Dinosaur Game for Children

I teach and play with preschool children part-time and try to make fun and interactive games for every class. Keeping two year olds focused can be tough at times, especially when they don’t understand english at all!

Here’s a game I made up to help the children develop their gross motor skills using a ball and large dinosaur head. Basically, I would hold the head in front me while standing with my legs apart. The children will then “feed” the dinosaur by rolling the ball into the mouth.

Here’s the dinosaur:

Another game that I tried last year for Halloween (and was a great success) was “feed the monster”, where the children would throw balls or small balloons into the mouth.

Monster Box:

As you might be able to see, the picture was taken after the children played with it……hence the torn and bent edges…missing ears and so on. It was a lot of fun for the kids, so I hope the dinosaur will be a big hit as well. Will let you know the outcome later!

Vending Machines in Japan

Yes, it’s a topic that has been talked about for years now, but I just wanted to mention how convenient and unusual vending machine contents are at times.
I pretty much pass a hundred or more of them daily and frequently wonder who decides what should go into these things.

For example, this was fantastic:

Kit Kat in a can!

Mini chocolates in a can are great, but then you get random things like….

Let’s see…..milk tea……..hot cocoa…..

hot corn soup in a can?!?!?!? Why???

Somehow, it just doesn’t seem too appealing to buy creamy soup from a vending maching on a train platform -but perhaps that’s just me.

I’ve seen quite a few things from packaged clothing, to comics, dvds, to random food, fresh flowers, full hot meals, alcohol, phone cards, makeup and the list goes on.

Photography to Personalize Cards and Gifts

I love photography. I know many people say they love photography, and they are truly passionate about every aspect of the art, but I just love to take snaps of things I find pretty or interesting, without worrying so much about the type of camera I have or the different setting that I should use.

I always call myself “a point and click kind of girl” which, most of the time I am. If something presents itself to me, I get that urge to take a picure of it, and most of the time, they turn out great (at least in my eyes).

I used to sell my prints but wanted to create something a little more useful, so I decided to print small images and place them on cards. For the ones I would give as a gift, I would personalize them by either decorating with a specific name or special message, kirigami cut out around the image, or use chiyogami/washi to frame the image with complimenting colours.

Here’s an example of one I made with Fuji San:

and another with a lovely flowering tree:

For more examples of Japanese photography cards please check out the shop!

Butterfly Kirigami Envelope

As I showed you a new kirigami envelope project yesterday, here’s another version with butterflies:

First step, the drawing:

I chose a butterfly that says “Hey you…” as an introduction to the letter/card/gift inside (in this case, I sent pictures)

Now my tools and though I didn’t have a cutting mat narrow enough, I used very thick cardboard.

and on to the cutting (as always, make sure to keep the lines broken at certain points to make sure the entire image stays on the envelope):

finally, the colourful paper inside the envelope to show a contrast and protect the pictures inside:

Kirigami to Decorate Plain Envelopes

Here’s a new kirigami project for you to try: Kirigami to decorate plain kraft envelopes!

I love plain kraft envelopes, but they seem too plain to get anyone excited about receiving mail. Also, if I happen to make a big card or book as a gift, those envelopes are usually the perfect size for them.

The last gift I made was a chiyogami wrapped book (with a fully illustrated story) and this kraft envelope I had was exactly the size I needed, so I decided to dress it up to show how special the gift was.

Here’s the plain envelope:

Here’s the book:

As you can see, the envelope was a little off from the presentation of the book.

If you would like to try this one day, here are brief steps to help you along.

First, draw out what you would like to cut out, whether it’s an image or words. Since I was giving this to Jeff, I simply found a pretty font I liked, and drew out “For Jeff” lightly in pencil.

Next, I got a small cutting board that fit inside the envelope and my scalpel knife. If you do not have a small cutting board to fit inside your envelope, use thick, hard cardboard or even a piece of wood -basically anything you can cut on and can fit in the envelope.

Now, as always with kirigami, make sure the lines have breaks in them so that you leave the outline of the image or words and not cut out everything (like the entire “o” or else that will just leave a big hole).

Once you’ve cut it out, you’ll notice it’s quite see through and perhaps won’t protect the item you would like to put inside….

so the next step is to place a colourful or patterned paper behind it. Another nice option is to use translucent paper, or even parchment for a “clouded” effect.

Here’s a contrasting black background:

and here’s what I did with gold:

Who needs paper to gift wrap?

I just use furoshiki to wrap my gifts.

I’m not an expert, but I try my best to make clean folds. Luckilly, the fabric hides or makes folding mistakes pretty. I wrapped a gift like this for a friend overseas. I think it’s a pretty surprise once they open the boring shipping box, don’t you think so?

Why Origami is Important for Us All

I love origami. It’s fun and enjoyable to make and can expand the world for many people in different ways.

When I was much younger, I was actually quite shy (though most people today wouldn’t believe it!) and it was difficult for me to make friends or even stand out in class among the other children. One thing that helped me get out of my shell was origami. I would sit quietly folding different origami models that I learned from my father. Once a model was done, I would place it on my desk and start another one.

The one folded paper object was enough to grab the curiosity of some children and from there, new friendships were made. The other children would ask me what I was doing and even request certain objects, and I would show how to make certain things like 3D tulips or cranes. This unexpected attention actually helped me interact with others and gain the confidence I needed, because I was introducing a new concept that I knew and loved.

People of all ages can do the same thing, whether it’s to gain confidence, to create a new environment for themselves, or change someone’s mood. For example, sometimes when I’m out and I see children who are cranky or sad, and quite possibly giving their parents a hard time, I try to find a scrap piece of paper and quickly fold an origami crane (traditional Japanese bird).

After asking the parent if it’s alright to give to the children, I would introduce this new “toy”, and it surprisingly quiets them down quickly since most of these children have never seen origami before.
I always get surprised looks from the parents, mainly because it’s not common for random people to approach you with folded paper toys, but once they see the results, the surprise turns to a smile.
One piece of scrap paper not only became a quiet moment for the parent, but also a new curious toy for the child.

The benefits of origami are truly endless for future advancements and stress relievers in everyday life.
The simple techniques and creations exercise the brain just like solving puzzles and helps personalities grow by building confidence. Also, as I’ve mentioned in an article based on origami benefits, it’s also the perfect tool to train fine motor skills for people both young and old.

The cute, confusing and overall strange ads from Japan

Hello all!

At the moment, I’m busy working on new projects to post for you, but in the meantime, I would like to show you this interesting site I came across -it’s all about japanese commercials.

If you have ever seen japanese commercials, you know the artistic choreography and sense of humour can be quite…….well, let’s be honest, it’s very odd. Don’t take my word for it, check it out and tell me your thoughts!

JapaneseCommercial.Net

Hanami 2010 – Cherry Blossoms and Friends

The season is in full bloom and it’s time to party and have a great time with friends.

Right now, it’s the peak of the blossoms in Tokyo, so we create events or simply find time to go out and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Yesterday was my picnic event…..and along with my party group (that was large in itself) the amount of people that went out to Yoyogi park (most famous park in the city) was unbelievable!

This year was far more packed than in previous years -truly an experience for all.

Sometimes you get lucky and get to a park early or at a time where there aren’t as many people (like a weekday afternoon):

If you ever plan a visit to Japan, try to book it during Hanami season, so that you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the loveliest season and it’s celebrations.

What are Tenugui?

I simply love Tenugui. They are eco friendly, versatile and pretty fabrics from Japan.

Tenugui are normally 30-40cm wide and up to 1m long. They are a 100% cotton gauze weave fabric that can be used for anything from table runner, placemat, dish cloth, or, wrap it around your head to soak up sweat when you’re working hard.

They are still very popular in Japan spreading across the world. Since they come in a wide variety of beautiful patterns and colours, ome people even frame them as decoration in their homes.

If you would like to see more Tenugui, please check out the shop