ART WITH FOUND OBJECTS

DSCF3661
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

This morning Boy and I took an early morning walk and he picked up three slabs of broken concrete/brick/granite. He talked about painting on them and I could see he had a little plan brewing in his head.

Girl got one of the slabs and painted a fish on it.

He took the other two and propped them to form a shape. He started painting his...




Volcano sculpture. He'd seen the volcano the moment he picked up the concrete pieces but it took me awhile to figure out what he was up to.



We will place the sculpture in our garden!

Have fun finding found objects when you are outside and modeling them into your own new world -- back at home.

Pieces of wood, stones, litter...

MAKE YOUR OWN YOGURT

yogurt_ready2
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

Many people are under the impression that you need a special machine to make your own yogurt, when all you really need is a sunny day (and you don't even need that if you have a stove and a big pot...).

Children can join in the fun and you can help the planet by avoiding the plastic packaging that yogurt usually comes in.

Here is the method:

1. Boil about one liter of milk in a heavy bottom pot to a full boil, stirring gently til it comes to a full boil. Now take it off the heat and let it cool down almost completely, so that it is about the same as what you would give a baby. If the milk is too hot, the yogurt starter will die. For firmer yogurt, you can add two tablespoons of powdered milk at this stage (as you are boiling it up).

2. Now put about two tablespoons of yogurt in dish.
Add a small amount of the cooled milk and mix it thoroughly with a wooden spoon, now add the remaining milk and gently stir so all the starter is mixed into the milk evenly.>

3. Now cover the dish and let it sit in the sunshine for about three-four hours. In the winter, I add water to a bit pot, heat it up, and then put the dish in this and cover. After about two hours, heat the water up again to keep it warm for incubation (like a double boiler).

4. After the incubation is finished, put the dish of yogurt in the fridge for about two hours, until it is firmly set.

5. You will have a big pot of yogurt to accompany yogurt, freshly made applesauce or to use in salads and cooking!

FAMILY COMMUNIQUE

bathroom whiteboard
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

When I taught English for a family in Japan, they kept a white board by their toilet to jot little morning messages and games -- I picked up a lot of colloquial language skills trying to figure out what they'd put up there. So when I found this whiteboard I knew exactly where I wanted to put it.

I'm not sure if this counts as a craft but it is a great idea for prodding little ones who are learning to read, expressing little "good mornings," or fun little drawing games, etc.

I know it sounds a bit strange, but I'm 100% positive that if you put a white board, a marker and an eraser by your place of morning rituals, you are sure to create some interesting family communications!

peace people pancakes

peace people pancakes
Originally uploaded by dalbhat

This is another 'fun with kids in the kitchen' post and comes straight to you from Sunday breakfasts of yore in a big green house in Buffalo, NY.

My father taught me how to put little motifs into the pancakes by first putting down an image, letting that bake on the griddle for a while so it becomes darker, and then pouring more batter over the top. Flip! Eat!

It's a bit tedious for the chef, but kids do love getting a pancake with a face in it or their own initial (you have to do some of these backwards, remember!) or a peace sign, a heart, a pumpkin, a shamrock or whatever seems to be the mood that morning (sleepy frowns?)

You can also make shapes like turtles and fish!