Posted under ABC's, Practical Advice
Motivating children to learn. My top seven practical, tried-and-true tips from a lifetime working with children. Brought to you by ASG. Plus, see below for details on how to enter ASG’s competition to win a week-long luxury family excursion! I’ve had all kinds of teaching and learning experiences with children- in mainstream schools and Steiner Waldorf ones; across preschools…
Posted under ABC's, Storytelling
(Ned’s 6 year old birthday celebration) “Long have I searched for you, you wicked creature” Why I LOVE Waldorf Kindergartens Ned and I were in the bath last week after Jack had gone to bed, and he started telling me the exciting news that he played the ‘Woodcutter’ that day at kindergarten. Without further ado, he said in…
Posted under Recipes
How to make a Quick and Easy Strawberry Cheesecake with just 6 ingredients! I have a confession to make. I am 41 years old and I have never used gelatine because I’m scared of the stuff. I tried to make a jelly slice once, and it was a dismal failure due to some malfunction with the gelatine step so…
Posted under Outdoors
Loose parts play ideas Autumn Leaves and Seedpods as Outdoor Imaginative Play Boosters! I popped in to my son’s old preschool the other day and I saw this little cane cupboard propped right on the edge of the verandah. Yes! Baskets of autumn play props. I love it. I can just imagine the play that might grow from something…
Posted under Easter, Nature and Animal Crafts
How to make a Washcloth Bunny Rabbit Makes a lovely handmade gift idea for Easter or Springtime! My teaching friends Jennie and Jemma were given a Washcloth Bunny Rabbit as an easter gift, and when he was three, I made Ned his very own pink one. He did love pink! There is still time to make one for your…
Posted under Drawing and Painting
Kids Art Projects Join in the fun with Nicky at Kids Art Adventures A few weeks ago, my friend Loretta posted a pic of her son R. on Facebook. When I saw what he had been making, I was super excited. How cool is that popsicle stick sailing ship? Hasn’t he done an awesome job? So, I had to…
Posted under Recipes
Quick Easy Healthy Lunch Box Ideas for the first day of school AND all the days after that too when you need fresh inspiration! As we all prepare for school to begin, the one thing that frightens me is the task of filling the school lunch boxes again. To ensure that Ned is not subjected to the horrors of soggy…
Posted under Recipes
Michia’s Chai: Chai tea suppliers If you LOVE chai, you’ll love Michia’s concoctions. Be sure to read on for a very special sale. Starts today! Michia is a local girl on the Gold Coast making the freshest Chai around. Operating for over 3 years now, Michia’s Chai grew quickly once people found out about its handcrafted Ayurvedic goodness…
Posted under Recipes
Healthy Eggnog Smoothie Recipe Perfect milky treat for the festive season I’m not a huge fan of traditional eggnog but this healthy eggnog smoothie is to die for. Oh my. It is good. I’ve made it four days in a row now, and I’m making it again tomorrow. The key ingredient is the three dates. Don’t even think about…
Posted under Recipes
Raw Chocolate Bliss Balls Recipe I am a chocolate devotee. I do kneel at the altar of chocolate. It is my one vice that I cannot give up. Yet for seven years, I did just that. God knows how. But after Ned was born, I spied a chocolate bar wrapper and that was the end of my abstinence. (Since then,…
Posted under Recipes
“Welsh Rabbit” Easy welsh rarebit recipe on toast When I was a little girl growing up, my Grandpa was known for his speciality recipe all of us grandkids just loved, and demanded. He called it ‘Welsh Rabbit’. These days, I know it as ‘welsh rarebit’ but honestly, as a kid, I did think Welsh Rabbit was the real name….
Posted under Recipes
Red Lentil Dhal With Coconut Milk Recipe Brought to you by McKenzies Last Friday night, it was getting late and I hadn’t even thought of dinner. I was super-unprepared too as I hadn’t even taken any meat out of the freezer. What to do? Luckily I did have some red lentils for my Bean Challenge so a quick Friday night…
Posted under Recipes
Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe with Kidney Beans Otherwise known as ‘Magic Bean Cake’ Brought to you by McKenzies Last week it was Ned’s Spring Festival, and as we do for these events, everyone takes something to share. It just so happened that I had been given the challenge of using a selection of legumes and beans in a few…
Posted under ABC's
Ken Robinson TED Talk on Creative Education for Kids If you have kids, then I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you take 20 minutes and watch this Ken Robinson TED talk video. There is a reason it is the most watched TED talk ever. His ideas about what our children will be facing in their schooling life, and beyond into their unknown future…
Posted under Nature and Animal Crafts
Here’s a round-up of the 30 Kids Nature Crafts featured on Parenting Fun Everyday. Photos: left to right, top row – second row – bottom row 1. Easy flower craft for kids: Dancing Queen 2. Sweet Woodland Sprite Nature Craft 3. Bill muncher felt ball caterpillar peg 4. Mademoiselle Shell, a lovely doll mobile 5. Teaching painting to children and…