rosalina/ ice play

We lost a second tooth today.. shes not even 5 yet!! How do I slow her down from growing up???


Weekends seem to be less crafy and more do-y/ go-outy. Which suits me fine after being at home most of the week. Dont get me wrong, I love being at home, hanging out and doing awesome stuff with my kids. But I also love going out as a "gang" and especially as today we went swimming :) All my kids seem to have been born with gills and fins. Jumeirah is such a fish I am not quite sure whether she spends as much time above the water as she does below. Not really swimming as such, more wrything like an eel. She loves it. Jared, now a bit more cautious with age and not quite as adventurous as his older sister, but still just as difficult to get out. Someone who knows that "mum can get as cross as she likes but its still wont get her back in to get me out once shes dressed" and uses it to is full advantage. And my tiny fish, whos trick today was launching herself as fast as she can in the opposite direction of daddy to see how fast he can get her back above water. Quite funny to watch really :) She has no fear of water yet so it really doesnt matter how much she goes under or how much she swallows she still goes back for more.
Unfortunately no photos of any of this as cameras arent as waterproof as I would like and slippery fish wont hold still long enough :)

So instead I am posting an older idea I posted on facebook which my kids absolutely loved and its something we will be doing again very soon as the weather here heats up.

ICE TREASURES


This activity takes a bit of preparation but its so worth it.. my kids have spent hours doing this during the week..

Start by finding a large container that will fit in the freezer.. icecream container is a good size.

Put in about a quarter full of water. ut into this water the first layer of treasures : I had coins, buttons, plastic dinosaurs, marbles, shells... anything I could find on the floor ;) obviously it will have to be larger items for smaller children. You wont need heaps of things in each layer you freeze so start with about 5 to 10 items.
Put in the freezer for a few hours.. I am shockingly impatient and kept trying to freeze more layers too fast and everything kept falling to the bottom.. it really is much more fun if you let it completely freeze.
When its frozen, add your second layer of water, about half way and 5-10 more treasures.

Again into the freezer.
Third layer of water and final layer of treasures... let freeze. NOW THE FUN PART! trying to release the treasures!



I gave my kids some spoons, a bowl of warm water, syringes, and then left them to it :) They started in the shade so it wouldnt melt too fast, then moved it out into the sun to see how fast it would melt. Takes ages in winter :)



Great for exploring water, cause and effect, fine motor and patience.

Also, finally, I have begun my beautiful little waldorf doll for Jumeirahs birthday. Her name is Rosalina, or Rosie for short. Actually this is the second one as the first one was a hilarious disaster. I worked with the pattern I got ages ago (here) but it didnt really work for me. I have a friend who also used this pattern and hers turned out great but mine? Not so much. So I hunted further on the net and found another style. ( will post when its finished so I know the whole pattern is great). And so far... its fantastic and shes just how I wanted her. (havent sewn on her hair yet but thought I would post one now anyways!)