At GeekDad we are always interested in the intersection where technology supports our children's learning and creativity. So, this new project that is taking place in the last month of 2010 has caught our eye. It is a collaboration between a group of parents who are children's book illustrators, software engineers, handmade toys and children's fashion artisans and educators who are proposing we begin to use digital technology to support our children's creativity.
A group of collaborators under the collective title of Being Prudence are inviting children and families from around the world to contribute to the world's largest curated exhibition of children's arts and craft, masquerading as an advent calendar (yes, audacious is the word they use too). This team, based in four different countries (USA, Canada, Australia, UK) and being of various faiths promise to be respectful by recognizing Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa in their calendar.
The project is called (and found at) Felicity from Thin Air and this free event runs from December 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011.
This web-based calendar promises to offer a daily surprise from an illustrator, along with a suggested fun family activity or occasional craft activity. Parents and children will be asked to upload images of their creativity and fun to the internet to be part of an online exhibition. This exhibition promises to feature every single child's contribution front and center, while keeping a curated experience for families to shield them from potential cyber-spammers.
There's some clever sleigh of hand working behind the scenes, with a small touch of love and effort on the part of the parents. Below each featured child's contribution will be a growing mosaic of curated contributions from around the world.
The artists behind Felicity from Thin Air include noted Australian children's illustrator Roland Harvey; Claire Robertson aka Loobylu, a much adored handmade softies maker/blogger/illustrator residing in Salt Spring Island, Canada; Amber Carvan who runs the internationally popularKids Craft Weekly website, and Evielala, a handmade children's fashion label based in Melbourne.
The aim of Felicity from Thin Air is to use technology and the web-based calendar to inspire creativity and to create a magical experience by inspiring sharing and collaboration across the globe, yet nestled in a safe environment between children's families using what they're terming a "conspiracy of fun".
The exhibition is free and open to anyone to contribute, whether you're a child, parent or a creative spirit. To add some additional spice, the Felicity from Think Air team is offering a free iPhone app to be released in the coming days, featuring some extra magic by hacking augmented reality with stop motion origami. This will be a treat worth downloading for you to play with.
So, consider this article your invitation to participate in Felicity from Thin Air. It is a fascinating project and one really worth bring a part of.
