September 2021 Brand Ambassador of the Month, Tinyn3rds!

We are excited to feature our September Brand Ambassador of the Month @tinyn3rds! Luisa gives us a look into how she sparks curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking with educational and fun crafts. Read below to find out more about her & see some of her amazing projects:

Follow @tinyn3rds

Q: Tell us a little about yourself! What is the inspiration behind your Instagram page?

Hello! I'm Luisa, the creator of Tinyn3rds and a wrangler of two of my own tiny nerds. When I had my first daughter, E (now 7 years old, sheesh where does the time go), we moved from California to Washington. At that time, I decided not to return to work, but instead stay home with baby E. As E got older, I started applying my background in education and chemistry to our everyday activities, and thus Tinyn3rds was born. Tinyn3rds read as “tiny nerds”. Not to be confused with "tiny turds" as my cousin likes to call it, because let’s be honest, kids can be little turds sometimes. Tinyn3rds became a special place for E and I to spend quality time together, especially after her baby sister was born, A is now 5 years old (I still question if she is really this old already, in my defense she was caught chewing on our table the other day). We recently moved back to my home state, New Mexico, to be closer to family, allowing us to add two more tiny nerds to the crew, my nephew W (6 years old) and niece C (10 months old).

Q: It has been so amazing getting to see your page grow your projects are always beyond creative while also being full of sensory benefits! Can you tell us what made you want to be a Brand Ambassador?

I’ll be totally honest, my love of your products started out with a bit of skepticism. I received an email asking if I wanted to test out some markers that were guaranteed ‘not to dry out with the caps off for seven days’, and I was like “ha, challenge accepted!” To my surprise, not only did they not dry out in seven days with the caps off, but they were still as bright and bold as when we started the test. So needless to say, we became a huge fan of all your products. So much so, I buy them as gifts on a regular basis. So becoming a brand ambassador for products I truly love, buy, and gift is insanely easy.

Q: What is your favorite product of ours that you have tried? We would love to hear more about why you love this product, and if you have any tips or tricks when using it? Is there anything in particular that has helped you in incorporating science and art together?

Do I have to pick just one? Let’s just call it a three-way tie, with my favorites being Kwik Stix, Magic Stix, and Wonder Stix. I love Kwik Stix because they are relatively mess free, my kids can use them without any assistance, and they can be used on so many different surfaces. I love Magic Stix because my kids can forget to put the caps back on, and the markers will still work. I mean it really doesn’t get any better than that. I love Wonder Stix because they are so much fun to use on windows but can also be used on chalkboards and other surfaces. Most importantly, in our experience, these products have been washable. So when my girls decided to draw mustaches on each other the day before we took our family pictures, I didn’t panic (too much) because it washed off with a little soap, water, and light scrubbing.

As far as incorporating science and art, especially at a young age, I like to keep it simple. When it comes to younger kids, sparking curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking are my main goals. These are the foundation on which more complex science concepts are built later in life. I think sometimes people wonder how they can incorporate science and art together, but the fact of the matter is they are probably already doing it! And if they aren’t, just adding a few probing questions can do just that. For example, a simple painting activity can be transformed by asking a few questions “how did you make that?” (descriptive language development, critical thinking), “If you didn’t have a paint brush, what else could you use?” (critical thinking, creativity and curiosity stimulation). Take this a step further and have the child try their suggestions. I find the probing questions usually lead us to new activities (aka experiments) which inevitably utilize the building blocks of scientific thinking.

Q: What is one of your favorite projects you have created using our products? There are so many amazing ones you have posted, and we want to know which creation stands out to you!

Oh gosh, we’ve created so many projects using your products. I would say at least ninety percent of our projects use at least one of your products, and most of them don’t even make it to the grid (there are soooo many). My favorite posted project would have to be our giant cardboard school bus we created as part of a “Magic School Bus” post using the jumbo and regular Kwik Stix. It was so fast and easy to get that box colored I couldn’t believe it. This is one of my favorites because we were able to paint a giant box, and in a few minutes the kids were off to driving the school bus. No waiting hours for paint to dry. I guess that’s what I really love about your products, they are so well thought out and made with both kids and parents in mind. Magic Stix (markers) won’t dry out with caps off, win win for both parents and kids. Kwik Stix (solid tempera paint) dries in a few minutes, another win win for both kids (impatient) and parents (hoping their kid will be patient). Wonder Stix (chalk crayons) washes off easily and there’s no dust (dustless chalk, yes please!), again everyone wins!

Q: What’s next for you? Do you have plans for any activities or projects we can look forward to or anything in the works for the remainder of 2021?

No big plans to report. This will be the last year I have my youngest at home part time since she will be joining her big sister next year in elementary school. After I’m done crying about my baby going to Kindergarten next year (yes, I need a whole year to feel it), I’m thinking we’ll be leaning more towards after school activities that are quick and easy to put together. I also hope to start working on the mile long list of at home science experiments I’ve been building up. Although it's bittersweet, I’m excited for more advanced after school activities before they grow up too fast!

Be sure to click on the images to be brought to @tinyn3rds full post to see how to create these crafts!