Monthly Archives: November 2011
…This event got our wheels turning. The December (create) and April (visit) dates for The Sketchbook Project could book-end a winter Field Trip Series, with different events for January, March and April. I had a quite a few criteria for this first line-up of trips: 1) they push the boundaries of what girls may have already tired; 2) offer a private, shared experience for girls to build community; 3) range in location, interest and cost; 4) give a snapshot of what Curious Jane is all about… Continue reading
We have had a bunch of great after-school classes happening this semester, and the girls are doing tons of amazing projects. Here, our after-school instructors give us some of the highlights! Continue reading
This weekend, at our Wired 101 workshop, we tackled three projects: Circuit Cards, Bristle Bugs, and, the hands-down favorite – Drawbots! These little creatures make the coolest patterns and even our seven-year-old engineers were able to make them almost entirely on their own. Basically, they are a paper cup body standing on marker tripod legs and topped with a small motor and battery. The key to the whole project is an irregular weight affixed to the rotating axis of the motor. When the markers are uncapped, and the drawbot is turned on, the weighted motor causes the little creature to wobble around in a huge variety of patterns. The type of pattern depends on the size of the weight and the placement of all the pieces together. There’s plenty of room to experiment! As I was jotting down the project steps, I realized each project had exactly seven steps and … Continue reading
Laura P., age 10, is one of our Brooklyn Curious Jane girls. In this post, she shares her experience with a unique after-school activity that she’s been participating in for years: Irish Step Dancing! Continue reading
We were inspired to make these ‘cards’ by the simplicity of using LEDs to add a spark of light to any project. This is a great “wiring 101” project because kids can see exactly how a circuit works, and they can assemble it themselves without stripping wires, adding switches or worrying about being shocked. Continue reading
Miss Representation premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and aired on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network October 20. The documentary exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women’s and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. The film appropriately re-frames what we may even consider ‘normal’ in the media as atrocities that wash over us daily, via magazines, TV shows, films, the news, serious journalism and tabloid coverage. So: what do we do? Continue reading
November is here, and we’re kicking it into high gear over at Curious Jane H.Q. We have our monthly Weekend Workshop coming up- Wired 101; we’ll be finalizing details to launch our brand-new Curious Jane Field Trip Series; and we’ll be preparing for our summer 2012 registration that opens December 1. Winter does not slow us down! Continue reading
Samantha Razook Murphy is the founder of Curious Jane and Blue Tree. She was inspired to create these unique programs to give her girls, and all girls, a chance to be creative and inventive in a high-energy, collaborative and gender-affirming space. She loves designing, tinkering and figuring out. Samantha is the mother of two girls and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She holds her BA from Yale and Masters in Industrial Design from Pratt. In her spare time she coaches volleyball and rides her bike around Brooklyn.