Check out all the awesomeness that is captured on the Gangukan's blog. They have papercraft and wood toybuilding workshops for kids, a lot of craft exhibits [eh.] and a whole array of contemporary folk toymaker showcases and posts:
Momotaro-palooza: in September, the Gangukan's +1 Gallery showed a huge assortment of tsuchi ningyo, painted clay dolls depicting characters from Momotaro, by the artist Igarashi Kenji.
Felt nuigurumi and plush: In August, Ooe Hikuko's inventive felt and recycled fabric plush toys were shown as part of a nuigurumi workshop. Check out this felt apple [there's a great hen and chickens, too].
They got a little fixated on glassware and pottery for most of the spring and summer, but back in February, there was a show of Oguro Saburo's incredible puzzle dolls, a set of traditional hina matsuri display dolls that actually fit together, Enzo Mari-style, into a puzzle. Suh-weet. February's entries include several more examples of Oguro's work.
I'll post more when I get back from Home Depot; gotta pick up some paint for the nursery.
Yeah, I know you have no idea who I am, but I had to tell you how much I appreciated your research on the Baby Plus subject.
Do you know anything about Brainition?
Thanks!
[well, looking at it for about 10 seconds, I get the sense that it's fantastically misguided and a waste of time. Babies don't learn to read via flash books of giant words. They could certainly learn to recognize/memorize words based on the order of a story and/or the color and shape of a word, but that is not reading. Read and talk through stories with pictures, talk about objects and happenings in the world around the kid. The major developmental advantage a kid can get before pre-school is speech, hearing words, vocabulary. Of course, this whole discussion would fit better on the Boston Globe article post from the other day, about how infant "education" programs are at best a harmless waste of time; but at worst, they are counter-productive. -ed.]