Category: Kids

Back from the Black (forest)

13/8/2019

The green black forest

Although our summer break was cut short because of the opportunity of a sudden assignment that we didn't want to miss (more about that later, i promise!), we still had two long weeks to unwind and relax.

Our last-minute planning brought us to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in Germany, a mere 5,5 hour drive from the headquarters.

We packed up the car to the max, bought the boys headphones for the ride and left on an afternoon in sweltering heat.

When we left, The Netherlands was still enjoying/suffering temperatures of up to 40°C (104°F) which is extremely hot for our nearly scandinavian country, and we were happy to stay away from the southern European heat and go for a more lush environment to enjoy our time off.
Also, we were happy we didn't have to drive too far in a non-airconditioned car.

We landed on a wonderful campground right next to a stream and a little waterfall. and together with the boys spent hours on well-made playgrounds and adventure trails such as the Black Forest Treetop walk (with a large slide going down) and a Barefoot path where we got to got to walk over pieces of broken glass (still pretty sharp).
We clambered accross Germanies' largest waterfall and walked a 60 meters high suspension bridge that slightly swayed in the wind.

Of course we had to play a round of adventure golf (guess who struck a hole-in-one) and we somehow visited two places where people were extremely serious about model-trains as well as to a museum of clocks, vintage cars and vintage vending machines (because what else in Germany on a rainy day).

We spotted squirrels in the wild, fed ducks, almost caught a trout, looked for salamanders, learned to recognize nutcracker birds and were knocked over by over-excited goats.

We skipped the Bratwurst, but did enjoy the Brezels and other bread-related goodness, went out for flammkuchen and drank beers that came in glasses the size of my head (often, we just shared).

The big days of Black Forest tourism might have been a while ago, with the current trend of summers becoming hotter and more people looking for car-friendly destinations nearby i wouldn't be surprised if the Schwarzwald will make a revival the coming years.
I hope it does!

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Kom je ook kijken en maken dit weekend? #openhuis

28/5/2018

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We houden dit weekend Open Huis!

Dit weekend (2&3 juni) doen we mee aan Kunstroute Heumen en is iedereen van harte welkom te komen kijken in onze ontwerpstudio en te zien hoe we werken.

We laten onze nieuwste ontwerpen zien en nemen je mee in ons ontwerpproces.

De 3d-printer gaat aan om te laten zien hoe we prototypes maken, en we demonstreren hoe we kopjes en kandelaars maken van porselein.

Zelf aan de slag

Er is ook iets te doen!
In een zelfgemaakte mal, gieten we met gips een eigen natuur-amulet.

Doe je mee? Het is geschikt voor kinderen vanaf 4 jaar, en nog steeds leuk voor volwassenen.

Een natuur-amulet maken kost ongeveer 15-30 minuten en is gratis (vrijwillige bijdrage).

Fan van bloemen?
Met ons nieuwste product Flower Constellations, schik je heel eenvoudig een mooi boeket met je sterrenbeeld.

Probeer het zelf uit met de prototypes die we hebben gemaakt.
We vertellen je graag alles over onze succesvolle crowdfunding op Kickstarter, de productie en de geplande lancering.

Sample sale

Tijdens de Atelierdagen is het natuurlijk mogelijk om House of Thol producten te kopen.
Sterker nog: we hebben een sample sale in voorbereiding, waarin je voor een klein prijsje unieke Dutch Design stukken kunt scoren! (pinnen mogelijk)

Atelierdagen House of Thol

Zaterdag 2 & Zondag 3 juni
11:00 - 18:00
Parksesteeg 8, Overasselt

Meer over de kunstroute

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a lively first day back in the office

15/8/2017

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After two weeks of exploring and frog-catching, our first day back in the office wasn't a very tranquil one: we had a workshop full of 4-8 year-olds who weren't about to sit down quietly.

We had loads of fun with Xam and his friends from daycare, and after a short introduction and tour (by Xam himself, of course) everyone got down to making puppets from scrapwood.

A lively first day back at the office - naturally dyed wood workshop with kids | photograph by House of Thol

The children used sanding paper and got to drill holes with a pillar drill. Of course they got to use a hammer to nail their piece together, which involved only one case of thumb-tears, which were quickly dried.

Before nailing down the wooden pieces, we dyed them with natural colors that were sourced from the garden (alright.. and from the supermarket). We used blackberries, turmeric, coffee, onionskins, red beets and spinach.

We found out the wood was stained best by our blackberries, which made it a vibrant pink, and by the turmeric, which made for a bright yellow color. The beets were a bit of a disappointment, but it was a fun experiment.

Luckily we have a little playground and a trampoline to jump on while the kids were waiting for their dye to set.

At the end of the afternoon we got to wave goodbye to two wagonloads full of smiling kids holding on tightly to their self-made puppets.

What a great -yet exhausting- way to kick-off the new season. If we can take on these kids, we're ready for anything.

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What's going on with House of Thol

Back from the Black (forest)

The green black forest

Kom je ook kijken en maken dit weekend? #openhuis

We houden dit weekend Open Huis!

Zelf aan de slag

Sample sale

Atelierdagen House of Thol

a lively first day back in the office

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