Transient Art

A wander in the garden

The dog had been barking to go outside, so rather than just let him out, we went out with him and had a wee wander to look for what small bits and pieces (not including the dog!) we could find that we could use in an impromptu piece of art…

This is what we found that fitted in the small tub in just a few minutes:

Some leaves, twigs, stones, a dandelion, foliage, an empty snail shell….

I had a wooden plaque in the garage, and also quickly cut a frame from a piece of A4 paper that could act as frames, but alternatively, twigs or stones could do the same job. We placed our objects in the frames to make our art, then took a picture.

When tidying up, and putting our bits and pieces in the brown bin, or back into the garden, we found a tiny, baby snail in the bottom of the tub. We made sure to return it to under the tree in the garden, hopefully it’ll survive and grow into a big snail.🐌

Although we did this in the garden, it is also a great idea for out on a town, country or beach walk. You can put double sided tape on your wellies, or take a small bag to collect your interesting items. We’ve all experienced children filling their pockets with stuff they find while outside, so why not use it to create an imaginative , temporary piece of art that you can photograph for ever.

Always remember to responsibly return or dispose of your art, and wash your hands (or rub with antibacterial gel) at the earliest opportunity.

Enjoy being creative!

Post written by Avril Dante

Remember We Can’t Cancel The Spring!

Trees

At this time of immense change for us it is lovely to see that nature continues on her merry way oblivious to it all. When thinking about a blog I could write I found myself staring out of the window into the distance and realised I was focussing on “My apple tree”.

I have watched this tree grow from a sapling into a strong, tall tree which changes throughout the year producing a rich harvest of apples every autumn. I have personally learned so much from the growth of this tree and it set me to thinking of the possibilities of learning opportunities afforded to children that trees and nature can offer.

Outdoor learning is a part of most of our early years children’s lives and hopefully there will be trees for them to discover.

Tracking the seasonal change of trees

· Photos and drawings – children may enjoy taking photos of trees throughout the year or drawing or painting them. Helping the children to be cogniscant and responding to nature impacts on their mental health.

· Rich language through talking about the trees – their features and their changes.

· Investigating the leaves, various barks, flowers, fruits and blossoms.

Learning about the birds and animals whose homes are in the trees

· Birdwatching

· Looking for squirrels

· Minibeasts living on the leaves and bark

Exploration

· Den building – under or in the trees

· Tree climbing

· Light and shade

At this time we need our nature prescriptions and even if we can’t get out and about as much, many of the same benefits can be stimulated and triggered from looking from a window.

By Fiona Connolly.

Working from Home

· Today’s update is inspired by Dire Straits, “Money for Nothing” just because I actually had to ‘move my microwave oven’ at one point due to my phone falling behind it!

· The commute in was tough today, massive hold ups at the junction between bed and the kitchen led to a 20min delay in arriving at the office.

· After reading some more ‘Realising the Ambition’ (this is not a one day read) most of the morning was spent in Microsoft Teams meetings where actually seeing my colleagues on screen was really uplifting and it was nice to have a check in with everyone and get a little nosey at a window of their houses (today involved sightings of someone’s newly washed hair, 4 pet dogs 🐕 awww, and 2 children keen to interrupt work chat). In the background my 4yr old daughter Leia was given full control of the TV remote and Paw Patrol was tuned in for her, however she ended up somehow watching The Hulk which meant she then began stomping around the house shouting ‘Hulk Smash’ and randomly hitting objects!!

· Lunchtime involved making red pepper sandwiches for Leia who insists they are really good for her and she would eat them all. This resulted in (good as her word) the red peppers being scoffed however soggy bread was left lying on the floor at her feet which she then decided (in a bid to help Mummy) to hoover up, clogging the Dyson which then had to be stripped down and thoroughly cleaned. Point to Note: Tomorrow she will get a ham sandwich.

· After lunch (after searching for about 20 minutes for my mobile phone we plugged in and charged my iPad to locate said phone and it rung out from behind the microwave – I know I have no clue either) we logged on to SeeSaw this is Leia’s nursery app where her teachers give me brilliant ideas to steal eh I mean inspire me to create my own ideas for home learning 😉 Her task today is to learn the song Spring Chicken and find rhyming items in the home. Point to Note – make a video about rhyming items to post to Leia’s nursery and I might as well share this with nurseries in my work authority as well. 2 birds 1 stone 👍

· The afternoon involved our daily walk and today my student worker (Leia) decided she ‘just wanted to count things’ so she did and I videoed her counting which I then edited into an awesome educational learning clip (ta da).

· I then spent a chunk of time originally waiting for my email to open after several failed attempts began reading over and responding, spent more time trying to get files to upload, began reading over a ppt I’ve been asked to comment on, I completed my running record all while Leia hangs around my neck or lies on my knee and just as I erupt angrily and say “Go and play with your gazillion toys” she says “I love you Mummy I just want a hug” and so laptop is abandoned and hugs commence then Leia goes off and work on laptop resumes. Then Leia appears back in full fireman outfit saying “Mummy you need to be a Fireman too – come on NOW the fire is through here” I then go into full Fireman Sam mode (Welsh accent and all) only to find she’s now playing with Daddy and she tells me “You just be Fireman Sam on your own Mummy” huh back to the laptop then…

· My co-located colleague (Leia’s Daddy) gave up on me finishing “about 4” and is now playing with our daughter and they are both playing air guitar and singing (out of tune) I want it noted that it is not just my voice that carries but I’m not mentioning it.

Blog written by Carol Munro.

• Children’s and Parents’ Mental Health in Covid 19 Lockdown

As a working parent, suddenly finding myself working from home, trying to manage the usual household admin – cooking cleaning and the like – home educating my P1 child number 1 and entertain child number 2 (aged 2 going on 12!) has been overwhelming to say the least. I struggle to even put into words how I am feeling in the midst of these unprecedented times, but this diagram pretty much sums it up! (Please excuse my rudimentary artistic skills!! At the moment I feel like I am having to learn all manner of new skills to function in everyday life – e.g. Blogging, technology……..all new to me! On the plus side I can add all these to my CV for future times…..)

This kind of mentality is not sustainable in the long run, and as it is looking like we are in it for the medium to long term, it is essential that parents find a way to manage their own mental health in order to protect that of their children (Remember that oxygen mask analogy?).

I have included some favourite techniques that can be enjoyable to do with your children below. It is very “whistle stop tour” and I hope in coming weeks to look at some in a bit more detail and share with you. Please feel free to share your ideas too – remember, it takes a village!!

Everyday Stress Busting Techniques

In times of stress your body will revert to fight or flight mode. This is basically the automatic mode that your brain operates in when trying to escape a threatening situation (like escaping a sabre tooth tiger in the case of our ancestors.) Luckily for us, sabre tooth tigers don’t roam the land in 2020, but evolution hasn’t caught up yet and whilst fight or flight is useful in short bursts it can be damaging in large, frequent and prolonged doses. Below I have outlined a very brief snapshot of things we can do with our children to basically tell our body and brains that “all is well” and reduce the unpleasant physical symptoms of the fight or flight stress response.

· Breathing Techniques – Blowing bubbles– there are lots of bubble making recipes online, see what kinds of bubbles you can blow using different breaths. How do these breaths make your body feel? Scarf breathing – Provide a selection of coloured scarves or light materials. Get children to choose their favourite colour. Lie down on your back and see if you can keep your scarf in the air using your breath. Maybe you could imagine your breath being the same colour as your scarf? Teddy Breathing – choose your favourite Teddy Bear and lie down with it on your tummy. Can you make it go up in the air using your breath? Make sure you breath deep into your tummy!!

· Visualisations – I am in the process of developing some of these that are individually suited to my own children’s interests which I will share at a later date, but there are some wonderful pre-prepared generic ones here at New Horizon Holistic Centre.

They have also developed an app for all devices which looks wonderful, though I haven’t had a chance to personally download and review it yet.

For adults I can highly recommend The Honest Guys.

· Gentle Movement – Try to get your body moving every day, in any way that feels good for you and your children. Some that we love here are – Cosmic Kids Yoga, Joe Wicks daily PE , Oti Mabuse Dance lessons, or doing a rainbow hunt in local community – (practicing safe social distancing) – lots of children have been painting rainbows and putting them up in the windows. Why not see how any you can find? On a 30 min walk around our local neighbourhood my daughter counted 40!

· Nature and grounding – Being out in the fresh air has many proven mental health benefits and can help to bring your mind back to the present when it feels like it is fizzing with worries. Some things to try are – Mindful scavenger hunts – why not try going out and giving your children things to find in the garden or close by such as “things that are red” “things that are soft”. I have this lovely commercially produced set Scavenger Hunt but it is by no means essential – you could make your own or even just think of things from the top of your head. Sound walks – using the same principles as above but focussing on the sounds that you can hear around you.

· Gratitude – make it a habit before bed to talk about things that you are grateful for each day. Make it a habit to see good in all situations – eg we like to shout thankyou to the rain for growing pretty flowers. Or thank you to the lockdown for allowing us to slow down. Older children might like a lovely journal of their very own to write down their thoughts.

I wanted just to add an overarching note to all the above, and that is BE KIND. I have noticed over the last few weeks, an outpouring of kindness from society to others’ around them, but very often people neglect to include being kind to themselves. The list above isn’t about spending hours creating Instagram ready resources and activities (though if that is your happy place then go ahead!). That certainly isn’t my happy place and personally causes me undue stress, pressure and comparison. I don’t feel particularly confident with arts and crafts activities for example, and my children will pick up on the stress of me trying to emulate the picture-perfect activity in this area, meaning a not particularly enjoyable experience. Instead, I provide them with resources, stand back, ignore the mess and relish in them showing me the (not perfect) finished product and help them clear up afterwards.

If at this time, you don’t feel motivated to learn a new language/bake/spring clean/craft with your kids/(insert other seemingly perfect activity that you have seen on social media) , and all that you can manage to do at this time is hunker down in a duvet den, cuddle and read books with your loved ones then that is enough, because you are enough! In these times connection is key, and it isn’t what you do with your family at this time that the children will remember but how they felt.

Emma x

Joining In With Our Children’s Play

It’s easy in the current circumstances to feel overwhelmed having to set up activities and find lots of interesting things to do and make with our children. BUT there is something super simple, that doesn’t need much planning or new resources. Simply spending time in your child’s little world is more valuable to them and their development than many costly activities. 

Take time to join in with your child as they play. Be a part of their little world and watch as their imagination, creativity, curiosity and skills come alive. When children are motivated and are directing their own play real depth in their learning and development will take place.

Join their small world imaginary play. Try observing, waiting and listening before joining in, let them lead the play and see where it takes you!

Play dough is a great way to hang out in your child’s world. Try making comments like – “I wonder what you were thinking when you made that?” – start a conversation with a positive observation of what they are doing and wait for them to respond. 

Imaginative role play is an excellent opportunity for extending language, the image below shows a play kitchen but this could just as easily be a table with some pots and pans and the child will create their own kitchen. If you are feeling adventurous give them some pasta, robust fruit and veg.  Conversations during play are excellent for developing higher order thinking and language, why not be the customer at their cafe that the kitchen serves. 

Designing and creating a road or rail system with train tracks or cars on the floor with your child has endless possibilities. If you have large cardboard boxes, open them up and let your child draw the road themselves. Making positive observations about what they are doing and showing an interest can lead to more depth in their play and development. This can be something that is continued as a work in progress over time – more cardboard boxes means more road space! 

Blog written by Laura Walton 

Stones! Stones! Stones!

I am currently sitting at my dining room table at home, trying to do some work, but instead I find myself doodling on my notebook. I love to doodle, it’s probably the most creative outlet I have at the moment. I am a very creative person, having previously studied at art school, but I just haven’t allowed the time to evolve my art skills that I was once so obsessed about. Maybe I should dedicate some of my time stuck indoors to releasing my creative side again.

Creativity isn’t just about the freedom of self-expression and being artistic, it is also about the thought process, and how we respond to situations and tasks.

As an Early Years Teacher, I am a huge fan of fostering creativity and using anything ‘but toys’ to stimulate and develop a child’s creative mind. So, that made me think of what my top creative resource would be……STONES! 

Stones are everywhere! I have a garden full of them (though they have significantly reduced in number due to using them frequently in nurseries). Stones offer so many possibilities and are an easy way to develop a child’s interest in natural materials and their surroundings. Stones come in all shapes, sizes, textures and colours.

(Lady the Ladybird stone) 

I was recently working with a group of children who were exploring their local park. We were hunting for minibeasts, but unfortunately, we had no luck. We only found a few dead worms! I suddenly remembered that I had a ladybird stone that I made as a child (which is at least 20 years old). The next day, I brought it in for the children to explore and I couldn’t believe the hours of fun the children had creating stories in the park with Lady the Ladybird. They took their own photos to create a story book about Lady the Ladybird’s adventures. I have used stones as creative resource for years and so can you! 

So, what can you do at home with all those stones in your garden? 

Firstly, you need to establish some ground rules. Make sure your child knows how to play with stones safely (i.e. don’t put them in your mouth, always wash them first with hot soapy water, and do not throw them at anything or anyone). 

• Go on a stone hunt. How many can you find? Can you sort the stones by size, colour, pattern, shape or texture? If there are stones that do not fit into any of their criteria, encourage your child to explain why.
• Stack stones – Can you balance stones on top of each other? 
• Give your child the opportunity to simply play with stones – play with stones in water and sand, dig stones, bury stones. Encourage children to use them as props during play. 
• Paint stones – you can create story stones based on your favourite storybook, write numbers and letters on them.
• Use stones to create pictures. 
• Use stones to make marks on paper by dipping them in paint and rolling them on to the paper. 
• Paint happy pictures on the stones and leave them on the path when you go out for your daily exercise to bring happiness to others. I also recently stumbled across a lovely story I had never heard of before called ‘Scribble Stones’ by Diana Alber.  The story is about a little stone who is waiting to be chosen to become something amazing, but soon realises he has just become a boring paper weight. He eventually meets two characters called Scribble and Splatter and together they decide to pass on happiness and brighten someone’s day. It will truly make you smile and possibly spark an interest in playing with stones. 

  You can easily access it as a videobook on Youtube. 

  Stones can be anything! Enjoy hours of imaginative and creative fun! 

  Blog post written By Mandi Hayes.