Etsy is one of my favorite places to find not only organic products, but also unique home/hand made items as well.  Some things to look for like wood and beeswax, and to a certain degree, leather.

A lot of childrens toys are designed for certain activities in mind. I picked these out hoping to capture a bit of everything.  The end result is something organic yet inspirational. Whether it inspires art, imagination, or general child mayhem is up to the playee.

Little Sapling Toys and their Wood Blocks. Probably one of my favorite shops on Etsy. They claim to plant a tree for every toy sold – organic living aside, that’s just awesome.

Funny Bunny Club with a linen plush. The bunny isn’t the only style they make, they other odd yet fun looking plush animals.

Birch Leaf Designs sells many different wooden weapons. Great for defending the stronghold or siege weapon!

Twinkle of My Eye sells many different beeswax wares like these modeling blocks.

SilverFirsFarm makes these soy and beeswax crayons shaped like stars.  Non toxic because they’re all natural!

Flickr: photoverulam

I admit that I want to build a catapult for myself – the thought of recreating old seige weapons for the sole purpose of launching for distance appeals to the kid in me.  As a father, I search for activities that will intrigue the young mind and inspire the imagination.  Let’s just say, for the next few moments at least, that I want to build a catapult for my kids.

My favorite parts of history involve the battles.  The geography, backstory, and  the weapons all determined the different tactics and strategies played out by different sides.  To my bewilderment, some children find history less intriguing. Enter the catapult.

Ballista’s, trebuchets, and more – they all were the height of weapons technology at one time.  Used today for everything from recreation, group exercises, and even in military applications, the catapult is a symbol of technology-past yet human ingenuity at its finest.

Flickr: Waggy's

The catapult uses either tension or weight to launch a projectile. Created by the Greeks, Chinese and refined by the Romans, they were used  succesfully to storm cities and castles. Today their use continues for launching pumpkins, planes, and torpedoes.

The catapult’s history and current use make it the perfect tool to connect a child not only to the past, but to the sciences as well.  The goal, then, is to build the catapult in a way that inspires thought into these studies.

Research is boring, but catapults are very visual and captivating. Research is also important, but to make it painless, the research should involve the psychology of the catapult.  Why were catapults used at all.  How did catapults force changes in battle strategy. Were catapults the ultimate weapon in battles?

The research can also cover how to build one from scratch.  Drawing and sketching plans is a great way to not only work  the imagination muscles, but to get the kids to visualize what they are about to build.

Next, start small with popsicle sticks or go all out and head out to the garage with some 2 by 4′s and start prototyping.  Point out design flaws, logistical errors, and the possible improvements for the final build.  Always return suggestions with positive feedback, regardless of the idea’s feasibility.

Flickr: Claire Sutton

Finally, the best part of building an old school weapon: launch.  Launch a couple pumpkins or watermelons for effect. Show off your new home defense system and exclaim something like, “‘Tis only a flesh wound!” Just remember the catapult demands respect, like any weapon, and should be treated as such.  Discipline is important here. Go over what will happen with the little ones.  Where not to stand, what audible commands to use for preparing, loading, and firing; most of all, this is not a toy.

At the end of the night, maybe around dinner, ask more questions. How hard was it to actually launch the projectile?  Could we get a bit more range?  The point of the project is to get those critical thinking brain cells some exercise.  So ask lots of questions.

Get out there, launch safely, have fun, and be creative.

References and catapult building help links: http://www.delicious.com/juanthedesigner/catapult

Download MP3.

Music by Regis Victor.

I love the idea of publishing my own magazine – even if it isn’t read by anyone.  :)  Who knows, maybe I’ll bring some good content and, as the saying goes, “if you build it, they will come.”  A community based around my idea would be grand.

Every month, I will go around and collect inspiration based on the current theme.  For the month of June, I decided to go along with Summer and make it Outdoor’s Month.  The purpose of this magazine is to present you with experiences in the most immersive way possible.  I’ll bring you video and audio clips, heaps of images, and of course, some written word.

So, what does “outdoors” mean?  Part of being creative is drawing on past experiences and even though nothing beats actually living the experience, new media presents a wonderful solution to making these experiences more widespread.  So, to answer the question, “outdoors” can mean anything.  BBQing on a Sunday evening.  A family biking trip.  Sky diving.  Laying under the sun in the most comfortable hammock there is.  Making orange juice by hand from oranges off the tree in your back yard.  I really mean anything.

Now, I would love to experience everything that ends up on this blog myself, unfortunately, I don’t have an orange tree in my back yard.  On the other hand, that is the beauty of what I want to do here – you can at least draw some inspiration from the content you will find.

I want to sign off with a request, I want the content to spread to as many people as possible.  Share the posts, post them to Twitter and Facebook.  Email them to friends.  Comment on posts – give me your two cents.  I welcome and ask for your participation: creativity is humanity.

-Juan

Ironically, I didn’t always have this awe for my culture.  I used to hate my name and I hated where we lived even more. I explored the inner workings of Windows 3.X while the other kids played soccer in the streets. If you thought computers were bully magnets in the suburbs, imagine what the effect was on kids that grew up in lesser areas.

I spent my early childhood avoiding my culture so I could continue learning about electronics and computers with the least amount of backlash.  By the time I reached high school, I noticed that I didn’t care as much about who I was.  Instead, I paid more attention to what I did.  That trend continues even today.
I find art inspired by Mexican culture, like music, movies, and paintings, and I feel proud and happy to be part of something so rich and delightful.

But as creative’s, we pull most of our inspiration from our environment.  Although I learned that being different isn’t a bad thing, I also learned that being the similar is a good thing.

This isn’t just about who we are or where we came from – it is also about what we love and enjoy.  I am intrigued with Japanese and Irish cultures.  The warriors and the battles, the people and the cultures, it all fascinates me.  Even though I have learned that my culture is important, I still balance who I am and what I am inspired by.

As creative’s we draw inspiration from our environment, but every once and a while, it’s nice to be the inspiration for your own work.