Tuesday 04 May 2010
After sharing the truth about our backyard I have been motivated to start transforming it into the garden we dream it can be. We decided to start with the digging area.
As you might remember from my last post about the yard, we didn’t really want a sandbox as such. Instead we opted to dig out an area which was already bordered on one side by rocks, and add rocks to the other sides. We found a triangular shaped shade cloth for under $20 from our local hardware store which is perfect for a cover, so our sandpit is roughly triangular! Two of the corners of the shade cloth are hammered...
Sunday 02 May 2010 -
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“The SPORE Project is a worldwide effort developed by artist Doug Rhodehamel to promote awareness for the support of art education and creativity in day-to-day life. The project illustrates the importance of self expression, resourcefulness and creativity – specifically, how to look at one thing (a simple paper bag) and see what it can be instead of merely what it is. The project was created to build awareness,...
Wednesday 21 April 2010 -
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I’m a bit of a birder, and love teaching my kids about birds. We love watching them together, mimicking their calls, taking photographs and even feeding them some times. Since Thea’s five year old son tagged us for a kid-interview, I thought I’d ask my three year old about birds.
(Photos of Rainbow Lorikeets taken by my 3yr old with some Mummy-help)
What is your favourite bird?
Rainbow Lorikeets...
Wednesday 14 April 2010 -
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I like my kids to play outside. I’m happy for them to get dirty. But let’s face it – I’m raising city kids. Activities like milking a cow, collecting fruit from the orchard or killing a chook aren’t part of daily life for us. Despite this I think it’s really important for city kids to understand where foods come from.
Here are three foods we have been talking about recently...
Thursday 08 April 2010 -
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I was delighted and devastated all at the same time when the lovely Christie from Childhood101 made this comment on a previous post. (Click the image if you can’t read it…)
Delighted, because I think there is always beauty to be found in outdoor spaces and I’m glad I’ve been able to find snippets of beauty in our yard. But devastated, because I’ve made people think our backyard is something...
Tuesday 30 March 2010 -
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At a recent trip to the nursery I spotted a plant I had been eyeing off for a while heavily marked down. Something had been nibbling on one of its large, ornamental leaves but apart from that it was fine. What I didn’t realise was that I would be bringing the very-hungry-something home with us! The next day I noticed the second of the plant’s large leaves eaten, and by the following day the plant was...
Saturday 20 February 2010 -
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Backyard baking is so much fun. Props required? A bowl and maybe a large spoon. Your child might need a little encouragement to get started, but after that they will run with the activity for quite some time. If you have cooked with your child they will probably take to this activity more readily. Here are some open ended questions you can use to help the activity along if necessary:
What are you baking today?
What...
Friday 12 February 2010 -
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While my blogging friends in the northern hemisphere are shivering through blizzards, here down under it’s mid-summer! Keeping kids cool and busy is sometimes a challenge. Inspired by a window washer on Playschool the other week, Little Miss 3 asked if she could do some window washing too – which I thought was a great idea! We have a glass sliding door which worked perfectly because the kids could wash...
Thursday 04 February 2010 -
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As part of our garden week the kids and I took a trip to one of our local nurseries. There are several nurseries in our area, ranging from a small, no-frills native nursery to large cafe-designer-lifestyle nurseries. I opted for a larger nursery because of stroller accessibility and the availability of toilets! There are many reasons why a nursery trip is great for kids. For starters it’s free. And considering...
Thursday 21 January 2010 -
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A weedy, gravelly mess of garden bed has been sitting near my clothesline for a very long time, just waiting for some kids to give it a little love. Last week was the week! There was no need to rush, and the kids enjoyed spreading the project out over a few days. Besides – in the heat of summer it’s hard to stay in the yard for too long. Here’s how you and your kids can have fun transforming...
