Whats 2 and 2

We went to the beach the other day. Family day enjoying the holiday in the sun...and both Dave and I were really tired (we don't like the wind which we are having at the moment).

So the children started climbing up the rocks as we normally do to walk around to the caves on the other side. But oh no the tide was in ...so we had to do something else. There were two other children playing with their parents....croc shoe races down the stream...cool.

So that was fun for a while.

Then we moved on to checking out the rock pools. As we have had a large storm no much was in them and it was all a little murky.

Soon we'd all had enough of this relaxing and after a little morning tea we headed home. Once we got in the car my daughter asked "What is 2 and 2". I held up my hands and my fingers and she counted them.

"Whats 3 and 3" (we've had this one a few times so she does know it...but she probably has to make sure it has not changed).

4 and 4

5 and 5

"How many toes all together" was her question to her self

"Ok so what is 8 and 8"...."just tell me" she asked

Once all that was done she was quiet for the rest of the ride home.

I'm 100% sure I never asked questions like that when I was her age...would I if in a different situation or like a friend and I were talking today....each child is SOOOOO different.

Learning from Great Nana

"How did you know how to do this Mum?" my daughter asked as we cut a hole in the VERY large marrow.

"From Nana...she showed me when I was your age"

I've learnt a lot from my Grandparents and my children are lucky to have my Nana still with us to keep sharing her life with us.

My Grandfather was a wonderful gardener, bushman, mountain man, farmer....the list is much longer than I can write and I wish I could still have him here to share.

Both he and Nana have always had a large garden which they been able to feed all the family....we seem to be heading that way our selves.

So my daughter and I worked at getting this marrow cleaned up...once all the seeds were out and I started talking about cooking my daughter took off to play.

Writing 3

"Mum what is cat litter?"

Trying to describe a cat that does not go outside at all was a bit beyond my daughter at this time...we were playing the Cranium to a 4.5 year old level.
I really like this one as before motherhood I was a landscape designer. This is a cob oven which my daughter would like to build with a deck and planting around it. She's found deck design in a home mag. and down loaded the drawings... octagonal and all.

This is a picture of my parents. Dad has glasses...and that is their cat on the left.

This is Quinoa she did have the n in a previous attempt but it was scattered all over the page where as this one was really starting to look like a word. I thought I could show her a book with letter tracing in it...will not do it again as she gave up after that...killed the attention.

Beach in the rain

My daughter wanted to go to the beach...with a looming thunder storm....and I said....hey I'm an unschooler lets go with it.

She wanted to draw in the sand like the dragon on how to train your dragon. So she did......and wrote her name....and corrected my Nana for using a R not an r in her name (we are still working on the idea that there is Big A little a....Big B little b...more Dr Seuss I think.

I asked her to read the signs for me...and she worked it out by looking at the pictures.

We also found a playground which had a climbing wall which has become a new challenge that she likes after seeing the climbing wall her Great Great Aunt climbed in Turangi when she was 70 (I think).

Play Shops

I've been wanting to play shops with my daughter for a while. So we printed out some money...Printing out Money was a bit of an ordeal with both children at me and squabbling.

My Aunt and Uncle brought a little play cash register which beeps and talks for the children for Christmas.

My son (19 months) concentrated on trying to put his 'coins' in his wallet.

My daughter (4.5 years) worked on learning to recognize numbers bigger than 1-9 and understanding that you get change when you give too much money.

Now its just going to be a matter of making sure they are both happy and playing together and I'm not going round the twist.

Bucket Stove

When my parents came back from visiting my Aunt and Uncle in a little village in Laos they talked about how the food was cooked over a bucket lined with clay a fire built in the bottom feed by sticks.

Wow how cool is that! My daughters ears and brain kicked into action too.

"Let's make one"

So Dave brought us a bucket and now I'm try to find how on the net.

Bit grip but good instructions...no clay http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p920.htm

http://www.theshedmag.co.nz/online/-previous-articles/feb-march-09/144-cook-without-power-by-daniel-mclaughlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv8GwurHsgw

will get more info as we go

Visiting the Port

We took the kids to the local port, impromptu and great.

Walked out along the road beside the port to the jetty.

The children watched the bulldozer (but for shifting log chips so really odd looking) drive up the HUGE chip pile (My daughter when she told Dave over breakfast this morning "Dad the wood chip pile was....was as big...well as our house...no.... a mountain...much bigger than ours (garden pile of chips)). The driver stopped what he was doing drove out onto the road moved around lifted up and down and tooted his horn...to which my son just sad down on the footpath with his mouth open.

"Again!"

Next we visited the log grabber which did a little dance for them and lifted its jaws up and down. Then we were able to talk to the guy who was fixing it. My daughter asked what all the blue stuff was on the grass...grease. They climbed on the jaws, and poked at the tires.

My daughter was more interested in trying to climb the poor little trees beside the fences and the fishermen on the end of the wharf.

I've promised that we will be coming back often.

Great looking views too.

Computer games

I personally love playing computer games. We got Plant tycoon just for a quick easy game that I thought my daughter might like. I can't stop playing and nor can she.

I think so far my daughter has begun to understand money...the first few games she would spend every thing she had and wonder why all her plants would die.

Now she's saving money to buy "the good soil mum".

She's also put things into groups, colours, numbers and costs....number recognition is going well.

We also play this game in real life...but it has been a bit hard with the weather being so hot....nothing is living.

Flower love

Granny has heaps or great flowers at her place and my daughter can not stop her little fingers from picking them.