Solar System painting

Our daughter is going through a phase of painting her hands...then splatting the paper with the paint from her hands.

I've decided to work this into something.

Giving her only colours which are the planet colours I then started to cut out some planet shapes. At first this was not a great exercise then she really got into it.

We've done about 7 planets so far and the sun this morning.

"I want to make some rocks" I questioned her about what she meant...oh meteors...she's been watching BBC walking with Dinosaurs and the movie Dinosaurs too.

"I want to make a space ship"

Goodness a lot to do...just taking it slow though

Finger maths

I've just been wondering if there was a maths out there like Jolly Phonics? and I came across finger maths.

I've tried it and it does work...but is it more difficult to remember this rather than just use your memory.

I don't know my times tables...so is this a way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZs1MFhF9i8&feature=related

Up date

I take that back....WOW

I lay there at night playing round with this. Once I understood it amazing!!

Crazy Frog

Dave said the other day..."Oh we'll have to get rid of that little rebounder"

"What...they use it everyday"

Yes things take up room but...well its winter

Chicken Care

This is a bit of an up date from the post Money responsibility trust and chickens. My daughter is just so in love with her chicks. We have given her a rooster of her own "Reddie" and she's just itching to have a hug with him too...but we've been explaining about the claws of a rooster.

This is the first day that they will be living full time out in the cage.

She's very worried that they will get too cold...I'm worried myself but have had ENOUGH of chick's in the garage.

So she rushing round to get enough dry plant material to put in the little hutch and find another few tarps to put over top of their house.

Poor Reddie has been booted out of his cage and moved into the little dome which she and I built for all her chooks in the future.

So wish us luck for the night and with hope they will all still be there in the morning.

Finger paint at Playcentre

This activity was being set up for the parents to do as part of the course requirements for C1. My daughter saw the CSW getting it all ready in the kitchen and just pulled up a chair ready to begin.

She was not going to let all the parents have the fun.

I read out the recipe and we looking at the equipment available and off we went. She was the only one who did this and the parents had to be prodded along an hour later ;-)

She measured and mixed.

The CSW suggested that she put her hands in to see what it felt like...ohhh yahoo messy play. My daughter really questioned why the mixture was hard and liquid at the same time.

"oh its like mud"

The CSW wanted to take away the mixture to pour in the hot water but I assured her the my daughter was a very good listener and a cook, understanding the dangers. So she got to see the change of the mixture which was very exciting.

We used a few drops of paint to colour our paint....and then had to WAIT.

Oh goodness

The parents had to make the rest of the paint...and then we had to let it cool down. This was a very hard lesson as my daughter was really worried that some one else could come and take her hard work (seems to be a bit of an issue at Playcentre on a few things...may have to work on this)

Finally the paper was set out and both she and her brother rushed to sit down.

She did not want any one else's paint but her own.

Once she got it onto her paper she was so happy...she wanted all the other children to share in her experience and couldn't understand why some children did not want to get their hands 'dirty'. She was a little worried that it might be her paint that they might not like but I assured her that it was just in general.

Both kids really enjoyed it when the CSW brought out the other colours and they started to mix them.

As they were both still recovering from their flu...they pretty much bombed after this and wanted to go back home to bed.

What a great morning

Making a Mobile

Flicking through Di Hodges book my daughter found an activity she really had to do NOW.

She rush away and got all the things which were needed.

I don't know who is short of a coat hanger in their room but oh well.

My cotton from my sewing kit.

The fruit bag that Granny brought up in the afternoon (without the fruit)

The book marker which came in the book (Di Hodges) we brought second hand.

Scissors

And a Daddy to help with the knots

This was all being done just before bath time.

"What should I cut out Mum?" I didn't really get to answer as a triangle started to be worked on...she needed a little help with the circle and got the square out on her own.

The cotton was really hard to threat through the mesh.

It all came together and then she had to take photos of it. A few were taken up against the window but you couldn't see anything as the flash blew it all away with the night outside. She finally got the hang of it.

Its now hanging up in her room

A new torch

I brought a torch for my son for his birthday. He's been using our battery operated ones and leaving them on...no good when we really need them.

So I brought a dynamo which he can keep charged with the handle.

Yahoo

Then my very patient little girl (who had a torch but was broken by her little brother) didn't say a word for weeks and just watched her little brother with this torch....helping him keep the charge.

I really wanted us all to have a torch before winter really struck (which it did the other night and we lost the power).

So I brought her her own torch.

I had my whole living room taken a part to create two houses (little brother was not aloud in her one to start off with).

It had to be dark.

The blankets would not stretch enough and would often fall on the ground. (In the past this would of lead to tantrums if she could not get it to work).

Slowly things good moved closer together, weights of pillows were used to keep things into place.

Then the curtains pulled...and it was dark enough to use the new torch.

We couldn't wait till bed time.

Little brother was finally aloud in and made a bed "Top and Tail Mum" and they talked together playing with their torches...Shining them in their hands to see the colour change.

Then it was all over and the torches are put in their pockets and under their pillows - taken out at night just before bed....and very early in the morning.