Tatebanko Paper Diorama Kit

Appealing to my weakness for dioramas and DIY paper projects, these kits also are a mini lesson on Tatebanko, the forgotten Edo-era Japanese art of creating perspectives from paper. They come in either a snowy scene representing a painting by the master Hiroshige or in a version of Hokusai's wave. Designed and printed in Japan by It's a Beautiful Day (the group leading the Tatebanko …

Strange Faces Origami

Originally called "oreore-nai," meaning "I can't fold properly," this easy origami kit comes with 15 square sheets of paper printed with photo images of cropped faces. When folded the sheets transform into bizarre kaleidoscopic versions of a face, as if a few people got together and went crazy with Apple's Photobooth effects. Designed by the Tokyo-based origami group Studio Cochae, Strange Faces Origami is available …

Recycled Wood Tree House

If remembering the fun and simple learning experience from playing with Lincoln Logs as a kid brings back good memories, then the Recycled Wood Tree House—a modern update to those brown stacking pieces of our generation—will likely bring the same to any easily bored rugrat over age three in your life. This 22-inch-tall, recycled cherry and elder wood tree house made with removable parts like …