MakeDo Cardboard Igloos

On Saturday we were excited to host another Cardboard Play Day at the American School in Japan with an enthusiastic group of young builders.

Kids living in dense urban areas like Tokyo usually don't have a backyard or nearby place where they can muck around.

Providing the space and materials for cardboard tinkering is akin to tree house building for city kids (as well as a beefy upgrade from blanket and sofa cushion forts.)

We had the most gorgeous day of pre-winter weather that you could hope for and a great turn out of kids and parents.

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I really enjoyed working side by side with the kids this time, holding pieces of cardboard together for them and taking their direction as they figured out how to attach shelving, install "TVs" and keep intruders out of their igloos.

The kids faced the perils of dome collapse and near exhaustion from sawing cardboard doors and windows all day, but we still we had to kick them out by 2:00 so we could cleanup and go home...

Looking forward to putting on another cardboard play day again really soon!

A Spring Swing

We've been away to all sorts of places during Grandma's 3 week visit to Japan, and to be honest we haven't had a spare minute to catch our breath and let you know what we've been up to. No cardboard projects until today, but lots of time to dream after being reacquainted with all the beauty and ingenuity of Japan's temples, gardens, and urban streets.

And did I mention that spring is in the air? Literally. Our cherry blossoms are at their peak beauty and their petals are just beginning to fall... my VERY favorite time of the year.

I made this swing to take to our favorite playground that has only a climbing structure and no swings.

The swing is made of three very sturdy cardboard tubes that I measured to the desired length and then cut with a Japanese hand saw (nokogiri).  I used paper twine to weave around the tubes, which took about 10-15 minutes, and then threaded rope through the outer two tubes. My trusty bike straps make the swing adjustable and easy to put up and take down.

A fun swing that I can also easily carry with me to the park to hang on a low tree branch. All parts recyclable or reusable. I haven't tested to see how much the swing can hold, and Electra is not a candidate for doing so due to her featherweight status, but I'm quite sure it could hold most toddler's quite easily. Give it a try and let me know how strong yours is!

More You Tube

We found a new cardboard tube to play with today. Thanks to a butter shortage, we tried Koiwai Raisin & Butter for a test run of a new Christmas pudding recipe. The inside of this box is white cardboard with a shiny plastic laminate coating. When you look through it you get a fantastic kaleidoscope effect.  We stuck the tube on the end of our digital point and shoot camera and took about 30 pictures. From those 30 we got about 5 or 6 shots that I really loved. If you don't have a box like this you could try making a tube by gluing anything reflective like foil or plastic onto a piece of cardboard, and folding it into a triangular or rectangular tube. This technique also makes for fun video footage. Dozo! ( "Please try it" in Japanese.)

These photos are definitely channeling some kind of photographic Shibori effect.

You Tube

We had a great time playing around with cardboard toilet paper tubes today. I put the cardboard tube on the end of my camera and started taking pictures of the girls. The cardboard tube really made Electra interact with the camera in a more playful way. It's surprisingly easy to maintain clear, focused shots. Try it!