Monday 5 August 2013

Creative flow...


What a crazy few days we've had!  It's been a very emotional rollercoaster for us to be honest.  I can't go into detail on account that it doesn't just involve me but I am forever the optimist, I love to look at the good in life.  I am also a great believer that things will eventually sort themselves out and, as a Christian, put my trust in God that he has it all in hand. So it's best not to worry and just try one's best.  So here is the short version of what we've been up to apart from that...


Honi and Harmonie have been painting. This is a painting by Honi (5) which I love as I am so pleased she enjoyed her Kite flying.

 
And this is by Chiara, all from her own head.  I love how children's art develops so quickly and I love how all my girls have their very own styles.  I love that they work with different mediums and look for new techniques, either from me or the internet... 


 
Do you know what I love most about their art?  It's that by home educating them they have the freedom to spend as long as they need when they find that creative spark.  There is nothing more frustrating, nothing more annoying than having to stop what your doing when you're in creative flow.  Whether it be drawing, painting, sculpting or even dancing, playing music, cooking or writing.  For things like this, people (big or little) need space and time to do it their own way so they can grow, so to speak  - they need autonomy in their life when it comes to the arts.

 
I find it sad that children in school don't get this, that their days are so crammed full of time tables and bells ringing that they have the creativity knocked out of them.  In fact it amazes me that anyone gets through school with any creativity left in them at all.  Those people are amazing, most probably the daydreamers, sadly sometimes seen as the failures (although far from it).  I've written about this before in a post called: Does school kill creativity?
 
My girls doodle all around their structured workbooks (maths, English and science).  I do not tell them off but provide them with doodle pads to give them more space to express themselves.  I do not think that they are doodling because they are not listening, I think they are doodling because they are listening.  Art is expression, I do not want to quash that; I do not want to squeeze it out of them.  I often encourage them to draw while I read to them, which they love.

 
Other things we have been doing is making marshmallows and experimenting with how much sugar we need to add to it to make the perfect tasting and textured marshmallow.  I still think we need more practice - whispers: I'm only saying that because of HOW much I love marshmallows!
 
We've also been to the park with daddy on Saturday.  How happy they all were and how sunny and hot it was!


We found this lovely ladybird, which I believe is a Harliquin Ladybird, indigenous to Asia but has been introduced to Europe.  Its latin name is Harmonia axyridis which the girls will enjoy learning today when I tell them, especially little Harmonie!


There was even a little coffee treat - as always!

 
Then I decided Saturday night to make a curry, from scratch including the chapatis.  It was lovely, it was so nice to be mixing spices again and even better to see the whole family devour it!

 
Whilst eating Honi thought her tooth had broken but when I inspected it more closely it turned out she had a wobbly tooth!  All of Sunday she was telling people about her wobbly tooth, people she knew, our neighbours, the ladies at the till, anyone and everyone.  I love how sociable she is. 
 
I saw so many wonderful photo opportunities that evening, as we took a later walk than usual, but had forgotten to bring my camera out.  I did have my iPad with me hence a few photos from the walk, but it's just not the same.
 
 
There was a little trouble down there that night.  Men on bikes and police cars chasing.  I don't know what it was all about but it was over very quickly.  The girls found it most exciting.
 
The walk exhausted them as they woke at 10 to 10 the next morning.  Sunday just floated on by because of that.  Kev let me at his hair again and before I knew it we were back on the waterfront taking our daily stroll.
 
Today we are meeting up with some fellow HEors, friends who we meet up with regularly.  Half my girls are hoping for rain so we can go to the indoor play area, I am hoping for sun and a walk round the park.  We will see.  It did get Chiara reading a science book about weather and study the clouds to try and work out today's forecast for today.  How I love that she has learnt how to learn for herself happily.

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