Well, the Giraffe Street Lamp looks cool even though it may be impractical. It’s a playground inspired idea that captures the energy of swinging and solar to power an LED light. The backyard and park setting photos of the Giraffe Street Lamp in use are good – put it in the bedroom and I think they might have a winner. [Yanko Design via Dvice]
The Giraffe Street Lamp Lets You Swing For Your Lighting
February 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
Ok Kids, You Can Have Your LEGOs Back
February 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
Kirkbi A/S, the parent company of LEGO Group, is investing $534 million into an offshore wind turbine farm built by DONG Energy off the coast of Germany. Their investment will give them a 32% stake in the operation that will produce 277 megawatts of electricity and qualify LEGO products as WindMade so they can attach the label to their packaging.
Two nice things about this story: LEGO’s are now built [indirectly] by wind power and I get to drop a DONG [Energy] without calling somebody one. [Reuters via Grist]
Final Post On Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards: Elementary School Edition
February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Happy Valentine’s Day! As with every holiday, we pulled through it with some last minute heroics. We didn’t buy the pre-packaged cards this year and my kids were able to participate in the design of their classroom Valentines. I have to come clean, I’m definitely not one of those parents who patiently works with their kids on baking or craft projects; I’m skilled at impatiently not-working on projects with my kids. But making the Valentine’s cards from scratch was easy and my kids had fun making it their own. Here are their final Valentine’s cards:
 Spongie Brad No-Pants Valentines Card – Didn’t want to infringe on any copyrights so we went the knock-off route. Harry just filled in the blanks with his classmate’s name and a word to describe them (ie funny, nice, crazy etc.). Had to slip in a plug for the Burj Khalifa too. BTW: did you know the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world at 2,651 feet? I hear it almost everyday. |
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You’re A Treat Card – So my daughter did go with the You’re a treat card with a slight modification. She added the “JK” (Just Kidding) because she’s too nice to not give something. She also insisted on not including or writing her name on the card just in case. I think she’ll be an attorney. |
Homemade Valentine’s Cards For The Classroom
February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Definitely don’t want to leave the kids out; they probably need more help with Valentine’s cards than their parents. That’s because if your kids are elementary school age, they have to bring Valentine’s cards for everyone in their class – even for the kids they don’t like. For us, it’s been an annual trip to the Rite Aid where we spend 15+ minutes choosing one of the over-packaged Valentine card kits with SpongeBob, Hello Kitty, Harry Potter etc. The card is like gift wrap and is quickly peeled off and forgotten while the treats are collected and traded like prison cigarettes.
But don’t fret this year because Jubbling can help and you won’t have to leave your house. Our sample homemade classroom Valentine’s cards were created more to inspire but if you see one you like, it’s yours free of charge. It’s your call if you want attach a sticker, tattoo or candy to your homemade Valentine’s card but staying at home and making more memorable classroom cards yourself is the key to your kid’s Jubbling Valentines.
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Pre-Recycled Valentine’s Card – This is the easy way out card. Use at own risk. Download printer ready PDF. |
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Valentine’s Day Joke Card – Wasn’t sure about this one but my kids thought it was funny. Just the word poop alone can bring down the house with the 3rd grade and under crowd. Sprinkle in some Valentines message and you’ve got a winner. Download printer ready PDF. |
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Valentine’s Day Card For The Classroom Bully – If Valentine’s day is your kids last day at their school and they have a bully in their class, this is your card. Ideally your kid will have two bullies in their class so they can sign it from/to each bully.
You can also substitute the penny with a piece of copper wire to get the same effect. |
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You Are A Treat – My daughter is planning on handing out this card. It has a positive message and replaces the need for an actual treat. Download printer ready PDF. |
Charge One AA Battery At A Time Via Solar With The Nokero C110 Battery Charger
February 7, 2012 By 1 Comment
At $14, the solar-powered Nokero C110 AA battery charger might teach the kids something about patience. It takes a few hours to fully charge a single battery and includes one AA battery. Another nice feature of the Nokero C110 is that it also works with other rechargeable battery brands. [Nokero via Gizmodo]
The Cleanoscope Garbage Can Will Make The Trash You Throw In It Look More Interesting
February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Cleanoscope garbage can just might motivate people to throw away trash even if it’s not their own. It uses two mirrors to reflect what is inside the trash can to produce a kaleidoscope’ish image that makes garbage look good. Designed by Nishant Jethi, the first Cleanoscope was installed in a children’s park in Mumbai India and collected 288 lbs of trash in one week; a normal, similar sized trash can will collect an average of 180 lbs per week. The Cleanoscope wins by 108 (pounds of trash)! [DesignBoom via Gizmodo]
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