Home: More on the nature table

We've not done much to the nature corner this week. However, the boys' collection of natural materials seem to be increasing: they bring home all manner of things, from twigs to leaves to pebbles. So the other day, I did a clean up of the corner which was resembling a leaf litter habitat. I've learnt that giving them containers, like bowls and cups, seems to help keep the collections sorted and make it look prettier somewhat. Lil J loves the corner, and likes to retreat there at various times of the day, to just fiddle with fruit and play with twigs. 

Another things we've tried is to dissect flowers. We took apart some flowers that were starting to wilt, and looked at the various parts of the flower. There after, we put the petals and other parts in a bowl and the boys got to mess around with it in the nature corner. 

I'm hoping to work on the corner soon, once we're done with Lil J's birthday celebrations. Until then, you can view glimpses and updates for our nature table here.

Home: The nature corner

I've been wanting to tackle many home improvement projects. But just thinking of the things that need to be done, plus my perfectionist streak, and more often than not I end up feeling overwhelmed and not doing anything. 

Then I read this. Which made alot of sense. Start really small. Gain a small victory, and move on upwards from there. So I'm trying to break up my projects into tiny steps, and making myself take it one step at a time. 

One of the projects I've been wanting to work on is the entryway. This is the space that greets us when we open our main door, which is currently filled with random outdoor things: bicycles, scooters, umbrellas and shoes. It is a mess, but it also holds the answer to the boys' need for messy play and nature exploration, while keeping those things away from a crawling, active baby. 

Believe me, this is actually the neater part of the entry, the other side is a chaos of stuff!

I have no pretty pictures to show for the space yet, since it is still a work in progress, but at least I've gotten down to doing something about it!  Thus far, I've cleared off an old shoe rack, relocated the shoes, cleared out the shoe cabinet of many pairs of shoes, and generally started making this space more conducive to play. 

I wanted a table which we could place natural materials for the boys to explore, but we have no space for a table, so we're making do with the top of the bench for now. I've just left baskets filled with random natural materials on the bench, and the boys, especially Lil J have been wandering out at times to fiddle and play with them. 

We also added a small picture shelf above the bench to fit displays. I'm not done with that bit yet, but the boys have already started adding their own little findings to the the shelf on their own accord:

Will update when we see more progress!

Fun for Free: Hunting for saga seeds

When I was a child, I loved collecting saga seeds. There was something just so pretty about those small shiny bright red seeds, and I would keep them safely in a jar, and occasionally pour them out to admire them. 

Junior J and Lil J seem to share my fascination with these crimson pretties, and have been picking up seeds at various places in Singapore. There are some saga trees near our church, so they would always ask for time to search for seeds after church. However, the trees are by the road, and we usually don't end up with more than ten seeds each time, since many get crushed by cars, or fall into the drains. Another place that the boys have found seeds would be the zoo: there is a saga tree along the pathway from the Fragile forest leading to Rainforest Kidzworld, as well as another at the kangaroo feeding area. 

Imagine my delight when I read there was a saga tree resource on Google Maps, that showed you the location of many of the saga trees in Singapore! I found out about this when reading fellow mummy blogger Evelyn's post about saga seeds and pine cones, which also has some interesting links about these seeds. 

One of the locations on the map was Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, where there seems to be at least two trees on the slope along Ang Mo Kio Street 12 (Opposite Blocks 126 and 134):

The park itself is lovely: There are a couple of wide green open spaces that kids can roam freely, and there is a great playground near Macdonald's. Lots to see and do! (Note: Bring insect repellent. There are a fair bit of mosquitoes there!)

Saga trees-wise, the trees are pretty fruitful, and the boys are able to collect a fair bit each time we visit the place. The trees are not easy to spot, but look out for those sporting these leaflets, as well as yellow seed pods that curl open when ripe! Do ask the kids to be careful though, since the trees are on a slope, plus the roots of the trees are home to some pretty big ants.

After our last visit, we counted the seeds we picked up, and Junior J had 117 of them, while Lil J (who refused all help) had about 50. The seeds are fairly easy to spot, since their bright red colour makes them stand out. 

I don't know what it is about kids, but they really love hunting for these little seeds. Even I find it rather therapeutic taking time to spot them and pick them up. Perhaps it is just the act of taking time to hunt for something rather insignificant, that forces me to slow down and notice the little things around me.

We've been asked many times what we are going to do with these seeds. I guess we might try some sensory play, or perhaps do some seed crafts and use the seeds to decorate something! For more ideas, you could check out some seed crafts here. 

PS: I wanted to share about where to find fiddler crabs in Singapore, however, baby has been really cranky with his 5th tooth and the older boys were sick, so I'm going to leave that for another post this week. Stay tuned!

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This August, 31 mums are sharing 31 different places you could bring the kids to explore, and they are all for FREE! Tomorrow, drop by Adeline's blog to discover another playground to check out. Adeline is a true-blue Singaporean, who loves all things free, especially if she doesn't have to queue for it. She believes in sharing all the good deals she can find, and was thrilled to discover this absolutely free playground recently. Do visit her blog, Growing with the Tans, to read about her latest find. 

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And finally, here's the whole list - 31 days of free fun in Singapore. Have fun exploring!

1 Aug: Tiong Bahru Park by Gingerbreadmum
2 Aug: Queenstown Heritage Trail by Princess Dana Diaries
3 Aug: Jurong Regional Library by Finally Mama
4 Aug: Singapore Maritime Gallery by Peipei Haohao
5 Aug: Singapore Philatelic Museum by Kids R Simple
6 Aug: Sculptures of Singapore by Gingerbreadmum
7 Aug: Fire Station by The Js Arena
8 Aug: Esplanade + Merlion by Prayerfull Mum
9 Aug: Bukit Batok Nature Park by Meeningfully
10 Aug: Lower Pierce Reservoir Park by The Kam Family
11 Aug: I12 Katong - water playground by Universal Scribbles
12 Aug: IMM by Mad Psych Mum
13 Aug: Tampines 1 Water Playground by Amazingly Still
14 Aug: Sengkang Riverside Park by Itchy Finger Snap
15 Aug: East Coast Park by Toddly Mummy
16 Aug: Sembawang Shopping Centre Playground by Joey Craftworkz
17 Aug: Animal resort by Raising Faith
18 Aug: Botanic Gardens by Mum's The Word
19 Aug: Police Heritage Centre by Mummy Ed
20 Aug: Venus Loop, MacRitchie by Scrap Mum Loft

21 Aug: Road Safety Park by Miracule

22 Aug: Marina Barrage by J Babies
23 Aug: Gardens By The Bay, Children's Garden by Finally Mama
24 Aug: Changi Airport T3 by Mother Kao
25 Aug: Pockets of Nature by Mum in the Making
26 Aug: Changi Airport T1 Growing with the Tans
27 Aug: Pasir Ris Park Ingspirations
28 Aug: Gardens by the Bay Supertree Grove by My Lil Bookworm
29 Aug: Vivocity Play Area by Amazingly Still
30 Aug: Punggol Promenade + Punggol Waterway by Chubby Anecdotes
31 Aug: Westgate Wonderland by Xavvylicious

Thinking Thursdays: Chestnut alphabets

We've amassed a pretty huge collection of horse chestnuts from our walks around the area. Junior J cannot resist picking these up each time he sees them, which is almost every time we go for a walk, as we've at least 3 of these trees near our house. These can't be eaten, unlike the ones from the sweet chestnut tree, but many people pick these up for decoration or craft purposes. There's something rather inviting about them, the deep brown hue and that glossy exterior, and both the boys love to play with them.

Since we're a huge fan of playing with natural materials, I thought I'd do something with some of the chestnut stash. Junior J is currently learning how to read, and I thought having alphabets on the chestnuts would add some interest to the process. And even if you're living in the tropics and don't get access to these brown beauties, you can easily do this with pebbles, which may be even more fun since they come in all sorts of colours and patterns!

So here's how you can make your own alphabet toys:

:: If you are using chestnuts, do rinse them and dry them in the sun to prevent them from getting moldy.

:: Get a set of alphabet stickers. These have to be made of thin material, the puffy types and thicker versions may not stay on. I used some of the alphabet lettering from my scrap stash:

:: Stick the stickers down using glue, since they don't adhere very well due to the waxy exterior of the chestnut. We used PVA glue. 

:: When the glue has dried, brush a layer of mod podge over the surface of the letters and the surrounding area, and leave the chestnuts to dry:

You can try this also with other shapes too, and I'm thinking of making a shapes set for Baby J with some of the remaining chestnuts.

So now we've a new set of alphabets to learn reading with! Don't you just love these natural materials?

Do stay tuned, will be back later to share about our other autumn activities... 

Thinking Thursdays: Books about autumn

Hello! We've been reading about autumn, since we can't really go out to play (Junior J is still coughing!). Here are some of our favourite reads on this beautiful season, which are mainly on two very famous characteristics of fall: apples and leaves! 

:: Apple Farmer Annie, by Monica Wellington: We bought the board book version for baby J. Its a simple story about an apple farmer, and all the yummy things that she makes from her apple harvest. While its simple, even Junior J enjoyed the story!

:: Leaf Jumpers, by Carole Gerber: The book uses poetry and linoleum-cut illustrations to describe eight common types of leaves to be found during fall. Junior J loves this book as it is about his favourite outdoor activity: jumping about in piles of leaves! Its a really useful resource for identifying leaves, and also explains the colour changes observed during autumn.

:: Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, by Lois Ehlert: I simply love Lois Ehlert's illustrations! This book chronicles the life of a sugar maple tree through the seasons, and the textural collages were made from a variety of materials, ranging from water colours and crayons to seeds and roots. Simply beautiful! 

:: Apple Picking Time, by Michele Slawson: "When it's apple picking time, everyone has to help. The whole town knows we have only three weeks to get the fruit off the trees before it spoils." This story is told through the eyes of Anna, who helps at the apple harvest with her family and is determined to fill an entire bin of apples by herself. It's a heartwarming book about determination, family and community.

:: Red are the Apples, by Marc Harshman and Cheryl Ryan: Follow a boy as he explores a garden in fall, and describes what he finds in rhyme. The text is simple, and this book is great for introducing the colours and produce of autumn.

We obtained some of our recommendations from this post, hop over for more autumnal titles!  What are your favourite books about fall? 

Thinking Thursdays: Our leaf book

Hello!  Am just popping by to share something that Junior J and I have been making recently.  The boy loves going on walks and picking up leaves to bring back, and a friend suggested keeping those leaves in a book.  I thought that was a great idea, especially since Junior J would leave them lying everywhere in the house, and the leaves would crumble and leave a mess!

The book cover is made from a cardboard envelope (again, from the Book Depository!).  He got to stamp the cover with various types of leaves and paint, and we also used a home-made foam stamp (again, from a bottle cap and some craft foam).  

Open up the book, and you'll find loads of pages of leaves collected on our walks around the neighbourhood.  Before we stuck the leaves down, we put the leaves under the paper, and the boy got to make imprints using crayons:

I found it a really good exercise in developing finger strength, since you do need to apply some force to colour over the bumpy surface!

And everything is tied together with a bit of twine:

We're still adding to this collection, and eventually hope to get down to identifying the trees that the leaves came from!

Thinking Thursdays: Using natural materials for play

One aspect I really love about Waldorf education is the use of natural materials for play.  Kids these days have a tendency to play with quite a lot of artificial materials like plastic (especially since most toys are made from plastic), and I think its nice to provide them with other alternative materials/textures, especially those that come from nature.  

With that in mind, I just started by leaving a basket of pebbles (of an assortment of sizes, textures and colours) in the hall where the boy usually plays:

And the boy really loved them!  He would carry them around (in fact, he named one his "favourite pebble" and would bring it to bed along with him!) and would bring them to the table for meals.  They got incorporated into building projects:

And got carted around on various "shopping trips"...

Thus encouraged, I've been leaving out other natural materials, such as shells (picked during a Pangkor trip), corals and casuarina fruit.  I love how varied the textures, colours and shapes are, and how these are less likely to contain harmful chemicals compared to synthetic materials (of course, do give them a good wash with soap first!).

Do you let your kids play with natural materials?  How do you incorporate them into their playtime?

Thinking Thursdays: Looking at life cycles

With the boy having a bunch of stitches, I've been trying to avoid playgrounds for the moment (lest he fall again and bust the stitches).  So that means more time at home, and alot more reading.  We've been going through some of the books in the Nature Upclose Series by John Himmelman.  I find its a nice way of bringing a bit of nature home, by reading stories about the life/ lifecycles of various living things.  While children will usually learn these scientific facts from non-fiction picture books, the stories help to introduce the organism of interest in a more engaging way to younger children.  The books are beautifully illustrated, and Junior J loves pouring over the pictures and asking "what's that?":

A page from "A Pill Bug's Life".  We've also read "A Luna Moth's Life", and "An Earthworm's Life",

which we purchased off The Book Depository.

We find books by John Himmelman pretty good, after all,

anyone who can make earthworms interesting is worth a read! ;) 

So aside from reading books and our "playacting" the butterfly lifecycle, we've also tried using playdough:

Very simple version of the life cycle of the butterfly. 
Little boy is mainly interested in "making pancakes" (and "eating" them), as well as rolling "ball balls".

Oh, and we found a lost little caterpillar about 1.5 weeks ago.  When we saw him during our morning walk, he was crawling along a pillar, far from any green plants, and might have been a quick and easy meal for a bird.  We decided to go back to look at him in the evening, and he was still stuck in the same spot, so we popped him in a container and brought him home.  (Sorry, no photos of the fellow.  He was really gross-looking with a huge green bulbous head, and I must admit my nausea came back just looking at him squirm.)  We gave the fellow some leaves from our tiny garden (with no idea what he ate since we didn't find him on a plant), and I think he felt quite at home, since we woke up the next morning to find that he had pooped a great deal, and had turned into a fuzzy pupa (which made a huge improvement to his appearance I think!).

So after a whole week of checking on him (Junior J kept running out to the garden to inspect the container), we came back on Sunday night to find this fluttering around in the container:

We had missed the whole emergence from the cocoon bit, but I think the boy was rather excited in being able to see the moth's life cycle actually happening for himself.

How do you help your children learn about life cycles?

PS: A church friend who popped by our house with her daughter was excitedly shown the pupa last week, and was asking about "cocoons" (which are the protective casings spun by moths before their pupation stage), and "chrysalis" (which is the pupal stage of butterflies).  Thought I'd just share, since she was confused, saying that "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle described the butterfly as coming from a cocoon.  We don't really read much Eric Carle over here, but apparantly, there's an explanation for it!

PPS: Thank you for all your sweet comments in the previous post!  Little boy's cut seems to be healing well and doesn't seem to bother him now.  We appreciate all your prayers and well-wishes. :)