Tag: Christina Katerina

Art, Computer Science, Creative Thinking, Education, Games, K-12, Parenting, Student Products, Teaching Tools

That’s Not a Box!

Terri Eichholz

One of my favorite books to read to my Kinder GT class when we talk about Inventor Thinking is Christina Katerina and the Box by Patricia Gauch.  Christina is a very creative young lady who finds all sorts of uses for the box delivered to their house “on a refrigerator.”  Her mother keeps trying to dispose of the box that is cluttering their front yard, but Christina keeps thinking of new uses for it.  To her, it is anything but a box (or clutter).

Following up on yesterday’s post, I thought you might like some more “make something” resources – and, as you may have guessed, they all have to do with boxes.  Since I am gearing up my students to participate in the Global Cardboard Challenge again in October, I am always on the lookout for cardboard ideas.  Thanks to @JeanneReed1 for tweeting the link to the awesome Makerspace Pinterest Board where I found the Inventor’s Box idea pictured below. Here is that one, and a few others I’ve run across recently (and, yes, the first one totally appeals to the “tech nerd” in me!):

Scratch Arcade
Scratch Arcade

 

Click here to see all 31!
Click here to see all 31!

 

Inventor's Box
Click here to get instructions!
31 Creative Uses For Cardboard Boxes

Explore more visuals like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.
3-12, Creative Thinking, Education, Games, Problem Solving, Teaching Tools, Videos

Caine’s Arcade

Terri Eichholz

Sometimes I feel like I live under a rock.  Two of my co-workers were talking about this video at lunch the other day, and I admitted that I had never heard of it.  Considering that the video has gotten over 2.5 million views, you would think that I might have come across it at some point.  Even after they discussed it, I still didn’t watch it until today when I saw it referenced in an on-line article.  “Oh, yeah, that did sound interesting,” I thought, and clicked on the link.  I am so glad I did!  It was definitely 11 minutes of my time not wasted.  Caine’s imaginative cardboard arcade will inspire you with its creativity, and his personality will endear him to you.

I read a book to my Gifted and Talented Kindergartners every year called Christina Katerina and the Box.  After we read the book, I dump a bunch of boxes I have saved onto a table along with random bits and pieces of things.  Then I let the kids create.  After seeing Caine’s Arcade, I realize that I need to do this more often – and with all of my classes.

You might want to show Caine’s Arcade to your students.  There is one part that I caught, when they were showing comments on social networks, that briefly flashes an inappropriate word.  If you are concerned about this, or you just want to show key parts of the video, I recommend TubeChop.

Learn more about the Global Cardboard Challenge inspired by Caine’s Arcade here.

Caine’s Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.