Foldabots!

Someone is in love with Foldabots. It's origami meets transformers melded into uniquely Pinoy robot characters such as Buhawi, Bangis and Astig. Now there's more to life than LEGO for this little guy.

Tamarax in robot mode

Tamarax in creature mode.

Thank you architect, artist, children's book illustrator and writer Jomike Tejido for also being an awesome papercraft toy designer.

Bear with Teacher Jomike

As a big summer bonus, Bear got to workshop with Jomike himself, who also happens to be such a nice guy. The Foldabots Kids' Workshop poster at The Heritage Museum screamed Learn! Invent! Create! So we were so there…

In this 3-day workshop, kids learn Jomike Tejido’s creative process of conceptual design, prototype construction, and final art of making robot toys. Kids hone not just drawing skills, but their spatial relations as well, including:

- Basic paper engineering and strength of forms

- Basic 3D drawing and coloring

- Character design

- Descriptive writing

The final product: a craft book compilation of all participants’ works.

And here it is...

The Book. Their Book.

Here are some of them in the Artists' Profile page...

The craft book contains characters they developed, designed and made into Foldabots on their own. They even thought of really unique powers, like John's Dreadshot who can"control reality with his intellect and uber coolness." How esoteric! There's also Tim's Patay who "can kill Lubobots (bad foldabots) in an instant" and whose "canon can serve as a cleaner of pollution." I just love crazy, inspired ideas from kids.

But I have to say, one of the youngest Foldabot creators in this batch made my favorite… check out Bear's Lightbot. According to him, "Lightbot has a powerful shield and is armed with electrical powers. He can fly into space with his powerful wings."

These 6-to-17-year-olds all designed and created their own Foldabots. Imagine that.

Noise levels in the normally quiet museum went up when they were there. Proof that chaos can be productive. They had a blast!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers!

after-school fun and learning

Because teaching moments don't end after class, Keys Grade School has some after-school programs for children ages 5 and up. Read on for some unique offerings your young ones might be interested in.

Graphics Design will be handled by Teacher Rosevie, a college art professor and animator and Teacher Jamie, a clothing and functional design entrepreneur. Kids will use traditional tools and computers to grasp the essentials of visual arts, typography and digital design. They will be designing and printing their own graphic tees, creating animation and taking a stab at actual product design.

Scrapture! blends environmental consciousness and creative expression. Using recycled materials, children will learn and apply principles of 3-dimensional art in creating sculptures, collages and art installations that promote ecological awareness.

Click on pics to enlarge and read brochure.

There's also Green Thumbs for young botanists. A favorite Keys co-mom Kara A. even wants to sign up for Presenting! so she can master Powerpoint and Keynote with the kids. There's Kiddie Yoga courtesy of the Art and Music Meditation Workshop - useful for lengthening attention spans, sharpening focus, and for creatively tapping into the imagination. Kids have a lot of that! Check out the last batch of Keys' mindful mini-people here.

This information comes from the brochure in the above pictures. Sorry did not have time to get a PDF file for posting. Programs start running next week so had to post pronto! You can call the school at 727-9357 for more details. There are other programs to choose from, and CHILDREN WHO DON'T GO TO KEYS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN. You might also want to visit Keys Grade School on the web.

Liked this. Click the pic to see how resident 6 to 7 year

olds helped their teachers spruce-up their classroom doors.

Oh and... I have no stock in Keys, nor am I employed by them. Just had to say. Bear goes to school there and I'm just spreading the word about their well-thought programs and the good work that they do. We also had our first parent's rep meeting this morning and what a cool bunch of moms and dads I was with. Proactive parents rock! That's it and... all for advocating true progressive education in the Philippines.