Recently I took my daughter Jude to a show at the Grammy Museum where afterwards the craft activity included making shoebox guitars. I am always amazed at how makeshift toys captivate kids like my daughter, who have no shortage of store-bought goodies from parents, aunts, grandparents and other relatives. She played with the guitar all weekend long, and used it to accompany her heretofore a cappella lyrics. I even got treated to the best duo rendition of Jingle Bells I’ve ever heard from Jude and her dad.

The Power to Play – From Trash to Treasure at the Museum of Tolerance celebrates this international and intergenerational idea, that items—in this case toys—made from makeshift items, spur the imagination and are never lacking in the ability to entertain. The concept for the exhibit began with a Kenyan boy in 2000 who created a toy boat from found items. Motivated by this, ChildFund International has collected more than 300 toys constructed by children throughout the world using found and discarded items, effectively turning trash into treasure.

The result is this inspirational exhibit in Los Angeles only until December 31st that will be a lesson to kids and a reminder to grown ups that no matter the circumstances, resilience in children allow them to create, imagine and play.  The exhibit showcases toys created from recycled and other locally available materials by children from Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Merely seeing the toys stirs the imagination and heartens the spirit at the thought of how much joy these items have brought to the kids who made them.  Particularly with the impending holiday season, this is a timely and poignant reminder that to receive is human, to give is divine and to create something from nothing and still feel blessed is out of this world.

The Power to Play – From Trash to Treasure

Museum of Tolerance
Simon Wiesenthal Plaza
9786 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, 90035; (310) 553-8408
Now through December 31, 2009
Monday-Friday – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday – 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: Adults $15; Seniors $12; Children 5-18 $11; Children 5 and under FREE
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