Block Work

Evie has long given up her daysleeps, so the days that she does nod off is very precious time to me. So an activity that Finn can become absorbed in for hours is block construction. I put on an audio book (Roald Dahl) My children lead such busy, social and noisy lives- it is so nice for them to have quiet, uninterrupted time on their own creating and thinking.

Mud Pie Kitchen

In a secret part of our garden- daily there is a lot of learning, experimenting and merrymaking going on.  

Recently we set up a mud pie kitchen for the kids (sourcing secondhand a TV cabinet, old pots, pans, metal teapots and spoons). They are usually happy playing with sand, dirt and a bucket of water. But today I added food colouring and cornflour to the fix. They had a lovely time creating slime pies. 

Circus Oz

Over the weekend, we took the children to see Circus Oz  which was an amazing show (we had front row seats which made it even more fantastic). Finn was lucky enough to be plucked from the audience to be part of the show. 

Since the show there has been a lot of circus tricks being practiced and a lot of dressing up. 

Fruit Kebabs

Fruit seems so much more fun on a stick..

 
 

The drive back from Sydney

Oil Pastels

We use these Micador Oil Pastels at the Steiner School I work at, and I also love using them for the kids at home. The colour range is huge and they don't seem to break while drawing like other oil pastels and the colours glide on beautifully smooth and strong. 

They work very well when using an ink wash over the top, creating a resist painting, or using on top a black/dark coloured paper (to create a space or night scene). 

Photographing Children

I have been so inspired by this gorgeous blog http://westoodtogether-ambz.blogspot.com.au/ of an engaged mother documenting daily simple joys in her children's lives by taking beautiful photographs.

Amber generously showed me how to move my DSLR (Cannon EOS) off auto mode, to have more creative control over the photos. Although this isn't the most amazing photo, and I still have a lot to learn, there is going back now..

Cardboard Arcade

So inspiring!

http://cainesarcade.com/2012/04/caines-arcade-short-film/

Perfect Pancakes

A slow saturday morning at home is the perfect time for pancakes/pikelets.

My favourite recipe works perfectly every-time (from David Herbert's The Perfect Cookbook).

For Piklets I just substitute plain flour for Self-Raising Flour, or add baking soda to the flour.

1 Cup of (all-purpose) Flour 
Pinch of salt
2 Eggs (free-range of course), lightly beaten
1 Cup of Milk
30 g of Butter, melted

Sift the flour and pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre

In Separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.

Grease a small non-stick frying pan and preheat over moderate heat for 1 minute.

Ladle the batter into the pan and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbles appear on the pancake and the underside is golden. Using a spatula, flip the pancake and cook for a further 45-60 seconds before turning out.

Clay

I had not used clay as an art material with the children for quite a while- and was inspired by Kate at the Reggio Emilia inspired playgroup we attend. 

After leaving the children with a few balls of recycled clay on the art table in the garden-
this is what I came back to..

It look Finn a little while to get used to the different texture of clay and at first wasn't sure what to do it with (which is why he pressed sticks and leaves into it). I modeled myself making a little creature using a pinch pot technique, adding limbs, ears and tails.

The lovely thing about clay is if you seal it properly back in the bag at the end of every clay session it will last for years.

hotel transylvania

 Inspired from watching the trailer for Hotel Transylvania, this was Finn's interpretation of the hotel, complete with sign and staircase.



I found these little coloured matchsticks, and blocks in a 'hot dollar' shop.  As an educational tool you can discuss colours, shapes and patterns.  We used PVA glue underneath and stuck them on to card stock. Adding a touch of food colouring to the glue helps to show the children where they have applied it.

Art vs Craft

I get so frustrated with prescribed art and craft activities for children. Recently at a local group the children were presented with photocopied ladybirds, and each child was given four black dots, two googly eyes and two antenes. This kind of activity seems pointless to me- really it's just busy work.  The leader was confronted when Finn declared he didn't want to make a ladybird but wanted to make a lion, but I was beaming at him with pride.

It is so easy to give children a variety of materials in different colours and textures and from there, the children can decide where their project goes. Even choosing what materials from they use from the selection is a creative process in itself.



At two Evie loves declaring- "I made it all by myself", rather than someone telling her what she has to do, and how she has to do it. Children should be able to let their projects take them to where-ever their imaginations want them to go. They should be able to tell a story, dream, design or just experiment with textures, colours, glue, tape, clay, pencils and paint.

Not everything has to look like something that adults recognise, sometimes it's just fun to play and create.