making soup

Jenga Block Play

 I apologise in advance for this photo heavy post...

 

On a recent Friday afternoon I took out the two boxes of jenga and added a jumbo sized pack of playing cards. I opened the boxes and said to the boys: "How about creating some structures using the cards and blocks". Well, that pretty much set the tone for the next 24 hours. Did I say 24 hours? - 48 easily.

 

I really love blocks. I love that they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and that they are so open-ended, leaving much to the imaginations of young and old alike.

Big One built his first few structures with the cards, but thereafter simply created beautiful "architectural structures" (if I may call them that) with the blocks. Little One seemed to enjoy the block and card combo and continued to create designs using both. Little One was a bit envious of the fact that his brother could make "much cooler" (as he put it) creations. 

Eying his brother's creation...

Little One made these - I think they are super :) 

 

   

And of course, these blocks lend themselves to making tracks...

and to writing your name...

and to making domino effects...

and to making these.

  

It gave me so much joy watching them play and even I was taken by surprise at how this "simple play" held their attention for so long.

Do your children play with blocks? Do you ever add something to the blocks to extend or expand their play? I'd love to hear about it. 

For more fun block ideas and inspiration, check out my Pinterest Blocks Board.

Till next time, happy playing :) 

PS. Sharing our fun at The Weekly Kids Co-Op. 

Green Point Park Outing

 

It's the wonderful three week Winter break in South Africa at the moment and of course parents all over are wondering where to go and what to do with their young folk. Well last Sunday we took our first visit to the Green Point Park, right next to the Cape Town Stadium, which was built for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. 

I can't believe it's taken us so long to visit - the park is great. It has space, loads of it, and there's lots to explore - the gardens, the play park, an exercise park, a labyrinth, the Biodiversity garden and more. Big One took his skateboard and Little One his bike and they had freedom to safely skate and ride around. The park also has beautiful views of the Stadium, Signal Hill and surrounds and at the one corner, the Mouille Point lighthouse.

Entrance is free and you can take a picnic along and spend the day if you like. If you haven't been, it's a super outing that definitely won't break the bank.

Peacocks, Puppies and some Bears {Glove Craft}

 

To make you need:
gloves (any kind)
batting 
small round containers (mine were recycled cheese containers)
colour cardboard
googly eyes
felt, feathers, ribbon, etc to decorate
craft glue/glue gun (if you have one)
sellotape

 

For the gloves I used wool gloves that I purchased at The Crazy Store and Jet - these were the cheapest I could find. Start the project by pushing the batting into the fingers of the glove. Very little batting is required in the body of the glove, as this is pushed into your container. 

Once the fingers are as fat as you would like them to be, decorate the fingers. This will depend on which animals or creatures you have chosen to make. I decided to make peacocks and Dalmatian puppies and Big One made a family of bears. I used normal craft glue to stick on the eyes and felt and a glue gun to stick the feathers onto the peacocks. Once the glue has dried and your creatures are complete, glue the glove into the container. Lastly, cut some coloured cardboard into a strip to fit around the container and stick it on with sellotape.

I am so thrilled that we finally made these - it's been on my to-do list forever. If you make some, please let me know; I'd love to come and see. 

I was just thinking about my American readers - using this idea, you could make some turkeys instead of peacocks as a nice Thanksgiving craft.

Till next time then, happy crafting. 

PS. I do realise that my peacocks are not the right colour - I used some artistic license ;).

PPS. Linking up to The Weekly KIDS Co-Op and Link and Learn.

being Real

my best presents ever. 

I turned 42 yesterday and must admit there are many days when I think - surely I should have it all together by now?  Somehow I got it into my head that someday it would all be perfect. Me in the kitchen cooking healthy food; the kids happily playing around me; the dog obediently lying on his mat watching us (like in the movies). I would look good (definitely not harassed or tired) and my home would have that lived in, but somehow still neat and ordered and pretty look about it.

It's really not like that - at all!

What I do have is lots of messy moods, a messy kitchen, a very energetic messy dog, and two (very normal) children who don't always get along, or listen or have good manners. And me - well self-control often flies right out the window.

This grown-up stuff can be hard.

There are many days when I have to remind myself of how it's so very normal, very okay, very real and that GOD is the one I should look to for calm, for help, for peace in my home. And He does help. The best part is the forgiveness part - I can ask him for forgiveness, and forgive myself for all the "imperfect" and start the day new and try to do it better - whether it's the first five minutes of the day, or the last.

So I am afraid I have a bit of bad news for you...whether you are 22, 32 or 42, it's never perfect. Never. But stay focussed on our Saviour and there is always love, often joy, always G R A C E in these messy, imperfect moments. :)

PS. Cute kiddie craft coming up tomorrow using a glove. Hope I have your interest piqued. See you then.

Tea Bag Craft and Gift

 

  

Boy, I know I have been rather slow in posting, but not because I haven't wanted to. Some family/life changes have simply meant more responsibility for me and a little less time (and energy) for fun things (the best things) like blogging. But Love and Lollipops is never far from my mind. This space is like a great old friend - always welcoming, always happy to see me, always fun! I hope that when you do see a new post, you feel the same way :).

Today I'm sharing our Mother's day gift that we made for the super Grannies in our lives. I saw this idea over at Rebeccas DIY blog and knew we had to try it. If you love art, simple crafts and tea, then this one is for you. I absolutely love Rebecca's version and the special box she made, so do go have a look. 

First off, you need to purchase some tagged tea bags and cut small white cards to overlap the tag. Then get arty and decorate the tags, which you must staple onto the tea bag tags. Wrap up the tea bags neatly and put them back into the box (decorated if you like) or a petty flat packet. Now you have a special gift for a tea-loving lady.

Till next time...

PS. Our homemade Mother's Day gifts from previous years:
Cards to use made from children's art
Serviette holder
Mosaic fridge magnets 

OOOOPS!

How embarrassing! I must apologise, but somehow, perhaps between blog writing and serving dinner, I accidently pressed the publish button on a post filled with notes about the movie "Smurfs". I have been considering doing some Mommy friendly reviews of popular children's movies and the post was some rather rough notes I had made. I have deleted it on the blog of course, but I am afraid all my email readers have received it. Please simply ignore it - I haven't gone crazy - at least not yet :).

To make up for it,  I promise a fun, happy, crafty post very soon.

Take care,

Georgia 

Baby Room Art

 

Hehe - No, there's no baby on the way - just in case you were wondering. These are long ago pics that I was going to share - then never did. They were the art I made for Little One's Nursery - now almost five years ago. Can it be true? - he's almost five! (sigh)

To make, I painted a backdrop onto good quality card stock and fit this into my frames. 

I was lucky to find some wooden cut-outs that matched the animals embroidered onto his white cot linen at a craft shop. I then carefully painted them. Usually I don't have the patience for such finicky work, but I was very motivated to make his room special. It helped me work slowly and with a steady hand :).

Lastly, I attached the cut-outs with prestick to the glass. 

I absolutely love looking at pictures of nurseries and children's bedrooms and have lots pinned onto my Pinterest Board, Little People Decor, if you feel like browsing.

Till next time.

Bottle Top Bats

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. Wikipedia

I love that when we do a craft like this, we always learn something new and interesting. It's really one of the simplest and most effective ways to grab your child's attention about a new topic. Recently Little One and I made these bottle top bats, but at the same time we chatted about them. Of course this Mommy was prepared and I had done my homework before the time and could tell Little One about these creatures while we were crafting.

Big One inevitably overhears what we are getting up to and so also walks away with some new knowledge.

(On Little One's cupboard)

Here are some nice sites to visit to learn more about bats:

Animal Planet
Kidzone

This idea was inspired by a craft at The Mailbox Magazine. 

PS. Sharing this at Shine on Friday and The Sunday Showcase. 

How to raise a Genius

Today I'm sharing this (fun) infographic with you.  It nicely summarizes some of the latest and key research in raising "smarter" children.

Of particular interest to me is the way in which we praise our children and how we can often over-focus on vague character traits (such as "you are so nice/smart/creative"), rather than on their specific efforts. To read an extensive article in this regard, go here.

This infographic was provided by onlinepsychologydegree.net.

Reading this summary reminds me that I have some work to do in a few departments. And you? What are your thoughts on this information? Does it change the way you are currently thinking about raising smart children? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Great reads that discuss some of this research:

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children (by Po Bronsan and Ashley Merryman) - I absolutely loved this book, but then again it's right up my Psychologist alley :). There's a whole chapter written on the inverse power of praise, as mentioned above. 

How the Brain Learns (by David Sousa) - I couldn't put this down and I think it should be prescribed material for all educators - seriously. 

Till next time, happy reading.