FUNNY STUFF!

So, as we are trying to conserve water, I recently taught my son the old addage, "If it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown, flush it down."  

My son passed this important info on to my mom - but he added one thing, "When we have company, my mom says I have to flush the toilet."

GROWING UP IN THE JUNGLE

We love to travel - especially to Central America.  And, being a parent living with all the modern conveniences and inconveniences we have here in the States, I am always so interested in how other parents raise their children in other countries.  Especially ex pats and folks who have moved from American suburbs to the jungles of, let's say, Costa Rica or an island in Belize.

We always pack a little bag of small toys, cards, and crayons for the plane trip - but once we arrive at our destination, our son barely ever opens this bag.  That is because there are too many other wonderful things to do!

Once, while staying in the north part of Ambergris Caye, Belize, our son and the kids of the family we stayed with found a piece of styrofoam and a baggie that had washed ashore.  They added a stick and turned the trash into a sailboat.  They played with that boat for days, tweaking it here and there 'til it was balanced just right.  There were no toy stores for those kids to buy toys at - or no stores at all, for that matter.  They had to create their own fun.  And they had a blast.

In Costa Rica, we met a family from Belgium who was on a year long, round-the-world trip with their 10 year old daughter.  They did home swaps to be able to afford the trip.  What an education that little girl got!  

In the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, we hung out with an ex pat family - they live in an area with very few inhabitants.  But there are other ex pats nearby, so they have created their own little community of friends.  Throughout the day, the kids convene at someone's house and balloon fights, games of tag, and bicycle races on the dirt walkways are bound to ensue.  The kids can get dirty.  They can be loud.  They can run around in their underwear!

What I have noticed is that these kids stay KIDS longer.  They don't grow up too fast.  Sure, they have experiences that many adults don't even have.  But, they can be 12, 13, 14 years old and still PLAY.  I have taken home this knowledge as a souvenir from our trips, and I know it is one of the most valuable things I can give to my son.

Check out this site for more info:

http://blog.therealcostarica.com

SUMMER IS....

Cracking coconuts

Making hermit crab houses

Digging for earthworms

Collecting roly-polies

Eating watermelon

Burying your feet in the sand

Letting a dip in the ocean suffice for a bath

Taking a mid-afternoon nap in your swimsuit

Having no agenda

Putting boring stuff off 'til tomorrow

Giving the dogs a bath, for them to roll in the mud one hour later

Staying outside past dark

Smelling of campfires and roasted marshmallows

Building forts

What is your summer?

PERFECT DAY

Perfect days just happen.  You can't make them happen.  Take, for instance, Mother's Day this year.  My son was playing at his grandmother's that morning and the last thing he wanted to do was be torn away from his playtime there to spend time with mommy.  I was devastated!  "It's Mother's Day, d*** it!"  I thought, "How could you not WANT to spend time with your loving mother!!!"  Anyway, he finally acquiesced.  We went ocean kayaking (one of my favorite things).  The weather was a bit gloomy - but it didn't look too choppy out there - that is, until we hit the water.  I swear, it was like the perfect storm.  For those of you who haven't been ocean kayaking, you have to take your kayak directly out.  If there is a wave cresting towards you, you HAVE to paddle hard - right into it - and hope you ride over the top of it.  "Oh my god," I thought "What was I thinking!?!"  My son was at the front of the kayak, the perfect view for the 6 foot swells that appeared out of nowhere.  Well, needless to say, we made it!  But, that day was not the perfect day I had hope for.

But take this morning, for example.  Hubby had to work this morning, so after brewing a pot of Roger's Family Organic Fair Trade coffee, my son and I went out into the backyard in our p.j.'s and gardened.  The doggies watched intently and stayed by or side the whole time.  Kitty was inside, jealous, I think!  My boy helped to spread organic fertilizer and seed.  Then, he dug holes to make his own "golf course."  We, sadly, found a dead rat - victim, probably of a crow, and buried it.  He offered a sweet eulogy that the rat come back one day as a baby rat.  Then, we hopped inside to clean up and I made yummy buckwheat pancakes (chocolate chip for him, blueberry for me).  As I cooked, I lit some Nag Champa incense and had Souad Massi blaring on the iHome.  Next, we will go on a "date" - a children's fair whose proceeds go towards pediatric cancer research.   Later, we will come back - more yard work.  Then, I have to learn my lines for a play which starts rehearsals in two days (I am an actor - hey, and I have a job!  Yeah!)  And then, dinner with family tonight!  Doesn't get much better than this.  A perfect day....

COLOR WHEEL PROJECT

You will need:

Acrylic paint in red, yellow, and blue

A few paint brushes

A cup half-filled with water

Paper towel

Large piece of paper

Step one:

Squirt a bit of red, yellow, and blue paints on a paper plate.  Let your child mix a little red paint with a little yellow paint to create orange.  Then, blue with yellow to create green.  Next, red with blue to create purple.  They can experiment with different tones (a bit more red here, a bit less yellow there...)

Step two:

Next, let them paint their color creations on a color wheel on a large piece of paper.  After the paint dries, you can play scavenger hunt in the house to find small objects that mirror the colors on the color wheel.  Place the objects on the color wheel, so that the colors correspond.

Hydroponics

Yesterday, we went to visit Archie's Acres, a hydroponic farm in Escondido, CA.  We have seen them at our local farmer's market and at Earth Fair this year in Balboa Park.  And when the opportunity came up to put a garden in at the school my son will be attending next year, I immediately thought of them.  We are basically turning a parking lot into a beautiful outdoor space, complete with an organic, hydroponic farm, a lovely picnic area, an activity area, and a playground.  The hydro garden will work well, since we have no soil to dig into.  It will require much less space than a traditional garden.  Plus, it is sustainable.  A hydroponic garden requires much less water than a traditional garden and is virtually pest free!

But I had no idea how cool it would be until I visited the farm for myself.  

THE FARM WAS FULL OF ROW AFTER ROW OF GROWING TABLES WITH PERFECT PLANTS THRIVING IN EACH GROW SITE.  COCOA MULCH OR VOLCANIC ROCK IS THE GROWING MEDIUM.  NO SOIL IS EVER USED.  THEREFORE, HARMFUL INSECTS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE PLANTS.  MICRO-TUBING LEADS INTO EACH BUCKET.  IT CONSTANTLY FEEDS THE PLANTS “ONE DROP AT A TIME”  WATER AND ORGANIC NUTRIENTS FROM THE RESERVOIR TANK.  THE TANK RECYCLES THE WATER AND ORGANIC NUTRIENTS CONSTANTLY.  EVERY 2 WEEKS, THE WATER IS CHANGED AND NEW NUTRIENTS ARE ADDED.  FOR A EVERY 75 GALLONS OF WATER THAT A TRADITIONAL “IN- GROUND” GARDEN USES, THE HYDROPONIC GARDEN USES ONLY 15 GALLONS OF WATER!  SINCE THESE PLANTS DO NOT HAVE TO BATTLE PESTS, DISEASE, AND ROT - THEY GROW VERY VERY FAST AND PRODUCE VERY VERY HIGH YIELDS.  FOR INSTANCE, A PEPPER PLANT GROWN IN SOIL MAY PRODUCE 20 PEPPERS.  IN A HYDRO POT, IT WILL PRODUCE 4 TIMES THAT MUCH!  KAREN, CO-OWNER OF ARCHIE'S ACRES SAYS, "AT THAT POINT, YOU ARE MAKING PEPPER JELLY!"  

So, we hope to garner lots of support at my son's future school for this project.  The growing tables will be kid-height, so it will be easy to reach.  Also, an added bonus is that people who are in wheelchairs could easily access this type of garden.  That is a beautiful thing!

Story Time From Around The World

Years ago, when I lived in Japan, I used to frequent Kamakura, near Tokyo - a small village full of artists' studios and lots of beautiful shrines, temples, and awe-inspiring nature.  I happened upon the studio of Shomei Yoh and purchased one of his illustrated books, "Little Buddha."  This was YEARS before I ever thought of having children - I just thought the book was beautiful, so I bought it.  Well, "Little Buddha" has made it's way into our lives as a family.  My son loves the book - it immediately brings him peace when we read it.  

We have since added to our collection of books from around the world.  Here are a few that I highly recommend:

"The Prince Who Ran Away" by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Fahimeh Amiri

"The Monkey Bridge" by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Fahimeh Amiri

"Bringing the Rain to Kapiti" by Verna Aardema, pictures by Beatriz Vidal

"Art From Her Heart" by Kathy Whitehead and Shane W. Evans

"And The Kangaroo Played His Digeridoo" by Nigel Gray, illustrated by Glen Singleton

"The Little Red Fish" by Taeeun Yoo

"Flotsam" by David Wiesner

"Indian Tales - A Barefoot Collection" by Shenaaz Nanji and Christopher Corr

"Tripper's Travels - An International Scrapbook" by Nancy Chapman, illustrated by Lee Chapman

"The Pet Dragon" by Christoph Niemann

"Hamish the Highland Cow" by Natalie Russell

"A is for Africa" by Ifeoma Oneyefulu

"The Usborne Book of People of the World" published by Usborne

"Children Just Like Me" published by DK for Unicef

I would love it if you would post your favorite kid's books - preferably those having to do with cultures from around the world.  Can't wait to explore more books!!