Build Outside – Miniatures

Every summer we go camping and spend days, weeks and even months outside playing in nature. And every summer my girls and their friends build outdoor habitats for the magical, mysterious creatures known as fairies.

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We encourage  magic and mystery with the kids while they are in their natural surroundings. Imaginative play through constructing outdoor fairy houses from natural materials such as bark, sticks, stones, flowers, grasses, acorns and pine cones; along with small pieces of trash they find around the camp site like bottle caps, broken sunglasses, pieces of plastic. We use this collection time to have conversations with our mini architects to talk about preserving nature and not littering. We talk about how harmful it is to birds and water life when people don’t properly dispose of their garbage.

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When  building a fairy house think about all of the possibilities: such as creating a pebble path, making a fence out of sticks, a walnut-shell bathtub,  leaf hammock, a bark bed or a stone table.

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You can do this in your own back yard, at a playground or even in a container filled with dirt on a balcony of an apartment. You need only to get outside, take a walk, carry a bag or a bucket and collect things. Bring back the found goodies to the place you will construct and begin the process to create a welcoming home for fairies.

Want more ideas? Check out these books – they are some of our favorites:

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Fairy House: How to Make Amazing Fairy Furniture, Miniatures, and More from Natural Materials

Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 12.38.43 PMFairies: Real Encounters With Little People

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Local STEAM

I have had the privilege over the last several months to be a STEAM advisor for the City of Tempe to assist on an upcoming family friendly summer series that includes and exhibit and a series of both kid and adult workshops.

 

STEAM

Public Opening Reception: TONIGHT – May 27, 6-9 p.m. | Free

The exhibition runs May 27-Sept 17

STEAM is a movement inspired by the popularity of STEM-based education. It seeks  to inspire creative thinking and collaboration between the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. This exhibition features art and interactive scientific displays which explore these connections. It also highlights the individuals who are using the various disciplines to transform and make better the lives of everyday people.

Thank you for your support: 

I will be leading a workshop for adult ladies this summer. I list that here first. Then continue to scroll to see all of the kid and adult workshops offered by the City of Tempe around the idea of STEAM.

STEAMY logo pic

July 22 | S.T.E.A.M.-Y Ladies Night Out
with artist Cyndi Coon and scientist Catherine Seiler

Did you know that people aren’t the only things that like “selfies?” Inspired by the work of artist Ernst Haeckel, this hands-on workshop includes down-to earth science talk about diatoms and the opportunity to draw your own mini “Cellfies.” It will be like taking a snap shot of your own cells!

Coon is the Chief Experience Officer and President of Laboratory5 Inc. and Seiler is a Program Manager at the Biobank Core Facility at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

Family Workshops

Visit a new Maker Space theme every two weeks! Enjoy these free workshops on Saturdays from Noon-2 p.m. in the Gallery.

Bird Sanctuary

Picture3May 28 | Recycled Cardbird Looms
with Madison Creech & Molly Koehn

Cardboard looms can be taken anywhere and made out of any scrap cardboard. Learn basic tapestry weaving techniques.

Picture4June 4 | Birds and Blooms 
with Frank Gonzales

Create a delicate bird and flower drawing with a vibrant splash of you favorite vibrant color.

Insect Lab

Picture5June 11 | Insect Specimen Jars
with Dr. Sangmi Lee

See some live specimens from ASU’s Hasbrouck Insect Collection at the School of Life Sciences and decorate an insect jar of your own.

Picture6June 18 | Frankenstein Moths
with TCA staff

Inspired by the artwork of Alexandra Bowers. Use your mad scientist skills to create and draw a new insect species from different parts.

Body Shop

Picture7June 25 | Hand-Eye Coordination 
with Monica Aissa Martinez

Artists use their eyes, hands, brain and heart. Learn basic anatomy while drawing and making thoughtful connections.

Picture8July 2 | Robotic Hand
with TCA staff

A robotic hand doesn’t need  metal or a computer. Make a moving cardboard hand using bendable straws, string and a lot of imagination.

Maker Cafe

Picture9July 9 | T-Shirt Transfers
with Chandler TechShop

Bring your own t-shirt and create a DIY design that tells everyone how much you love STEAM! (Limited supply of kids and adult tees available for sale.)

Picture1July 16 | 3D Body Scanning & Printing
with ASU PRISM Lab’s Andrew Noble

See a live demonstration of 3D imaging technology and printing.

 

Camera Crazy

Picture10July 23 | Pinhole Camera 
with TCA staff

Did you know that cameras see the world upside down? Learn about optics by creating your own cardboard tube pinhole camera.

Picture11July 30 | Abstract Geo Drawings
with geologist Brad Vance

Rocks aren’t just full of textures and colors on the outside. Be inspired by microscopic images of minerals to create abstract art.

Bridge Challenge

Picture12August 6 | Lego Master Builder

Live demonstration by a master builder from Tempe’s new Legoland Discovery Center. Try your own hand at building a load-bearing bridge.

 

Big Kid Workshops

Why let kids have all the fun at the TCA’s STEAM exhibition? Big Kids like science and art too! Join us for these Friday night events for the 21 and older crowd. Arrive early to grab a cocktail and a snack at  “hello Friday” in the lobby. Then head into the Gallery for an arts and sciences inspired workshop.

Each workshop is Free and takes place in the Gallery from 6-8 p.m.

tee logo copy

June 17 | T-Shirt Transfers
with TCA staff

We’re living in a DIY (do-it-yourself) culture of home remodeling and furniture refurbishing. Why not put your own creative touch on the American classic, the t-shirt!

BYOT (bring-your-own-tee) or purchase one from us. We’ll help you choose a logo on our computer, cut it with a vinyl plotter and iron it on your tee. Walk in with an ordinary shirt and leave looking extraordinary in your new STEAM inspired fashion.

STEAMY logo pic

July 22 | S.T.E.A.M.-Y Ladies Night Out
with artist Cyndi Coon and scientist Catherine Seiler

Did you know that people aren’t the only things that like “selfies?” Inspired by the work of artist Ernst Haeckel, this hands-on workshop includes down-to earth science talk about diatoms and the opportunity to draw your own mini “Cellfies.” It will be like taking a snap shot of your own cells!

Coon is the Chief Experience Officer and President of Laboratory5 Inc. and Seiler is a Program Manager at the Biobank Core Facility at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

 

Listen In Nature

Many children in this country have lost all understanding that they are part of nature and are connected to nature.We live so fearfully that children will be nabbed or will get hurt that we keep them inside and away from danger. But ultimately we are harming them far worse by robbing them of the experiences that can only be found outside in nature.

“To become stronger adults, kids need to be outside and allow their bodies to do what they’ve been designed for from the beginning. – Kacie Flegal, a chiropractor in Ashland, Ore., who specializes in pediatrics.

In college I studied Ornithology because I was obsessed with the film maker Peter Greenaway. His film A Walk Through H: The Reincarnation of an Ornithologist change my view of birds, film making and visual experiences.

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Some of Greenaway’s other best-known films include:  The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982), A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), The Belly of an Architect (1987), Drowning by Numbers (1988), and his most successful (and controversial) film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) also include references to Ornithology, birds and nature.

As a parent this has me thinking about sharing a love for birds with my children and if I want to get them outside to listen more I can start with the sound of various songbirds. Doing this can really can teach a child about the diversity of the natural world.

Once you spend time outside listing for birds why not get creative?  Set up an outdoor creativity studio where you can build and make things! Go grab these Free plans to build a birdhouse for your own back yard from Ana White

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ADDED BONUS:

While building your bird house listen to some classic music inspired by birds.

Laboratory5 Inc. is a small business based in Tempe, Arizona

Visit our website: Laboratory5       Follow us on Twitter: @lab5     Become a fan on Facebook: Laboratory5
Contact Us at anytime – we’d love to hear from you