Tuesday, August 21, 2012 from 3:30-5pm, Linda White and Kristin Eno hosted the first "Play Lab Brooklyn" (now called Find & Seek)–at ArtsCetera, a space for children in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Around 50 children, babies, mommies and nannies showed up--what a pleasant surprise. We had advertised that our target age group was a whopping range of “0-7,” but the average age of the children was 18 mo-2 years. Still, the few older kids who came had fun too!  A 10-year-old investigated some tubing before I handed him the Flip cam so that he could capture some footage.

The materials we brought into the space and introduced to the children for exploration included:

• Plastic/rubber tubing (small and large, short and long, rigid and flexible)

• Magformers magnets

• Plastic bottle caps

• Ribbons

• Large plastic spools

• Cardboard spools and cones

The day was a success! Even after the event we were attracting the public, when across the street at a restaurant Linda stuck many vibrant colored Magformers to the doors, and we watched as children of all ages became captivated. “If you put out Magformers, they will come”: what a simple marketing plan! And what a testimony to the power of materials, to spark the imagination of children of all ages.