First, a video version of Changes, Changes, a wonderful book by British illustrator and children's book author Pat Hutchins. The wordless story is great in book form for kids 2-4 in book form.



I can't find the video available for sale... the clip that ends as this one begins is the end credit from Jack Kent's Joey Runs Away (yep, I'm that steeped in this stuff...), which has been re-released along with Laurie Keller's Open Wide, Tooth School Inside (read our interview with Laurie Keller here). We'll save the amazing Jack Kent for another day. This post is supposed to be about blocks.



I actually remember making things based on what I saw in this next one. In a way, it's a quick instructional course on building with blocks.



Blocks are a great starting point for doing stop-motion animation with your kids. They are easier to manipulate than working with clay figures or any others with moving parts - just shift the block a bit and take another photo from a fixed position, then use some image-splicing software to stitch a movie together. This little video might give you some ideas.



I've wanted to make stop-motion films with Z for a long time, and at four years old I think she's just about ready. Has anyone seen a good stop-motion tutorial that takes basic software tools into account? - Jeremiah