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…

1. Haba Clear Building Blocks

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.

11. Villa Sibi Dollhouse

12. Eames House of Cards

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!

19. The Green Dollhouse book

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

26. ROKENBOK Conveyor Company

27. A REALLY nice set of all purpose wooden blocks

28. Magna-Tiles

29. Color your own playhouse

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

36. A crooked playhouse

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?

41. Zoob building sets

42. Bajo Architecture Blocks

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.

46. GIGANTIC building blocks

47. Visit architecturally amazing children’s bookstores.

48. A good old workbench

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!

Post from: Blisstree

50 Soul Warming Ways to Inspire the Next Generation of Offbeat Architects