Sidewalk Paint

 Take equal parts cornstarch and water (I started with a quarter cup of each, but we ended up mixing several batches, it was so popular). Add enough food colouring to get the colour you want. Paint!

These were cheap, cheap brushes from Home Hardware (seven for $3.79, I think) a smart idea given how the rough sidewalk chews them up. Don't even bother with foam brushes. They last about 90 seconds before they're worn down to the stick!

 Some people have worried about staining the sidewalk. I had no concerns at all, but only because I see the staining as an asset, not a problem. Sadly for me, there was no staining. I don't know if that's because I didn't use enough food colouring? However, you all saw how bright the colour was, so now I wonder if sidewalk cement can be constituted differently in different cities, and some is more permeable?

No idea. Nor does it really matter. We had fun, and no staining, either of sidewalk, children, or clothing.

 Rebekah gets into the act.

The young woman painting in front of Rebekah is Sarah, my eldest. These paints, I tell you, they're irresistible!

Outdoor Craft Time

When the weather gets nice, we spend far more time out of doors. We love this, of course, but I do miss all the crafts we get to do in the winter months.

I don't know why it took me until this summer to realize that we could do both at once: be outside and do crafts!

Four little girls and a whole mess of butterfly-printed ... butterflies!

Swing Baby

Trees and Risk Management

I love this tree full of bright little hats.

This spot in the tree is the school bus. Always. Today, Dries is driving the bus.

Ada, exercising due care and consideration going down the 'hill'. I find that, if given enough leash to explore, toddlers are quite careful and aware of their limitations. They're inexperienced and uncoordinated, so they make mistakes from time to time, but mostly, they don't take outrageous risks.

What Ella's doing in this shot, if not taking a big risk? Well, for Ella, that's not an outrageous risk. She's a good climber. The others tend not to go as high ... because they don't feel safe. They don't feel safe, because they wouldn't be as safe. 

Risk evaluation: an essential life skill, and one you don't learn without a) taking a few risks and b) taking a few tumbles!

The hardest part, for the supervising adults? To stand back -- without calling out a ceaseless incantation of "careful, careful!" -- and let them try! To stand back far enough that they don't sense your fear (if you're nervous), but close enough to catch them if/when they misjudge something. It's a balancing act, as much for you as for them!

The next most venturesome climber after Ella? Dries! But for all his full-steam-ahead enthusiasm, he doesn't take crazy risks.

We made it home on this day with nary a scrape, bump or bruise -- as we usually do!

The Big Rock!

As we leave the house these days, to walk down to the river and thence to the park, the first question as we hit the sidewalk is, "Can we jump on the big rock?"

 Introducing: The Big Rock, placed three or so weeks ago by neighbours at the bottom of the hill. They have generously welcomed the children to use it as a climbing structure, and use it we do! Pretty nearly every day.

I'm pleased with this shot. Ella is actually airborne! (Generally my slooooow camera just can't catch these moments. The trick, of course, is to shoot the second before she jumps, but that's always a chancy business.)

Dries, almost airborne. Just the tip of one shoe on that rock. No caution in the way he hurls himself into space!

Nora demonstrates 'marshmallow knees'. She applies them both on launch and on landing.

We love the Big Rock.

Bubbles!

Four little girls, one giant tub of bubble soap!!

Four girls, three bubble wands. They did well at sharing them. Nary a squawk, squabble, nor even a flounce.

There's a trick to blowing juuuust right. Not to hard, not too gently. They figured it out.

Well, three of the four did! This is why Ada didn't blow many any bubbles ... Not only was her technique a tad flawed, I figured there was only so much detergent a little girl needed to ingest in one day!

Latte and Photography

My latte. (Stella Luna makes the BEST lattes I've ever tasted. Starbucks' version doesn't even come close!) My latte, complete with a drizzle of foam on top.  See the little girls in the background? There is eager anticipation in their pose, because that drizzle of foam is Highly Coveted!

"Can we have some of the milk, please, Ilona?"

Mmmmm...

It's like feeding baby birds, I tell you.

And then, when the girls' apple juice was finished, and I had lots of coffee left, they needed to amuse themselves. Given how often I take pictures of them, it seemed only fair to let them take a picture of me...

Um, I think you need to tip it up a bit, sweetie.

Though perhaps not quite that high...

Okay, that's about as good as it'll get. Too bad you guys are constitutionally incapable of holding still!

Happy [belated] Canada Day!

A happy, exceedingly messy craft for Canada day, done in the last week of June, actually, and only posted now. Better late than never? Three little girls, three paint brushes, a long strip or two of paper, and a couple of buckets of red paint.

It took a while to hone the technique, and of course there was much spattering of bodies as much as paper! (Yes, it would have been smart to have removed Addie's shorts prior to spatterage. Sorry about that, you guys.)

Nora tries the more cautious, directive approach!

We stop periodically to inspect the results...

The final result was the Happy Canada Day banner that hung in my living room for a week or so.

Umbrella Girls

Water Babies

The game was to take one of the buckets, fill it with water from the wading pool, and pour it over your head. Addie was just successful. It may not look it here, but apparently this was FUN!!!, because she did it over and over again over the next half-hour.

Yes, fun. A bit shockingly cold, I suspect -- straight from the garden hose! -- but fun!

Screaming-with-laughter fun, in fact.

Love the 'do, Ella!

You can see the cringing with cold battling with exuberance.

A great way to spend a very hot day!

The Clear Favourite

Two little girls share a small gelato. There are two flavours in that tub, chocolate and peach.

Ada shared with me. (Chocolate gelato, raspberry sorbet.)

This is the big girl's cup. Hm. I wonder if they have a preferred flavour?