Child’s Own Studio hand crafts stuffed toys based on your child’s drawings. The examples on the Child’s Own Studio website show that no matter how crazy-looking the drawing seems, a cute, creative, and beautiful toy emerges. This is such a great idea that I wonder how Child’s Own Studio will keep up with demand as the [...]
Archive for the ‘Art’ Category
Turn Your Child’s Art into a Stuffed Toy
Posted by ginac on December 9th, 2011
Posted in Activities, Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Just for Fun 
Tags: Childs Own Studio, craft, drawings, stuffed toys, Toy 
Comments OffScoop.it! Disruptive Learning
Posted by ginac on November 5th, 2011
Scoop.it is a fun way to share online articles, videos, photos, etc. around a topic. It is free, easy to use, and fun to curate. We’ve curated an eclectic collection of disruptive learning articles on our Scoop.it specially for SpottyBanana viewers. In our case, disruptive learning means nonmainstream, non- traditional learning ideas outside of the [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Learning Methods, Literacy, Online Tools, STEAM Tags: content curation, disruptive learning, Eclectic Homeschooling, Learning, online tools, Scoop.it, spottybanana Comments OffHalloween Origami
Posted by ginac on October 13th, 2011
Halloween decorations can be expensive. Why not take a few hours, gather the kids, and make your own cool origami Halloween decorations. We found several free Halloween origami websites that requires little more than colored construction paper. They are really fun to make, too. Online Halloween Origami Resources Origami Resource Center - Halloween Origami Origami Club [...]
Epic Hero and Villain Costume Ideas for Halloween and Pretend Play
Posted by ginac on August 31st, 2011
Store bought hero costumes aren’t much fun. Usually, the costume material is thin, tears easily, isn’t very comfortable on sensitive skin, and fits poorly. If your youngster loves epic heroes like Jedi Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Indiana Jones, consider creating realistic costumes using regular clothing and some creativity. Here are some [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Halloween, Harry Potter, Make Tags: Batman, costumes, epic heros, Halloween, Harry Potter, Heros, Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Pretend-Play, Villains Comments OffTen Lesson Ideas From a Walk in the Yard
Posted by ginac on August 30th, 2011
Learning opportunities are everywhere. One of the best places to start is in your own backyard. Here are ten lesson ideas that don’t need lots of materials, specific curriculum, or special ability. These lessons focus on learning together, encourage a project-based approach, and are fun for kids of all ages. We’d love to hear some [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Biology, Environmental Conservation, Games Tags: Art, ecology, Fibonnaci, golden ratio, insects, microscope, observation, photography, play, weather Comments OffExplore, Collect, and Organize Great Online Content with Pinterest
Posted by ginac on August 21st, 2011
Need ideas for a rainy day science or art project? Need to spark enthusiasm for the upcoming school year? Get ideas and inspirations for all sorts of projects on the Pinterest website. Better yet, set up your free Pinterest account to start collecting or “pinning” your own personal favorite articles so you can save them [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Online Tools Tags: homeschool, ideas, LEGO, online tools, Pinterest Comments OffCorner Bookmarks You Can Make
Posted by ginac on August 18th, 2011
If you are a reading family or just have tons of reference books for your home learning library, you’ll like this project. It’s a fun project, so don’t make just one bookmark. Get the family to make their very own bookmarks, or just have the kids create one for each family member. The great thing [...]
Powerful Learning Outside the Classroom
Posted by ginac on August 15th, 2011
What happens when you bring together over one hundred young people from all different age groups, schools, abilities, and from diverse backgrounds for a weekend of intense orchestral site reading? Learning happens. Under professional musicians, regional conductors, and college professors, the young musicians sat on a state-of-the-art stage as a unique group unlikely ever to sit together [...]
Posted in Art, Learning Methods, Music Tags: child-led learning, homeschool, Music, Unschooling Comments OffGoogle Art Project: A Museum of Museums
Posted by ginac on June 22nd, 2011
For anyone familiar with Google Maps street view, the Google Art Project takes the same navigational approach to select art museums. Yes, you can cruise through the Museum of Modern Art just as you can cruise a street in Google Maps using just your web browser. Even better, you can zoom in on art works, [...]
Posted in Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Online Tools Tags: Art museum, google, Google Street View, Museum, Museum of Modern Art, TED 5 Comments »Teach Yourself Comic Illustration
Posted by ginac on May 18th, 2011
Celebrate summer by creating comic heroes and then use this nifty set to learn how to draw them just like the pros. Comic books are fun because they’re easy to read and have cool artwork, a lot of action, and strong heroes.Kids enjoy comics so much they often create their own stories and heros. We [...]
