Sunday, February 10, 2008

The magical airhead tree

Every Sunday I take the kids to the liquor store.

Just kidding. We only pick through its sidewalk of empty boxes and bring a few home for play.

Today Andrew realized a vision: a rain forest tree that shoots Airhead candies from a hole in its trunk.

After all, nothing is too outrageous for a 6th birthday celebration!

Design and execution were all his. He stacked three boxes in an irregular column and tore cardboard bottle dividers into branches.

A coat of paint disguised its duct-tape-meets-Champagne origins.
He sorted all 72 Airheads in envelopes. (GFS Marketplace, $6)


Candy fruit slices add color. He plans real vines around the trunk. And a monkey, if he has time.

The Magical Airhead tree spits out candy at an alarming speed. Let's hope the little ones are as thrilled as we are!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I *love* it! This is creativity at its finest...boxes, tape, and some Airheads. Oh, and some imagination!

Anonymous said...

WOW!!! That Rocks. He is a chip off the ole block...You must be so proud. I think that he is an amazing artist. Roxie

Anonymous said...

There are NO WORDS to describe the joy this post brought me....I loved providing these kinds of oppotunities to my grandchildren when they were that small....what a great parent you are to encourage creating....not minding the "mess" that comes with....you get to see the joy and satisfaction in their eyes when you share their excitement!!! God Bless, Pam, South Bend

Anonymous said...

Wowzer Andrew! And happy birthday!

exactly how does the Airhead Propulsion work?

dmeyers

Amy said...

First of all, I almost spit out my drink when I read your first line. But second of all, can your child BE more creative? That is brilliant- your son has a great imagination and it looks like he had so much fun constructing it too!

Beth said...

Funny, cute, creative!! And the liquor store beginning made me smile.

Anonymous said...

I love it when children are allowed to be so creative! Creating from boxes - or whatever - is so much more productive than video games and other passive things than so many children spend too much time doing. I know it takes parental involvement (after all, a kid can't go to a liquor store by himself!) but all our children would be so much happier and productive with a little encouragement. I applaud your providing an environment where your children can flourish.

It is freezing where I am - I envy what must be very spring-like weather since Andrew is even wearing sandals! I assumed the short sleeves and sandals were still packed away. I can't wait until the spring clothes come out here!

When is Andrew's big day? I hope there will lots of guests to enjoy this magic tree!

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

Andrew gets a 10 for creativity, a 10 for originality, and a 10 for construction and execution. The professor would say that Andrew's abilities far surpass some of his students.

Meredith said...

Well, thanks, friends! I didn't put that on to brag, but since I spent all afternoon at his beck and call, I had to blog about something!

And yes, it is a little chilly here for Teva sandals, but the kid loves them.

I'm not one to micromanage their temperatures. If a kid feels cold, they can get a jacket. They are readily available on a peg at their level.

Same with socks and hats. Andrew runs hot, so he is happiest in short sleeves whenever he can get away with it!

Meredith said...

Oh, and Airhead propulsion is simple physics.

A long, smooth tube at a 70-degree angle will send a smooth, thin object flying across the hardwood floors.

Steep incline, very little friction. Not unlike the luge.

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

That is such a cool idea!

Caitlin wants to construct a train from boxes. It's amazing what a little imagination and some cardobard can do!

Oh, and that first line of this post is hilarious.

p.s. Happy 6th to Andrew!

Shannon said...

I love reading about Andrew's projects! It is such a great reminder for me to let kids be creative and worry less about the mess:)

Anonymous said...

I love the creativity children have!

Christi said...

How fun - such a creative idea! I love seeing little minds at work

Ms. Booty Homemaker said...

fantastic!! Goooooooooo, Andrew! And happy birthday, clever boy.

TJ said...

Wow! Happy Birthday to your future engineer!

My daughter would be thrilled by that, so I'm sure the party kids will be.