50 Soul Warming Ways to Inspire the Next Generation of Offbeat Architects
September 18, 2007 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Home & Living
The Home & Dining Channel here at b5media had so much fun with our last list extravaganza that we thought we’d do it again. This time around we’re bringing you a heaping supply of warm ideas to heat up your autumn.
This “warm” idea; while a stellar plan for most home and dining blogs left Offbeat with few options (it’s not like I’d do Crockpot dishes here). I was thinking… solar power, a weird collection of interior blankets, pictures of offbeat homes on fire (actually that would be depressing). So what to do. I settled on the next generation because what’s more soul warming than a bunch of cute little offbeat architects running about building amazing structures. Not much.
And now, I give you the 50 best soul warming ways to inspire our next generation of offbeat architects…
2. Tektôn Tower Girder and Panel Building Set
3. Round Buildings, Square Buildings, and Buildings that Wiggle Like a Fish; a great book.
4. Contemporary Dollhouse – you have to go see the little offbeat furniture that you can get for this!
5. The Young Architect’s Design Kit
6. Toobeez
7. Remake Design blocks (these are technically an adult block toy — but come on kids will love them!)
8. Build a House with Real Bricks and Mortar
9. Alexander Girard Alphabet Blocks
10. The Good Old Cardboard Box House! Stick with the basics.
13. Chaos Tower
14. Pixel Blocks
15. Classic are good. Try Lego Café Corner
16. Or the Model Town House
17. This P’kolino Klick desk is not optional for real offbeat kids
18. Save up money and send your kids away…
To a Frank Lloyd Wright youth architect camp!
20. Construct and Operate a Real Hydrodynamic Plant
21. Make sure your kids go to a daycare that looks like this: seriously, this is a real daycare (wow) now go see the rest of it.
22. A simple but beautifully designed little home for dolls
23. Coinstruction answers the age old question, “what’s a builder kid to do with all the old pennies grandpa gives you.”
24. Kaleidoscope House (go visit the whole amazing slide show!)
25. Tall Stacker Pegs Building Set
27. A REALLY nice set of all purpose wooden blocks
28. Magna-Tiles
30. Children’s Spaces book
31. WEDGITS
32. The Holiday Home
33. Quadro building fun
34. Structure Sticks
35. bObles Romping Animals — the offbeat child’s furniture
37. Spaceframe modular building system
My son REALLY wants a marble run — we’re building our own out of cork board, cut pipes, and other random stuff but if you don’t have the inclination to build one here are two good ones to check out…
38. Techno Gears – Marble Mania Extreme with Power Lifter
39. Or my favorite consumer marble run; Frigits
40. Bunk Beds — I might have killed for this as a child; how much fun would this have been. Maybe I should get some now?
43. An ultra big, ultra modern play structure set
44. Steckstaebi: wooden post and beam building system
45. K’NEX Super Amusement Park — I think we have about 400,000,016 pieces of K’NEX hidden around our house in various places they shouldn’t be; still the boy does build some amazing structures with them.
47. Visit architecturally amazing children’s bookstores.
49. Connectagons
50. Visit Habitat for Humanity International to learn about all the amazing youth programs available. From 5 to 25 years of age (and adults) there’s a building program for everyone. So get involved and keep young future architects inspired and involved with our communities. Better yet; have the whole family volunteer.
Love this list? Why not 
!
Last time the Home & Dining Channel did this we had a grand total of 300 great tips. This time I’d also like to tell you how many tips are hidden around the channel but honestly I have no flipping clue.
There could be 250, 300, 400 or maybe even more great heat-up-your autumn tips hidden around the channel . The mathematic possibilities are truly endless...
Some hot lists I already know you should check out include:
- Hot Desserts, 50 Ways to Heat Up Your Autumn Evenings
- 50 Ways Chocolate Can Keep You Warm This Autumn
- 50 ways to Keep Your Pet(s) Warm This Autumn
- 50 Organizing Products to Add a Touch of Fall Color to Your Home
- 50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm (and Full!)
- 50 Reasons Why A Japanese Winter is Hot
- 50 Things You Can Do to Stay Warm this Autumn
- 50 Warm-Up Cooking Gadgets
Wow folks that’s 400 tips and counting! You’ll stay extra toasty if you visit them all!
I actually have/have had some of those for my kids but I did find a few to add to the Christmas list! Thanks Jennifer..Great post.
I am definitely showing this list to my kids. Jennifer!!! This is SO cool! I love 32 and 35. Also the offbeat children’s bookstore, too cool.
Wow, I’m going to take a second look.
Yay, holiday shopping inspiration comes early this year!
I love the The Young Architect’s Design Kit and the Build your own brick and mortar house.
What a wonderful, inspiring list! As long as people remain creative, we’ll never run out of ideas.
My son (won the best builder prize in preschool!) loves building and creating things with his hands. We think he’ll be an architect – or maybe a carpenter like his daddy used to be.
“My son (won the best builder prize in preschool!)”
That is so cool Deb — that’s like Cedar. Everyone thinks he’ll be a builder; designer of some sort. He stays up until 1am building stuff all the time.
Everyone else — Julie, Heather, I like what both of you like too. But mainly because I think that I want everything on this list. We have some of it but not nearly all of it. I love the dollhouses so the ultra mod ones are way too cool. I think Cedar and I are going to build a green dollhouse.
Marye! Good morning world take-over pal.