Baby, it's cold outside = the understatement of the century! Where does that leave you when the kids are begging to play outside when the temperature hits 15 below? 

Take the doldrums outta winter and go camping. Although my daughter loved it, I Do Not enjoy sleeping in subzero temps- AT ALL- so, we settled on indoor camping this time.

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the play-by-play...         ↓↓↓

Detroit Design Festival 2013 featured the awesome concept that attendees could create their own path, meandering around town to check out any combination of the 60+ latest designs, innovations and installations from cutting-edge artists and designers. Happenings were conceptualized by a huge range of avant garde artists, including fashion and product designers, gallery and studio owners, cinematographers, interior and graphic designers, performance artists, boutique owners- the list is endless. 

Paths included varied categories such as the Youth Path, Community Path, Exploration Path, Enthusiast Path, Consumer Path and Practitioner Path. Stick with one specific path and attend coordinating events or choose a few from each to make your own way. Exploration promotes learning about new things and this was a excellent way to introduce children to art and design concepts. There was an amazing array of activities and interactive exhibits for all ages to discover.

Children were able to draw and crawl through a cardboard city from Neighborhood Fort, check out a Lego exhibit which depicted some of the city's iconic skyscrapers, create their own mask, and scribble at an artists studio created by coG-studio, an architectural design firm which specializes in creating spaces for youth.

Coming at you live- it's the Rolling Stones and their Rock & Roll Circus! The Stones themselves are created from clothespins, while the big top circus tent [with removable lid] is a project we did last week, and is made from plastic containers covered with papier mache.

To Make the Clothespin Stones:
5 Wooden Clothespins
Acrylic [or similar] Paint
Paintbrushes- All Sizes
Photo Paper + a Pic of the Stones from the Rock & Roll Circus Era

Paint the Circus version of the Stones using a photograph or movie poster for reference. Print out the photograph & cut their heads out. Glue each head onto the corresponding Stone. You are done and ready to recreate your own Rock & Roll Circus.

If you are really into it, add other cast members, such as Jethro Tull, John & Yoko, + Eric Clapton. Don't replicate The Who- unless you are looking to wage a Rock & Roll war- this is the rumored reason that the Rock & Roll Circus film was placed into the vaults until the 80s- Mick thought The Who's performance overshadowed the Stones. And you know the Ringmaster likes to share the spotlight with no one.

To Make the Rock & Roll Circus Big Top Tent:
Follow the Instructions here.

Stay tuned for more musical recreations- you should see what is next!

Now that the Stones are on tour- it's time to resurrect their grand musical extravaganza- The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus! The current tour is only hitting a select group of cities & probably not yours. So let's recreate the past, when Mick was the ringmaster- wearing glam makeup and holding a whip.

Let's start with the big top. Find an old ice cream container- the tub kind with the convenient handle. This is awesome because you- I mean the kids- can store the Stones inside when it's time to put everything away. Grab an old juice jug- the circular kind is preferable, but a rectangular shape will do. Carefully cut it off with a serrated knife. Cut an opening for the entrance into the big top. Place the juice top onto the ice cream lid, keep it in position with tape or hot glue. Now you are ready to begin the papier mache.

Use the recipe for papier mache listed here for the Skrillex Train project. Cover the lid with long strips of paper, keeping in mind that it should resemble a big top. Then cover the main tent. Allow to dry. Paint with acrylic paint. You can add a curtain to the entrance for added ambiance.

Next time we will work on The Stones themselves, well- clothespin versions of the Stones. Maybe a couple special guests will pay them a visit- Clapton, Tull, Lennon, did someone say Yoko- just like in the original Rock & Roll Circus.

Springtime is here and what better way to celebrate than to create chocolate bird nests- using extra chocolate bunnies that are probably hopping around the house. Children can help with this entire project; it's simple and hard to mess up.

Tear the foil wrapping off of the chocolate bunnies and break them apart into pieces. Melt the chocolate, stirring frequently to avoid scalded chocolate. [chocolate chips may be substituted for Easter chocolate]

Throw some coconut into the melted chocolate concoction- add more if needed. Just estimate the measurements- you should be  should be able to spoon a large dollop of the chocolate and shredded coconut mixture onto a cookie sheet. Place some eggs [whatever candy at home that resembles an egg- jellybeans, malted eggs, etc] in the center of each nest. Place in refrigerator until set. 

Who's gonna run this town tonight, your kid, of course! 

Have a ton of boxes sitting around, remnants from the holiday season? Put them to good use and create a "Cardboard Box Town."  This project is especially welcome in the midst of winter- when the weather is frosty and the kids are inside more often. This activity comes in handy for snow days and rainy days in the spring and allows them to use their imaginations and put their artistic skills to use.

Ingredients:
Large Cardboard Boxes
Crayons or Markers

Grab empty boxes. Place markers, crayons, and whatever else you can think of- and have the kids get to work designing their own town. Hours of fun, first drawing and coloring, and then playing!

555 Gallery hosts an art club for children on the second Saturday of the month. This is an opportunity to introduce your children to the arts or to give your creative superstar an outlet in which to produce their own work in a professional studio environment. The best part- the art space is housed in a former police precinct, and still has the cells in tact- what child wouldn't think that was badass?

The events vary in theme and are best suited for ages 7-14. The activities are fun- drawing cartoons, creating dioramas- not to mention making new friends and working alongside professional artists- pretty cool. There is an instructor present that will guide the class; the gallery sometimes welcomes guest artists to teach students.

Classes are held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and a reservation is recommended, as class sizes are limited. To RSVP, or for additional information about Saturday Art Club, contact Liz Sutton at Liz2555arts.org or 888.495.ARTS
Please note: There is a nominal fee to attend.

An awesome exhibition, Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition, is currently on display at The Henry Ford Museum. It features scaled-down lego versions created by Lego pro Adam Reed Tucker. Among the thirteen structures you will find the Empire State Building, Falling Water, Chicago Spire, Jin Mao Tower, and the St. Louis Arch + Ford Field which Tucker created during the opening days of the exhibition.

Tucker recreates renown architectural masterpieces. Its focus is heavy on the skyscrapers, [hence the "towering" title] but there are some "modest" reproductions included as well. And if you thought these structures to be amazing in real life- you have to check out the miniature versions- totally stellar! By using the unconventional construction materials we view as "toys-" we are able to view these buildings in a different way.

Special Lego Events offered at the Henry Ford Museum

LEGO® Create
Create a building from one of the four categories- residential, commercial, institutional and industrial- and then place the LEGO® models on a large-scale city map.
Daily through February 24, 9:30am–5pm

LEGO® train
Don’t miss our LEGO® train created by Michigan LEGO® User Group.
Daily between November 20, 2012, and January 6, 2013, 9:30am–5pm

Duplo® & Soft LEGO® Play Area
1- to 5-year–olds.
Daily through February 24, 9:30am–5pm

Free Learn-to-Build Saturdays!
Learn to create a specially designed miniature of the museum’s Clocktower.
Recommended for ages 10 and up with adult chaperone.
Every weekend, December 1–30, 10am–4pm

Brick Challenge with Nick Brickly
A double-dare-style LEGO® challenge.
Every Saturday, January 5–26, shows at 11:30am and 2pm

Build Demonstrations
Watch members of the Michigan LEGO® Users Group, an organization of adult fans of LEGO®, build a model of Detroit’s Renaissance Center.
January 5, 12, 19 & 26, 3pm-5pm

Adam Reed Tucker Returns!
Last time to see and meet architecture artist Adam Reed Tucker.
February 23–24

All event info retrieved from The Henry Ford Museum website.

DLECTRICITY is Detroit's lighting + art festival named after Detroit's Electric  Park. International artists used the city and its buildings to showcase their work. After the sun went down, structures, empty spaces, and the architecture of Midtown were transformed by multi-media displays and installations.  This is the first year this event has ever been held in Detroit, and is based upon the 'Nuit Blanche' concept in Paris and NYC.

Dlectricity was awesome! It was an exciting mix of avant garde installations & exhibitions. Music, projections, and performance were happening everywhere you looked. Some projects expressed innovative concepts, others were based on traditional ideas with unexpected results. There were parties, crowds, excitement. It was really impressive. Someone must have put a call in to Eddy Grant because it totally rocked down to Electric Avenue- and then they took it higher.

The learning opportunities for children were endless. They could climb on things, run through installations, explore the properties of light, make their own music, check out tons of experimental art, and most importantly, learn new ideas. There were so many projects that could potentially spark their interest and creative thinking. Dlectricity was a totally innovative experience.