This past Sunday, our organization, Curious Jane, sponsored an activity at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Ghouls & Gourds festival. This is a family-oriented event with activities, author visits, music stages, and crazy puppets on stilts. The festival lasts throughout the afternoon, ending with a parade around the garden and drum circle in the esplanade. The weather was stunning and the turnout tremendous. Challenges (parameters) for designing our project: accessible to young participants, including wee-ones; no electrical outlets (no hot glue guns); simple set-up; limited budget. We especially wanted participants to make something that could become a costume accessory, of sorts, with which to march in the parade. We brainstormed a few ideas, including Story Scepters and Geodeisic Jack-O-Lanterns. Monster-on-a-Leash was the favorite! The event’s MC was a Liza Minnelli impersonator; I made her a sidekick to get things started. On the morning of the festival, we spread our bins-o-stuff across … Continue reading →