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Kid Movie Making Ideas: 3 Question Interview with Daddy STOP MOTION Animator, Dave DiBartolo

by Matthew Worwood October 17, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

When it comes to Kid Moviemaking Ideas, Lego Stop Motion is super, super high on the list. Not only does it allow our little ones to generate fun stories that can be easily captured, but it also extends the creative thinking to constructing worlds, and engaging problem-solving skills in not only the child, but parent as well.

After fellow parent, David DiBartolo completed his Fine Arts degree he landed in the world of video, and now applies these skills at home with his son Drew. Below he shares some tips and tricks for parents looking to get into Lego moviemaking. Also, don’t forget to comment for free access to the film Creativity in Education: Exploring the Imbalance.

How did you get into making Lego videos with your little one?

When my son Drew was four he got his first Lego set, a Star Wars spaceship of some kind. I noticed he had some really imaginative play with just the ship and the three characters that came along. I thought it would be a great idea to film him and capture some of the great stories he was telling. As his/our passion for Lego grew we began watching some really great stop-motion Lego movies on YouTube, and it was Drew who suggested we try to make our own.

Like any creative endeavor, it began very basic. I wanted to find a way to make it easy for a four/five year old to make his own movies as well as keep his attention so he doesn’t get board of the monotony of the stop-motion process.

We had no lights or tripod. I chose the brightest room in our house and suggested we shoot on my iPhone as appose to the DSLR cameras that many of the YouTube videos are shot with. As for a stop-motion app, we landed on the “LEGO Movie” app. It has some canned effects, stock music, and a pretty simple UI for a four/five year old to grasp.

Kid Moviemaking Ideas: Dave and Drew setting up a shot in one of their movies.

Can you tell us a little about the Lego Stop Motion App? How easy is it to use? Do you need to know about Stop Motion and Movie Making?

The “LEGO Movie” app is pretty simple. It gives you the option to chose your focal point, turn on the flash on your phone, and use it as a light. An “onion layer” option so you can see the previous shot for a fluid sequence. As well as some pre-canned effects and music to help make the post-production of the video a little easier.

What advice can you offer parents looking to make Lego videos with their kids?

Start simple and plan out the story before going into the shoot. Drew and I have a “pre-production” meeting where I try to limit his grand ideas into a simple story. He has a great imagination and sometimes imagines stories that would rival most summer blockbuster films.

The best thing I learned is to give him rules to work within, otherwise he’d either get frustrated, or bored, and not want to finish – or we’d end up working all night!

I have him choose a hero, a villain and some supporting cast. I also have him choose one location and work the story around that location. I ask him what problem his hero has to solve. If the solution begins to get a bit too violent I ask him what his hero could do to avoid the violence. Asking questions about his story really helps hone in on the core of the story he is trying to tell. I let him create the story I just guide him in a positive direction.

Sometimes he gets really excited about his idea and I suggest we draw storyboards so when we go into filming I can refer to this so he stays on task.

As for useful equipment, using a tripod and/or a studio light help. The main reason is to get a level steady shot and try to even out the light, so the shadows don’t get too heavy.

Check out one of Drew and David’s films below.

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October 17, 2015 2 comments

Matthew Worwood

Creativity Chit-Chat: Enjoying ‘Playtime’ with my boy (Imaginative Play)

by Matthew Worwood October 15, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

I’ve been trying to sort through my thousands of photos on my Mac computer. I can’t wait for someone to produce an application that removes all the duplicates, and automatically places them in folders based on your child’s age, the season, and location. One of the images of Lucas from last winter was taken on a walk around our complex – I remember it lasted hours as we battled the elements, climbed up steep mountains, and transported to different dimensions (though there was always some connection to Frozen). I’ve had many similar experiences, a bike ride in Cape Code that turned into an adventure with a Gruffalo, fairies, a magical wood, dinosaur bones, and a scary forest. Another involved a giant Tsunami that we just survived on a beach in Italy.

See Also: My Magical Garden: Where were your Imaginary Worlds?

Giving up to your child’s imagination is so easy when you let go of your surroundings. You can visit magical places, and rekindle childhood connections. Sadly, I know this won’t last, and already I feel some of our recent walks are becoming more fact-based and centered on real-world questions. But, joining in with the imaginative play, not only encourages creative thinking, it makes for some blissful memories of ‘playtime’ with our children.

Lucas finally reaches the top of a mountain, or rather volcano covered in Snow – I can’t remember!

Ah yes – Lucas’s obsession with Mermaids. Here he had just washed up on a beach and was about to grow legs.

Getting ready for our first bike ride. Little did we know that we were embarking on an adventure to a magical wood full of fairies and gruffalo.

Moments after the giant wave ripped us apart.

Moments after the giant wave capsized our boat, and ripped us apart, while enjoying the sun on a beach in Italy.

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October 15, 2015 0 comment

3 Question Interview

3 Question Interview with Kids Cooking Activities Blogger, Debbie Madson

by Matthew Worwood October 10, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Whether it is creating food that looks fun and appealing or discovering what spices go with what flavors, cooking is a great way to practice your creativity.

– Debbie Madson

I am extremely lucky to live within an Italian family that takes great pride in making and preparing food. My eldest has observed these creative acts in the kitchen with great interest, and now enjoys any opportunity to make and create in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I am still pathetic when it comes to cooking, and am at a lost on how I might better support and facilitate Kids Cooking Activities.

Debbie Madson is a Web Publisher and Author, who has published several sites and books on the subject. Most of her time is spent at kids-cooking-activites.com, a site dedicated to teaching kids cooking skills and easy to do recipes (and this is a fantastic blog – I can only hope that one-day mine will be half as successful!). In this 3 Question Interview, Debbie shares her ideas on how to engage children’s creative thinking in the kitchen.

1. Cooking and Creativity – what’s the connection?

Whether it is creating food that looks fun and appealing or discovering what spices go with what flavors, cooking is a great way to practice your creativity. If you can make cooking fun and bring in a level of creativity kids will learn to enjoy working in the kitchen. One of my favorite ways to do this is to give kids a plate of chopped vegetables for a vegetable platter and ask them to create a masterpiece. They’ve made turkeys for the Thanksgiving dinner, a house design with flowers and trees as a landscape and even Picasso like designs.

Cooking also provides opportunities for problem solving and learning without children even realizing it. By teaching kids how to half or double recipes you are showing them how to use math skills in everyday life. Or learning how to read a recipe carefully so you don’t forget an ingredient or skip a step gives them practice in reading skills. There may be mistakes made while cooking and being able to have kids stop and figure out what went wrong and how to make it better or do it over can provide great problem solving skills as well.

2. In what ways can parents introduce young children to cooking?

Getting children interested when they are young is a great opportunity to get them more involved in healthy eating. However, don’t feel it is too late if your kids are older.

When you are beginning allow your child to work alongside you by stirring food, adding ingredients into a mixing bowl or choosing recipes to try. These simple tasks will help them feel like they are making and creating meals. Also talk to them while you are cooking. Teach them about the different ingredients you are using, where they come from and what kind of food our bodies need.

As they gain experience add on more age appropriate tasks such as whisking eggs, peeling carrots or measuring ingredients.

Lucas and the four stages of Pizza Making. Disclaimer: This activity was led by my wife. I was just an observer.

My eldest demonstrates the FOUR STAGES OF PIZA MAKING. Disclaimer: This activity was led by my wife. I was just an observer.

3. I confess I can’t cook. I burn everything and make a huge mess in the process. What advice do you have for Dads like me?

If you are a beginner cook start with some basic ideas such as boiling water for pasta and adding a sauce. Starting with prepared ingredients can also build your confidence. To make a basic chicken soup you could start with a can of chicken broth, shredded chicken (I like to use the Rotisserie chicken already cooked from the grocery store) and chopped carrots. Keeping it simple when you are beginning sometimes is a great way to ease yourself into learning how to cook.

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October 10, 2015 0 comment

Jonathan Furst

How About More Community-Wide Creative Activities!

by Dads for Creativity October 5, 2015

written by Dads for Creativity

As parents we do our best to encourage our kids creativity and their sense of exploration at home and in school. An often untapped venue lies in the amazing power of a community-wide creative activity!

Picture this: A hot, windless afternoon at the local pool. One week before the start of school. A resourceful father and educator organizes a community activity that challenges everyone’s creative skills and results in a celebration of innovation and play!

Anthony Taddei, who oversees the local pool program, has scattered flattened cardboard boxes of all sizes, assorted broken pieces of kickboard material and rolls and rolls of duct tape on the grass in front of the pool. Parents and children crowd around him as he explains:

“You have thirty minutes to design and build a boat using only what you see around you: cardboard, kickboard material and duct tape. The first boat – with one person on board – to go across the pool and back wins! Start building!”

Groups of parents and kids immediately start gathering materials and building the wildest assortment of floatation vehicles I have ever seen. The engagement and concentration is focused and, best of all, playful.

Even before reaching the water, designs soar and collapse – which leads to group discussions to discover alternative solutions to the problem.

Readers of this blog are probably familiar with the tab on our site “Getting Started Understanding Creativity.” If you haven’t seen it – here’s the link

https://dadsforcreativity.com/parent-partners-in-education/

Some of the important creativity skills noted by researchers include:

–Produce and consider many alternatives

–Be original

The community activity organized by Anthony Taddei incorporated those skills into a group activity. Sometimes we think of creativity as a solitary experience, but the power of collaboration can exponentially elevate the level of imaginative and innovative work.

There is increasing research in the field of creativity in groups that affirms how collaborative work can encourage and lead to the discovery of multiple and unique solutions to a given problem or situation. (For the fun of it – take a look at: Powers of Two – How Relationships Drive Creativity by Joshua Wolf Shenk. Shenk references neuroscience, cultural history and psychology to examine creativity – and along the way cites duos like Lennon and McCartney, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Pierre and Marie Curie.)

Now Back to the pool: The thirty minutes were up and parents and their kids carefully launched their “boats” in the pool water. And every device floated! …..but not all survived the test of floating with someone on board. Anthony Taddei blew his whistle – and the race was on between eight boats still floating with a passenger on board!

While one boat eventually crossed the finish line – the experience of families having fun and working together in a creative activity was the highlight of the day. And, as I learned afterwards – for some it was the highlight of the summer.

Every boat designed and assembled that afternoon was the result of collaboration and creativity.

As we continue to nurture the creative skills of our kids at home – let’s also take a lead from Anthony Taddei:

Let’s find more innovative ways to come together in community groups to exercise our creativity and stretch our imagination!

October 5, 2015 0 comment

Matthew Worwood

Kid Movie Making Ideas: Parent and Kid Video Competition (The Conjurer)

by Matthew Worwood October 3, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Building upon our kid movie making ideas, we’ve decided to launch a parent and kid competition. The Conjurer is a fun video challenge that requires parents and their kids to produce a short 15-45 second video using a mobile device. Winners will receive a Dads for Creativity T Shirt, and an absolutely awesome GorillaPod tripod, which was kindly donated by Joby (Thank you Joby!)

BACKGROUND:

The Conjurer is a black and white, 1899 movie made by illusionist and filmmaker Georges Melies. Accompanied by a ballet dancer, George Melies performs a quick series of magic acts, including disappearances, reappearances, and transformations.

Now with a mobile device and moviemaking app we can accomplish the same effects used in this film by making two minor edits in our timeline. The creativity is in the story that you create and the items that you make disappear!

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: Kid Movie Making Ideas: 6 Easy Steps to Making Movie Magic

COMPETITION RULES:

Films must be filmed and edited with a mobile device ONLY.

The film must replicate the general gist of The Conjurer, which means you must make something disappear, or appear, or transform.
Films must be under 45-seconds and will be judged for their creativity and story.
If it’s available you’re encouraged to add a filter that creates the look of an old film, but it’s not required.

Suggested Resources:

Movie Making App (iMovie is certainly my preference)
Mini Tripod is helpful

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Submission links must be posted below or shared on the Dads for Creativity Facebook page. We also welcome submissions via Instagram (which has a 15 second cap), but you must remember to use our handle @dadsforcreativity and include the hashtag #TheConjurer. Provide any questions in the comments below.

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October 3, 2015 0 comment

3 Question Interview Matthew Worwood

Creativity for Everybody: 3 Question Interview with CREATIVITY EXPERT, Jane Harvey

by Matthew Worwood September 30, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

‘Too many people think creativity is exclusive to the arts and don’t understand that creativity is about a way of thinking and seeing’

-Jane Harvey

‘I’m not creative – I don’t know where they get their creativity from!’ I’ve heard this sentence uttered far too many times from fantastic and highly creative adults – many of them parents. We are all creative! We have natural characteristics that help us think creatively, and the challenge is to continue to develop and nurture these natural characteristics as we grow. As parents one of the ways we can support this effort is by developing a better understanding of creativity and challenging some of the misconceptions that exist within society. In this 3 Question Interview, Jane Harvey who recently co-authored a book called ‘Creativity for Everybody’ will challenge this misconception and explain how creative thinking expands far beyond the arts.

What do you consider to be some of the greatest myths about creativity?

Myth: Some people are born creative and some are not. I would prefer to say that it varies in how people find their way into (or out of) creativity.

Myth: Creative people are the odd weirdo-types. Yeah, thanks.

Myth: Too many people think creativity is exclusive to the arts and don’t understand that creativity is about a way of thinking and seeing. I have heard from parents “you can either choose a career that will earn money, or you can choose the arts and not make money”. Why is it either/or? Why can’t the arts be integrated into everything, so our brains get play time and freedom of expression for the full benefit for learning?

What advice do you have for parents who what to cultivate creative thinking skills at home?

Encourage multiple perspectives of a situation. Not everyone thinks the same or sees the same. Have your children get into a habit of considering different views and then talk about it. To build fluency and flexibility for creative thinking, kids need to try out alternatives. There is no one right answer, but we all get caught up in the mindset of efficiency and immediacy. Have your children think beyond a fast answer, and play along yourself. Reward imagination, curiosity, and deep thought.

Jane with her daughter, Molly Gibbs (who took the photo above) Jane says she encourages her twin daughters to think for themselves and honor their need for freedom to play and think and explore.

What are some of the creative characteristics that you’ve seen in your children and how have you tried to nurture these skills at home?

I don’t see myself as intentionally nurturing creative skills in my daughters (age 17 identical twins). I encourage them to think for themselves and honor their need for freedom to play and think and explore. I support their interests and strongly believe in variety and diversity and making ‘newness’ available to them. I am accessible when they have questions. Teenagers are a different kind of creature. I don’t have the same influence or access as when they were younger, so it’s hard to take credit for their creative characters now. They both have a great sense of humor and clever wit, are perceptive and intense. Deep thinkers, curious, thorough, they do have artistic sides. I mostly try to fan the flames of their creativity and just get out of the way!

Creativity for Everyone is available to buy on Amazon. Alternatively, simply comment below or share this article on Facebook* for a chance to receive a FREE SIGNED COPY.

Jane Harvey is a freelance designer, graphic recorder, artist, and creativity consultant. She is valued for her openness, empathy, and humor, and skills in simplifying and designing content. She earned a Master of Science degree in Creativity, Creative Problem Solving, and Change Leadership from the Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design.

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September 30, 2015 3 comments

Matthew Worwood

Creativity Chit-Chat: Hollywood’s Hidden Call for Creativity

by Matthew Worwood September 27, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Lets be honest – one of the best things about being a parent is having an excuse to watch kiddy movies. This weekend we re-watched The Croods, for the zillionth time. For a while it was my eldest’s favorite film, but has since been replaced with A Night of the Museum.

This typical Hollywood blockbuster follows the journey of the last cavemen family – ‘The Croods’. Unlike other cavemen families, they have managed to survive being eaten, or getting sick, or consuming poisonous berries, or freezing in bad weather, all achieved by staying in their cave and resisting the temptation to be curious. In his desire to keep the family safe, the Father teaches his children to never think differently, he believes that thinking differently is bad and will get you killed. Obviously we know where the film is heading – the Croods are about to survive certain doom by thinking differently. Forced to leave their cave after an Earthquake, the family embark on a journey and meet Guy, another cavemen who brings with him new ideas (though I think he’s meant to be from a more intelligent species as well). The Father sees the character of Guy as a threat at first, but after a number of close calls he soon realizes that Guys ideas are the only thing that will save his family from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that are consuming the land around them.

The Croods is a great movie, and I believe a sequel is in the works, but there is also a hidden call for creativity sandwiched within the storyline. Young children naturally think differently, they’re curious, open-minded, can tolerate ambiguity, and produce and consider many alternatives. Unfortunately, we as adults are not always great at cultivating this type of thinking and very quickly impose rules and ways of thinking that can threaten the natural characteristics that allow their creativity to flourish. This challenge only increases in education as the required learning of specific content quickly assumes priority. Education institutions are becoming increasingly aware of this situation and some are making genuine attempts to change, but parents must assume some level of responsibility and allow for some level of curiosity and ambiguity within the home.

We’ve certainly written a lot on this subject during our creativity chit-chats, but as I reflect on storylines in recent films that I’ve watched I’m able to quickly reference other titles that offer similar calls for creativity. For example the storyline in The Lego Movie, centers on the battle against Lord Business who requires everyone to stick to the instructions, and adult films such The Divergent series is about a culture that considers thinking differently a threat. What exactly is Hollywood trying to tell us? Or rather, why are we as a society producing these types of storylines? If we already know it’s a problem, then surely the next stage is to do something about it – as our child’s first teachers it’s important that we’re conscious of the situation and make efforts to recognize and encourage creativity in the home.

September 27, 2015 1 comment

Matthew Worwood

iPad App Series: 4 Introductory iPad Apps for Toddlers

by Matthew Worwood September 24, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Our children are growing up in a world where much of their technology is interactive. Most children have access to some type of tablet device and we as parents watch in wonder as they quickly learn to navigate the interface to select their favorite applications. This article suggests 4 introductory iPad apps for toddlers.

While the impact of mobile devices on learning outcomes is lacking research, much of the studies appear to be focused toward the improvement of children’s test scores in Reading, Math, and Science. A recent study cited in a BBC article suggested that increased technology in school has done little to improve scores on the PISA tests (a world wide assessment used to rank school student test scores globally). However when we think about the cultivation of creative thinking skills these types of findings are irrelevant, even if they prove true, and I believe all parents should take advantage of the multiple ways these devices can challenge skills in problem-solving and creativity. While Pediatricians advise parents to limit screen time to approximately two hours, I haven’t heard anyone suggest that our technological phenomena should be ignored completely (though I‘m far away from advocating for the iPaOtato – couch potato). – So where do we start?

Remember most toddlers will begin to develop interest in mobile technology through observation, but there are certainly a number of iPad apps for toddlers that introduce the interactive nature of this technology. To get started it’s best to look for simple touch and response apps and as they quickly become accustomed to the device you can expand your apps based on their individual interests and creativity. For example, my eldest is highly imaginative so we look for story creation or drawing apps that allow him to engage this aspect of his skillset.

Below are my four favorite apps for toddlers, with a special mention to Tiggly, who integrate tangible objects into the learning experience. All have proven to be a hit with my 18 month old (though FaceTime with his Skypagran is probably his favorite) and are available from the Apple App store, though I’m confident the same, or similar alternatives are available on Android.

4 Introductory iPad Apps for Toddlers

Tiggly Safari: Integrating tangible objects into the learning experience

My Little Town from Wonderkind: My favorite interactive app and they’ve now added to the collection

Baby Musical Hands: An award winning app that I think even babies would enjoy

Toddler Cars: This is one of a few similar apps that allow toddlers to touch and hear everyday objects

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September 24, 2015 3 comments

Matthew Worwood

Kid Movie Making Ideas: 6 Easy Steps to Making Movie Magic

by Matthew Worwood September 19, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Moviemaking is great in the development of storytelling skills. Add magic to the mix and you’ve got an additional dimension for creativity to flourish. There are lots of kid movie making ideas out there, but the 6 simple movie making tips below are very easy to perfect and offer a nice final product once finished. The activity is also nice introduction to parents with little to no experience of filmmaking.

OUR RESOURCES: iPhone, iMovie App

Step One:

Set up the magic trick. Practice how it will work. You will need a pause or as little movement as possible where you plan to make the cuts in the video. In between these two sections is what I refer to as ‘behind the scenes’ – the part where you physically remove an item from the scene.

Step Two:

Record video. The simple way to do this is record the entire thing without stopping. It’s important to keep the video still, especially during the places where the ‘behind the scenes’ action begins and ends. This will be helpful in editing.

Step Three:

Import entire video into a moviemaking app on an iOS or Android device. It might be wise to remove the sound if this is an option in your app, especially if you’ve been delivering instructions.

Step Four:

Add a ‘split’ (cut), to the video at the end of the first section where the trick is set up. Then add another split (cut) to the end section where the trick is revealed. The ‘behind the scenes’ clip should be in the middle.

Step Five:

This is the part where you delete the ‘behind the scenes’ clip.

Step Six:

Review to make sure the first clip transitions into the remaining clip without it looking obvious – this is why it’s so important to keep the camera steady during filming. Do NOT add a transition or effect between the two clips, as this will draw attention to the edit.

Below is a behind the scenes look of our ‘The Conjurer’ video. This clip shows how we made Lucas disappear in his box, but it’s the same technique for making anything disappear.

There are many kid movie making ideas, but this is one of my favorites. Perfect these movie making tips and you’ll be on your way to producing your version of ‘The Conjurer’ in no time.

Make it look even more professional by adding music, a title, and if not too complicated a fade up and down from black at the beginning and ending of your videos

Export to YouTube, be sure to post the link below and share on our Facebook page.

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September 19, 2015 2 comments

Matthew Worwood

GET CREATIVE, GET MAKING: Halloween Costume Ideas 2015

by Matthew Worwood September 16, 2015

written by Matthew Worwood

Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding from this post– I LOVE THE SUMMER. (I love all seasons except spring when my allergies play havoc on any fun opportunity that might present itself). So when I begin to talk about Halloween and the Fall, I don’t want you to click away because you liken me to those folks who want to rush away our last week or so of summer. I’m the one who will be out in my shorts and T-shirts and enjoying those late evening strolls, but during these walks I’ve started to bring up a conversation with my eldest – What do you want to be for Halloween?

My goal this year is to ‘make’ the costumes as opposed to ‘buying’ them, and that needs time. Time to incubate ideas, time to plan, time to prototype, and time to make – think about all the creative thinking and problem-solving opportunities that will manifest over the next couple of months. Searching for Halloween Consume Ideas should begin with this type of question, but research can benefit from visits to sites like Pinterest, where lots of parents and educators share their creative ideas for Halloween.

Halloween Costume Ideas 2015: My wife deserves all the credit. She researched the idea of a plane and made it. We noticed Lucas had difficulty climbing stairs and turning around in tight corners, but it certainly got all the attention from fellow parents!

Last year I wrote about the many Ana and Elsa’s who we encountered while Trick or Treating. They were all very cute – but the same cute. All the costumes had been purchased from the same store and I felt this took away any opportunity for originality or creativity. I began to wonder if the quality of a costume can impact a child’s fun and/or belief in their character. As I reflected on this question I recalled my own experience at a fancy Lord of the Rings birthday party on top of a hotel in London. Some of my college friends had rented their costumes from high end wardrobe departments like the BBC – I had made my costume from scrap. Yes, I had to answer the ‘who am I’ question a little more than my friends, but I felt just as much an Aragon, Legolas, or Hobbit character than anyone else in the room.

This is a little pile of ‘rubbish’ that I’ve begun to collect in preparation for Halloween. The challenge will be hiding it from my wife who might ‘mistaken’ it as garbage. It’s always sensible to have an arsenal of items for the costume.

So if time allows (which I appreciate is the greatest battle) join me this Halloween in ‘making’ a costume. I’ll be documenting our efforts on Instagram, and while the challenge of making a Wild Kratt, with Frog creature powers is intimidating, it’s a lot better than last years Fire Breathing Skelton Dinosaur request.

Characters from Peter Pan: Last year we had to creatively steer Lucas away from his Fire Breathing Skelton Dinosaur idea, and to a more family friendly, and doable in short-time frame.

Characters from Never Never Land: Last year we had to creatively steer Lucas away from his Fire Breathing Skelton Dinosaur idea, and to a more family friendly, and doable in short-time frame. I was a Lost Boy – can’t you tell?

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September 16, 2015 2 comments

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