenting news, and creative projects for you today. I'll start with a few from TinkerLab...
- Updated for 2019 is our 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.
- And, one of our favorite ways to pop popcorn that will blow your mind is this idea to pop it straight from the cob.
- Kindness and empathy are so important for our kids, which is why I love this roundup of 35 kids books that teach about empathy and kindness. It includes old faves like A Sick Day for Amos McGee, and so many new books you'll love knowing about. (Huffington Post)
- For my classroom art teacher friends, I'm inspired by this idea to have each student make a face that becomes part of a big, collaborative installation. Thinking I may try a version of this with our dorm residents when they return this fall. Inspired by Kev Munday (Art with Mr. E)
- I now have a middle schooler - it's unbelievable, really. If you do, too, you may enjoy reading How Parents Can Help Middle Schoolers Build Confidence and Character (MindShift/KQED).
- On that middle school note, I just ordered Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. It's supposed to be good and I picked it up for a book club. Also, the author, Lisa Damour, is coming to the Bay Area if you're interested in hearing her talk. It's free and as of this moment, there are still tickets available.
- One of my favorite writers is Brene Brown, who has a new parenting-related post, What Toni Morrison Taught me about Parenting. The key takeaway is to "let your face speak what's in your heart. When they walk in the room my face says I’m glad to see them. It’s just as small as that, you see?" Amen.
- These little paper houses (Instagram) by Clare Szydlowsky Odom are inspiring me to craft a house template for kids to decorate and dream up different ideas on. Clare made 50 of these pieces for a 50/50 Art Show (50 small artworks, made in 50 days) at Sanchez Art Center (Pacifica, CA) is open until 9/22/19.
- Mr. Mash (Instagram) is the original creator of the 1000 degree potato masher. We love art experiments, and Mr. Mash calls his work "Experiments you don’t want to do at your home.” We're so glad he's there to do the dirty work for us. Read this article on Newstatesman to learn more about him.
Coming soon: an invitation to join me as a TinkerLab collaborator, an introduction to a new language-learning tool, and details about our next TinkerLab challenge for families.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed our newsletter, feel free to forward it to a friend.
Your creative collaborator,
TinkerLab
p.s. Have you been inspired by anything this week? Tell me about it (just email me back) and I may share it next week.
Read our books: TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors + Creative Adventures in Cursive
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