kidmade

kidmade challenge #2-Blowin' in the Wind

Check out this video of the amazing kinetic sculpture artist Theo Jansen.

As I sit here typing the trees are blowing and the house is shaking. May in Illinois means wind and lots of it.  I thought this month we would take advantage of all that wind and get inspired to create something that blows in the wind.  Below you'll see lots of inspiration from amazing wind-powered kinetic sculptures to simple sled kites and reused plastic bags.  So go take a walk and find a bit of your own inspiration. I know you'll blow us away with all the wonderful ways wind can inspire you.  (Seriously, I couldn't pass up all the great windy puns)

Not many how-to's here.  If it blows in the wind it fits this months challenge.  Please submit a picture of your project with your name and age and any details you would like to share by May 31st to kidmadeATyahooDOTcom.  There are a bunch of links below but please comment on any links that you find, I'll add them to the list.

Wind Powered Kinetic-Sculpture

Paolo Uliana

Lyman Whitaker

Tim Prentice

Steve Noll

Flickr Images

Field of Shoppies by Spikey Face

Unidentified Wind Sculpture by duncan davison

Windblown by Apple Crisp

Kites and Kite Making

Paper kite

Sled Kite

Kites from Around the World

Whirligigs

Vollis Simpson video and more

Books

The Wind Blew

Asian Kites

Kite Flying

The Kite Fighters

Making Animated Whirligigs

Feel the Wind

Constructions for Children (ideas, how-to and mechanisms)

The Self-Portrait Gallery is up. Go check-out all the great submissions.

Self-Portraits

Just a quick reminder that the self-portrait challenges are due tomorrow.  You can email a picture and any descriptions or notes to kidmadeATyahooAtcom. I should have the gallery up by Friday and I have already received some great submissions.  Next months challenge will be posted on Thursday.  (don't worry if you are a few days late, I can still add pictures to the gallery.)

I can't wait to see what all your great work. 

a kidmade go-kart

Along with the monthly creativity challenges I wanted kidmade to be a place where kids could blog about the stuff they make.  I am always amazed by how patient and thoughtful my girls are while they are in the middle of one of their projects.  These are the projects that are self-initiated and usually spontaneous.  I am often around to help out, hold blocks, find materials, or ask questions but these projects are kid-directed.  Sometimes the outcome is stunning and inspiring and sometimes we end up with a big wad of tape and cardboard but the process they have been through is what inspires me.  Documenting these experiences and the child's reflection on the project is always insightful.  So please play along and inspire us by sending your own kid-inspired, kid-directed posts to kidmadeATyahoo.com

Allright, enough mom talk, on to our very first kidmade kid post. (Yep, full nepotism here)

A Lego Go-Kart by Anya, age 5

I was trying to make a go-kart. I used Legos.  First I tried using a lego wheel cart but it would not work.  And then I tried to make a floor but the floor would not stay.  I had to make the floor thicker.  Then I had to make sides for the roof.  Then I decided to make the deck, but the deck kept breaking so I had to take it apart.  Then figure out how to make the wheels.  So I used Tinker Toys.  I added the Tinker Toys on and I had a go-kart.  My favorite part was that Maddie's animals could go inside.

kidmade challenges

On the left sidebar you will see a button to go to the very first kidmade challenge.  Each month kidmade will be offering up a new creativity challenge for kids. The theme for each of these challenges will be pretty general.  Small materials lists may be provided and most of these will be things you can find in your art cabinet or recycling bin.  I have always been inspired by the variety of outcomes a group of kids can come up with using the same materials.  These challenges are really about the process each child goes through and how each child/artist brings their own perspective and experience to the challenge.   

The theme and any guidelines will be announced on the first day of the month and entries will be due on the last day of the month.  I plan to include links to books and websites that might inspire you on the given challenge.  Please leave comments of other books or sites you find that are relevant.

Monthly submissions should include a picture of the given project (or writing if it is a writing challenge)  and a little blurb about what you did and how you did it , along with your first name and age.  I will put together a gallery to display all the entries. 

Send to kidmadeATyahooDOTcom

I was inspired to offer these challenges by all of the monthly mommy craft challenges like Tie One On  and Whiplash.  I thought it would be fun to have challenges and galleries of some kidmade projcets. 

I can't wait to see all of your entries.

Welcome to kidmade

Kidmade is all about kids and the things they make.  The whole crafty blog world is such a great place to show off the sewing, knitting and other crafty projects we all do. Many of us share the projects we do with our kids on our own blogs.  Kidmade is a place for kids to share their projects, whether they be art, music, poetry or just a really great block creation. This is the place where kids get to tell us about their work in their own words. 

Here's the vision, your kid makes something they are really proud of, you say, hey would you like to share this with other kids?  Your child responds "Oh, yes mommy that would be wonderful." or "Uh, okay."  Take a picture, have the kid write a nice little bit telling us about what they have made.  (It's okay for mom or dad to do the typing if they are not writing yet.)  You send off an email to kidmadeATyahoo.com and I post it.  Everyone comes ohh's and ahh's and leaves great feedback in the comments or just gets a bit of inspiration.

The fine print. 

1. It really needs to be kidmade and kid inspired.

2. The post should be in their own words.  We really don't care about grammar.

3. Not sure how many of you will be submitting so I will send you a reply when I am going to post the entry.  I may save projects of a like theme to combine or do all poetry one day, photography the next.  I'm really that kinda fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda gal.  We'll figure it out as we go. 

4.  Let's go with a 1 submission per month rule, unless of course only 3 of you submit and then go ahead send 'em in.

5. I probably won't update everyday.   

6.  More fine print to be added as we figure this all out.