Puffy Paint

I can't believe I've never tried this project before. It was so easy and fun that I ended up doing it three times this week... first with my own kids, then as a project at my son's school, and then with our music class. I have a little bit of PTSD after working with lots and lots of squirrelly little 4 and 5 year olds. In particular my own kids, who tend to just dump out all the paint, smear it all over their bodies, and then run away screaming. They can engage with art projects sometimes, but it's a delicate trick... figuring out what will draw them in. This project was perfect because the bottles are just so irresistible to squeeze that no one could deny their hypnotic powers. And the finished products all ended up looking really cool... not that that is necessarily necessary.... I especially liked how it looked on the black background.

Puffy Paint

1 c. salt

1 c. flour

1 c. water

a healthy squirt of food coloring or tempera paint.

Put in squeeze bottles for Puffy Paint Paradise.

Tinkering for grown-ups

I was invited to do this team-building activity for a group from Whole Foods this week.This was so much fun... We made drawbots and desktop succulent gardens out of sardine cans (my kids have been insane for sardines lately... seriously they're almost on par with candy to use as a lure to get them to do my bidding). I really think the tinkering is a great way to break adults out of their shells. My heart was SO greatly warmed seeing these sweet folks get so excited... laughing, shrieking, problem-solving... it was totally adorable.

I have been doing a lot of work on Austin Tinkering School lately... just trying to get it all ship-shape so that it can hopefully be a real actual livelihood that can perchance support my whole family in the manner to which they've become accustomed. My husband recently quit his job to work with me full time on ATS(Unbelievable! Amazing! Terrifying! Exciting! Wild and wonderful! ) so this is not very hypothetical and these musings are quite pertinent to our life. Matt quit his job mid-summer and did all the tinkering camps with me, which was perfectly amazing, and that's the kind of completely exciting and satisfying and hands-on work that we love. Since then there's actually been about a 6 week period with hardly any classes (they all start next week) and we've just been thinking website, registration forms, 'pay now' buttons (ooh! fancy!), tax ID numbers, all this stuff I could never get to on my own and is simply amazing to be getting to now, with Matt's help. However I have found myself to be getting bogged down, and I've been thinking that I needed to refresh and revive myself and remind myself of what I am after here, like WHY does Austin Tinkering School need to come to life. Yes, it's a money-making venture, and that's important, but I don't think that should really be the taproot of the whole thing. If money is simply all I need it would surely be faster and easier to just get a job at Starbucks. Anyway, this is all a very garbledy and roundabout way of saying that I think the purpose of it all is just to bring that excitement of creation and making to people's lives. I can't say we always achieve it but there were lots of great moments during the camps this summer where kids were just completely lit up from within. And to see these adults completely giddy... that makes me feel like we are providing a valuable service. Now to see if we can keep sending out sparks while keeping our family out of the poorhouse... I do believe we can... think good thoughts for us all!

Magnetic slime!

A few months ago I was hell bent on making this magnetic silly putty I had heard about... and couldn't find the ferric iron oxide powder it called for anywhere (the instructions state that it should be easy to find at any reasonably-well-stocked art store, but not in Austin it isn't) so I went ahead and ordered it online.

Jack found it pretty fun but truthfully I found it to be a bit of a bust. Not very easy to massage the powder into silly putty... and I couldn't imagine doing it with a whole group of kids (which is why I ordered 5 pounds of the stuff). So what to do with this huge bag of this bizarre powder.

Some good buds were coming over for a sleep over tonight when I stumbled upon the solution. I was thinking of making slime with them for some cheap laffs when I suddenly wondered what would happen if I chucked some of this powder into the brew. Well it worked like gangbusters, as illustrated by Jack saying, "I'm so lucky to have the coolest mom ever!" and Oliver, the visiting friend, saying, "I'm so lucky to be the friend of the coolest mom ever!" Aw shucks, guys, flattery will get you everywhere!

It was much easier to mix and I was able to add a lot, so that it was ultra magnetic. Here's the recipe:

Solution A (mix well)

1 c. warm water

1 tsp. borax

Solution B (mix well)

1/2 c. white glue

1/2 c. warm water

1/3 c. ferric iron oxide powder

Add Solution B to Solution A and don't mix, but gently swirl the bowl so it sloshes around for a few seconds. Then, voila! You have achieved slimeage. Neodymium magnets are recommended, for their super strong magnetic powers. Just play around with it and have fun, it's mighty strange stuff.

In all honesty we really were bending over backwards to make this the most kick ass sleep over ever (like the mixed metaphors there?), not really for any particular reason but that we often kind of phone it in when having a sleepover and I feel a tad guilty about that, and right now I don't have any classes going on or anything, not 'til mid September, so I actually was not all tired and grumpy and burned out (so sad! but alas, it's true). So anyway, not only did we have magnetic slime and swimming and ice cream sundaes BUT a freakin' transformer exploded out on the street and caused the parched grass of this terribly drought-fried land (77 days in a row of over 100 degrees temperatures here in Austin, TX) to burst into flame! SO it was incredibly exciting with real fire (quickly stomped out and sprayed on with garden hoses) and then fire engines and police cars, and the term "exploding transformers' completely dazzled the five year olds... we could not have planned a more dynamic and memorable evening. Best. Sleepover. EVER!!

More City Museum....

Did you think you'd get off that easy? I intend to go on and on about this place...

City Museum

Simply the Best!! Mind... completely... blown... can't say much more than that. This place defies any easy definitions.... let's just say that it's rife with secret passageways, miles of labyrinthine tunnels, ladders, and slides (including one that is 10 stories high!) and what's more: it's all made from pieces of St. Louis.... huge hunks of steel from ancient factories and institutions, fighter jets and school buses and carnival rides... all welded together into one giant artistic playground. And nothing is off limits.... that hole in the floor, that secret door, that tunnel that leads up into the ceiling... you're expected to explore it all.... including some tunnels I followed my kids down where my adult body could barely fit. I also absolutely loved how unapologetic they were.... seems like in this day and age the most safe and sanitized children's museum will have anxious employees fluttering about making sure no one gets hurt, but in this place the wristband you receive upon entry states, " City Museum is full of creativity, adventure and learning... Use Care, Caution and Common Sense. City Museum does not take responsibility for accidents or injuries that may occur". I love how they just treat it like, 'We created this amazing place and you get to explore it. Now be responsible for yourself and don't do anything stupid.' There were definitely employees around but the two main rules that they seemed to be enforcing were Don't Run and Keep your Shoes on. And they were wearing shirts that said, "No maps" and "Get Lost". Ahhh! I love it!

I just feel like I want everyone I know to be able to go check out this man-made wonder. I've never seen anything like it. A true masterpiece, and just such a full-body sensory experience.... I wish I could have captured how delighted my kids were there, and it felt so good to not have to walk around policing them like we might have to in other environments. And any other amusement park type place we might have to wait in lines for a few minutes of pleasure, but here... everywhere you turned was some new experience, some new mystery.

After two full days here Jack was still weeping when we had to leave. Maybe in a few years, when Bob Cassily's new project Cementland opens, we'll return.... I can't wait!

Camping in the Ozarks!

Here I am, haven't even finished regaling you with tales of all my tinkering camps and such (I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat), but can't help but jump ahead and crow about a Most Amazing Adventure I had the good fortune to go on last week. A pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming kind of week... City Museum in St. Louis, where I've been DYING to go for years and years and years! And camping in the Ozarks on the way.... So. Much. Fun.