A Child's Sewing Sampler from 1844: Kentucky, USA

If you double click on the magazine text it should enlarge to a readable view and when you double click on the photograph, it should enlarge to an extreme close-up view of Mariah's stitching she made on the piece of cloth...The large alphabet version allows you to view every single stitch she sewed, after you see that, there is little for me to say...

except that it gives a new / old time ago meaning to "learning your ABC's and numbers" in Elementary

School...

This photograph and text appeared in the stellar "Antiques and Fine Arts" magazine: their 8th Anniversary Issue: January-February 2008.

Their website is also listed at: http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/

I thank them for publishing this wonderful art and art history.

This is a sewing sampler from a 12 year old girl, from 1844 in rural Kentucky, USA.

Hand-sewing a cloth sampler was a common rite of passage for girls transitioning into

adulthood.  Way before radio and television and computers, in the mid-19th century,

children literally "hand-made" their own entertainment and hobbies; sewing with a needle and thread was virtually universal among girls and women all around the world...

The crafts-womanship of this project is awe-inspiring in its exactitude precision and beauty, and it took Mariah Boil 3 months to complete this sewing project...  when was the last time or the first time you ever spent 3 months making a crafts project...?

Perhaps you might consider some hand-crafting project to do, or hobby to pursue... and see where it takes you...to new skills and places: inside yourself and to share with others...

phineas8888

   



Cirque du Soleil --The Real Circus (Videos at youtube...)

Howdy Circus Friends,

Since the previous post was a toy antique papercraft circus carousel, I figured it would be right to offer up the Real Deal Now: Cirque du Soleil -- Worldwide and Awesome...
with thousands of video clips at youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cirque+du+soleil&aq=0

and their official website to follow, with pictures as well...

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/home.aspx#/en/home/americas/usa.aspx

Hang on to your seat!!!

phineas8888

Victoria & Albert Museum: London England

Victoria & Albert Museum: London

Hello Educationers,

I am beginning to label some of my postings by Categories, so that over time the archive will be easier to locate specific postings by subject etc.

Museums is one of the major categories, being an essential part of Education Fun and Discovery.

Just by chance I followed a papercraft link to an antique paper-built circus carousel from England, which turns out (and "turns-round" :-) to be located in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, one of the old Grand European Museums still going full-vibrant:

V&A Museums

Beyond South Kensington

The V&A is comprised of the museum at South Kensington, the V&A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green, and the archives and stores at Blythe House, Kensington Olympia. All V&A museums have free entry.

• 
  

  V&A South Kensington

  V&A South Kensington is the world's greatest museum of art and design, with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity. Discover 3000 years' worth of amazing artefacts from many of the world's richest cultures including ceramics, furniture, fashion, glass, jewellery, metalwork, photographs, sculpture, textiles and paintings.
  

  More on V&A South Kensington
• 
  

  Museum of Childhood

  The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is home to one of the world's largest and oldest collections of toys and childhood artefacts. The collection, which dates from the 16th century to the present day includes dolls, teddy bears, toy soldiers, train sets, model cars, puppets, rocking horses, costumes, board games, and some of the first jigsaw puzzles ever made.
  

  More on Museum of Childhood
• 
  

  Theatre Collections Online

  The V&A's Theatre Collections have now moved from the Theatre Museum building in Covent Garden, and new theatre and performance galleries at South Kensington opened in Spring 2009.
  

  More on Theatre Collections Online
• 
  
  
  

  Antique Toy Circus Papercraft

  The Victoria & Albert Museums of England are offering an antique toy circus papercraft on their website. The original template for the circus was created by a French company around 1930. The best part of this papercraft is that it is an automata of sorts. Twirl the flag on top and the performers spin around like a merry-go-round. In addition to the usual cardstock, a piece of cork and a barbecue skewer are also required to build the circus. The template for this papercraft may be found here.
  

"Automata" is an 'old' English word for a toy that moves by a simple mechanical mechanism.

Enjoy the huge museum collections online and try your hands at constructing your own circus carousel by printing the template and following the instructions...

 

phineas8888

Clowns go on vacation

Dear Educationers,

I just uploaded a children's book of pictures (15) with no words and no sound, called "Clowns go on vacation", at youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KPjR3VxlME

The photographs are of 3 small clown dolls that "go on a vacation"
and travel by some 'interesting' means and visit some 'interesting' places... all in a day's journey.
I have my own storyline (minimalist brief text/poem) but have omitted it on purpose, so that viewers can imagine their own stories, and teachers can use the slideshow with students, however they wish...

"Yes, even clowns go on vacation... :-)

phineas88888

"The Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell with cool photographs...

Dear Educationers,

For an 'old-fashioned' acoustic change of pace, here is the beautiful voice of Joni Mitchell
singing her classic 1960's song "The Circle Game" with wonderful accompanying photographs,
to remind us all: that there was a time B.C. "Before Computers" and that people could 'make' music
without MP3's (I think that's what they call them... :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR2vGJSX0xo&feature=related

This youtube video currently has about 90,000 viewers...and growing...
so it must mean something about the essential simple values of life "uncluttered"...
And even amidst the ever-growing "Whirled Wide Web" of the Internet,
there comes a time, and even many times, when it is good to take a pause from the rush
and electronic overload that fills the Commerce of our lives...

Because in the end, as in the beginning: Life is a precious living circle,
"And the seasons, they go round and round, in the circle game..."

Happy Autumnal Equinox and Full Moon: September 23, 2010...

Your friend,

phineas8888

TRON: The Disney Movie that will appear in December...

Hi Papercrafters of TRON: The Movie,

Here is the link to the "PDF File of the 7 pages of printable Papercraft Cutouts" used to construct the actual paper model used by the Filming Production Crew of the upcoming Action Thriller Vision Adventure: "TRON: Legacy", the sure-to-blow-your Eyes & Minds state-of-the-art new Disney
Movie...

http://a.family.go.com/images/cms/disney/PDFs/tron-sam-cycle-printable-0710.pdf

(Being a computer-techno-newbie, I hope this link gets you there, or at least close...)

And here is the wild Movie action Preview being shown in Theaters, on TV, and the Internet:

http://disney.go.com/tron/#/movie

By the way, "Making paper-models" is now a very highly paid Profession in Hollywood, and
Engineering, and Video Gaming,  and Advertising, etc.

"Education Fun" can also become a Career...

phineas8888

Google Translate: Here is an example of how it works...

Dear Fun Educationers,

Here is an example of how Google Translate works so easily:

1. This is the link to Google Translate, after having chosen to translate
"Waiting for Wings" by Lois Ehlert, the beautiful children's book mentioned in a previous posting,
from the original English text/poem into Spanish:

http://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wT#en|es|

2. This is the Spanish translation provided instaneously by Google Translate:
It is both accurate and beautiful in its language of poetry:
the sounds, the rhythms, the imagery.

"Lugar para Alas por Lois Ehlert

Afuera, en los campos, los huevos están a la vista,
aferrarse a las hojas con cola de mariposa.Pronto orugas escotilla. Se meten y masticar.
Cada uno sabe lo que debe hacer:
Encuentre un lugar donde los vientos no soplan,
a continuación, presentar un caso en el cual crecer.
Caterpillar cambios comienzan ahora -
cuerpo y las alas tomar forma en su interior.Cuando llegue el momento, cada caso se debate -
las alas se despliegan; mariposas nacen nuevas!
Ellos bomba de sus alas, prepárate para volar,
entonces jefe mariposas hambre para el cielo.
Buscando flores con néctar para comer,
cogen una bocanada de algo dulce.
Siguen ese olor fragante de perfume,
hasta que encuentran el jardín en flor.Hemos estado esperando alas!Los vemos círculo, la tierra sobre sus pies,
desenrollar la lengua, y comienzan a comer.
Ellos chapuzón y disfrute, a continuación, volar lejos,de vuelta a casa a los campos ....
Ellos tienen los huevos para poner."

copyrighted by Lois Ehlert,  2001 : http://www.harcourtbooks.com/

available online also at http://www.amazon.com/

  

3. If you place the two versions side-by-side, you have an excellent opportunity
to read and imagine the beautiful pictures 'depicted' by the text, in two different languages:
And in a very real sense, you can actually begin to Dream in two different languages!!...

Have Fun... (to be continued...)

phineas8888

Google Translate (free online service/product)

Dear Educators, Parents, Students etc.

   

เว็บนักพัฒนาโมเดลกระดาษฝีมือคนไทย

Web developer model paper crafts Thai

As many of you know, I am a fan of an international Papercraft website, discussed in a previous posting: http://paperkraft.net/
and today I came across a printed language I had never seen before...I figured it looked Asian
but could not identify it, until I saw a brief side advertisement on their blog that used the word
"Thai"...

So I copied the URL of the page and went to Google Translate (among the drop-down menu called
"More" at http://www.google.com/ and pasted the URL in the box and chose Translate "Thai" to "English"
and whamo... it worked pretty awesome...

Cool Tool for breaking through language barriers on the world wide web...

Because I am also an amateur calligrapher, I intend to make a large wall poster for my workshop with the bi-lingual text, just for fun and inspiration...

Educationally yours,
Artsy Craftsy
phineas8888

Caretakers of Wonder

Caretakers of Wonder is a magical book by Cooper Edens.

The edition I own is copyrighted 1980
Hardbound ISBN 0-914676-78-4
The Green Tiger Press, Inc.
San Diego, California.

However on the back cover it says:
Childrens Press Choice
Reinforced Binding
ISBN 0-516-09402-5

(so I don't know what the two 'variations' refer to...)

Regardless, This is a magical book for children of all ages
for anyone who dreams and is in awe of nature...
It is about 15 fanciful professions: the Caretakers of Wonder,
who quietly go about their work unseen by us
taking care of the stars and the sun and the moon, the sky and the night,
the meadows and trees, rainbows and clouds, and
the wings of butterflies...

The illustrations are of a time past: and a visual euphoria
when handcrafts were honored and mechanisms were manual.
When beauty was natural and magic was ordinary.
You could hear the quiet and say "Hello" to the breeze.
The colors are soft and the scenes are "fin de siecle".
The book is warm and a cup of cozy.
"Kindness is the highest form of wisdom."

This book is to be cherished and shared...

Some used copies are available at http://www.alibris.com/

phineas8888

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
is one of my favorite picture books.
Actually, it is one of my favorite books!

Rather than include the massive multiple lines url link,
Simply go to http://www.amazon.com/
and type in the title...


It is a large format Beautiful Pictured and Beautiful Poemed
short story and multi-layered and multi-leveled Book for all ages;
it is a Visual Euphoria and Heart Warming Book about
Butterflies and Flowers...

The backcover says "Ages 3 to 7", but believe me, this book is
for everyone...
As the author and artist herself says on the back page:
"This book is dedicated to those who help things grow."

That would include parents, teachers, children, adults,
gardeners, foresters, engineers, imagineers, and
"Caretakers of Wonder"...

but that is a story for my next posting...

phineas8888

Paperkraft.net

Paperkraft.net is one of my favorite worldwide websites.

http://paperkraft.blogspot.com/

This is one of the best examples of "Education Fun" on the internet
and it is free and worldwide, multi-cultural, arts & crafts discovery learning.

Papercrafters from all over the world are posted at this website
and pictures of their artwork are displayed for your viewing.
Free downloads of their precise papercraft templates can be
saved and printed by you, so that you can learn and copy and construct
the same fun and often fantastic paper-models.

The papercraft examples cover the entire age-range of life...
from kids' cartoon characters, to teenager action and fantasy heroes,
to pop-culture, to professional artists and engineers from all over
the world, and in various languages.

You can use the free online "Google Translate" service, for instance,
to translate the many Japanese "Anime" designs.

This website is true "hands-on" discovery learning and construction
of real paper models to share and take pride in making art and
learning how to use simple tools of long-historied crafts from
many cultures around the world.

Enjoy the adventure, you will never be bored again in your life...
and certainly you can share whatever papercrafts you make,
with us here at Education Fun...

phineas8888

"Magic Mirror Box" for simple 3D discovery learning fun

Welcome to Education Fun by phineas8888.

Our first example of a cool discovery learning tool
is shown in this youtube video I made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNBdy101jfk

It is a wordless instructional video for teachers and students alike.
You can adjust the music background volume or mute it, or play
whatever music you like...

I welcome viewer comments and questions, and in further postings
I will provide more details about supplies and techniques I used to
construct the Magic Mirror Box, and my 3D photography technique
which is also very simple.

Thanks for watching the video and share it with your family and friends
and school...

to be continued...

phineas88888@yahoo.com