The Scrap Kins Build-It Blog

Parachutes Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:40:00 +0000

One of my new ScrapKins project designs is a Parachute made from a towel tube, string, tape and a plastic bag. I had fun teaching this one to the Kindergartners at the Lefferts Garden Charter School. They we're thrilled to learn about Gravity this way.

What You'll Need:
- paper towel tube cut in half or a toilet paper tube
- plastic bag (shopping, produce, bread, etc.) smaller is better
- about 48" of string
- scissors
- single hole punch
- masking or packing tape
- makers/crayons
- glue (if you are adding feet)
- small piece of cereal box or thin cardboard (if you are adding feet)

Basic Steps:
1) Punch 2 holes in the top of your towel tube on opposite sides.
2) Decorate your "Monster Parachuter." Add feet if you like. (Made from cereal box piece.)
3) Flatten out your plastic bag with handles/opening facing down. Cut off the bottom 1/3 of bag so you are left with a "jelly-fish-looking" top.
4) Cut 2 pieces of String to about 21".
5) Pass end of string through 1 hole and up the middle of tube. Repeat with other piece. You should have 4 string ends. (You'll notice in the photo that I tied the string to the tube. I realized later that passing the string through the hole is easier than tying knots :)
6) Tape the 4 string ends to the inside of your plastic bag. Picture the bag top like an oval with 4 corners. Tape one end of string in each of the 4 corners to space out the string. Make sure you stick the tape down well so the string doesn't slip out.
7) That's it. Practice launching your parachute!

ScrapKins GIANT Earth Day 2012 Coloring Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:09:00 +0000

In celebration of Earth Day, we're kicking off our ScrapKins Earth Day 2012 Coloring Contest on Facebook. Download our coloring page, get your little ones to color it and post the photo on our Facebook page. We'll choose 5 winners--3 will receive autographed ScrapKins Build-It Books, FIRST PRIZE is a book and $15 Amazon GiftCard and the GRAND PRIZE winner will get a $15 Amazon GiftCard, book, folder, stickers, button set and a personalized drawing of their favorite ScrapKin!

FIND OUT HOW TO ENTER HERE!

Spring/Summer EVENT SCHEDULE!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Our new Spring/Summer EVENT SCHEDULE is Up. Check out the listing of interactive ScrapKins events. Come out and Build Something!

EARTH DAY EXTRAVAGANZA

ScrapKins Recycled Arts and Booksigning

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 1 pm - 3 pm FREE

Mini Jake Kids Store 178 N. 9th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (718) 782-2005

TRIBECA FAMILY FESTIVAL

ScrapKins Recycled Arts and Booksigning

Saturday, April 28th, 2012 10 am - 6 pm FREE

Greenwich Street (from Hubert to Chambers Street) NYC

BAY AREA MAKER FAIRE

ScrapKins Recycled Arts and Booksigning

Saturday, May 19th, 2012 10 am - 8 pm

Sunday, May 20th, 2012 10 am - 6 pm

San Mateo, CA

WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL STREET FAIR

ScrapKins Recycled Arts and Booksigning

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 10 am - 6 pm FREE

Washington Square Park, NYC

Max Bent talks ScrapKins Business

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:26:00 +0000

Our good friend Max Bent, musician extraordinaire from Baltimore, asked ScrapKins some very interesting questions about working as an Artist and making a difference while making a living.

Check out the interview here:

Spend some time on his website. Great stuff. Thanks Max!

Inside the ScrapKins' Creative Lair

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:42:00 +0000

Here's what's on my desk this week:

Yes. I eat a lot of cereal. (Required eating if you build much of your body of work from food packaging.) Chomper just wishes he could taste all those crunchy flavors.

Things I think about on the subway...

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:23:00 +0000

Here's a little sketch from the new year.

Monster Orphan: Dunnegan

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:07:00 +0000

"Dunnegan"

Living on a rock makes for a hard life. Dunnegan paces back and forth guarding a granite boulder in the middle of a busy pedestrian plaza. Does the boulder hold a mysterious secret? No one is sure. All but invisible, Dunnegan has been sat on so many times, he has lost count.

5 FREE HOLIDAY TOYS YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:51:00 +0000

It's that time of year when the shopping frenzy is programmed into our brains. In the middle of the holidays, remember that sometimes the simplest gifts are the best. For younger kids the box is often more interesting than the toy itself. If you have a cereal box, a clean milk carton or a toilet paper tube you can actually make your own toy and get to experience a real gift, creative time together with your kids.

happy holidays! Check out the "Free Projects" section to learn how to make some recycled art projects.
These projects are all included our ScrapKins Build-It Book.

Click HereTo Download this graphic as a PDF.

The Monster Orphan Project: Orphan No. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:10:00 +0000

"Lila"

A monster with perfect hair is often hard to find. Meet Lila. Sweet with a gorgeous smile, she will charm you, offer to sort your mail and put away your groceries. You will fall in love with Lila.
Then she will eat you.

The Monster Orphan Project: Orphan No.1

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Whenever I do a large children's event inevitably there are projects ("orphans") that get left behind. Kids forget to come back, they fall under the table or they just feel like donating the creation back to us. I have a special place in my heart for the "Monster Orphans" and thought they deserved their proper due. They are much loved.

"Horace"
A rare tube monster* with the 8-point "star mouth" capable of sucking in large amounts of air and refuse for feeding. Although short, Horace is extremely powerful and prone to outrageous arguments which he rarely loses. Often seen in the proximity of old shoes. *Sadly when I photographed Horace it was a rather windy day and he escaped on the way home. This is the only known photograph of Horace.

Top 10 Things I've Learned Teaching Art to Children

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:41:00 +0000

I recently started an Artist in Residence program to bring ScrapKins to schools. Here's an observational list from my weekly classes at a school in Brooklyn.

Top Ten Things I've Learned Teaching Art to Children:
1) When you teach children Art you will receive free Hugs.
2) You will be called by a new name. Call it affection or lack of attention but soon you will be christened with a nickname. Mr. Yanish is now "Mr. Radish." (I kind of like that one.)
3.) To kids, the promise of being able to paint is like another birthday. (Paint a lot.)
4.) Prepare to be observed. I was asked why my hair was gray the other day. (I'm okay with that one but I did want to retort "Why are you so short?")
5.) Copying = Admiration. Some kids are natural creative geniuses, some need encouragement, and some will copy anything you show them. When I was young, I copied Mickey Mouse, Heathcliff and Garfield, so when a child wants to make their monster look exactly like my monster, that's admiration kicking in. (When 2 kids also wanted to name their monster "Mr. Yanish", that's weird.)
6.) The Simple Things are the Best. Building a milk carton pirate ship is pretty cool but when I carried around a little tub of water and they "tested" their ship and saw it floating, I got some serious fun points. Simple. Floating Rules!
7.) Demo. Demo. Demo. Kids have a lot going on in their small heads. Don't tell them to cut out a square. Show them. Hold it up high so they can see it. Then do it again. One more time.
8.) Make Little Jokes. Don't worry about a stand-up routine in class but a little silly goes a long way. Example: We we're cutting out eyeballs from cardboard so I stuck one to the forehead of a boy. I also brought in a tub of dirt for our gardening project and told the kids I made them brownies. Heh heh.
9.) Know the Secret Sign for Quiet. Most teachers have a "quiet" signal. Some clap their hands, some ring a chime. Learn it. Use it. Even art needs some quiet time.
10.) Create an Outline then Discard it. Know the basics of what you'd like to get done with the kids then figure that you'll be lucky if you get half of it done before a fire drill interrupts class, someone spends 5 minutes refusing to work without "pink" scissors and 4 kids can't stop giggling about burying "Mr. Radish" in the garden.

Recycle-Saurus

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:56:00 +0000

Here's the ScrapKins latest creation, the Recycle-Saurus. It's portable, collects lots of cans and bottles and shoots smoke out of its nose. What more could you ask for?

The Ultimate Block Party in Baltimore!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:48:00 +0000

ScrapKins headed to Baltimore to participate in the Ultimate Block Party on October 2nd. We we're proud to share our creativity with the kids of Baltimore, recycling toilet paper tubes into custom ScrapKin monsters and displaying the ScrapKins "Recycle-Saurus." Visits from U.S. Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan and Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

Designing your own ScrapKin Recycled Art Monster

A fearless ScrapKin Tube Monster!

Behold the Recycle-Saurus

ScrapKins at NY MAKER FAIRE: Sept 17th & 18th!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:05:00 +0000

We're so excited to be a part of the NY MAKER FAIRE this upcoming weekend. It's an amazing DIY, creativity festival with tons of fantastic inventions, robots, crafts, and things you can play with. Don't miss this one!

Visit ScrapKins in the "Young Makers" Section, Exhibit #7046 and make your own "Recycled Art Monster" and behold the mighty "Recycle-Saurus!" Roarrrrrr!

NY MAKER FAIRE:

Saturday, September 17th: 10 am - 7 pm
Sunday, September 18th: 10 am - 6 pm
New York Hall of Science
Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, Queens, NY

Tickets online here.

Float On Ye Vessel of Milk

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:30:00 +0000

In honor of the last days of Summer, I share one of our carton boats catching a wave. (That's my nephew you hear.) There is nothing simpler and more satisfying than building a boat and watching it really float. I especially love the image of the "little boat" next to the big boat. The real world is one giant testing lab. We found that although toilet paper tubes make excellent sails, if they get wet they begin to fall apart. You can always substitute with a piece of plastic jug or bottle for a more "capsize-friendly" craft. Do try this at home.

Research & Design: Summer Building

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:50:00 +0000

How can you turn a bunch of recycled materials into functional vehicles? That's what I've been trying to figure out. My studio has been transformed into a miniature Auto testing lab this summer the likes of which you've never seen. (You can witness some of the strewn car parts and bits of tubes and cardboard piling up behind my cycle prototype.) Why am I doing all this? In the name of Science? Yes. In the name of Technology? Yes. In the name of Ice Cream for Breakfast? Yes! In actuality, we're hard at work on our new app for the I-pad which will show you how to build and test these cool projects using a 3D interface. It's a huge undertaking and we hope to share more sneak peaks later this fall.

Building at Bank Street!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Special thanks to our friends, Sara, Beth and the staff of Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan for letting us host a "Recycled Art Sidewalk Extravaganza!" We love this store because they have so many great options for kids. I got inspired browsing the shop and ran home to work on some new projects!

Learning Resourcefulness at the World Science Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:17:00 +0000

The ScrapKins came out in full-force at The World Science Festival on June 5th at Washing Square Park in NYC. So did the crowds.

Our milk-carton boat building project was a big hit. (Learn how to make your own ship here.)

So popular was the project, we we're out of milk cartons in the first 2 hours, leaving us to explore the real meaning of resourcefulness.

Here's what I learned from the experience:

1) You are only as good as your Team: Our Art Helpers we're amazing! We had them asking local stores for any scrap cardboard and returning with piles of materials from a local toy store and cartons from the coffee shop and bakery.

2) When in doubt, let the Kids decide: We had one little girl, invent her own project on the spot, turning a straw and egg carton into a flower. We made this one of our art projects for the rest of the day. The true sense of being a "ScrapKin" and really using what you have couldn't have been clearer.

3) It's really about the act of creation: After all the preparation of materials, we found that the simple act of personal creativity by a child is more important than any shiny packaging. The child who made a boat in the morning had the same experience as the child making a bookmark from scrounged materials in the afternoon. It wasn't the project or the type of materials but the simple act of creating something. This is a humbling and often overlooked message. In a world of amazing technology and pre-packaged fun, the power of doing something real with your hands, building something, using your imagination is more powerful and more needed than ever.

Thank you to the kids for making me remember that.

How to Make a ScrapKins MONSTER MASK!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Our friends at HOPSCOUT made a very cool How-to-Video showing the steps to make an Itcher mask from a paper plate and cardboard. This projects is right out of our Build-It Book. Thank you to Deb and the team for their creativity!

Tribeca Family Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Mon, 16 May 2011 00:36:00 +0000

Books with the Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:56:00 +0000

We had an amazing weekend of Earth Day book signings and Recycled Art sessions with the kids. Thank you to those who came out to see The ScrapKins in action.

Here are a few shots from our event at Strand Books in Manhattan. Photos ©2011 Alejandro Cerdena.

Are you feeling Earthy? Here comes the TOUR!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Time to get out and enjoy the weather and
help us celebrate the launch of the ScrapKins Build-It Book in New York City!

EARTH WEEK EVENTS:

Friday, April 22nd:

STRAND FAMILY HOUR EVENT

Book Signing & Recycled Art Projects

Strand Book Store

3:30-5:30 pm

828 Broadway (Corner of 12th street)

New York, NY 10003

212-473-1452

Saturday, April 23rd: STORY TIME
Book Signing & Recycled Art Projects

Greenlight Book Store

11 am - NOON

686 Fulton Street

Brooklyn, NY 11217

718-246-0200

Saturday, April 23rd:

GRAND AVE EARTH DAY BLOCK PARTY!

Still Hip

2-5 pm

283 Grand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 398-0008

For the most up-to-date info on events & signings follow

us on Twitter.

A young builder let's me autograph his book at Books of Wonder!

When You Can't Really Get on the News Just Pretend

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 07:31:00 +0000

The Sock Report with Itcher (camera by Stacker)

Sneak Peak at the new ScrapKins Mini-App!

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:45:00 +0000

So excited to share a screenshot from the forthcoming ScrapKins "Scrap Collector" Game which will be released for FREE starting around April 15th! Think Recycling in a fun game format for kids. We're calling this a "Mini-App" as it's the pre-cursor to a much bigger app for the I-pad coming in June.

National Cereal Council Plea "Eat More Cereal!"

noreply@blogger.com (Scrap Kin) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:36:00 +0000

All right, I'm joking. I said "Eat More Cereal." (And there is no such thing as the N.C.C. yet.) Around my apartment, my girlfriend and I consume cereal voraciously. So needless to say, all those empty boxes are like blank canvasses waiting to be decorated, folded, cut and "Scrappified." One of my latest uses has been as book mailers as one of or recent reviewers noted.