Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
Boost Core Upper Elementary Writing Skills & Creativity This Summer with Vanessa! July 21-Aug 15
Thursday, May 22nd, 2014Click on the images below to download our application
and complete enrollment!
3D Printing, Quadcopters, Toy Design, Hydraulic Robots: Engineering Camp at Curtis, July 14 – Aug 8
Monday, May 5th, 2014Click on the image below to download the Complete Engineering Camp application and complete your enrollment!
At Complete Engineering Camp, kids choose their projects and work is self-paced. From customized 3D printing, quadcopter drones, toy design and hydraulic robots to bridge construction, zip lines, homemade candy and cosmetics, join our expert team of scientists and engineers to learn about the awesome technologies that power the machines and products we love!
DID YOU KNOW?
3D printing technology is used in such industries as architecture, construction, engineering, education, biotechnology, industrial design, fashion, automotive, aerospace, medicine and the military.
Write. Design. Build. Film. Solve: W.O.R.D. Ink Camps at Curtis School, 7/14-8/15
Monday, May 5th, 2014
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New from W.O.R.D. Ink! Customized, “Build-It-Yourself” Summer Workshops for Kids, Teens & Adults
Friday, May 3rd, 2013It’s an exciting and busy time for W.O.R.D. Ink. We are in the midst of expanding our company services, employee base, and client reach. Amidst the buzz, Team Ink needs to honor personal, familial, and additional career commitments. For that reason, we’ve decided to scale back our W.O.R.D. of the Week blog from weekly to biweekly posts for the time being, so that we can maintain a steady stream of useful content while simultaneously focusing on other aspects of professional and personal growth.
Learn, Teach, Share at the Family-Friendly Maker Faire!
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013IT’S CALLED “THE GREATEST SHOW (AND TELL) ON EARTH!”
There’s a reason the MAKER FAIRE has wound its way around the globe in seven short years and spawned over 60 mini-Maker Faires from Tokyo to Oslo. This is not just another social gathering – it’s a mega-science expo, an inventor’s haven, and a county fair rolled into one.
Yes, the Maker Faire is a geeked-out weird-science fest. But, really, it’s so much more. The Maker Faire is totally Geektastic for every age, gender, and profession — for anyone who makes anything and everyone with a thirst for knowledge, resourcefulness, and creativity!
Alice…in Widdershins
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013Widdershins. Isn’t that a great word? Means “counterclockwise energy” in Wicca tradition. I actually borrowed the word from an interesting 2010 lecture by poet, author and professor Cynthia Huntington, while at a VCFA alumni retreat. I collect weird words (wabi sabi is another favorite of mine. Means “perfection in imperfection” in Japanese), in case I ever decide to recycle them into new creations, such as for today’s post.
On Widdershins, and counterclockwise energy.
The kind of unusual, down-the-rabbit-hole energy required for…Revisions.
Mary Blair
I Pledge Allegiance to the Cause
Wednesday, April 10th, 2013Ongoing Observations on Progressive 21st Century Educational Philosophy & Practice
I had planned to hit the hiking trail yesterday as my reward for teaching two weeks of intensive writing workshops over spring break. Both workshops are still in their infancy. Before this spring, I’d taught the Writing Skills Intensive only once last summer and the Tabletop Moviemaking course twice previously. But I’m a fanatic about research, revision, and reflection. Throughout the workshop weeks I’d constantly tinkered with my curriculum, adjusting its scope, sequence and delivery into the wee hours of the morning, making note of future changes like a mad scientist on the brink of a breakthrough.
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So like I was saying…hiking. That was the plan on a glorious Monday morning. Coffee in hand, sneakers tied, I rifled through a few emails, browsed my favorite blog feeds, and well…one thing led to another (damn you, Internet Rabbit Hole.) Anyway, I found myself –- by way of the righteous GOOD.is – first at the articles written by, then at the personal website of, my friend and ex-colleague, Chris Thinnes.
A.) Wow. Chris never disappoints. He’s one of the most articulate, intelligent and exciting guys I’ve ever met.
B.) Serendipity? Chris’ recent guest post on GOOD, (“Stop Exploring ‘Innovative Education Models’: We Need Action Now”) made me jump on the couch in bounce position. Forget the hike. I was already headed to church.
Velveteen Rabbit Revisions: How to Bring Your Writing to Life (with a Whole Lot of Love!)
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013Have you ever tried to solve a What’s Wrong With This Picture dilemma? Where you stare at the image for an hour straight without seeing a darn thing, but when you walk away for a while and then take another look, the answer jumps right off the page?
Welcome to the Revision Process.
Be Still Already! Coach Your Mind to Live Like a Writer
Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 |
Last week I made a plan to write and I did not stick to it. At least, not the way I’d intended. |
Life got in the way again, and I just let it barge right through my carefully carved-out quiet time. Then I spent the rest of the week feeling terrible about not having kept the promise to myself. Well, today, I’ve decided to shorten my post in OBSERVANCE of the writing I must complete.
You will find Silas House’s observations on The Art of Being Still quite apropos for creators of all kinds. Please take a look, if only to press the “reconnect” button within yourself as an artist. The essence of House’s reflection boils down to this:
Stop talking about writing or not writing, and Just Do It already.
10 Safe Outlets for All-Age Youth to Publish Writing Online and In Print
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013Hello, 2013! Year of the Snake! Let’s make this year a time of steady progress and attention to detail, of focus and discipline in achieving what we set out to create.
On The First Day of Christmas, Three Inspiring Links
Tuesday, December 25th, 2012Merry Christmas, word lovers! I feel so honored to share this special holiday with you! Today’s post is on DISCOVERIES, so please enjoy the following three Seeds and Sparks. May they inspire you and ignite your imagination! Share with family and be sure to curl up on your own to savor them, too. Remember: the holidays are also a time to be loving and joyful with yourself! You deserve it!
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Smartpens to Songwriting: 10 Supercool Gift Ideas for Kids & Teens
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012If you’re like me, the holiday season is somehow slipping from your grasp and your shopping days are limited. What’s more, you want to find just the right gift for each person on your list, although – let’s be honest – some are nearly impossible to please and you’re really trying to steer clear of the plastic gift card route.
In life, I’m big into intentionality, so when I gift, no matter what the age, I go for:
- Unique
- Practical
- Aesthetic
- Budget-friendly
- Lovingly made or expertly crafted
Check out the following 10 supercool hi-tech-meets-lo-tech gift ideas for kids and teens that I’ve personally sized up. Each is sure to make everyone’s spirits merry and bright!
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Proof in the Figgy Pudding: Holiday Writing Inspiration
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Amidst sensory overload, the holidays provide valuable details for authentic storytelling. Have a journal handy, because proof of holiday writing inspiration is in the Figgy Pudding!
SparkTruck: Sparking a Creative Movement Across the Nation
Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
In our gloom-and-doom era of deep, nationwide budget cuts to education, creativity is on the chopping block and hands-on learning is a luxury that many schools claim they can’t afford. SparkTruck to the rescue! This self-proclaimed “educational build-mobile” is on a mission to bring creative and purposeful crafting to students around the nation.
Dear Luck: Keeping the End in Mind
Tuesday, November 6th, 2012Today is a WRITE post, and that means providing you with the encouragement and opportunity to get your thoughts down on the blank page. Consider this Dear Luck post a spiritual pick-me-up quick-write that you’ll want to revisit time and again.
Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
This week on DISCOVER:
I am SO excited to share with you Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun, which hit bookshelves and online stores on October 16th.
Unbored, written and edited by Joshua Glenn of HiLoBrow and Elizabeth Foy Larsen, and illustrated by Tony Leone, is a 350-page DIY “activity guide and curiosity-sparker” for all things fun. The book is geared toward ages 8-14, but many activities involve adult participation, and you’re definitely going to want to play!
The Responsibility Addiction: Its Origins, Impact & Alternatives
Tuesday, October 9th, 2012
“I’m too busy.”
Do you know how tired I am of iterating that refrain? How I wince at the worn-out words?
It’s been my ball-and-chain, my masochistic modus operandi, for the past twelve years. Yes, I’ve been a slave to responsibility. The calendar is my master. It reminds me to take my vitamins and floss; to get dressed, clean the cat box and water the plants; to see a client, post to Facebook, and go to bed. It even dictates, “Saturday – Free Time: 11:30-3:30.” Worse, that free block inevitably shrinks as extra work spills over from other times in the week when I was too exhausted, too distracted, or too disinterested to complete a “Must Do”; when I defied orders, reshuffled priorities (aren’t they more like suggestions, anyway?), and caught up on Modern Family. I’m surprised I haven’t squeezed in a regular, “Have a good cry, 3:30-5.” Of course, getting a business off the ground is no easy feat, so some allowances need be made when I’m still working through L’s and my Friday Breakfast Night routine. Still, busybodies are boring and I refuse to accept “workaholic” as my permanent middle name.
It’s not only me. All my clients and friends are “completely booked” too. And living in Los Angeles, you factor in drive time with every activity. So half the time, I’m just rushing around in raging traffic. Busy is an Angeleno’s norm, as sure as our Cali-blue sky and insatiable caffeine habit. Some of us cling to the craze with pride; for others, there’s just no way out right now. Many of us haven’t stopped to consider whether there’s an alternative.
Writer’s Block: 12 Ways to Cure a Monster of a Problem
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
This is Grumble.
Grumble’s my Writer’s Block beast, and boy, he’s a moody one. A real monster of a problem, especially when the delicate creation stage of a project begins. Grumble can smell the sweet scent of hope and acrid stench of fear from a mile off. He squares off with The Muse on my left shoulder, perching on the right, just inches from my ear, and an arm’s length away from the DELETE button. There’s no finer victory for Grumble than a day without a word on the page. He delights in looming over me with his hairy eyeballs and doomsday expression, squashing seed ideas and spitting on sparks before either can lift off.
W.O.R.D. of the Week
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
W.O.R.D. of the Week is a blog and virtual writer’s notebook that explores the power of words in four fundamental ways: through writing practice, observations, re“vision” techniques, and discoveries. This is a place for writers and word lovers, parents and professionals, students and educators to share in the essential ingredients of becoming a wordsmith. Two elements concern the CRAFT (writing and revising) and two focus on the JOY (observing and discovering). Believe that you can accomplish all four, that you possess a unique voice, and that what you have to say matters.
