fafu fair fun

We are always throwing around new ideas and working on product development. Making inventive toys is challenging and fun at the same time. We need to combine theories of children’s development, environmental ideology and our fundamental elements, surprise, humor and challenge. How can we do better and where do we start?

We have a happy industrial designer, Adalheidur Thorolfsdottir, or Heida as we call her, working on product development. She is preparing the ideology for our new baby line that grows with the child. It looks and feels great and I can´t wait to see the end result. Are you wondering what her inspiration might be? Take a look!

The designer, Heida, took those pictures when visiting Isafjordur in the western part of Iceland. It is a beutiful fishermans village but she was inspiried to make baby toys!

This kind of looks like a baby mobile, but is a collection of odd looking old things that probably had some genius purpose.

This one - a stomac from a fish and was used to felt wool. I have no idea how they did it but I am curious to travel to Isafjordur and try to find someone that can tell me more about it. It is something about felting in airtight bags, like we do today but with plastic bags. I might just try this!

This is actually one of the first GPS´s. It was filles with fish oil and left hanging at the side of a fishing boat. When in trouble fishermen would put it into the water where it would leave a path of oil that helped other ships to find the lost one. A simple way to be inventive! SO inspiring

These are busy times at fafu.

Last Saturday was World Fair Trade Day, which we celebrated downtown Reykjavik with a lot of happy drummers and passers-by. The whole summer will be filled with events to raise awareness about Fair Trade in Iceland, so for those of you who live in Iceland, check out our Facebook page as well as the Changemaker Iceland, but they are in the forefront of organizing the campaign.

Drummers in Reykjavik on the World Fair Trade Day 2010

Heida, the Fafu Girl, getting pictured in a huge Fair Trade sign

Heida wearing her fikra costume

This week we are working on product development of the book about the Fafu’s as well as a new toy for babies in collaboration with a very talented industrial designer. We will tell you more about both projects very soon.

Until next time, keep a smile on your face and try to have some fun. It makes life so much better!

Thorunn

Last weekend, I had high expectations for myself as last week was Earth Day 2010. As life goes, plans changed so I didn´t manage to to half of the things I wanted to. My son and I took our bikes and headed down to the grocery store to buy the necessities for the home. When we got home I asked myself why I didn´t do this more often. It´s like 2 in 1 – shop and get exercise while I´m doing it.

Adel on Earth Day 2010

Next up was a visit to my cousins house to babysit her three children – Jana (4 years old), Touissaint (2 years old), and Marie (2 years old). We had big plans about taking them outside for a nature walk, but the twins took a longer nap than usual so we ended up staying inside and playing with fafu fikra costumes instead. The kids instantly picked their favorite pieces to play with and got into character quite quickly. We had a lot of fun that day and are planning to do it again very soon – this time by taking the fikra costumes outside and see what the kids come up with.

Marie with a prototype hat called "skjola" on Earth Day 2010

Touissaint playing with his dui hat on Earth Day 2010

Jana decided to play a princess and of course, she needed a prince with her

Jana made Adel her prince, but he had different ideas and wanted to be a superhero. They went with a mix of both - a superprince!

I have been reading about multiple intelligence recently trying to find ways to make outstanding toys that help children to use all of their intelligence. This theory by Howard Gardner is so interesting!

Combining it with Rudolf Steiner and a twist of Reggio Emilia is either confusing or very interesting! Time will only tell hehehe

I think theories like that can be used as inspiration but not a religion. I like all above for different reasons. All of those theories inspire and empower children to learn from their environment on their own terms. They also hope to help children find their own strengths. But how can we use those theories to make the best possible toys? What do children need that they are not getting from the toys available today?

I think it is important to leave barriers in the toy and surprising functions. That way we will motivate children to think and create solutions.  We have to bring children from that passive role into creativity so they can grow and learn and find out what their passion is. Who am I? What can I do? What makes me unique?

I already have some ideas. I found out that they come to me when I play with my kids and completely forget everything else. And it is amazing! What a fun job this is!

The picture is borrowed from www.newhorizons.org

Hulda

Here is an update on what we are doing

We are working full speed on getting fikra to as many stores as we can so you can all enjoy it!

We are also working on product development on some amazing toys for self education More on that later!

We recently started a new side project to promote environmental education. To do that we are working on writing a small children books about creatures called fafus. They are made from earth materials like dirt or sand and all of them have a plant on their head. They interact with children and together they try to find the balance needed between nature and people to keep the fafus alive.

We hope that when reading the books parents and children will talk about our environment and seek knowledge and ways to live a greener life and enjoy natures wonders

Here is a drawing from our first brainstorm. It´s a work in progress but hopefully we will be able to show you some end result soon.

Hulda