Friday 30 March 2012

Let's not judge.

I just read a great article by Mayim Bialik (you know, Blossom or Amy Farrah Fowler) about some of the celeb parenting things that have hit the news lately.

She talks about not judging others parenting choices, and has two great thoughts "I am not a bad person, a crazy person, or a freak and neither is Alicia Silverstone or January Jones." and  "Let’s reserve judgment for people who beat their children, sell their daughters into prostitution, or deny women the right to make decisions about their bodies and their lives."

You can check out the whole article here

Thanks to the Feminist Breeder mentioning the article

Wednesday 28 March 2012

A science-y afternoon

How to pass an afternoon and have fun with a toddler - see what a magnet will stick to



Page 1 of our 'experiment' list

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Update: A spring project Day 6

The boy was very excited to share this picture he took of his lettuce sprouts. He's thrilled his greenhouse is starting to come along.




Monday 19 March 2012

Sign of Spring part 2

With the weather being so nice here lately, we've been spending a lot of time in the backyard. I decided it was probably time to plant the boy's poor primula out into the garden, as it was looking more than a little unloved.


  
Step 1: Dig hole, making as much of a mess as possible


Step 2: Admire handiwork





I'd like to point out that it's not really poor lighting/camera issues in the second picture, his primula leaves really are that pale yellow. It was in desparate need of sunshine & water. I swear I heard it say 'thank you' when we planted it in the soil.

Thursday 15 March 2012

A spring project - Day 1

The boy got a greenhouse for Christmas, and decided he wanted to use it to grow plants that could then go outdoors in the spring. This means that we just planted it today.

The boy picked what he wanted grow, so we have a tray of leeks, a tray of carrots, and two trays of lettuce (apparently he really likes lettuce!). We made little signs so we know what is growing where - I wrote the words out and the boy drew pictures of the veggies. He also decided that he needs to talk to the plants to help them grow, so he kept going out to chat with them today, telling them they need to grow up big and strong so we can pick them and eat them!

We grew some bean seeds last year in cups, and it was a lot of fun for him to watch them grow. Growing plants with little ones is great as not only is there a fun end result, it also helps to teach patience - since nothing grows as fast as they would like!

We decided that we would document how they grow, so here is the boy's first picture of his plants

Hopefully they're not cowering in fear at the thought of being picked & eaten.



He's really into this at the moment, so I hope we can carry it on, and it won't be too long before it's warm enough that we can transplant the seedlings outside. Then we'll see what he wants to grow next.


Wednesday 14 March 2012

Trip to the theatre

I took the boy to his first show today, and he loved it! He's been treating us to performances ever since, including opening the curtains, applauding, cheering, and talking about the lighting (which seemed to really interest him as well, perhaps I have a future lighting technician on my hands!)



Getting ready to go into the theatre

Waiting for the show to start




Wednesday 7 March 2012

International Women's Day

I am the mother of a boy. He will probably not ever have to worry about being discriminated against to get a job, he will always be paid what he is worth, be able to go to school wherever he wants, and study whatever he wants. He'll always have a say in the democratic process. He will never get told he can't do something because he's a boy, and that's fantastic.

But.

I have two nieces, and even in our first world country, they may face discrimination simply because they are women. And there are millions of women in around the world who face much worse every day, based on nothing more than their gender.

So on this International Women's Day I will be making sure my boy knows he's no better than anyone else just because he's a boy. I'll make sure he knows about some amazing women from history. I'll make sure he knows about the wider issues that affect women globally. I'll do my best to make him a caring, productive member of society as he grows up. That's my goal for today and every day. Happy International Women's Day.

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Home made ball catcher

The boy came home from his playgroup the other day with a great craft. It's simple to make and the best part is that it's a toy to play with afterwards, so no need to find a spot to hang yet more art work....

All you need is a plastic water bottle, some yarn (about 1 -2 feet) and a pompom ball. Cut the plastic water bottle about 4 or 5 inches from the top (neck), and let your little ones decorate it. While they're doing that, hot glue one end of the yarn into the pompom. Once it's dry and set, take the other end of yarn, tuck it in the neck of the bottle and put the cap on. And voilĂ , your very own ball catcher, ready to entertain!


This keeps the boy captivated for good chunks of time!