How we make stuff

Articles about how we concept ideas, write words, draw pictures and — most importantly — test our ideas! We believe that kids are driven by passion and that they learn by doing — playing. And we believe the concepts, games and activities should be evidence-based, meaning tested and proven in the real world.​

Scott and Sara seeing the total solar eclipse 2017. The most amazing moment of our lives!
How we make stuff

Interview with the authors

Learn how and why Sara and Scott do what they do. An interview with their publisher, Magination Press.

The most frequent words in "Dream it!" Word cloud.
How we make stuff

The vocabulary of “Dream It!”

As with most aspects of a children’s book, vocabulary — or should we say diction? — or should we say word choice? — can become a complex topic, especially if you want to teach them new concepts, like how to dream. Even the word “dream” has two very different meanings. Let’s dive a little deeper into this topic and have some fun along the way.

Mirabella the Monarch book, bookmark and cookie
How we make stuff

Butterfly Book Celebration

Finally, the best part of the whole project — the book celebration. We were honored to have hundreds of community members attend and support both the book and the monarch butterfly.

PWM teacher student releasing monarch
How we make stuff

Help Save the Butterflies

Like many species on our planet, monarch butterflies face many challenges. The population has shrunk dramatically, and their great migration has nearly collapsed more than once. Here is how you can help.

Monarch butterfly made of people school photo
How we make stuff

Making of the Monarch Butterfly School Photo

This is another one of my favorite all-time photographs. Unlike the past three photographs where I was standing on the roof of the school, this is photographed using a drone. It took hours of preparation and was called off several times. Read more about how I made this photos.

glow show spider
How we make stuff

Butterfly Project Updates

There has been a lot of progress happening with the monarch butterfly book and all the related projects. Here are a few highlights, including the mosaic wall and glow show.

Student illustrations for Mirabella the Monarch's Mysterious Migration
How we make stuff

Illustrations for Mirabella the Monarch

How I sort illustrations for the book. After working with the elementary students for a week in the classroom (26 classes) as the author-in-residence, I get over 500 drawings to choose from.

The Make-A-Book Project and author-in-residence program school photographs. Pictured here are all four of the aerial-view school photos. Kids standing in the shape of a bicycle, worm, butterfly and cupcake.
Books

How the school photos are made

How I make the aerial view photos look real, including using satellite views and chalking the drawing out square by square.

The Make-A-Book Project and author-in-residence program school photographs. Pictured here are all four of the aerial-view school photos. Kids standing in the shape of a bicycle, worm, butterfly and cupcake.
Books

How the books are made

The following is a step by step summary of how the book is made, including: planning, creating, celebrating and making a difference in the world.

Step #3: Play it! Take a step of action to make your dreams real.

Take a step of action to help make dreams come true.

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