Monday, October 10, 2011

Imagination and Goodbye Holidays

I doubt that the imagination can be suppressed. If you truly eradicated it in a child, he would grow up to be an eggplant. 
Ursula K. Le Guin (One of my favourite authors, she knows plenty about imagination)

 



We found 1/2 a test tube of Instasnow in the downstairs clean up. We split it in two and added red food dye and blue food dye. I left the kids alone with the water and they added a little bit at a time.  The snow really grows - it looks pretty cool as it puffs and expands, drawing excited oohs and squeals from the Bowerbird kidlets. When I returned much later the young scientists had mixed colours, built snow castles, made valleys, spooned and squidged and made a big mess. The little one and middle one have played heaps together on the school holidays.  Imaginary animal games, doll houses, board games, hide and seek, silly jumping laughing, who knows what they are doing games. So interesting how the family dynamic changes as they grow, last term it might have been more the older and youngest bowerbirds playing.




They have been loving their new chalkboard.  Those red dots are cherries. The little one likes to make up words too, I think the blue lines were tankatrons. Of course they are.








Goodbye Spring school holidays, we are going to miss the slower pace of life. The last of my Wilsons Promontory Pictures, definitely a holiday highlight.


A special thanks to Kimbamel who had me gardening at her place on Saturday, a whole day of good food and gardening, and staying up too late watching vampires. Sometimes a day without the kids really gets you back in the happy mummy zone.


I am linking up with Play Ideas today as she is talking about imagination this week -
http://playideas.blogspot.com/2011/10/word-for-wednesday.html

6 comments:

  1. Dear Kirsty;
    I don't know how you do it. You must have invented the 'rapid, always interesting' blogging.
    I'm probably childish, and I like that, but I can't get over the fact that you're having spring. Now. As it get's darker and colder here for every day that passes. It intrigues me!

    Now I learned about 'instasnow', new to me - and got a reminder to fix that blackboard I've been thinking about. The little ones are adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never thought to add coloring to the insta snow, clever idea. Beautiful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for linking up this week to the Afterschool Blog Hop! Encouraging kids imagination is SO important! We haven't done chalk in a while and may just have to bring it out this week. Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So much excitement going on here. I've never heard of instasnow... hmmmm.... I wonder if I Miss Canadian winters enough to try it. : ) You just reminded me, I am on the look out for homemade chalk recipes for the footpath on the side of our house. Any suggestions? xo m.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aw Lili, you're too sweet. Apparently Instasnow is the same stuff you find in nappies. My mum said to me I was a big kid after hearing what I'd been up to this morning, so I know where you are at. We're in awe that you will have snow soon.

    Little Wonders ' Days the colours were fun in Instasnow, apparently a great time can also be had with coloured shaving cream for painting in the bath.

    Amanda thanks for having me at your Blog Hop. It's worth trying to get some better quality chalk, they're messier but so much more vibrant.

    Ecomilf I have a whole board on chalk in Pinterest http://pinterest.com/bowersnest/chalk/ - you can even make it fizz! http://froggooseandbear.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-chalk-paint-with-touch-of-fizz.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Visiting from Afterschool blog hop (which will be hosted at http://momandkiddo.blogspot.com/) this Sunday. How fun - it must be great for children to play so much together and learn from each other. Your photos are breathtakingly beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Margaret Atwood

“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young