project: light-up aquarium

In our office - every other Friday is project day. We make sketch models - then, when we come up with something we like, we reverse-engineer it to figure out the best way for young designers to make it on their own and have fun with it!

Last Friday, we started with a grab bag of electronic goodies, a mini-fish (left-over from our monsters project) and some cardboard boxes (medium-size priority mail boxes from the post office, free). I used crepe paper (lying around from a summer party) and it worked so well - young designers don't need to stress over precision - the loose edges and not-quite-straight lines add to the watery effect. As an after-thought, I added colored acetate (transparency) because it brings color, light and dimension to almost anything. Here's what we came up with!

All the wiring is on the top of the box. We made our own LED circuits powered by a 3V coin battery, and attached to a switch (see below for tips and tricks). But, I happened to be at Ikea and found a great seasonal item that makes lighting the piece even easier - a short string with 10 mini-LEDs and AA-battery powered switch (look in the holiday lights section). For only $1.99 each, I grabbed a bunch for my 2nd grade Toy Design class. Easy as that to add luminescence - who can resist?

For young designers who want to build their own LED circuits, here are a few tips:

• You'll find the least expensive parts and low volume items (so you don't have to order 1,000 pieces) at Electronic Goldmine.

• Use super-bright LEDs for the best punch. 

• Use a 3V coin battery and thin florist wire - yes, florist wire. It's very easy to work with - you don't have to fuss with stripping plastic coating (very pesky and very difficult). You can twist it together easily and tape it directly to the battery.

• Add a switch if you like - to turn your glow on and off.   

Below is a sketch of simple wiring on the top of the aquarium box. I used 3 super-bright turquoise LEDs, one switch, one 3V coin battery, florist wire, scotch tape. 

A note about the anatomy of an LED: If you look closely at the ends of the prongs inside the LED, you see that one has a larger flag-shape and the other has a small blunt end. The prong with the flag-shape is the Cathode, the other is the Anode. The Cathode must connect to the negative side of the battery, and the Anode must connect to the positive side.

Dove's Self-Esteem Fund for Girls - A Guide

I'm exploring the tools and resources that Dove (body products) offers through their Self-Esteem Fund for girls.  

A few years ago, Dove launched their Campaign for Real Beauty. Even if you aren't familiar with the details, you may have noticed their commercials featuring woman of all ages and body types. Or, you may have seen their powerful one-minute films on beauty standards and the media. The campaign promotes real beauty at all ages, and their Self-Esteem Fund focuses on the challenges facing girls and young women. These challenges are considerable.

In the tween and teen years, a girls' confidence is rocked. Girls may question their self-worth on a daily - if not hourly - basis, and they may not recover their self-esteem until their twenties or thirties. What would you tell your 8yo self, your 13yo self, your 20yo self? You look back and see a bright, beautiful girl who has all the right pieces to grow into an accomplished woman with strong relationships and healthy self-worth. But the road is tough.

Dove reminds us what our daughters see every day. Onslaught.

My own interest began with a general awareness of the Campaign through various media outlets (television and print ads, short-films, etc.) and through the studies conducted on girls and self-esteem - charting sobering results. I finally visited the site to see what it was all about.

I have two girls; the older is 9. I searched for something that we could do together, and the site pointed me to the True You workbook. I printed the book - about 30 pages, designed for girls ages 8-10, with quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks and reflection questions - and brought it home to my daughter. In just the first two pages, I discovered things about her I didn't know. We're not rushing; we're filling it in a few pages at a time, chatting, and stopping when we feel like it. We're enjoying it.

After downloading the workbook, I swam around the site a bit more and got lost. Dove's campaign has a lot to offer, but the scope is not completely apparent in the site's navigation. To get started, I made a map. Drive around!



THE SELF-ESTEEM FUND

The largest component of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is the Self-esteem fund, developed to help free the next generation of girls from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. The fund leads studies, develops workshops and resources for girls and mentors, and partners with national organizations, like the Girl Scouts, to build and spread their work. 

Movement for self-esteem (directs to: www.dovemovement.com)
The Dove Movement is a network committed to improving self-esteem. It's the community component - women and girls getting together, organizing workshops, and creating safe open spaces for discussing the challenges girls face.

To join the movement, you provide your name, email, zip code and age. Dove keeps you up to date, via email, with local events and current resources. The only other information you enter is optional: "What advice would you give your 13 year old self?" You're allowed 125 characters - slightly less than a tweet. 


The site offers Guides for Moms and Mentors, and Find a local organization (for example, Girl Scouts offers the programs Uniquely ME! and It's Your Story - Tell It!). You can also see the words-of-advice contributed by other women who have joined. A favorite, for example: People have shorter memories than you think & it's really not that serious anyway. Just enjoy life & live to be happy. 


Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
Dove funded a large and oft-cited study on the state of self-esteem in girls. The study collected data from across the country and around the world. The findings are summed up in the national report, but you can also view key findings by city. I'm from Atlanta; my husband is from Dallas, and we are raising our girls in Brooklyn. I took a look at all three. Really, no one city or region is better off than the next. By age 9, self-esteem starts declining and by middle school it takes a nose-dive. Girls learn not to stand out for academic prowess, and the best way to make it through is to blend in. They depend less and less on family relationships to buoy them, and they fall prey to eating disorders and destructive behavior. It's easy to feel saddened and overwhelmed by the challenges facing this group of girls. But if you see them individually, if you have some in your life, you know you can help usher them through.


Girls Only
This section is the fullest and most interactive. It offers a variety of self-esteem tools for girls, including quizzes and personalized resources.

Girls 10 and under are automatically directed to the True You workbook and mother's guide. Girls 11-16 are prompted to take a 5-question quiz. Given their answers, Dove suggests a personalized suite of tools.
 To give it a whirl - I selected the quiz for 11-12yo, doing my best to answer as my 11yo self. I was recommended these three tools: The Mood Manager, How do you Really Feel about Yourself, and Image Manipulation. Clicking Mood Manager resulted in an "error" screen (unfortuantely, I've found quite a few of those as I've tried to navigate deeply into the site and resources). Clicking "How Do You Really Feel About Yourself?" took me to a 10-question quiz. At the end of the quiz, I was given some advice - really good advice!

Clicking the third tool - "Image Manipulation" brought me to a fun little exercise in which I was presented with a series of 10 images (of women's faces or bodies) and asked whether the image was real (True) or manipulated (False). After each selection, it showed the real image side-by-side with the manipulated image.

At the end of the quiz, you can choose to watch "Fabricating Beauty" - a short film showing a teen girl and teen boy being styled for a photoshoot. The film shows that seemingly impossible transformations are possible with enough styling, make-up, lighting, camera-work, and digital manipulation. The side bar reads: "Time for a Reality Check! The next time you catch yourself thinking 'I wish I looked like her,' you're probably not alone. There is a very good chance these cover girls are thinking the same thing! Visually enhanced photos may be the new norm, but you don't have to buy it!?"

The suite of quizzes was well crafted. An 11yo would feel comfortable with and enjoy the sets of questions - they are short enough to hold her attention; they introspective but not overly serious, and they conclude with a positive message and additional resources.


Downloads
Here you can download the True You workbook (for 8-10yo girls), and guides for leading workshops for 8-17yo girls.


Inside a Dove Workshop
One of my favorite aspects of Dove's initiatives is the workshop series conducted by Jess Weiner. She asks questions and moderates discussions among tween and teen girls. Definitely view some of the workshops if you are considering leading a workshop or to simply hear what girls are saying, thinking and feeling.


Articles and Videos
The Articles and Videos section houses all the Dove films (including the powerful Onslaught and Evolution), the results of the Dove Global Studies, articles about self-esteem, and Jess Weiner's workshop videos. The workshop topics are Self-Esteem (17min), Media Influence (17 min), Shaping Beauty (12min), Communicating (8min), Self-Esteem Tool (6min), and The Promise (10min).


The easiest place to start is with the videos; they are short and well-done. As my daughter and I continue with the workbook and other resources - we'll share our experience here, with you!

project: foam building discs

I loved the building discs shown by Joel Henriques on his blog, madebyjoel.blogspot.com (I love each and every project he shares - thank you Joel!) However, paper discs are a bit tricky to build with, especially for younger designers. I tried the project using craft foam between the paper discs - easy to make and so easy to build! I had fun with the project myself, and my nine-year-old loved it, but designers as young as 4 or 5 can make this with assistance, and build on their own!

Notes: This project makes use of a material and a technique that are very simple and come in very handy. The material is rubber cement - the unsung hero of glues (instructions for application below). The technique is making a guide (again, shown below). This project has many repetitive steps, which can seem laborious but is very rewarding in the end product - you'll have a great set of pieces and truly engaging activity (even I keep fiddling with my disc architecture).

AGE: 8+ can make this on their own. 5+ can still have fun making this with help. 
MESS: Small
TIME: 20-30 minutes

SUPPLIES:

Paper (colored cardstock or fun patterned paper), at least 6 sheets
Foam sheets (from craft stores like Michael's or from discountschoolsupply.com), at least 4 sheets
3" punch (ideal!), or a glass (to trace the circle) and pencil
Scissors
Rubber Cement (the best glue to use with paper)
If you have one: box or round tin (slightly larger than disc diameter) to package the discs

HOW-TO

One. Punch at least 36 circles from paper (at 2 circles per building disc, this will make 18 discs)
Punch half as many circles from the foam sheets
If you are not using a punch, you will have to trace and cut the circles by hand

Two. Cover one side of each paper circle and each foam circle with rubber cement; let dry. Once dry, press the glue-side of a paper circle to the glue-side of a foam circle. Flip the disc over, and cover the other side of the foam with a thin layer of rubber cement; let dry. Then affix the other paper circle (with rubber cement) to the foam.

Using rubber cement: Brush a very think layer of rubber cement on BOTH of the pieces you are gluing. LET DRY, then attach. Any extra rubber cement can be rubbed off of the surface, when completely dry. Rubber cement makes a great bond without creating any wrinkles or warping in the paper. It is a strong bond that is also re-positionable. If you don't line up the pieces exactly right, gently peel apart and try again!

Three. Make a guide to create uniform slits in your discs. Punch one paper circle; fold in half, and fold in half again. Mark the fold lines with pencil; cut a half-inch slit along these lines. Use the guide to mark slits on each disc. Cut the slits with scissors; the slits should be about as wide as the thickness of the foam. For each slit, make two cuts very close to each other and gently pull off the thin bit of foam.

NOW BUILD!