Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty six {the final countdown}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty five {discovering new places to read}

This month we completed another project in My Little Bookcase’s Book Adventure. This month’s task was to discover new places to read. Many of the reading spots we found happened with no or limited planning. It was fun to think outside of the box and highlight to the kids that reading can happen just about anywhere!

 

 

 

 

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty four {joy}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty three {little red riding hood}

Is this not the sweetest little costume? This dress and reversible cape was given to Harper as a birthday gift from her super talented Aunty. For a girl who loves fairy tales and dress ups, it was the perfect present.

{pretty sure red riding hood didn't wear gumboots, but hey Harper has her own style going on}

{red riding hood and finn running to the park}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty two {teddy goes for a slide}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty one (hills hoist admiration}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and thirty {hairdressing in the suburbs}

It’s Harper’s birthday next week and today she received some early birthday presents from her family. Harper was excited to open her first birthday present in the lead up to her birthday and I have to hand it to her, she quickly sensed that Finn was struggling a little with the present influx heading towards her and instantly included him in the present opening and shared her toys with him. Harper, like most toddlers, doesn’t find it easy to share but today you couldn’t fault her generosity towards her brother. Finn was particularly drawn to the hairdressing kit from their Nana. I’m not sure where he drew all his experience from but he was one focused and creative hairdresser today.

“So what can I do with your hair today?”

                              
“Would you like a colour ?”
                                                                                                                                                                               

“Just close your eyes while I spray your hair”

He obviously knows more about hair than I thought.

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty nine {headlock.....in a playful way, of coarse}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty eight {picking flowers}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty seven {sandpit in the sunshine}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty six {come and sit here Mum}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty five {golf practice}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty four {justine clarke concert}

{justine + her AMAZING dress}

{still and stunned. we listen to justine in the car. how is she up there on the stage?}

{in awe}

{everybody roar, like a dinosaur - ROAR!}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty three {my summer baby}

She’s my Summer baby. Adorable, hugely affectionate, social, funny, so very cheeky and determined.

She isn't easy to parent but without a doubt, she's easy to love.

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty two {slowly, slowly a vegetable garden is growing}

{when you're not allowed to use the secateurs, you improvise}

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty one {an invitation to play with numbers}

Recently Finn has moved a little bit away from his strong interest in letters, towards a love of numerals. Many of our days start just like this:

Finn: Mummy, can you count to 32?

Me: Yes I can.

Finn: When you count to that number can you say the numbers in a spooky voice?

 

Hmmmmm, I know where all of this has come from. The Count from Sesame Street, I have you to thank.

 

So today I set up an outside play invitation to engage with numbers. I searched the house for any tactile numbers we had (wooden puzzle numbers, magnetic numbers and foam sticker numbers) and poured them into a tray filled with rice. Add some plastic tweezers and the kids were set for the afternoon. The thing I love about setting up these open ended play activities is watching what Finn and Harper do with them. It is rarely what I think they will do.

I predicted that Finn would sort the numbers into groups and that Harper would spend time touching the rice and the numbers (or maybe making attempts to move ALL the rice onto the floor) but nope, I was way off. Harper took the lead straight away and enlisted Finn to help her sort the numbers into groups, even going as far as asking me for plastic containers to put the groups into. Wow, I didn’t see that one coming. Finn took a while to engage with the numbers but after helping Harper he asked collected a piece of paper from inside and started picking out all the foam sticker numbers. I stood back and just watched him as he spent time placing the numbers in sequence, counting out loud as he stuck down each number.  He was so proud of his sheet of numbers once he was done:

Finn: What do you think of this?

Me: I think I didn’t know that you knew how to put those numbers in order, but now I do!

And once all the play based learning was over, Harper plonked herself in the tub. From the squeals, I am assuming that sitting in a boat of rice is A LOT of fun! 
 

Documenting Delight: day three hundred and twenty {early morning chalk drawing}

Looking at this photo against yesterday’s photo of the day, I realise that Harper is in pretty much the same position. Whether she is playing, reading or drawing she seems to prefer being flat against the ground.