babybearschair

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

What is LAUDATO SI?

Imagine this…

Saint Francis of Assisi channelled through the penmanship of Pope Francis invites EVERYONE into a conversation about how we are shaping the future of our planet because it affects us ALL.

LAUDATO SI is not just for Catholics around the world but far more importantly it is a call out to ALL religious leaders in the entire world calling for their support in creating global wellness of our civilization and of our planet.

What is LAUDATO SI?

LAUDATO SI is a historic INVITATION to EVERY single individual on the planet because it is at the human level that regenerative responsibilities will flourish.

WITHOUT A DOUBT, I SEE.

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

A hands on project: developing fine motor skills, thinking skills and rethinking single use plastic water bottles

It was through Rudolf Steiner’s research on the connection between the brain,
thinking and the hands that I fell in love with his quote “All culture and art is created
by the hands.” I love this!

As an experienced early years educator I have observed over decades, young
children engaged in fine motor exploration and have come to truly believe their little
fingers are at work are like “10 Little Thinkers.”

Subsequently, it is through fine motor skills that our young learners develop their
cognitive abilities and is commonly known as “hands-on” learning. However, the development of fine motor skills is so much more than mastering the tripod pencil grip for writing, it is more about the expression of the child’s spirit, thoughts and ideas.

This Hands On Project is simply to fill the clear plastic bottle with different objects. As always consider your child’s age and development when setting up an invitation to play. Always arrange the materials in baskets and wooden bowls on a wooden tray as an invitation to play and to invite boundless curiosity and thinking.

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

FINE MOTOR never looked so good.

Did you know?

Fine motor skills refer to how we use the smaller muscle groups in
our bodies to perform tasks. The most common examples involve the
muscles in the hands, fingers and wrists. Children use their fine
motor muscles to tie their shoes, write their name and cut paper with
scissors.

When a child develops their fine motor skills, they’re also mastering
their coordination. Using the smaller muscles requires thought, action
and precision

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

The CHILD AS A SCIENTIST is beautifully portrayed on a nature walk.

“Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and
then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.”
Loris Malluguzzi was correct. I watched with fascination as my great niece collected flowers and
leaves in her basket, she took her time and seemed to gather each flower and leaf with a certain
reverence and respect. Watching her filled my heart with great joy.

Think about something as ordinary and everyday as walking along the footpath to
take the letters from the letterbox. Now – take that same walk with a three year old
and the trip to the letterbox is like no other! The mundane footpath becomes a sort
of festival of wonder. The trip to the letterbox becomes a hundred times more
interesting. Watching children awakens our own capacities for wonder and
knowledge.

A tisket, a tasket & into my basket

Walk with your child, at your child’s pace. I live on a steep hill, so it was a slow
walk and a climb. My great niece held her mother’s hand so that she didn’t
tumble down the hill.

Encourage your child to pay attention to the environment with all their senses.
Take as long as your child wants. Let the walk be about connecting with the
environment and enjoying the time together, rather than being a Q&A or about
getting to the end.

June 23, 2021June 25, 2021

Science is a process of knowing about the world.

Science is observing, making inferences and testing hypotheses, classifying and integrating and communicating insight.

Children are natural scientists.

Sorting and Classifying

Thinking deeply

Science is a basket of flowers while being a basket of colour, shape and texture.

June 23, 2021June 25, 2021

The delight of Little Libraries

Oh what fun is to discover the little libraries in a suburb not far from our house!

And the most darling thing about the discovery was to observe the little libraries being used!

At the first the little library was an elderly woman with her trolley, she retrieved a book from her trolley and swapped one book for another.

At another little library, I watch a backpacker select a soft cover novel and place it into her backpack. I wondered what travels both she and the book would have together.

I love this notion of community library.

I love the idea of circulating books especially pre loved and well thumbed stories amongst strangers and loved ones.

June 23, 2021June 25, 2021

A kaleidoscope of colours

The definition of a kaleidoscope is a toy consisting of a tube with mirrors and glass that you can turn and create different patterns and colours, or an ever-changing sequence of colours or events

With a clear plastic bottle along with clever fine motor skills and leaves and flowers gathered from a nature walk.

LOOK – An ever-changing sequence of flower and leaf patterns.

Did you know….

. … When the colour of the sky is changing constantly, this is an example of a kaleidoscope of colours.

June 16, 2021June 25, 2021

An intergenerational project: The birth of a Licuala palm nursery

The Licuala Family Nursery tells the story of an intergenerational adventure,
reflecting the experiences, ethical and social ideas of future generations of children
in my family.

It will be an unfinished story, offering opportunity for wider reflection and
comparison of intergenerational ideas. The story unfolds through the representation of projects carried out with the Licuala palms from my nursery.

My love affair with the Licuala palms spans over forty years as I fondly remember the
beautiful palms from camping in the remote Daintree rainforests with my family in
the 1970s when I was a child. These impressive palms stole my heart with their
immense circular split leaves like giant parasols in an ancient wonderland of natural
wilderness.

My first poster professionally framed for our little house as newly weds was the
Licuala palm. The decision to grow Licuala palms for my children and grandchildren
and great grandchildren grew out of the desire to share this love affair of my
favourite palm with the children as gifts for baby gifts, christenings, birthdays,
graduations, engagements and weddings. The ritual of planting a magnificent
Licualas as part of the celebration ceremonies at these major life milestones fills my
heart with joy.

Of course the licuala palm will become a part of other life events like defining the
passing of a pet or a loved one. It is my hope that the generations of children not yet born into my family tree will share my magnificent love for this extraordinary palm and make the pilgrimage to the Daintree rainforest, where heritage listed rainforests meet the sea. May these rainforests and my children always know they are very loved and may this love fiercely protect them forever.

This intergenerational project is to share the gift of giving the magnificent Licuala
palms to the future generations of children within our family tree.

Bringing ten baby palms, 6 licuala ramsayi palms and 4 licuala grandis palms home in the car. The leaves of the licuala grandis do not split. They are super impressive as giant fans of circular leaves, however 6 licuala ramsayi has stolen my heart forever.

Licualas growing happily in the front garden of my house. The licuallas love to grow under the canopy of the rainforest. This magnificent palm display is what I am hoping future generations of my family will have to enjoy, to wonder with awe at this local ancient species of flora.

June 16, 2021June 25, 2021

How to introduce Children to Indigenous Art

Have you considered sharing the beautiful indigenous art from other cultures with your children?

If so, let me offer a piece of advice.

Consider looking on Facebook market place and Gumtree. It was through Facebook Market Place that I met a collector who was selling some of the indigenous art from his parents’ collection. His parents had lived and worked on the islands of Papua New Guinea and the Torres Straits. The collection was amazing!

And that is how this old mythical wood carving of the Subut bird from the Latmul Tribe, Yamok Village in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea came to live in my kitchen.

Did you know only the men of the Latmul tribe are allowed to carve the Subut bird from their Creation Story? Subut is the good Spirit in their Creation Story and the Latmul people regard the Subut bird as the protector of women.

This Subut bird wood sculpture is about 50cm tall. It rests on an old nest of tables where it is easily accessible by children who love to run their fingers down the grooves of its impressive beak!

June 16, 2021June 25, 2021

Children and Papua New Guinea Canoe Shield

Let’s face it, children love all things that float, especially boats.

So you can imagine a child’s fascination with an old canoe shield! This one has been in our home for many years and measures over a metre high and wide.Apparently, shields bearing large wooden faces or masks at their centre were erected in the prow of large war canoes used in the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. The purpose of the canoe shield was to protect the canoe paddlers from enemy spears.

By exploring the artworks of other cultures, you are giving your child the benefits of increasing their cultural awareness and developing stronger empathy for other ways of life.

PS. My family are keen fishermen. I wish there was a shield that protected me from seasickness!