2009 August | Inhabitots

Kapla ‘Pixie Planks’ Wooden Building Kit

by Desmond Williams, 08/15/09

The mother of all building block sets is the Kapla 1,200 piece Wooden Building kit. Kapla (“pixie planks” in Dutch) has been in the business of sparking imaginative play for many years now, with these simple rectangles of wood manufactured from 100% natural pine sourced from renewable forests in France. Kapla insists that the special design, based on a 1:3:5 ratio, is perfect for enhancing “confidence, curiosity and determination.” If you’re daunted about what to do with 1,200 pieces of wooden fun, the sets are also available in more manageable 40 piece kits.

+ Kapla (40 piece set) $29.95 (1,200 piece set) $389.95 at Glamma Toys.

+ Kapla

+ Glamma Toys

Crab Wall Clock From UncommonGoods

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 08/15/09

We’re running sideways with excitement over this vivid blue crab clock by Massachusetts artist Mark Brown. Cobbled together by hand from reclaimed household odds and ends, including wrenches for claws, Mr. Crabby will look especially snappy perched on the wall of a nautical or animal-themed kid’s room or nursery. Each clock, available exclusively at UncommonGoods, is one-of-a-kind and signed by the artist. Will the curmudgeonly crustacean win your child over? Only time will tell.

+ Crab Wall Clock $110

+ UncommonGoods

Inhabitots Link Roundup of the Week: CRAFTS Edition!

by Beth Shea, 08/14/09

Kids Haus raves about Mibo Wise Guys, downloadable owls that you print, cut and fold to add flair to any room. Have the pdf file sent to your inbox and construct these owlies with the kids on a rainy day. *Make the owls ‘green’ by using recycled printer paper.

Healthy Child, Healthy World reveals 10 Easy Eco Crafts for Kids. We love all of these original, off the beaten path ideas… from Leaf People to Stone Dolls!

Ohdeedoh unearths handmade Alphabet Beanbags, which offer a fun, clever way to teach tots how to spell. Click here to see the tutorial from Lil Blue Boo.

Sew,Mama,Sew clues us in on Easy Hand Sewing for Kids – Early Years. Who knew that 1-2 year olds could start honing their sewing skills? Go check out these fabulous ideas for tots ages 1-4 to get started down the crafty path!

Panasonic Sets World Record with Adorable Evoia Robot!

by Yuka Yoneda, 08/14/09

Move over Energizer Bunny! There’s a new, super-enduring battery mascot in town… and his name is Evoia. Panasonic recently drove the extremely adorable Evoia for 24 hours straight to set a new world record with an incredible distance of 23.726 km!

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Albert the Robot Hook from Our Children’s Gorilla

Sure, he’s no R2-D2, but Albert the Robot has a mean left—and right—hook. Made from powder-coated recycled metal, Albert can be mounted on your wall, where he waits with open pincers to receive bags, scarves, jackets, and other belongings you’d rather keep off the floor. Your little mess-maker will be happy to straighten up. After all, Albert does all the heavy lifting.

Back to School: Kid’s Organic Messenger Bags

We’re fans of all of Etsy shop SewnNatural’s wares, but with back-to-school time right around the corner, we especially love their sweet Organic Messenger Bags! These kid-friendly, kid-sized messenger bags are perfectly suited for your preschooler or kindergartner; equipping him or her with the perfect tote for carrying small treasures, crayons, and art projects to and from class.

NEW! INK+WIT Aesop’s Fables Hare and Tortoise Poster

Tara Hogan, the delightfully creative mind behind INK+WIT, has debuted an adorable new poster based on her original drawing, interpreted digitally, and featuring two memorable characters of childhood. Coming your way this autumn: Hogan’s new Aesop’s Fables Hare and Tortoise Poster, which captures all the fun of the classic fable. The poster is printed with soy ink on 100% post consumer recycled paper, and is eco-packaged in a recycled Kraft tube mailer. The print is available for pre-order right now, and even better news, it’s shipping out mid September with a FREE pack of 5 spooky Halloween postcards. The “Halloween Crow” postcards are 4×6, made with Chipboard Kraft paper and soy ink, and are suitably scary for happy Halloween greetings.

NEW! PS Wall Hangings from IKEA

IKEA designer Hella Jongerius garnered inspiration from the Swedish fairytales of her youth to design a new collection of wall hangings that are produced in collaboration with craftswomen in India — “creating work for women in workshops so that their children can go to school.” IKEA, known for its sensible, affordable and environmentally responsible products, has, with little fanfare, also been retailing a series of design collections that have a huge humanitarian impact. The PS collection is about “small, fragile, growing ideas,” about “increasing our responsibility for our world… empowering people” and about “design that is more than just design.” More compelling reasons to shop at the gentle ‘big box’ giant. The pieces that caught my attention and introduced me to the PS concept were a collection of animal wall hangings — perfect decor for a child’s room. IKEA PS Mikkel (fox), Pelle (hare) and Gullspira (goat) are handmade works of art offered at an affordable IKEA price, and each one is individually signed in Hindi.

Reusable, Vinyl-Free Fabric Wall Stickers by Mae

We love the idea of decorative wall decals, but less so the fact that most of them are made of toxic vinyl. One Australian company deftly sidesteps this problem with its collection of utterly charming fabric stickers that are not only removable but reusable many times over. Mae’s extensive design offerings feature delightful options to suit every child’s taste. There’s something for everyone, from tree-huggers, forest-critter cuddlers, and dinosaur enthusiasts, to vintage-car hobbyists, tea-party connoisseurs, and doll lovers!

HOW TO: Make Photo Puzzle Blocks

The summer vacation, or staycation may be over, but the fun has just begun with these crafty two-sided photo puzzle blocks! Photojojo offers a great tutorial on how to make your own puzzle blocks, so you may turn your precious snapshot memories into a game, conversation piece, and coffee table decor. Using just a few household materials and some eco-friendly Uncle Goose Alphabet blocks, (or any alphabet blocks begging to be upcycled) you can whip up this family memento in no time. Great variations on the puzzle blocks would be to give them as gifts to new parents, using their newborn’s picture, or as birthday presents for children featuring the lucky recipient in a prized photo.

PopMat Recycled Paper Placemats for Eco Parties

If you’ve been looking for a spirited way to animate the table settings for a friend’s eco baby shower or your child’s upcoming birthday bash, look no further! Stylish PopMat Paper Placemats are perfect green decor for any eco-friendly party agenda. With a wink to children’s pop-up books, these unique silhouette cut-out designs are intricately crafted in the USA out of recycled paper with a minimum of 30% post consumer fiber. Available in fifteen eye popping designs and a variety of hues, we believe that recycled pulp fiction of this variety is a great conversation starter for any gathering. Even better, you can write the name of invited guests in a designated area on each mat. Designed by Lian Ng, PopMat Placemats illustrate party throwing of the creatively edgy and sustainable kind.

The Recycled Toy Sculptures of Robert Bradford

‘Beautiful’ wasn’t what came to mind when I first laid eyes on Robert Bradford’s recycled toy sculptures. Amazing? Indeed. Complex? Without a doubt. Oddball? Certainly. But that’s exactly the expected result when one attempts to “glue, stick and screw” thousands of found toys into new “beings or species.”

Organic Joobles Stuffed Animals and Babywear from Fair Indigo

Organic, Fair Trade, and adorable, to boot—what more could you ask for in a stuffed animal? If you’re after coordinating gear (think hats, mittens, blankies, and hoodies), Fair Indigo has you covered, as well. Handknit in a Fair Trade workshop in Peru using homegrown organic cotton, the online retailer’s collection of cuddly Joobles and matching baby accessories offers employment for hundreds of impoverished artisans. Fair Indigo even lends disadvantaged kids a helping hand through its eponymous foundation, which provides educational programs and supplies for the children of co-op workers.

WonderToast Food Alphabet Organic Onesies

WonderToast 100% organic onesies and toddler tees are original, brightly colored, and focused on popular dishes of various cultures around the world. Each WonderToast baby onesie is 100% SKAL certified organic and dyed with low-impact, azo-free dyes. Designs on each onesie serve up a tasty bite-size fact. The electric blue D is for Dim Sum organic onesie says: “Dim Sum is from China, made up of lots of different snacks!” What a fun way to expand baby’s palate and put him or her on the path to being a foodie!

Yesterday’s News Recycled Colored Pencils

Regular colored pencils? Pbbtt, SO yesterday. Craft bolder headlines with Yesterday’s News’ set of 12 colored pencils, which are made from recycled Chinese newspapers rather than wood. Packed in a matching tube for portability, these tree-free coloring implements are a back-to-school must-have, perfect for shading within the lines or getting a little creative and going out of bounds.

Wooden Counting Bowls for Waldorf Inspired Play & Learning

These vibrant Waldorf and Montessori inspired counting bowls are full of fun and learning for children. Each non-toxic bowl is made by Wee Wood Natural Toys and can be used for counting, pouring, shape sorting, learning colors, making up stories, or as accessories for little doll friends. You may choose a bowl full of stars, apples, spools, hearts or mushrooms. All the various shapes are painted in 5 primary colors with non-toxic paint and sealed with a non-toxic and hypoallergenic sealant — or you can order them unpainted and natural. Each little bowl comes with a tiny scoop and a cloth carrying bag. All of Wee Wood Natural Toys’ products and the materials used to make their bowls are non-toxic and natural, and the company uses recycled shipping & packaging materials. *Note that the small wooden pieces in these sets may pose a choking hazard for little ones under the age of three years.

Inhabitots Link Roundup of the Week

Babyology brings us news of Japanese designer Hiroshi Sasagawa’s Animal Index which marks the spot with flair. The felt giraffe, pig and deer bring order to books, DVD’s and CD’s.

TreeHugger discusses Beginnings Nursery School, a place of learning that encourages curious toddlers to engage with a wide range of reused and repurposed materials.

Kiwilog asks you to join The …

GREEN RANT: Having a Baby is NOT Bad for the Environment

Some environmentalists claim that continuing to populate the planet by having children makes the greatest ecological impact on the environment — and that having babies is inherently bad for the earth. Thus, environmentally responsible individuals should not have kids. These viewpoints truly irk me. Because, what’s the proposed solution… Voluntary Human Extinction?

Airplane by CardboardDesign Encourages Outdoor Play

Help your child’s imagination take flight with CardboardDesign’s cardboard airplane. Made in the United States from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers, and completely recyclable, this propeller-tipped flyer runs on kid power, not fuel. You won’t have to wheedle your rug rat to go outside for fresh air, sunshine, and exercise; simply declare your living room a no-fly zone and watch …

Spaceframe Builders Kit Lets Kids Express Dreams through Design

As parents, we’re always telling our kids to reach for the stars; and the 100% recyclable Spaceframe Builders Kit by designer Scott Klinker for OFFI gives children the framework to blast off to new heights while honing their “spatial reasoning skills, sharpening their problem solving capabilities, and developing a better capacity for 3-dimensional modeling.” Educational aspects aside, budding architects and astronauts will simply view playing with the 20 piece modular system as out of this world fun!