Interviews: Robert Bradford

“When and why did the idea first occur to you to take toys as your inspiration?

I began using toys as my central material about five years ago, it started in my studio in Cornwall and began simply from a few moments that I spent staring into into my childrens cast off toy boxes which happened to be stored there. I responded to the variety of colours and forms they presented, the random juxtapositions, and the non rational ‘meanings’ that those combinations started to take on My work over several years had usually incorporated elements from my immediate environment, everything from whole books magazines and twigs collaged into paintings t, scrap building timber furniture and tree waste into sculptures. There are many reasons for choosing scrap, the obvious first one being financial. I have always enjoyed working on a physically large scale, paintings that you could feel that you could enter, sculptures larger than life. For some time I was making pyrotechnical fire sculptures in parallel to the more permanent pieces so it would have been wasteful to use new flammables. I have always disliked the blandness of many traditional sculptural materials clay bronze stone plaster etc. I like materials that are more obviously malleable, that have already had a life, have been part of other peoples lives. To me the fact that these things have been used ,touched by humans for other reasons than making art automatically adds depth to the work by giving it a history both separate to the work and integrated within it. The toys are mini sculptures designed by uncredited people. It is both theft and accreditation.”

via The Cool Hunter

Frog Design: “As the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget once said, “Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.” A playful mind thrives on ambiguity, complexity, and improvisation—the very things needed to innovate and come up with creative solutions to the massive global challenges in economics, the environment, education, and more.”

READ The Four Secrets of Playtime That Foster Creative Kids

“Norman McLaren was a poet, for whom images, color, sounds and music had special resonances which he was capable of exploring in their entire range and magnitude. Today, more than fifty films remain as evidence of his gifts.”

Watch both films and allow yourself to be equally amazed.

Cinema.

Making of…

*Norman McLaren film archive courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada

The Alphabet Song by The LMNOPs from The LMNOPs on Vimeo.

“The mission of The LMNOPs is creating music that’s fun for kids and not annoying to their parents. The Alphabet Song is the first on the LMNOPs debut album. Help support the album at thelmnops.com. The LMNOPs are Zach Reasoner, Todd Gummerman and Laura Gummerman”

It has been 9 months since I returned to Paris – I have come to appreciate, more than ever, art + photography by those who live and are inspired by places in this world that are less inhabited by city folk – more natural, spacious and quiet.

A painting by me, a painting by the nature.

P.S. Anna has prints for sale in her shop

I have recently been introduced to a new wave of music for children. Music that is broad in range, backed by talented musicians and is full of clever lyrics that children can relate to and learn from. This new wave of music leaves me feeling like those behind it value childhood, self expression and wish to promote a genuine appreciation for music and the making of. Which makes me happy because, well… I do too!

Raffi and Sharon,Lois and Bram have their place in childhood and one can get into They Might Be Giants but it is much easier to share music with children when we, the adults, appreciate it too.

Finding “good” music takes time and too many of us just don’t have the time and a basic google search for “new music that isn’t childish” only brings up one good result. Below is one of my latest finds that came easy to me thanks to Beth at Sugar Mountain.

———————-Don’t just watch the video, head over to the artist’s site as the full album is available for you to listen too. This isn’t a sales pitch… this is a way for you, your students and/or your family to check out something new — Pass it on, children deserve music, good music!

Oran Etkin

“Oran grew up playing jazz, mentored at a young age by the likes of George Garzone, Yusef Lateef and Dave Liebman. He has been working with various West African musicians in the US and Africa for over ten years and learned their music the traditional way-by listening and playing it with the masters. For his formal training, Oran also studied classical clarinet and composition. An avid advocate of the power of music education, Oran sits on the faculty of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and has developed a new method for teaching music to 2-6 year olds that has so far shown exciting results with over 400 young students.”

“Wake Up Clarinet”

“The recording is as musically rich as it is engaging. The all-star band, featuring Jason Marsalis on drums, and the talents of soulful jazz vocalist Charenee Wade, provides an introduction to jazz and other musical styles. Other featured artists include Fabian Almazan on piano, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, and Garth Stevenson on bass. Etkin is lead vocalist and performs on the clarinet and saxophone. From the first song, “High Low,” it’s apparent that this is no ordinary children’s recording. The song helps children internalize the concept of pitch through be-bopping musical phrasings and an easy going conversation between Etkin and Wade.”

(favourite minutes: 2:15-4:45 & 8:30 – end)

Families on three continents tell how their lives and their countries have changed over the past 40 years…

Human Development Report 2010 —20th Anniversary Edition
The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development
(Full report PDF available HERE)

The first Human Development Report in 1990 opened with the simply stated premise that has guided all subsequent Reports: “People are the real wealth of a nation.” By backing up this assertion with an abundance of empirical data and a new way of thinking about and measuring development, the Human Development Report has had a profound impact on development policies around the world.

This 20th anniversary edition features introductory reflections by the Nobel Prize–winning economist Amartya Sen, who worked with series founder Mahbub ul Haq on the conception of the first Human Development Report and contributed to and inspired many successive volumes.

The 2010 Report continues the tradition of pushing the frontiers of development thinking. For the first time since 1990, the Report looks back rigorously at the past several decades and identifies often surprising trends and patterns with important lessons for the future. These varied pathways to human development show that there is no single formula for sustainable progress—and that impressive long-term gains can and have been achieved even without consistent economic growth.

Looking beyond 2010, this Report surveys critical aspects of human development, from political freedoms and empowerment to sustainability and human security, and outlines a broader agenda for research and policies to respond to these challenges.

As Amartya Sen writes: “Twenty years after the appearance of the first Human Development Report, there is much to celebrate in what has been achieved. But we also have to be alive to ways of improving the assessment of old adversities and of recognizing—and responding to—new threats that endanger human well-being and freedom.“

The 20th anniversary edition is a response to that human development imperative.”

(Canada 8th in ‘Quality of Life” ranking)

I have received a number of back issues of Children in Europe (published in September & March in 15 languages, by a network of national magazines in 17 countries) + Children in Scotland (published monthly) and I am strongly considering reviving my membership now that I am back in Europe. However, I feel that the information shared could prove valuable no matter where you are in this world — review coming soon – in the meantime, check out Issue 19!

Issue 19 “examines the use of outside space across the EU and considers the benefits that unstructured play and the natural environment offer to young children and the implications for pedagogical approaches and support.

Includes articles on how to develop outdoor spaces and encourage more extensive use of the natural environment in risk averse societies and examines the positive influences on children’s health and wellbeing.”

Contents include:

*Comparative table of outdoor space standards and services for young children in selected European countries *Encouraging more outdoor physical activity – Bødo, Norway *Outside the school: A world full of possibilities – Catalonia *Let’s play in Brussels! *Outdoor play at the core of health promotion – Sweden *Promoting traditional outdoor games for the well-being of children – Romania *Introducing children to outdoor living- Denmark *Pedagogy: The art of handling risks, not avoiding them – Germany *If the whole world could see me, they would see that I was smiling – Croatia *Where was your favourite place to play as a child? – England *Gender differences in playgrounds – Northwest Greece *Street life – Rome, Italy *Playing outdoors in natural spaces – Scotland & Italy.

Click here to buy!

For teachers of Early Childhood Education who are familiar with the Reggio Educational Approach and Philosophy which insists that children learn readily from their environment, and therefor the environment is the ‘third’ teacher’, The Diana Municipal Preschool is a mecca, so to speak.

Below is an overview of the Diana Municipal Preschool in Reggio Emilia, Italy from ‘Imagine’.

‘Imagine’ is “a database which captures school design best practice from around the world.” Case studies are selected, researched and written by a core team of architects and researchers and serve as an academic resource and research base, applicable in the practice of design, planning and construction of schools.

“The Reggio Emilia schools were established after the 2nd World War by communities who took the opportunity to redesign and rebuild their approach to preschool education in the city. Parents literally used the rubble of destroyed buildings to create learning environments whose focus was to allow children the opportunity to experience life through sensory investigation. The design of the school buildings is aimed to link inside and outside, creating an environment where ‘osmosis’ between enclosed and open spaces could occur. The buildings and pedagogy were considered and developed at the same time, each reinforcing the other.”

View full case study here

Thank You e-glue for introducing me to Little Sapling Toys. Their products are aesthetically beautiful, handmade, eco- conscious, provoke imagination and promote various aspects of development in young children — Bonus for parents and educators: Fairly priced!

“Here at Little Sapling Toys, we are committed to quality toys and a healthy earth. We plant a tree for every toy sold, use FSC Certified hardwoods, recycled content packaging and participate in our local green power program.

Each toy is handmade by our family in Boise, Idaho. Our way to reconcile modern and natural beauty is by using Maple, Cherry and Walnut woods together with our own beeswax and organic jojoba oil finish. We design our toys to help young children develop creativity, pattern recognition and fine motor skills. Our goals are to make toys that will be beautiful to look at, fun to play with and cherished for generations. We hope these toys will be passed from our children to theirs.”