Family Colouring - Our Paper City

The moment I saw Nina's Stadtleben I knew what would happily occupy our family on a blustery, unpredictable family day which urged us to stay indoors. It was my dear Generous Gentleman's birthday yesterday. Fortunately we had celebrated the evening before, eating out at this highly recommended restaurant - simple but very delicious food.

Ess was delighted to be having family colouring time together again. Something we do enjoy but haven't found the opportunity to do so much of late. Now little Eee is growing she joins us for much longer for each session.

For some reason our family enjoys the creating of the city more than the playing with the city, if you know what I mean. I am not certain as to why this might be. Perhaps we are the creative innovators rather than the role playing actors in life.

The city grew and grew quite a lot yesterday and now actually has a green park under the helipad à la Nina's. Ess also has plans to build a shop which I will heartily encourage in order for us to be able to play shop and develop more maths and money skills including spending and saving as well as addition and subtraction. It is also linked directly to the literature we read recently, A Pair of Red Clogs, which includes a market and store where the new red clogs were purchased.

Can't wait to show you her store, yet she is busily sorting and creating various flavoured mice for us to nibble on as she is being a kitten and I her mother. So we do have some imaginative play going on in our house!

Mmm now I'm off to nibble on some liquorice, lime, blueberry and plain mice. Oooh there are some mandarin ones here too, yum!

This wonderful city is generously provided by made by joel

Another creative person from Portland, Oregon.

My Birthday Celebrations

In childhood, we yearn to be grown-ups. In old age, we yearn to be kids. It just seems that all would be wonderful if we didn't have to celebrate our birthdays in chronological order. ~Robert Brault

My birthday flower blossomed for me in full spendour as I anticipated here,

gifts from my cherubs, presented to me while still naked after my shower

(excitement and anticipation absolutely cannot be quelled and postponed),

a sneak peek at our morning's activities enjoyed with our homeschool group,

followed by an afternoon of sunshine, blossom and natter in the park with new friends,

Ess picked me oodles and oodles of soursobs making at least two enormous bunches,

I returned home to more flowers from my very Generous Gentleman.

He knows what makes my heart sing.

Morialta Falls Conservation Park

You must not know too much, or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and water-craft; a certain free margin, and even vagueness - perhaps ignorance, credulity - helps your enjoyment of these things... ~Walt Whitman, Specimen Days, "Birds - And a Caution"

The things we love:

peace, tranquility, being outdoors,

marvelling at the wonders of nature.

We wondered how the extended branches' weight was supported. This tree is enormous and the branches are growing almost horizontally. The pull of gravity must be huge,

yet still they stand.

the wonder of blackboys growing atop rocky outcrops in tiny patches of minimal soil,

enjoying the playful antics of the birdlife, Eastern Rosellas splashing in the creek,

and rainbow lorikeets high in the eucalypts

spotting ducks in the flowing creeks and watching the delight of our little girls,

the green of this one's beak is quite striking,

watching magpies warble as they call to each other,

and listening to the sounds of nature in the fall of water.

One Foggy Morning in July

we wandered outside wondering just exactly what fog felt like,

it intrigued us of course, as we never quite reached it,

fog can be funny like that can't it!

we played long jump in a grassy clearing

watched the dew collect in moist patches on our shoes

admired dewdrops all over our Golden Diosma

and found our first daffodil budding

also covered in dew

waiting to greet us.

Daffodils are my birthday flower.

(At least in my mind they are.)

My mother tells me of how they were blossoming in our front lawn

as she brought me home from hospital.

My birthday is only a week away so we'll see how many are blooming for us then.

Dolls of Japan

Reach for Heaven

We enjoyed viewing over 70 traditional handcrafted Japanese Dolls which were on exhibition to encourage arts and cultural exchange between Australia and Japan. It is a national touring exhibition so you may be able to see it wherever you are if you keep your eye out for it. It closes here on 22 July and I am not sure where it is then headed. More details here.

These are just a few of our favourites. The titles of those we remember are in italics.

Little Girl

Little Girl

There is no doubt in my mind that these wonderful dolls are works of art. They are certainly revered much more highly in Japanese culture than in our own. We marvelled at the beauty of, and the story behind, each piece and found it intriguing to imagine the artisans carving, sculpting and creating each of these beautiful works.

This Kokeshi Doll is just so so pretty, the carved flowers adorable.

We'll call her Blossom - not sure of her real name.

:: such elegance ::

Koto

Passing Time

:: reminding me of myself and my Ess ::

We are exploring the tale of Momotarosan in Kindermusik studies at the moment so it was fabulous to see him depicted in this way.

Peach Boy

I think this might be him - the little peach baby.

Tag

Children playing chasey or tag. The child who is it is trying to tag the last one in the line.

Japanese Cultural Day

If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.

~Japanese Proverb

We were fortunate to participate in a Japanese Cultural Day held in a nice peaceful environment. There were not crowds of people around which resulted in us being able to enjoy each activity without having to wait in queues and struggling to see.

Enjoy here a glimpse of some of what the day had to offer us.

:: trying on kimono ::

:: participating in a tea ceremony ::

:: listening to the Koto with a flute ::

:: listening to the Shakuhachi flute ::

:: having our names written in Japanese characters ::

This morning we have a commenced little unit study based around the lovely book below, A Pair of Red Clogs, by Masako Matsuno which is set in Japan.

Already we have had so much fun learning more about Japan, their flag, the country's location, a weather-telling game for children, differences in culture around the dining table, elaborate hairstyles, dressing up in dressing gown kimono with our hair in plaits, pretending our crocs are clogs and playing the weather-telling game.

The girls also surprised me with some of their own origami, their own design. We enjoyed making some simple pieces yesterday with an older Japanese instructor and her Australian teacher offsider so it was lovely to see them being creative with paper today. They made hats, fish, wormies and another special creation of my little Eee's.

Tomorrow I might give you a peak at some of our favourite dolls from the Dolls of Japan Exhibition. Would you like that?

If anyone knows of any lovely Japanese literature I should be exposing my 6 and nearly 3 year old to, please do share. Another we have enjoyed is One Leaf Rides the Wind, a counting book by Celeste Davidson Mannis. Great for little Eee.

**As you can see, Ess is now quite recovered and enjoying life as a little girl should. Thankyou for your care and concern.**