Jenny Tranter

Alicucio Transforms Waste Wood into Toys

by Jenny Tranter, 06/28/11

Sicilian artist Arcangelo Favata, the artist behind Alicucio, takes rubbish seriously – so seriously that for him the concept of rubbish is non-existent. He scours the streets of Torino, Italy finding obsolete materials, which he crafts into creative toys and furnishings. From pieces of discarded timber, rise sturdy Trojan like horses complete with a hidden storage compartment within its belly – perfect for stowing kids’ craft kits or to hide their special treasures. Other toys in this range include robots, pull along cars, tow trucks and cameras. What we love about this collection is the simple forms and raw unadorned materials that remind us of old-fashioned toys our grandpa used to make. No bells and whistles – just good old upcycled fun.

+ Alicucio

via Kickan & Conkers

APP REVIEW: Ansel and Clair’s Adventures in Africa

by Jenny Tranter, 06/09/11

Finding an educational iPad App that your kids will think is fun to play too is surprisingly hard. So when we reviewed Ansel and Clair’s Adventures in Africa released earlier this month, we were pleasantly surprised to find a fun and engaging game. The app took our young testers on an interactive adventure around the continent of Africa, that had them exploring the Serengeti Plains, the Sahara Desert and the Nile Valley. And they learned some great things about our wonderful planet on the way, too.

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APP REVIEW: Rainforest Survival Challenge

by Jenny Tranter, 05/16/11

Are you looking a fun game your kids can play on your iPad while also inspiring them to learn about how our delicate ecosystem works? Non profit conservation organization Rainforest Alliance, has partnered with the Stepping Stones Museum for Children and Ruckus Media to create a new fun and educational iPad App, the Rainforest Survival Challenge. Designed for children aged 4 to 12 years, the game aims to educate children about plants and animals in the Amazonian Forest, and the various forces impacting their survival.

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Cheme Designs Releases New Eco Kids Furniture Line

by Jenny Tranter, 05/13/11

Cheme Design’s new range of eco-friendly kids furniture has caught our eye with its smooth organic shapes, fun attitude and functionality. Funky amoeba shaped play tables feature rounded edges, art tables can be adjusted from flat top to easel, and stools and chairs are sized perfectly for little legs. Kids will particularly love the water play tables with a central basin offering unlimited play opportunities – float a boat, create a dinosaur habitat or simply stow your art supplies under the handy lid. Made in the USA from Baltic Birch furniture grade plywood, each piece is finished with environmentally friendly zero-VOC milk paints and certified water based lacquers – modern, green and fun!

+ Cheme Designs

Images © Marc Newton Photography via Cheme Designs

Public Workshop’s Alex Gilliam Builds a Playground Using Cardboard Disks

We have seen some very fancy and elaborate cardboard designs here at Inhabitots, but the latest cardboard playground creation by Alex Gilliam from Public Workshop is a standout for its remarkable simplicity and ability to engage both adults and children alike. Cardboard disks the size of large dinner plates easily slot into one another to create all sorts of structures — playhouses, igloos, tall towers and even imaginative forms that can add a little bit of wow to an otherwise ugly space. The cardboard disks’ potential are limited only by your own and your friends vast imaginations.

Slovenian Architect Transforms a Shipping Container Into a Temporary Classroom

Slovenian architect Jure Kotnik, recently provided a quick fix for a space shortage issue at a local kindergarten by transforming three steel shipping containers into a kid-friendly temporary building annex. Thanks to a trend in container architecture, shipping containers offer much more than a way to transport goods. Kotnik manufactures small container models named Conhouse to create instant housing for numerous applications, and here they work perfectly as a sustainable solution for a temporary classroom space for 14 children.

2011 Kids Undercover Cubby House Challenge Showcases Creative Playhouse Designs

At Inhabitots we love innovative playhouse designs, and when they are built to raise money for a great cause as they were in the Kids Undercover Cubby House Challenge at the 2011 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, it doubles our delight. Earlier this month, leading Australian builders and architects were invited to design, build and donate a children’s cubby house (the Aussie’s term for playhouse) to raise money for a local program called Kids Undercover, which supports homeless and at risk children.

Chabuki Upcycled Onesies are One of a Kind

Chabuki has taken the standard baby staple — the onesie — to a whole new green level. Made in the USA from recycled, reused, discontinued and/or broken materials, Chabuki’s upcycled baby onesies possess a unique individual style. Old suit shirts, vintage fabrics and discarded buttons are creatively transformed into artistic appliqués, and adorned with cute flowers. And when your bubs start to grow up, Chabuki also designs …

Smiling Tree Toys’ Fantabulous Natural Playground Set

Your kids playtime will step up another level, with this interactive and natural timber Fantabulous Playground Set by Smiling Tree Toys. A great toy for one child, and even better for a few – watch your kids enter an imaginative wonderland playground as they use 12 little wooden people to pretend they are riding merry-go-rounds, bobbing up and down on see saws, slipping down slides and flying through the air on the tire swing.

NEW: Nook Lilypad Playmat, Perfect for Eco-Friendly Tummy Time

Nook Sleep Systems are in the business of trying to make our babies (and parents) as comfortable as possible. Last year we shared with you their innovative eco-friendly pebble mattress, and now they have just released the brightly colored pebble textured Lilypad playmat, which makes for a perfect spot for Baby’s tummy time.

TOMS Wants You to Go One Day Without Shoes on April 5

On Tuesday April 5, 2011, TOMS is calling out across the globe asking people to go One Day Without Shoes to support disadvantaged kids who don’t get the choice. So if you ever reminisce about those wonderful childhood days spent running and dancing barefoot in the park, now is your chance to do it all over again and for a great cause.

Team Chipmunk Designs Kids Clothing Using Vintage Garments

We all love a bit of theater, so when a veteran costume designer turns their hand to developing a line of children’s clothing made from quality vintage garments, we know we’re in for a visual treat. Liz Bourgeois is the founder and creative force behind Team Chipmunk. She cut her teeth upcycling preloved garments into avant-garde designs for low budget theater productions, before heading to the bright lights of Broadway to become associate designer of one of its longest running and Tony Award winning productions, Avenue Q. Read on to learn more about the new Team Chipmunk kids clothing line.

Re-building Blocks Help Kids in Natural Disaster Zones

If you want to help rebuild children’s lives after recent devastating natural disasters like the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, you can throw your support behind sustainable design company Designing Hope. They have just launched their new very limited edition (only 50 sets) Re-build Block Set made from recycled wood pieces, and will be donating 100% of proceeds to the non profit foundation, the Happy Hearts Fund.

Retro Folk Art Wall Hangings by Jo Melrose Design

TEN Upcycles IKEA Trofast Box Into Kids Ride-On Toy

IKEA surely has a its charms and genius ideas, but some of their furniture isn’t as long-lasting as we would like. So we love to see designers who come up with new uses for old IKEA stuff like this new ride-on toy idea for the IKEA Trofast storage system. The different sized drawers of Trofast, available in a variety of color combinations, have made this storage piece popular for kids bedrooms and play rooms, but what do you do with all those boxes when they are no longer required? Do they go to waste or get stacked away in the cupboard never to be used again?

Modern Organic Cotton Bedding by Q Collection

Given the fact that your baby spends approximately 5,110 hours sleeping in their first year, putting your baby to bed on natural quality bedding is an important consideration. Q Collection’s new junior line of exquisite 100% GOTS certified organic cotton will brighten up your baby’s nursery with divine geometric printed or block colored sheets. The Animali print features elephants, giraffes and hippos in the colors cardamon or lime, and the Celestial Parade print features the prehistoric pachyderms (elephants!). With an …

Uimi’s Modern Organic Blankets Will Have You Spinning

We’ve seen so many wonderful eco blankets, but it still came as a pleasant surprise when we spied the 100% organic cotton Theodore Blanket made by uimi. The Theodore blanket defies the usual form of the stock standard rectangular blanket and its unique circular shape immediately catches your eye, followed by its smart pinwheel stripes! This blanket is perfect for …

Harvest Textiles Hand Screen Prints Kids Clothing & Toys

If gloomy winter weather has you dreaming of a spring day, take a look at the colorful and lively hand screen printed textiles from Australia-based Harvest Textiles. Their new children’s line features clothing and toys, and shows just how cool eco design can be. Hand screen printing their own organic cotton textile range in a little studio in Melbourne, the three creative women who launched Harvest Textiles just last year, also design a small housewares line that is equally unique.