our creative space . . . 'creative children'

Greetings all,

Today i meet with the neurologist for a nerve conduction test to confirm i have carpal tunnel syndrome & send me off for surgery.  My CTS was diagnosed with this electric-pulse-down-my-arms in 2003, i was 28, pregnant with my 4th baby, hanging out with the other 70 year olds in the waiting room.  Good times.  They might have been factory workers doing repetitive hand actions for 50 years, me - a few years of hand quilting, stitching, changing nappies & carrying twins around (why make 2 trips when 1 will do??!!)  This time i'm prepared to have the surgery!!

So i'm handing over Our Creative Space this week to my children . . .

first up my first born & her origami handywork!!

 I love that my children learn to speak Japanese at their school (until they speak to each other in Japanese, plotting against me) my eldest has continued into high school & is very good.  Mind you, this time of year, they do more origami than hiragana.

 My middle daughter has been channelling Rapunzel for about 5 years now, with waist length platinum blonde glory. 

 I love how adventurous she is with twisting & twirling it up & down, not bad for 10!!

 I had to duck to the supermarket after school one afternoon & called out if anyone wanted to come - sure, girl child number 3 wonderwoman-spun out of her school uniform & into this ensemble. 

 That's my Alannah Hill sequin cardigan but how cute is her styling??  I think the silver belt makes it.  Anyone who can pull of triple layers of lace & flares, with yellow patent Mary Janes??  She's my Nina!!

 Now the boy: to wrap up the 2nd grade he had to create a rainforest.  Chatter about emergence layers & leaf litter, supplies from my paper & felt stash + a trip around the front garden . . .

 he made a multi-textured rainforest, with trees, moss, a rock, real leaves, a felt sun & hobby-fill-clouds suspended with bobby pins . . . 

 tip for young players: use a carving fork to punch holes in the side of a box & poke through a bobby pin or 5, to make things stand up, stick out or hang down!!

Poof, busy times in my studio, shame it's not me!!  Just watch me soar next year with new hands, oh i can't wait.  Love Posie

social commentary Sunday "do you do your children's homework projects??"

Greetings all,

Be honest, do you do your children's homework??  Those pesky 3D interactive projects.  For you without school aged children yet . . . do you suspect you will do their homework projects 'with' them??  I can't imagine how perfectionist parents can contain themselves but to get involved.
Well it's no suprise that i am pretty hands on when it comes to book week costumes & school projects, but i do restrain myself to just 'help' or 'suggest' a practial way to create a volcano, planet or cyclone.  My children are quite vocal in the "you've had your turn at school, this is my time to shine" back away from my cardboard type comments . . . but when Red Riding Hood here (chin healing nicely thanks) came to me after lunch today (Sunday) & burst into tears saying "i have to build an ice cave, it's due tomorrow", i did a tad more than just hold her hand & pass her the glue stick. 

 Thank goodness for the internet & my craft supplies, she was able to explain/ google (for me) that there is an Aladdin's Cave in Antarctica which holds stores & she printed off some images.  She then went blank, she just couldn't fathom at the 11th hour how to create a cave or faux supplies for explorers.   

 So we ducked to the supermarket in the pouring rain (imagine the era when the shops were shut on Sundays - nightmare) & picked up a pyromanical supply of matches - for the boxes!!   

 Wrapping them in pretty coloured papers just like the explorers in Antarctica did 100 years ago, with pretty twine & washi tape . . . we made parcels of coal, paper & food supplies.

 She laminated the images & glued batting 'snow' to the cardboard roof of the cave/ bunker/ hanger & da dah, our her Aladdin's Cave in Antarctica done.

 Only this child comes with a twin, who also needed to do her project (FYI i am normally on top of homework, this was hiding in the 'extension' section of their 2 week homework grid). 

 Oh easy, she just wanted to build a ship, A SHIP, the Aurora Australis & looked what we pulled out of our hat.  I'm so glad i stuck photos of the real thing on the side of our version, the likeness is uncanny, i'm clearly a ship building model visionary.  It's all held together with a Lego boat on the inside for structural integrity & sticky tape. 

Now i know teachers can tell when parents 'assist' & printing typed up assignments with beautiful grammar & spelling is a dead give away, so i get my children to hand write their assignment information where possible (no, i can't forge their writing/ haven't tried) & make them cut, glue & construct.  There are only 25 children in our whole year 4, with a high frequency of parents who are architects, chefs, teachers & designers, the quality of projects . . . amazing.  My children are creative & have the materials at hand, but today i did 'help' . . . quite a bit. 
So, are you a closet primary school project wannabe too??  Can you let your child just take a 2D A1 size cardboard sheet in, or do you make such awesome suggestions - they just have to be put into action & can't be wasted, like smoke/ music/ vibrating parts - i've seen it all & no, have never gone that far??  Has the teacher ever written "well done Johnny, your mother has out done herself this time" on the project??  Can you look your child's teacher in the eye on parent/ teacher interview??  Love Posie
PS i know my children's teachers read my blog, i'm just honest - children do so many creative tasks at school, the teachers know what they are capable of!!