Littlefooting Rob the Robot

As the current workshop comes to a half-way point, it's time for the designers to get to work. So far we have been observing the group and carefully planning each session ( which takes a lot of work ) but the kids have done all the real work. When it comes time to make the film, some scenes will require some of the main characters to interact in 3-D space. Right now we are preparing for those scenes by taking some of the main characters and increasing their level of fidelity while maintaining the original look. These pictures show the transition of Rob the Robot from a sketchbook concept to the beginnings of a 3-D interpretation.

Another Great TED Talk: Gever Tulley's Tinkering School

"Gever Tulley uses engaging photos and footage to demonstrate the valuable lessons kids learn at his Tinkering School. When given tools, materials and guidance, these young imaginations run wild and creative problem-solving takes over to build unique boats, bridges and even a rollercoaster!"

Art for our sake

We recently stumbled upon an article in the Boston Globe which explains the importance of art education and programs like ours.  It's a good read, check it out here: Art for our sake: School arts classes matter more now than ever - but not for the reasons you think

StoryStorming in Topeka, KS

Our current workshop includes a larger amount of kids than we've ever worked with. This is also the first time we've been on our own, during our first iteration we were accompanied by developmental psych students and staff. We have had fun with the kids over the past few weeks but it was time to get down to business if we plan to produce a short film. We started with an example of how a story can be made into a movie. In this case, we chose "Where The Wild Things Are." We explained that it was time to pull our many stories together to make the bigger, better story. We used giant pieces of paper and grouped up to consolidate our stories. From the few stories we created a list of props we need for the movie and the kids got to work!

Progress Update

We have now completed two sessions with both groups of kids at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.  Both sessions went very well.

For the first session, as the kids arrived they were given time to make a personalized nametag.  We watched a feature on movie making and talked about stories and films.  The kids were given sketchbooks which they personalized and began to brainstorm on story ideas.

We started our second session with a short film about an animation technique we hope to use.  The film clip helped motivate the children to build their own characters and sets out of cardboard, construction paper, paint, markers, glue, or whatever they could find.  From here we will take these characters and sets and further blend them into one cohesive story.

T-Shirts

Check out the new T-shirts for the PLF staff:

Studio Tour

Over the summer Project Littlefoot was lucky enough to acquire studio space, which is now being used when not working directly with either group of children. Let us now give you a quick tour of our studio.

Our studio space is in a former classroom in the Art and Design Building at the University of Kansas. We have arranged the space to accommodate all of our needs.


Guests entering our studio are greeted by the welcome table with it's candy dish and sign in sheet.


Our dinning area has a cardboard chandelier and tape dinner plates.



Cutting table and conference room. Never mind the soccer ball.

Each session has its own table for storage of artwork and art supplies.


Finally our studio has a complete movie making area, which will get heavy use soon when story ideas start to come to life.

Educating the whole child

This is one of the first bits of inspiration that led the members of PLF to create our workshop.
Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His speech challenges the way we educate our children and the way we perceive intelligence.

Welcome new groups

We are just a few days away from our first summer class and very excited to welcome our two new groups at the Topeka library. If you are visiting the blog and your child is enrolled in the summer program please do not hesitate to say hello. We are looking forward to getting to know all of you.