Creating Solutionary Street

What is the difference between "The Solutionary School" and "Solutionary Street?" 

Good question! 

The Solutionary School is a space for all ages to gather and create social change. It's where we can learn, explore, and grow together. We like to do lots of fun activities, workshops, and classes at The Solutionary School. 

The Solutionary Street is part of The Solutionary School and where all of our *solutionary friends, like Ellie the Earth Protector, live.

Ellie and her friends are always working to solve problems, but they are not ordinary problem solvers. When they are solving a problem, the Kids of Solutionary Street make sure their solutions don't intentionally or unintentionally harm other people, animals, or the environment. They know everything in the world is connected. 

Read on to hear how we created Solutionary Street! 

While I was sketching ideas for The Solutionary School backdrop, I thought about what I could include to make it feel like we were on a street. One of those ideas was to make a lamppost. I searched around the house and was happy to find I had all the materials I needed. 

An old cardboard box would be the main material we would use. I sliced one side of the box to make it into one long piece. With a pencil, I sketched (and erased-many times!) a lamppost onto the cardboard. I also included a sign holder for my Solutionary Street sign! Once I was happy with the height and shape of the post, I cut it out. 

Because the post was so tall and thin, I knew I had to reinforce it to get it to stand up straight. I searched through my puppet supplies and remembered the welding rods I bought for Ellie's arm rods and hot glued them to the back of the cardboard. Surprisingly, they held up well. 

Even with the rods, I needed to find a structure to attach to the base. One option would be to make a cardboard tripod, but I feared that it would be too flimsy and eventually fall over. I needed something stronger. 

Last year, the neighbors were getting rid of wooden posts. In true creative form, I knew I could use them for something, so I brought them home and saved them for the perfect project. The time had come. I brought the post up from the basement and tried it out. Because of the lip on the wood, it made the post too tall, so I cut a little off the cardboard bottom until I got the right height. I was happy with how the lamppost was progressing.

Next, it was time to paint! My original idea was to cover the post in different colored yarn, but I decided to first paint it then cover it with yarn. I pulled the paint out of the closet and got to work. I let it dry overnight, then started attaching the yarn and securing it with a little drop of hot glue. The yarn was helpful as it allowed me to attach the cardboard to the wooden base. 

To add to the texture, I kept some paint showing and did varying thickness of yarn. I am really pleased with how it turned out. 

The last step was to make the lamp!

First, I thought I would keep the lamp open so you can see what was behind it, but then I had an idea, I could cover it with a thin layer of tissue paper to make the illusion of glass.

Because I specifically made the height of the lamp to be in line with the string of lights,  when I turned on the lights, it shined through the tissue paper, making it look like a true lampost!

Take a look at that! It really looks like a lamppost! What do you think?

*What does "Solutionary" mean? 
​noun: a person who is able to identify inhumane and unsustainable systems and then develop solutions that are healthy and just for people, animals, and the environment. 
adjective: pertaining to or characterized by solving problems in a strategic, comprehensive manner that strives not to harm one group while helping another. 
Defined by Zoe Weil at The Institute for Humane Education