Desmond Williams

Desmond Williams is a freelance writer and JUNO magazine columnist. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, is half of a mixed-race couple and father to a rambunctious, comedic, and inquisitive preschooler (all great fodder for parenting articles). His writing, with its injected wit and humor, tends to add a light touch to the general gravity of parenting. Desmond is currently working on a graphic novel for mixed-race parents titled ‘The Painted Man’.

FRAMEicariums: Living Ant Farm Art by Hugh Hayden & Katie Vitale

by Desmond Williams, 09/07/10

READ MORE >

The ‘Safe Cuddling’ Suit by Helge Fischer

by Desmond Williams, 09/01/10

Intended to stir debate about child safety in public spaces, the Safe Cuddling romper suit designed by Helge Fischer (a recent Royal College of Art graduate) has set off an alarm across the Internet. “The ‘Safe Cuddling’ suit allows for the innocent cuddling of children by helping adults to maintain their integrity,” says Fischer via a statement posted on the popular Dezeen blog.
READ MORE >

HOW TO: Make Ice Cube Tray Sushi

by Desmond Williams, 08/23/10

Since watching the End of the Line you may have sworn to stave your family off of fish. But with a little ingenuity (making a salmon/sweet potato substitution for example) and help from your sweetheart sushi chefs, this DIY recipe for Ice Cube Tray Sushi by former Cookie magazine editors, Pilar Guzmán, Jenny Rosentrach, and Alanna Stang from their new book Time For Dinner is sure to please tiny pallets.
READ MORE >

LEGO Minifigs Get a Bad Boy Makeover

by Desmond Williams, 08/17/10

Once again LEGO mini-figures have gotten a makeover in the name of commerce – this time as the bad boys (and one girl) of dive bar culture. Conceived by Grey, a Spanish ad agency (hence the spelling) the tough-as-nails LEGO characters are heavily tattooed to showcase the details that can be acquired when using the new Pilot Extrafine pen. These are the minifigs other brick toys fear encountering in a dark LEGOLAND alley.

via designboom

Happy When It Rains: Wheel And Seal Umbrellas

Taiwanese designers, Yu-Ting Cheng, Yu-Hsun Chung and Shaw-Chen Chen, have created a fun and functional product in their Wheel and Seal umbrellas. Designed for kids who love splishing and sploshing in the rain, the umbrellas feature a pair of spongy wheels (or an absorbent seal) at the tip of the cane that absorb water from the inevitable puddles they pass through and leave a trail of smiley faces… …

Recycled Tyvek Envelopes Make Great Kids’ Raincoats

It was quite a surprise to find Tyvek® hanging from a clothing rack in a Manhattan boutique store window. Fashioned into a petite raincoat, perfect for fashion-forward kids, the material appeared unchanged; showing the green screen-printed design that adorned its outer side during its previous life as a nearly indestructible envelope.

HOW TO: Make a Recycled Plastic Bag Raincoat

thredUP: Recycle Clothing Through Social Networking

thredUP is a new clothing exchange program specifically designed to serve the Facebook generation of parents. Like a status update for your kid’s growth progress, thredUp allows you to notify friends when your little one has outgrown a particular clothing size. Pack those gently used pieces in a box, then browse your Inner Circle’s accounts (the thredUP equivalent of Facebook friends) to find a box you’re interested in, and swap! You only pay …

Inhabitots Green Father’s Day Gift Guide

Dads have come a long way since the days of the stereotypical cigar chomping, garage tinkering, newspaper-at-the-breakfast-table men of the recent past. Nowadays more and more dads are becoming nurturing, early adapting, fashion forward, artistic, eco-responsible individuals. In other words, we’re not our dads dads. So on this Fathers Day let’s celebrate with green-minded, stylish, thoughtful gifts that fit the bill. From recycled necktie wallets to wooden harddrives, here are a few of our favorite eco gifts for the modern dad.

Project FROG’s Eco-Friendly Modular Classrooms Score Big with Teachers & Kids

Project FROG, a bay area startup, has been achieving some amazing numbers with its environmentally friendly modular classrooms. A two million dollar budget got Watkinson School 3,500 square feet of classroom space built from 50 percent recycled material. The building is outfitted with 60 solar panels that reduce the electricity costs to zero (in fact it produces more energy than the building uses). And because of the modular design, the project took only six months to complete.

Amazing Animal LEGO Sculptures Depict Endangered Species at the Philadelphia Zoo

LEGO artisan Sean Kenney’s latest masterpieces are currently on display at the Philadelphia Zoo, in the mesmerizing exhibit ‘Creatures of Habitat: Gazillion Piece Animal Adventure.’ Throughout the exhibit of meticulously constructed endangered animals, children are educated about the importance of preserving the earth’s biodiversity through a zoo-going medium very familiar to them. Aside from the well publicized outdoor sculptures, the artist also created a series of smaller dioramas depicting the actions that can be taken in an effort to re-grow our rain forests. The completed exhibit required a total of 259,450 LEGO bricks!

Recycled Robot Sculptures by Gordon Bennett

Gordon Bennett’s trash-to-treasure robots were recently on display at the Paul Smith storefront on 5th Ave in lower Manhattan. Meant to intrigue passers-by rather than sell tailored shirts, the temporary installation was a fantastic addition to the store’s ‘outsider art’ series. Gordon Bennett hails from Brooklyn, and his sculptural robots are a mixture of found objects and newly acquired fixtures – just don’t let the robots get wind of that. Each stands regally (some up to 3 feet tall) awaiting that moment when an inquisitive imagination saves them from a life of stasis by animating them.

Gameboy Made From Paper by Zim and Zou Studio

We’ve got a penchant for clever and artful Gameboy interpretations, and this paper reproduction of the popular handheld entertainment device, designed by French studio Zim and Zou will send tech savvy kids into a tizzy. With its ‘vintage’ modeling and vibrant hues, the true-to-life size paper art rendition of the popular Gameboy console …

PBS’ DESIGN SQUAD ‘Trash To Treasure’ Contest Returns – Open to Entries Starting TODAY!

The new season of the PBS Kid’s Go! television show DESIGN SQUAD reintroduces its successful ‘Trash To Treasure’ competition with online entries being accepted today through September 5th. In its second year, 25 kids of varying ages, (5–19) and differing skill sets, will be selected and charged with the task of figuring out how to “move things or people, protect the environment,” or create an invention that is to “be used for indoor or outdoor play”… all from trash!

NEW! Natural, Eco-Friendly ‘Pebble’ Infant Mattress from Nook Sleep Systems

You’ve established the ideal, serene setting: eco-friendly crib, green nursery, purified air — but your baby remains AWAKE! Time to try something new? Nook Sleep Systems proposes their Pebble Mattress to lull your little one into green dreamland. The aesthetically appealing pebbled surface of the …

74 Year Old Man to Journey Across America in a Solar Powered Stroller

With its multiple rearview mirrors, motorized axel and fold-out tent, Bruce Maynard’s solar powered stroller seems like baby gear on steroids — but 74 year old Bruce didn’t retro fit the motorized baby stroller dubbed ‘Sam’ for his grandchildren… he’s planning on using it himself to trek diagonally across America from Washington State to Key West, Florida.

Handmande, Eco-friendly Kaleidoscope by Zilvinas Stankevicius

No toy serves up an instamagic escape faster than a kaleidoscope can. And Lithuanian sculptor Zilvinas Stankevicius’ eco-friendly version, made from responsibly sourced, fast-growing hazel branches and natural Baltic amber (not the unfriendly plastic or cheap metals that are use to make standard versions) is simply dreamy. A simple peek into the tubular scope transports kids to …

Mommy’s Milk Cheese: Breast Milk Cheese by Chef Daniel Angerer

New York City chef and new dad, Daniel Angerer has added cheese made from his wife’s breast milk to his menu. While eccentric foodies and their culinary masters sometimes travel great lengths to procure hard-to-find ingredients that satiate exotic palates and put them on the cutting edge of innovation, Angerer found his “gold” ingredient right at home… sleeping next to him. But his idea to make cheese from breast milk could possibly be one of the year’s biggest D.I. Why? moments.

METI School in Bangladesh, Sustainably Hand-Built by Locals

They say it takes a village to raise a child; and when the whole village (and a team of skilled architects) chips in, the result can benefit the community’s entire population via a hand-built school designed with ‘earth architecture.’ The METI ‘hand-built’ primary school in Rudrapur Dinajpu, Bangladesh, “uses traditional methods and materials of construction but adapts them in new ways.” Austrian architect Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag from Germany led a team of local craftsmen, pupils, parents and teachers in the execution of the project, which took just four months to complete using local materials: bamboo, straw, jute rope, and an earthen mixture for the walls and foundation.

Eco-Punk Lego ‘Crawler Town’ by Dave DeGobbi

Brick-loving kids will be bowled over by designer Dave DeGobbi’s new Lego concept, Crawler Town. The story of Crawler Town begins with an end… the inhabitants of this steam-punk world have exploited the earth’s natural resources and can only find life’s simple luxuries “like pizza, fresh vegetables and beer” while vacationing at moving structures like Crawler Town. Yes, the environmental lesson this toy teaches is a pretty dark one (it’s best suited for older kids) but in all of this, forced by necessity, the townspeople have figured out a more energy efficient means of survival.