Maya the Engineer

Our Maya is a creative girl but not in the way that many girls are. She doesn't often sit down with paper and crayons to draw a picture. She is a 3D artist and over the years has created all manner of 3D art, some of the most memorable being a full set of makeup (when Mommy refused to buy her the made in China "play makeup" at Toys R Us). That set included a lipstick (carefully constructed out of 2 cardboard tubes wrapped around each other), a compact with sponge, blush with a brush, and eye shadow, all carefully color coordinated and compact enough to fit in her play purse. She has made a microphone with a stand, all the better to sing along with Hannah Montana. She also once made a horse out of all the cardboard in the recycle bin. It was strong enough that she could actually sit on it! (It didn't have legs, mind you.) Her favorite toys are a good pair of scissors and an endless supply of tape.
My Mom and sister recently visited and Auntie Cheryl introduced Maya to another kind of 3D art - embroidery. Maya has embraced that wholeheartedly, and has made all manner of bookmarks and ditty bags for us to keep our treasures in. Again, the 3D nature of stitching really appeals to her.

Then, a couple of Saturdays ago, another dimension to her art was developed. Some time ago at our bilingual kids group, my co-leader left a few toys in the big trunk we keep our supplies in. The toys sat there for a while, then Maya discovered the big tin of Tinkertoys one day. She seemed interested, but didn't have much time to get into the project. They were put away and forgotten for a few more Saturdays till my co-leader and I were clearing the trunk out a bit one day. I noticed the Tinkertoys again and asked if it would be all right for us to borrow them for a few weeks. Well, Tinkertoy mania has hit the Provenzano house hold and Maya has come up with all manner of 3D masterpieces. Tinkertoys are right up her alley, and don't even need any tape!

Check out today's creations: