Making Mobiles with "Kid Made Modern"
Four children test out the projects in Todd Oldham’s new book, Kid Made Modern.
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Girard Dolls
Alexander Girard's wooden dolls were designed in 1963 and recently reissued by Vitra. They cost $160 each.
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"Spoon Friends"
Project No. 1, Kid Made Modern's "Spoon Friends," are a cheaper alternative.
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Before
I laid out all the supplies on the table in advance: plain wooden spoons, acrylic paints, brushes, and a shoebox with slits cut in it for display.
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Calder Mobiles in "Kid Made Modern"
Alexander Calder's mobiles are modern-art icons, first made in the 1930s and inspired by his time in Paris with Duchamp, Miro, and Mondrian.
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Mobile Instructions
For Project No. 2, Kid Made Modern shows you how to make a mobile out of wire hangers and adhesive craft foam.
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Supplies
Mobile supplies at the ready.
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Kids at Work
Clockwise from top left, Oliver (7), Oscar (7), Elliot (4.5), and Wilha (5) get to work.
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Elliot and Wilha
Oscar painting, Wilha cutting (very small squares).
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Painting
Wilha had better luck painting than cutting—instant gratification.
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The Spoons
Spoons drying: They got the idea of the stripes, but not the faces.
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Working
After a half-hour or so, all the kids wanted to switch projects.
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Showing Off
Oscar, his starry mobile rung, and a Halloween cookie.
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Oliver's Work
Oliver's mobile completed! He picked the order of the pieces; I tied it together.
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Oscar's Mobile
Oscar and his mobile.
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Wilha's Mobile
Wilha and hers. I asked her to pose with it, and she thought it best to pose like it.
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The aftermath. Nothing was ruined. Vacuuming was required.
