Category Archives: reuse

Italian Anyone?

If I told you CReATE STUDIO had a distant connection to an Italian city would you believe it? Let’s go back in time the days of World War ll when a small group of people took matters into their own hands to provide the children of their town with enriching early childhood education with a curious, hands-on foundation.
Legend has it, they gathered everyday things (something we know a lot about) to use as mediums for learning and discovery. Whatever was around anyone’s house was what was incorporated I am told. The town of Reggio Emilia today still adopts original principals for learning through experience and connection in a curriculum also used around the world and known as Reggio Emilia. We even have a Reggio inspired preschool in our own backyard, Oak Park Neighborhood School. Reggio’s kind of child centered learning makes sense to me because I see it everyday as children of all ages create through their own curious processes in our open-ended studio. I am not of a mind to teach but I do find the Reggio spirit flitting about our studio without our even realizing it. It seems that natural materials are often used in Reggio inspiration today but in our case, cardboard pieces, tin cans and twist ties do a similar job of connecting kids to their own big ideas and explorations as well as in working collaboratively with friends.
Are you curious to know the Reggio mindset? I like An Everyday Story’s explanation and find our studio spirit echoed therein.
See what I see in kids, what your kids see. The next time you head out on a walk, notice what your kids are drawn to and see if you can keep a thread of that interest intact for a few minutes or the whole afternoon through conversation or creation. Was it about color, speed or texture? With your own curiosity you are on your way to noting the world through your kids eyes.

 

For Dad!

Happy Fathers make happy days.
We’ve got reclaimed wood blocks just right for decorating for Dads world. Come in and make one your way, bring a picture to make it an awesome photo block!

Think it, make it!

“Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind you will hold it in your hand.” Bob Proctor
Chloe dreamed up a room for her Barbie, then came to CReATE and made it so.
There is a lot of power in thought so it’s not lost on me that Chloe used hers to create this chic bedroom scene (with a little help from her mom). Creating for fun is a powerful tool for cultivating big dreams for the future whether it’s a 3D room or a simple vision board. Think it, make it, live it. That’s how I made CReATE STUDIO 🙂

Jemma Wildermuth
Owner, CReATE STUDIO

Timeless

Cardboard box play was where it all began for me.
Back in the day my friends and I would make a village of box houses and stores in the yard and play there for hours and days. That it’s still fresh In my memory suggests the power of creative play.

Woo Hoo!

CReATE STUDIO has been nominated for @greenamerica_ People and Planet award!! We are so honored and excited to be counted among those who seek to make positive and impactful contributions to our planet!
Please vote for us! If we win we will be able to develop Reuse Awareness and Action for Good program to broaden our reach to children, families and communities near and far! https://www.greenamerica.org

Your Way…

Creating your way is our way Tuesday-Friday 11am to 6pm and Weekends from 12-4pm

Blast off!

What did the water bottle say to the plastic Easter eggs and cardboard tubes?
“Lets be the Space Shuttle Endeavor and Soar!”

To Tinker is to build life skills for all ages but here I am focused on fostering the tinker mindset with kids.
I believe, along with a larger Tinkering movement, that kids need to tinker around, or in my language to create to connect with themselves, be in their thoughts, try our the ideas that come to mind. It’s how they connect concepts naturally and willingly trouble shoot trouble issues because they are interested in what they are doing.
Gever Tulley, founder of Tinkering School in San Francisco describes tinkering in his Ted Talk in a manner that matches my theory on the importance of these kinds hands-on experiences kids NEED to be having. He provides hammers and other tools among other things to set a tinkering tone while we use recycled materials and lots of glue but our concepts match – the goal is to make stuff.
There are three simple ways you can help create tinkering time for your kids at home:
1) Time– allow some down time, a session in the day where your kids can be present without the distraction of devices or the anticipation of what’s on thier schedule.
2) Stuff– Keep a container of recycled stuff in an assessable place that the kids can help themselves to. This container lots of packaging odds and ends like, cereal and cracker boxes, egg cartons, twist ties, packing boxes, plastic fruit containers. You name it. See our donation list for inspiration.
3) Tools– These are what you need to alter and attach things. Attaching things is the real fun of tinkering time. Keep pens and pencils, scissors, tape, staplers, paper clips, twist ties, or pipe cleaners and ribbon or yarn. *Glue and hot glue are fun attachers but can lead to more mess than  you may want at home so for this kind of tinkering I’ve left them out, additionally, *save hammers and screwdrivers for bigger jobs that include wood, metal or harder plastics.
These three ingredients add a healthy, free form, hands-on element to your child’s day. Think of it as exercise for their creativity muscle, the one I call a thinking muscle in your brain. They’ll be happier for the time to be in their own curious zone and better equipped to manage their kid responsibilities too.
* Safety and respect are always key. Talk to your kids about how to be safe with the tools they use in their tinkering space and what clean-up you expect them to do at the end of their session.

Pretty.

We’re growing a faux cactus at CReATE from an old gym sock. Our friend @kristinavirtuedesigns used her pretty modern calligraphy to wrote a word of support for our sock friend.
Kristina will be visiting our next Pinspired Night on Friday June 1st to help us decorate our own pots with pretty words. You won’t want to miss it!

Rustic

Love the way these simply chic rustic signs turned out at last Nights Pinspired Project night. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Nothing in nature is exhausted in its first use”. Especially not sticks.