OUr Story so FAr

Wonderful Idea Company is a creative design studio developing resources to support the exploration of art, science & technology through making and tinkering

In 2017, Ryan Jenkins and Nicole Catrett co-founded Wonderful Idea Co. building on their decades of experience creating inspiring environments, engaging exhibits and impactful professional development workshops at The Exploratorium, a leader in field of STEM education. During their time at the Tinkering Studio, Ryan and Nicole co-developed exhibits and activities that have been used, adapted and remixed in many libraries, classrooms, makerspaces and museums. They’ve worked closely with partners including the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT media lab, Reggio Emilia Schools and the LEGO foundation to develop a deep understanding of the best practices and latest developments in informal education.

Over the past three years Wonderful Idea Company has grown to include a wide network of partners and collaborators. We have built exhibits that have been displayed at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, OliOli, The Amazeum, Tullie House and more. We developed and facilitated a summer program in Saudi Arabia engaging more that 200 teens with art, science and technology. Our professional development workshops have been attended by hundreds of educators and these sessions have explored topics ranging from art machines to micro:bit to processing to rube goldberg style chain reactions. We have traveled from Dharmashala to Dubai and Toulouse to Taipei to work with inspiring educators. We are looking forward to working with our partners to create the next generation of hands-on, constructionist, tinkering-based exhibitions, kits, activities and environments.

Who We've Worked With

Amazeum // Benesse Corporation // Brandeis School of San Francisco // Brightworks // Cabaret Mechanical Theater // CEISMC at Georgia Tech // Chabot Space and Science Center // Chibitronics // The Contemporary Jewish Museum // Google // Joylabz // Juniors Center of Art and Science // Karkhana // The LEGO foundation // Lodestar Community Charter School // MAKE Magazine // Makerlab Extreme // Manylabs // MIT Media Lab // Nexmap // Peabody Essex Museum // Strawbees // Tinkering School // The Tinkering Studio

Testimonials

“Ryan and Nicole design whole experiences that combine computing, art, and everyday materials in beautiful and delightfully surprising ways. From the moment you step in, you feel inspired to play, express, and invent — engaging in wonderful ideas along the way.”

RICAROSE ROQUE

"I have worked with Nicole and Ryan many times over the years and they have consistently created engaging and deep learning experiences for educators and students. Their thoughtful and creative introductions to tools and materials empower the educator and reinforce best practices for teaching students. You can expect to come away with renewed enthusiasm and excellent practical skills to support maker-based learning in any environment.”

GEVER TULLEY

"Ryan and Nicole are two of the most talented creators and storytellers that I know. I’ve enjoyed working with them and seeing their unique perspective to technology— mixing low tech and high tech materials in creative ways to make something magical, beautiful, playful and inviting. This includes building interactive art installations that inspire us to see the world differently. Or designing workshops for others to get lost in the creative process. Or engaging in research and design journeys that reveal new insights about how we create, learn and share.”

JIE QI

"I’ve worked with Nicole and Ryan at the Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio many times. Nicole is wonderfully inventive and skilled at making things. Ryan is a great workshop leader, unfailingly enthusiastic and good at encouraging people of any age to make stuff. They are both just amazingly talented."