Over 125 kids from various areas of Boston city worked with artist Caleb Neelon to help create his latest project "Signs and Symbols" now on display at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. The amazing mosaic was created from artwork made by children during after-school programs and community organizations led by Caleb exploring text and it's applications throughout history. My friend Laura shared this with me, noting that this woulda "blown her mind" when she was younger should she have had the opportunity to express her love for words this way. 

Flying a kite is liberating. It can also be a great way to introduce your kids to the idea of wind power and what it means to our future as an alternative energy source.

The handbound book, FLY ME, by Yoko Ono is designed to unfold to become a 30x36" kite. The pages bear individual messages of inspiration, such as "Imagine Peace" and "Fly", designed to attached to a hand-carved frame fashioned of oak from a sustainable forest in New York State. Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace Library is the publisher of the 2,500 books available for purchase.

On the DIY tip, FLY ME sparked reference of a great project I was recently introduced too, KiteBot. Their mission is to develop low cost, low complexity kite-based wind energy and the site offers (in their words) a fairly in-depth description of a (fairly) concrete implementation designed to be as simple as possible, but extensible, using mostly bicycle parts.

Oh the possibilities!

Yum and yay! The Silver Spoon, the essential go-to cookbook for Italian cuisine, now has a kids version. Let's be honest, pasta is listed on 99% of all kids menus so I think they're onto something, the kids I mean. The book is filled with illustrious visions that make basics like bruschetta and pizza margherita look tasty and exciting and prep the palate for future gastronomic adventures. The publisher, Phaidon, is one of my favorites for art and design books and has generated a nice collection for children.

From Amsterdam to Bocchignano, New York to Tel Aviv, cavities and cracks in the urban landscape have been getting some love from Legos. The social art project, Dispatchwork, led by artist Jan Vormann who, accompanied by volunteers of all ages, fills in the blanks with the colorful building blocks.  Results or 'repairs' are simple and stunning. I am most excited about the latest section added to the site, Dispatches Worldwide --> You're encouraged to do some repairs yourself around your own neighborhood, perhaps in your own backyard to fill in a gap in your planter box like one woman did from Sydney. Check it out, make it a project, send in the results!

The holidays are a perfect time to put a personal touch on tradition. To share style with those you love in a way that adapts the past to fit with present, giving that lasting element that make memories one of a kind. If you're looking for a gift idea as unique as you and your family's aesthetic, My Tree & Me designs and customizes modern genealogy charts perfect for the latest addition to your family or perhaps to add to your own wish list. The process is as personalized as the designs by owner and artist Jen O'Neill and although holiday orders are closed, Gift Certificates are very much available for purchase through the online shop where you can browse for the chart of your choice and you will be sent a IOU card with an image of the design you chose.