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The Family Canvas, Perth (2026)

05/03/2023

Set up a few simple sensory activities for the kids while we were camping and they appreciated it, as did we! Was especially helpful to ease some over stimulated little brains- with a new environment, new company and a change in routine, things became a bit hectic at times. These activities proved beneficial in settling the kids and keeping them engaged. Nothing better than being beneath tree canopies, listening to birds chatter and feeling the warmth of the sun whilst sinking hands in some meaningful play 🎨

19/01/2023

Painting day for Mags and I!
👩‍🎨

14/01/2023

*Magic Potion Kit*

I got this beautiful idea from my SIL , who gifted it to Mag’s for Christmas. I’ve recreated it for my nieces birthday 💝

You will need: - jars (I used left over coffee & jam jars and grabbed a few extras from )
- wooden spoon
- tongs
- feathers 🪶 (from the MIL’s bird)
- black tray (from Kmart)
- found objects; twigs, bark, gum nuts, gum leaves.
- home made dried orange slices
- glitter & pot pourri
- hand painted banksia & hand written tags
- string, scissors, pen

This set has been a welcome and often used item on our toy shelf. It’s beautifully presented and so simple to put together.
I’m sure it will bring much magic and meaningful moments in your home 💕

14/01/2023

Simple, yet enticing set up this morning for my post nightshift fogginess 👌

A bag of kinetic sand from Kmart,
Throw in a couple of pipe cleaners and a few other objects of required, and you’re set!

The pipe cleaners soon became ‘stickmen’ swimming through the pool of pink.

This was our first time using kinetic sand. I loved it!- never mind Mags 😆 I was able to roll it in to a firm ball and throw it without it breaking. Then tear it open like a bread roll and have the pillowy sand fall gently fall away. It’s a very unusual texture; soft and crumbly but not gritty.

27/09/2022

Last week I’d planned a day with Mags, just her and I, no chores, no errands, just me and her.

The day started out - off track 😕Maggie woke numerous times throughout the night prior with a high temp and unsettled. At 5:30, Mags power-spewed everywhere, my hair catching a fair amount. I scooped up most with my shirt, and then the second round came. Mags, me and the bed were now covered.

A nice warm bath would do the trick. Alas the hot water system decided not to work. 😭😵‍💫 I got Maggie clean, then intermittently tried the hot water over the next few hours, still with spew in my hair. After 2 hrs I gave up and had a cold shower to wash my hair boo! (Thought I’d be tough enough for cold showers with ocean swims over the last few months, alas was not the case, I was a sook)

“Well this will not change our plans” I thought, gulping down tears that were brewing. The sun was due to be out and after such a soggy, cold start, a dose of vitamin D was what I was craving. I’d planned to leave at 10, after packing a home prepared picnic. But that plan was kicked to kerb pretty fast and I ran out the door by 8:30, headed to Gilbert’s, Grabbed some pre made salads and the biggest coffee I could get and headed for kings park.

Mags slept the whole way, which eased me to see her get some rest.

We Parked up at May Drive, packed the pram with the goods, a rug and a flask of tea. And we were off!

We found a quiet spot, nestled amongst a peppermint and a gum, in front of the play ground. I poured myself a cuppa and mags a kombucha. And we quickly nestled in to the slow picnic pace. It was 2 hours of ease and meaningful time together. Being a bit off, mags was happy to lay with me. We took time out to observe the sky, listen to gentle movement of the leaves, rejoice in the heat of the sun and just be together, cuddling and talking. I loved that Mags wanted to be ON me, next to me wasn’t good enough 😅

I laughed watching a Pop chase his little grandson as he merrily ran around, he commented, “ you’re lucky, you’ve a quiet one, I’m too old for this!” Little did he know… 😅

26/09/2022

Been wanting to try this one for a while! This activity had Maggie’s attention for an hour 👌

You will need: - any contrasting grains or materials; we used flour, barley and coconut.
- food colouring
- we also included 2 trucks, a dump truck to fill up, and a tractor to scoop up with.
- flexible track (mags wasn’t interested in this yet)

Mags was involved with mixing the food colouring in with the coconut. She was curious about this step, so we mixed a few different batches. We then piled up each of the materials. She enjoyed running her hand through the soft flour and was also curious about the crunchy coconut. She loved filling the dump truck with the flour, again and again.

Once she began to tire of the dry ingredients, we introduced a bucket with water. This captured her attention for a long time. Mixing the foods in to the water. Seeing the water turn pink, then purple. Witnessing the dry ingredients turn wet and gluggy, and making dough balls, plopping them in to the water and fishing them out again!

19/06/2022

The play couch is one of the most used open ended toys we’ve purchased.

There are so many brands to choose from, we ultimately decided on the based on reviews, price, aesthetics (colour in particular) and guaranteed durability.

It’s one of a handful of toys that are used daily! Mag’s is 19 months, still a bit young to independently build and handle the large pillow pieces, but loves helping me. Each day we build a different structure together. She will play and hide in the cubby numerous times throughout the day. Getting a great thrill out of hide and seek or chasey, seeking refuge in her cubby. She also loves climbing over or relaxing when we have it set up as a couch.

We’ve also noticed that when the older cousins visit, it’s the one thing that entertains them ALL! It came with 4 pages of picture print outs for the kids to replicate and build. I laminated each of these pages and have them in the nearby bookshelf. The older kids love this activity.

08/06/2022

Einstein knew where it’s at! Art develops:

- resilience
- problem solving abilities
- self esteem
- brain development and
- creativity.

It is a type of OPEN ENDED PLAY which supports social-emotional, cognitive and multi sensory skill development. What better way to spend a cold afternoon together than painting?! 👩‍🎨

06/06/2022

Wet on wet watercolour finger painting activity 🖼

For this activity you will need:
- paper or canvas
- watercolour pan
- spray bottle
- bowl of water
- paint brush

We have attempted watercolours a handful of times over the last few months and Mags wasn’t quite ready. With the first try, wanting to just drink the water. Today she showed a lot of progression and was exploring the medium well.

As the name implies, watercolours require the addition of water to bring the paint to life and get it moving. Each time we’ve attempted watercolour painting, I’ve imitated some painting first to prompt Maggie with wetting the paint pan.

Today I also introduced a spray bottle. We sprayed the canvas first applying wet paint to a wet surface (wet on wet) creating some wonderful movement and patterns with the colours bleeding. Maggie was very interested in the bottle and screwing the cap captured her attention for most of the activity. I loved watching her focus and repeatedly screw the cap until she mastered the action.

Not only is this activity great for developing fine motor skills, It’s a wonderful sensory activity. What a way to explore their genuine and focused curiosity.

🖌 Feeling the end of the spikey paintbrush. 🎨 Smooshing the wet paint.
💧 Splashing in the bowl of water.
🖼 Feeling the smooth primed canvas and the rough unprimed reverse.
👌Screwing the spray bottle cap lid on and off; determined.
🦶Exclaiming “wow! wow!” with fascination upon noticing pastel pink running down her foot.
📖 Leafing through the pages of her scrapbook, observing and in awe of her own work.

❗️Please supervise children during this activity due to the choking hazard of the spray bottle cap.

04/06/2022

Yesterday we went for a bush walk and collected leaves for an art activity.

It was after my second nightshift, so I wanted to get out of the house and enjoy a simple meaningful experience. Of course my expectations superseded the reality 😂 Mags is a sensitive soul and she was particularly so this morning. Throw in that I was running on no sleep. Yup 2 sensitive souls, this is going to go well 😅

It began with Mags refusing to wear a jumper and a meltdown at the shops. I gave her space and kept my distance as she felt her emotions and waited until she needed me again. I needed coffee, I got her a baby chino. Mistake! It spilt down her shirt resulting in a second meltdown.
We need to get to the quiet of the bush I thought.

Get to the bush and Mags is not feeling it. Wants to be carried. My vision of her enthusiastically exploring ahead of me while I try to keep up was crumbling haha.

We made it to the logs and tree house though, just a short walk up the track as you arrive at baldivis children’s forest. I was giggling to myself, my meditation guru’s words surrounding expectation and suffering, on replay in my head.

I started balancing on the log, and Mags began to join in. We ended up having a good half an hour in the bush. Before heading back home, chucking on Blippi and I watched a series with my headphones on. It was entertaining watching my ego play out with stories surrounding failing at motherhood. Oh ego thank you for this opportunity for these beliefs to arise. I’ve written them down, A good opportunity to do ‘the work’.

All in all it was a great lesson in expectations, being kind to myself- particularly so with running in low fuel. And also honouring Maggie’s needs AND my own. Perhaps we both would have been happier at home watching tv for the morning.

TV is a trigger for me. I believe too much tv is going to result in Maggie developing lazy habits, that I’m being lazy! Some juicy beliefs here to question. After all it’s all about balance right? perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to utilise the positives of the TV.

What’s your parenting trigger?

01/06/2022

Loving markers at the moment. Taking the lids on and off are just as consuming as the drawing itself 🤗

31/05/2022

Flowers in Ice Cubes Sensory Activity🌸

This is a really simple (and clean) sensory activity for toddlers.

You will need: - Flowers, leaves collected from the garden
- wooden spoon, jug or mixing tools
- Sarah’s silk
- bowl
- ice cube tray
-water

What I loved about this activity is the prep aspect. You’ll find me constantly banging on about the process being so much more important & satisfying than the outcome.

For this activity the prep component was exploring the garden together and having Maggie lead and choose which flowers or leaves or sticks she wanted. We collected them in a basket. Gross & Fine motor skills developed- balance, walking, leaning, and picking. The earth under our bare feet, the sun warming our skin 🌞 I love watching Mags in the garden. At the moment she loves the silver gum tree - it’s branches twist up and over- tickling the ground. She giggles as she ‘hides’ from me behind the branches. This turns in to a fun game of hide and seek.

The second prep component is placing each found object in the cube of an ice tray and filling the tray with water. Maggie is 18 months old. So she doesn’t turn the tap just yet but she was on a chair at the sink with me and we filled it together while she played and splashed with the water.

We refrigerated overnight. I actually saved the activity for a time when I felt it would be most savoured. Which was a few days later. I set up the bowl with Sarah’s silk, ice cubes, wooden spoon and warm water. Then placed in the tuff tray and then invited Maggie to come have a look.

She was very engaged, she loved trying to grab the ice and would say ‘hot hot’ when she held one. Haha! She says hot to describe feeling hot or cold. I described light heartedly the ice changing state to water, as the petals emerged. Mixing the cubes with the silk was mesmerising- even for me!

Would love to know how you go experimenting with this activity 😊

The Family Canvas

05/03/2023

19/01/2023

14/01/2023

14/01/2023

27/09/2022

26/09/2022

19/06/2022

08/06/2022

06/06/2022

04/06/2022

01/06/2022

31/05/2022

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