Kids Big Day Out

The holidays had nearly passed us by and we were yet to hang out with our Cool Cousins in what has fast become our holiday tradition. I wasn't sure if it was going to happen as Kangaroo has become quite sick since last weeks visits to the water park, coughing and spluttering and now sneezing and wheezing. Kookaburra too has caught whatever nasty illness this is and has begun the deep wet bark that according to the Doc is croup. It would have been nice if she had of diagnosed that in my younger son last week rather than three doctors visits later. Unfortunately my wee men are now taking steroids and ventilam to end this horrid bug. But I digress. Our holiday tradition is to have, what I've coined, 'A Child Led Day' or in their terms, 'Kids Big Day Out'.

The gist is that the kiddos take one supervising adult and mosey on into town, usually on foot, with their backpacks on containing plenty of water, morning tea and pocket money - enough to buy odds and ends from the op shops, cheapy stores and pool their money together enough to buy some lunch. They have the option of going pretty much anywhere they want - the pool, park, museums, cinema, shops, lolly store, op shops, garage sales, river, anywhere they can calculate they can get too and still be able to get home. This is a fledgling idea that is still developing. The first time it happened was brilliant! The kids dressed up as ladies and gents and played tourist through our little town visiting the museums and even stumbled upon a workshop for some foreign dancing (I don't recall which now *such a terrible memory sometimes!) which they had a ball participating in. The following occasion we were down one crew member due to illness and then the kids independence was impeded because of torrential down pours and unfortunately, in my opinion, it became a bit of a bargain hunting spend fest. Great for their math but not really the point of the exercise. I want them to discuss and make decisions and eventually be able to, very independently of me but still with supervision, be able to leave home, plan together what they'd like to do with their day, problem solve on the way and then find their way home, whether it be by foot, bike or bus. I'm giving them a chance to safely practice their independence.

And develop their special friendships.

So we headed off this morning on foot to meet the Cool Cousins in town who, like us, had a doctors appointment to attend (this was before it was figured upon that my boys have croup).

There was, of course, the mandatory lolly store stop. Two dollars goes a long way if you're careful! Then Princess Calamity managed to split the bottom of the sole of her sandal so we needed to purchase new sandals before continuing on - she's my sweet Clam' for a reason! Lots of chatting and lolly munching followed. These guys were so happy to be out and all together. The poor doctors surgery was inundated by my crew and my doc was bemused at least with four children sitting on her consult rooms floor whilst she examined the fifth. The nattering noodles go off at tangents discussing the random things that children talk about to the point where our Doc has joined in too. With the croup now diagnosed - I have my doubts though but don't really know what to do :( - we left for the chemist across the road to fill our scripts and chose to kill some time at the cheapy shop. Naturally :S. A few dollars later and we have the best buy of the day, I feel, Princess Calamity's two dollar fifty pair of sunglasses which had me laughing for the remainder of the excursion. Too cool for her own little socks this kid.







They ate pizza in the park and watched a maggie feeding her baby.




But we were still sick and we really couldn't sustain the pace any longer so we all thought home on the bus to watch a movie would be just perfect.




What does Princess Cupcake get excited about?...... 'No Seatbelts!!!!!'

uh, okay :)






It really warmed my heart to see these guys holding hands.





It was still a bit of a walk from the bus stop home and they decided they'd like to call Grammy Bear from the public phone booth for fun.



and as the nursery is just around the corner from our home, we made it our last stop before home. The plants are a surprise for Sunday. Secret squirrel okay.

Before we made it in the door everybody had to say hi ya to our little green tree frog who resides in our mail box.

A movie and a little play and then it was home time. We love our cousins and are so lucky to have them live right here in the same little town.

So that's our Kids' Big Day Out. Independence and new experiences, and beautiful memories. Hopefully, next time, we'll all be well and the sun'll be shining bright on us again.

Parrot Painting

Last week we borrowed a great crafty book from the library which is something to write about in itself because normally I loathe them. Unlike most of the other's we've experienced (which nurtured the loathing) this books instructions are clear and the projects are actually do-able with the kiddo's. Here we tried our hand at the 'Parrot Painting'. I'm finding that if we can, and if I can get them to sit still for a short moment craft works best if I demonstrate first. It helps set the project clear in their heads of the how to and what their finished creation may be like.

* First draw the rounded, plump body of your bird with the little head in profile. Add a little eye, a beak and a crest. Draw a branch running beneath the parrot and then add two toes for each foot holding onto your branch.

It's funny that I followed the instructions and began with the body but all the kids started with the branch :) I think that makes sense, they know how far down the page they need to draw for the bottom of their parrot.

* Don't worry about wings, we'll be using handprints for that. But if you know kids they'll probably draw the wings anyway :D Four out of five here did and one didn't want the handprints at all because his wings were already great!

* Start painting.

* The kids were really interesting to observe. Kookaburra naturally wanted to paint Hermes, Kangaroo wanted a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo like his mate Ray's at the Wildlife Sanctuary, Danger Mouse then wanted the same, whilst Princess Cupcake and Princess Calamity wanted the same as the picture in the craft book which was very beautiful and colourful.

I noticed something a little alarming. Poor little Calamity wanted hers exactly like the picture in the book. She wanted to erase and correct and the poor little cricket was starting to become upset. Meany that I am, I wouldn't let her change because I felt that by trying to be so exact and when the end product isn't concerned with having the project 'correct', it was better for her to relax into her creation and accept it for it's imperfections. I reminded her that the book s images were computer created so they lacked personality which is what she would give it. My little Calam' seemed really tense, uncertain and hesitant. Was it her mood today, perhaps it's personality or is this the product of schooling that I've been reading so much about? Even here, at home, in a safe place, Calamity is so wrapped up in getting it right and having a product that pleases that she was having trouble moving forward and embracing her own creation. My wish for my niece is to get her into this art space I'm dreaming about at Iri'ni where I can encourage her to go nuts, make art works as big as the ceiling and just cover a wall in a riot of colour with no form. or purpose other than the joy of the movement and colour. Not only loads of fun but I believe it would help unlock her personal creative expression. I dream about getting all the kiddo's to create without fear of getting it wrong. I know I'm going to love it too ;)!

* Adding tail feathers.


* The inspiration.


* Kangaroo's very cool Cockatoo :D

* And after having so much trouble last week with trying to draw Hermes exactly as he see's him, Kookaburra felt pretty pleased with his painting of his pet bird. I love them so much that over the weekend (hopefully) we'll get to making some frames for these beauty's.

All kinds of Fun...

A Big Day of Home Learning was planned. My plan of attack was well thought out and all I had to do was wait for the right time. But my big plans often become the victim of the day. So instead of achieving all the book kind of learning, we had visits from our Cool Cousins and had a day Full of Imaginative Play - extremely valuable.

King Kangaroo

Mermaid Princess Calamity

Spidey Danger Mouse and Butterfly Princess Cupcake

all played so beautifully, Until.... Disaster Struck!!!! As with all Kiddilies, there will be some misunderstandings. Princess Calamity and Kookaburra had the most gigantic Palm Leaves and were ushering in the Arrival of King Kangaroo when they must have whacked (accidentally, I'm declaring for the defendant :) the said tiny King. In a moment of Red Mist Haze, our little King lost his Marbles and struck at his heralds as if combatants for the crown and unfortunately Kookaburra came off a little worse for it.

Kookaburra groaned for quite some time after the said incident. But then, all was quite for a while until he emerged wearing the above self-applied first aid! Needless to say, I was a good combination of sympathy and laughter to this sorry sight.

During all this time, what was Brother Bear doing with himself? Well, he did have to install some glass at a local business but when that was done, here he sat, at our kitchen table, 'Gettin' him some learnin'.

Okay, so it can be said not a lot was achieved for my boys today except a whole lot of fun, laughter and tears, but I did Ed-U-Ma-Cate Brother Bear on a little Geography.


Confession
* All did not go well after King Kangaroo administered his blow to Kookaburra. A suitable Judgement and Talking to was handed down by this here, Queen of the Natives and there were many tears and protestations of innocence to be heard from Kangaroo's bedroom. Once the bedlam had subsided and admission of guilt extracted, the tiny terror was released. You'd think he'd be happy, but instead Kangaroo was in a fury about the hundred different inflicted tortures by everybody, he dredged up a multitude of mortal hurts which all fell onto my uncompassionate ears. Finally, he burnt that energy up and started to calm down by thwacking a large stick on a rock. I was absent from the scene but Kookaburra passed on the tale. Kookaburra warned Kangaroo not to do the aforementioned activity for fear the stick may break from the force applied and bounce back and hit the strike-ee in the head, this was met by growls and grumpiness from Kangaroo, who in the next moment really did have exactly that happen!!!! Chances of it! Poor Kangaroo, he was most upset :( But why the Confession? Because as Kookaburra was telling me this sorry story I couldn't stop killing myself laughing! Oops, Guilty as Charged. Bad Mumma ;)

Pride Point
* I made it through the day intact and so did the kiddo's :D
* We crafted, and I baked and even got some sheets changed and washed :)

So what do you think? Am I a bad Mumma for laughing at poor Kangaroo's plight or am I mercilyless not alone and would have been joined by other Bad Mummy's in my fit of Hysterics ;)