Mudpies & Butterflies » Repurpose

Simple Machines are FUN 1/9

Jessica — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 08:58:12 +0000

Simple machines are everywhere. They make our world easier… and can make it more FUN. Legoland is a great example. You can tour Legoland with this guide and see how three simple machines (levers, pulleys and cogs) thrill us. This week we will make a Simple Machine, called an Automata - a toy that with a bit of cranking will amaze and entertain. As the engineer and creative mind behind your Automata, YOU will be the one amazing and thrilling everyone. PLEASE BRING A SMALL BOX FOR EACH CHILD IF YOU CAN.

Here are some examples of the 6 simple machines:

Lever

Pulley

Wedge

Wheel/Cam/Gear & Axle

Inclined Plane

Screw

Letterboxing II & H20 Spray n’ IcePlay 8/23

Jessica — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:55:06 +0000

I want everyone to get a chance to try their Letterboxing skills at our home park this week. Bring your letterboxing supplies (see last week’s post). As soon as you arrive, use the clues I’ve listed below (or will hand out upon arrival) to find the M&B letterbox. The kids who came to the Pool last week, listened to the clues i shared in order to track down the letterbox, open it up and stamp the handmade Elephant into their books. But this time, you and/or your family will follow the clues on your own to find the letterbox. And remember to be discrete to ensure no one else sees you pluck or put the box back in it’s place.

Why Letterbox is awesome:

1. It’s free
2. It’s gets you outside
3. You see places and wildlife that you have never seen
4. Adds zest to an out-of-town trip
5. You feel like you’re a part of a secret society
6. You can pretend you’re a pirate on a mission
7. It encourages you to leave the place better than you found it.
Thus the term “Cache-In, Trash-Out”

And with breezes and reasonable temperatures this Thursday, we should enjoy a comfortable day at the park. **For Climate Control: Bring spray bottles for water tag and I will bring some ice shapes.

For those who want to try to carve their own stamps, I will show everyone how to safely turn an eraser into a stamp. I will share my carving tools and take turns assisting families who want to carve their own one-of-a-kind stamps (I don’t think anyone under 6 or 7 should use the tools). I will also walk anyone through the process of building and planting your own letterbox.

If you are planning on making your own letterbox and planting it, bring the following: waterproof container, a stamp (or eraser to carve a stamp into it), a pad small enough to fit in your box, and a note to tape on lid to explain what someone might have accidentally found. Also have a pen to record your steps and clues that you will post online on Letterboxing or Atlas Quest to help others actually FIND your creation.

Letterboxing: Global Hide-n-Seek 8/16

Jessica — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:41:42 +0000

This week, come learn about the global hide n’ seek adventures you can have with your family called Letterboxing. Literally found all of the world, you can find or place these waterproof boxes in your favorite places outdoors by using the clues found on the internet. My family has experienced some of the most beautiful places in California, North Carolina and Illinois we would have otherwise never found. This was all because someone like YOU planted a letterbox and shared clues on how to find it. Letterboxing has been an ideal motivator for my children when they needed extra incentive for hiking in new locales. And in preparation for long roadtrips, I usually print out a set of clues to give us a great chance to stretch our legs and have some fun at a halfway point. One good find and you are hooked forever!

The simple Ingredients for going Letterboxing: a stamp, a notebook to gather stamp impressions, a stamp pad and a pen. This is all you need. Your stamp can be store-bought, but many letterboxers hand carve an eraser with simple linoleum cutting tools. At age 3, Ula drew a picture of her holding hands with the sun on an eraser. I then carved the image out of the eraser.

Once my girls and I find a box, we use the stamp found inside to make an impression in our “stampbooks” and then leave impressions of our stamps along with the date and our hometown in the book cached in the water-proof box. Before returning the box to its hiding place discretely, we take a moment to peruse the stamps of those who had ventured out as we did in search of this one box. It is fun to determine which stamper had traveled the furthest to leave an impression. Given that many of the stamps are hand-carved, it’s like flipping through a mini-art gallery It’s pretty amazing!

Letterboxing is one of the greatest motivators for my children to go on hikes to new locations. There is a whole series in Topanga State park. But because these boxes are intriguing, some have gone missing usually because people didn’t know what they had found. It is important to uncover the boxes and return them to their site as discretely as possible to prevent poaching. I once found a letterbox that had been partially melted in a forest fire. Amazingly, the stamp was still intact enough for an impression, but the box itself was melted.

If you are wanting to “plant” a letterbox (to plant is to hide your own waterproof container and add your clues online so others can find your letterbox) you will need a few more ingredients: a stamp, a waterproof container, a book that will fit in the box and a small pen or pencil.

The Clues: The writing of the clues can be as complicated or poetic as you would like.