Thorunn

P.S. If you are unable to pause the video or watch full screen here on this site, here is the direct link to the video: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Playing Tarzan?

The other day I visited a friend who’s son had just turned five. As I couldn’t make it to his birthday party, she started telling me about his high expectations for birthday presents. His list of preferences included a Phoenix who cries magic tears, a magic wand, a cape that makes you invisible, and a silver knife. He found it incomprehensible that his mother could not go to a local store and buy these things for his birthday. How hard can it be to find a Phoenix in Reykjavik?! Last year, this same boy asked for a real life Yoda and a real light saber for Christmas.

Some people might be shocked by why parents would let a 5 year old boy watch Star Wars and Harry Potter. I wouldn’t completely disagree, but I watched Star Wars as a kid and got out of that experience with my brain and innocent youth intact (at least I hope so). But if you think about it, adventures can be a great source of inspiration for kids. What I like most about them is that they are able to activate the imagination which often makes kids explore life even further. Not to mention that I think kids who like adventure movies and stories are more likely to be physically active and play outdoors than others. You can’t really play Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker without moving, now can you?

It’s really easy for parents to get involved. If you buy a light saber for your kid, why don’t you grab one for yourself while your at it? I’m sure you’ve wondered what it would be like to be a jedi, and this is your chance to find out! You don’t even have to buy a “real” light saber. Go hiking in a nearby forrest and I’m sure you’ll find some branches that have fallen off trees that you can use instead. It’s better for the environment and you can also use the branch as a sword while playing a knight, a magic wand, or make it into a bow.

Just remember to keep an open mind ’cause it will make you more likely to find hidden treasures where you never would have thought to find them.

So go on. Be adventurous!

Thorunn

photo credit: J Roosens ]]> http://www.fafutoys.com/blog/2010/07/14/adventures/feed/ 0 http://www.fafutoys.com/blog/2010/06/30/dancing-like-nobodys-watching/ http://www.fafutoys.com/blog/2010/06/30/dancing-like-nobodys-watching/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:01:38 +0000 thorunn http://www.fafutoys.com/blog/?p=225 Dancing Like Nobody‘s Watching

I love to dance. I mean, who doesn‘t? It‘s such a great way of releasing energy but getting filled with new energy. It‘s a way of expressing emotions and getting filled with emotions. It‘s an art form and exercise at the same time.

It always amazes me how shy some people are to dance in front of others or even in groups of people who are all dancing and having fun. Why is it ok to run in front of other people, but not to dance in front of them? Running and dancing are both a type of movement. Is it because people are afraid they might be „bad“ dancers? What defines a bad dancer? Someone who can‘t hold a beat? Someone who has a hard time controlling his limbs? Let‘s face it, most people are amateur dancers with no professional training of any kind. So we have a good excuse to be „bad“ at it. And why do we have to dance to someone elses beat anyway? Just dance to your own beat and the hell with the rest of them. It‘s your body, your movement and your flow, so don‘t let anyone else tell you what to do with it!

Dancing the Stress Away
Sometimes when my son and I come home after a long day at school or work, we blast the stereo and start busting the groove like there is no tomorrow. It‘s a great way of releasing the afternoon tension and gives you energy to finish the few hours that are left of the day with a smile. I suggest you try it today when you get home from work. And let your kids participate. They might learn some old school dance steps and who knows, you might learn something from them. Plus, it‘s fun and won‘t cost you a dime. Just make sure you let go of your inhibitions and do it like nobody‘s watching. It just makes it more fun. Don‘t you agree?

Thorunn

photo credit: ^riza^

My son recently turned six and is starting school next fall. After visiting his school and talking to other parents about their kids schools, I have formed a strong opinion about the school system.

The Production of Workers

Today’s school system is built on the old idea that you need to program kids to become teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc. They need to be good in math, grammar, history, etc., and if they aren’t, they need to get better at it. Otherwise, they might not get a good job when they grow up. In other words, our school system is producing workers for the society. But if you think about it, paying a tutor to teach someone something he has no interest in is like throwing money down the drain.

Think about it. From the age of 6 (or younger in some countries) we are forced to study what some grown up we don’t even know decided would be best for us to study without consulting with us. And if we follow the curriculum with great care, we are putting our future into the hands of a selected few who have no concern of how our lives will turn out, as long as we get a “good job.”

I almost went down this “get a good job” path once. When I was studying business at Reykjavik University back in 2006, I saw a trend in the society that all the best jobs were in banking and that was the best future for someone with a business degree. So I decided to major in finances. But after thinking it through for a few days I realized how stupid it would be to major in something I had absolutely no interest in and would lead me down a boring and miserable life path. So I decided to major in nothing, but instead take all the selectiver coursed I was interested in. Study what I thought would be interesting, and most of all, fun! But I was already a grown up when I made this decision and had the power to make it. Imagine being 9 years old, wanting nothing more than becoming a graphic designer, but being forced to take extra classes in grammar becuase you are dislexis or just plain bad in grammar? And you can’t do anything about it!

Embracing Diversity

Why doesn’t the school system welcome diversity instead of demanding homogeneity? Why do we all have to fit the same mold? Imagine how the world would be if Einstein had decided to fit the mold instead of pursuing his ideas?

Kids are born with the amazing ability to believe that anything is possible. They get tons of ideas every day, some of them crazy (good?), others less crazy. The other day my son figured out that he was the best Lego builder in the history of man kind and that if he would make his own Lego design and box it up, someone would be willing to buy it. First he wanted to take it to the local supermarket and sell it there. But then he realized that it might get lost in the crowd of branded toys, so he opted to turn our apartment into a store for one day. But if he did that, he would need to have more than one product to sell. So he decided to take his big Lego box, sort out all the yellow heads without bodies he had, put them in small boxes and sell in bulk. He still hasn’t finished planning the store opening, but after the store closes, he’s going to change our apartment into a theater and stage a comedy that guests will be able to see for a minimal entrance fee. He’s only 6. Imagine where he will be in a few years if I continue letting him pursue his ideas and not demand he gets better at something he has no interest in anyway.

What we should do is embrace each child’s talent. If he’s good at drawing and bad in math, instead of hiring a math tutor, we should let him attend a drawing class. Let him get better at something he’s already good at and has desire, ambition and will to work hard at doing. We need to stop producing workers and start empowering kids to nurture their talents and follow their dreams. Don’t you think it would make the world a better and happier place to live in?

Thorunn

photo credit: Pink Sherbet

But is it the best thing for him?
Who is he and what can he be?
I have noticed through all this that he has become too aware of him self and now I am picking up the pieces of his broken self image. It got me thinking. Why the hell do we do this?
I have been trying to do this as well as possible. With the school and with focused attention. granny-days, Mommy-days and creative activities. Most of it helped but the aim was to what? Change him to something he is not? Make him a better version of himself? Do we know who he is?

The school has talked about ADHD but he has always scored just belove the line that makes a kid “abnormal”. When you think about it you realize that ADHD is not an actual state in the same sense as being bald or having 6 fingers. It is a bunch of behavioral characteristics used to define a group of people that use up more space than the rest. Someone made it up!

I know that ADHD is a real problem for parents and I am not saying that it is not. But I am wondering about the methods we use to deal with it. What happens for example if we raise a whole generation of children where space consuming behavior is erased? We are raising the first medicated generation now. Will it better our society? Who will challenge the way that the rest of us think? Who will come up with all of the new ideas?

One of our strongest need is to belong. I was an active and attention seeking child and I completely lost myself on my quest to belong. It might not have bad intentions to ask a child to stop talking, move away from the TV (when dancing in front of it) or relax but it all has the same message. You do not belong here! It is a bit devastating when you cant help your self. Make a thing out of it. Debate night! Dance shows in the living room! Or better yet complement and encourage your child to create and express it self!! Empower their voice. They matter and they have the power to change an rethink when others do not.

I am not saying that my methods are the best. I am still learning and I hope that I can share new experiences and findings as they come.

For us sleeping habits are most important. Less sleep will result in more disruption and challenging behavior. It is not a good feeling for him. He is also happy when he can have some control over what he can do and the freedom to do it. His independence is his “drug of choice”. For that we are lucky to live in Reykjavik where he is able to explore and play more freely than he would in larger communities. But we need to find that balance between independence and rules. The trust has to be there and the line that he can not cross.

My son has amazing talents that exceed his age group and flaws where other kids exceed him. His physical abilities are unbelievable but normal for someone that trains as hard as he does playing. He is very creative and wonders a lot about people. He is very curious and constantly seeking knowledge and asking questions. He was “mouse-able” around 3 and has known his way around the internet for a few years. He follows his will without hesitation and always has. He is completely independent.
But he has great difficulties standing in line!

My wish for him is that he finds a way to coexist with other people better. He has a lot of love and would never hurt anyone intentionally. He has the purest heart I know. I hope that I can help him find his passion where all his great abilities are useful.

I went to listen to Dalai Lama talk when he came to Reykjavik and the most interesting message from him was that you can never give children too much love. And it is not about things and giving them all the control. It is about excepting them as they are and water them like plants so they can reach their potential. They all have that special thing.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Hulda

(photo credit: Yogendra174)

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

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

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!

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