Why I love blocks

Our blocks were well used over the recent school holidays.

First we had dramatic play - blocks used as an essential element of a story.


Isabelle and Aidan combined their various interests and the result was "A Sylvanian Day with the Sith".


Here's a Sylvanian trying out Darth Maul's Sith speeder.















Isabelle took a number of photos that we printed out. She has written a story in draft and the photos will illustrate each page. I think the story is about Sylvanians in space going to the Sith lair for a day trip.

Later on, the children did some maths. I think it began with a question about whether there was a three-block, and if so, what it would be called. I said that there wasn't a single triple-unit block, but how could we make one?

Here's the result, with the quadruple block alongside.




















Yes, my lounge floor usually does look like that. The construction to Aidan's left is some kind of gun - I forget which type. (He makes up different types of weapon according to different specifications and gets annoyed if I mistake an uzi for a double-barreled rifle etc, so I'm hesitant to give this one a name in his absence!).

Not long after, Aidan did some similar experiments with the quarter and half circles.

















There was some other cool stuff going on too, but I've left it too long to remember the details. Blocks are cool.

Baby schema

People sometimes wonder how early a baby's schemas might be able to be identified. It seems to me that there are a number of scholarly ways to answer this question - depending first on how you define schema!

For Ewan right now, I notice how he bursts into giggles and becomes incredibly animated as he watches his big siblings race around the room. He exclaimed in delight as Orla threw wooden toys through the air to hit noisily against the glass of the cabinet. (My exclamations at this point were somewhat different). He jumped up and down in my arms as Orla burst open her train, scattering carriages and engines in all directions across the floor.

Trajectories, anyone? And a touch of the disconnect. Sound familiar?


And in other news, he really likes eggplant. And the cat. (But not together. Yet).

Haiku on the family E

Son of my right hand
A free woman, doubly blessed
A mountain, to sing



Welcome little one. You are so loved!

Because everybody else is

I'm supposed to answer in just one word.

1. Where is your cell / mobile phone? nonexistent
2. Your hair? long
3. Your mother? loved
4. Your father? loved
5. Your favourite food? rich
6. Your dream last night? weird
7. Your favourite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? contentment
9. What room are you in? lounge
10. Your hobby? showering
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? here
14. Something that you aren’t? unwrinkled
15. Muffins? bran
16. Wish list item? camera
17. Where did you grow up? Christchurch
18. Last thing you did? breastfed
19. What are you wearing? trackies
20. Your TV? nonexistant
21. Your pet? houdini
22. Friends? somewhere
23. Your life? lived
24. Your mood? tired
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Vehicle? odyssey
27. Something you’re not wearing? glasses
28. Your favorite store? none
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? newspaper
32. Your best friend? best?
33. One place that I go to over and over? toilet
34. One person who emails me regularly? forums
35. Favorite place to eat? out

A no-fault system

In 2008-09 ACC paid more than $62 million for motorcycle riders but collected only $12.3 million in levies from them.

(ACC spokesperson in the Dom Post today).

I'd be interested in seeing how much in levies ACC collected from cyclists and pedestrians vs payments for road accident-related injuries.

Long term parenting

Another book I have finally read after talking about and around it for some time is Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. The cover claims enticingly that it is "A Provocative Challenge to the Conventional Wisdom About Discipline".

This book stands in contrast to most in the parenting genre. It presents an entire alternative philosophy to that which is usually promoted (being rewards/punishments with the aim of controlling and managing children's behaviour). Back in January when I reviewed Louise Porter's Young Children's Behaviour: Practical Approaches for Caregivers and Teachers, I wrote:

It is refreshing and interesting to have access to a complete body of work that forms a comprehensive alternative to behavioural management - especially if the star charts and times out are not working.

I am happy to report that I still agree with myself.

Alfie Kohn presents not a prescription, but principles and broad alternatives for bringing up children. It's difficult to summarise in a paragraph, but it's about parenting gently and reflectively. He argues that rewards (including praise) and punishments are ineffective and unnecessary - at least if your parenting goals are focused on optimising children's moral development, rather than their compliance. It's about working with rather than doing to, about taking time, listening and perspective taking.

There's lots to quibble about with this book. Some of it lies in the semantics of what particular phrase would be praise, and which would be acknowledgement - and whether the child would be able to tell the difference anyway. But essentially this is a good book that asks some big questions of parents and doesn't provide quick fixes. What it does do is focus on the big picture and the long term - which makes so much sense.

I was struck while reading how important it can be to read works in their own context, and as a whole (rather than presenting single ideas in isolation). Certainly some of my own doubts and questions were answered as I read the ACTUAL BOOK rather than someone else talking about his ideas!

However, for a New Zealand audience, I would rate Louise Porter as the better read - it's a bit more in keeping with our cultural context. The book itself could have been pulled together a bit better too - it felt like a summary of several groups of ideas (which reading his list of previous publications, it probably is). Occasionally he wandered (for example, his appendix on race and class seemed to get taken over by corporal punishment). It was a bit frustrating that he took a long time (chapter 7) before he described what unconditional parenting was in any detail. And end notes are just annoying - I much prefer footnotes, otherwise I have to keep flicking backwards and forwards. But hooray for the substantial reference list! (Are you listening, Steve Biddulph?!)

However, I rate these ideas. It is such a relief to read about parenting through a lens of compassion, love and empathy. A great antidote to the power plays, scary emotional withdrawal techniques, or slap-ourselves-on-the-back-because-we're sooo-hilarious programmes currently popularised in New Zealand.

Messy play

Deep, deep down in the darkest corners of my pantry are all sorts of surprises. I recently found some ancient bran flakes along with some wholemeal flour which had gone rancid - both were no longer edible. So, out with the bowls and onto the deck for some messy play!

Get some water, sprinkle and mix.















Add some coffee, hardened into a single lump, which was best before....














Well, best before Orla was born. (So yeah, we don't drink a lot of instant...).














Mix into a thick and interesting paste.
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After this, mud was added in generous quantities. Potions were then splattered on the deck and lawn before one was added to our compost (which is where the expired food would have gone anyway), while one was hosed off our deck onto the grass and thus also returned to the soil. And our windows got washed at the same time!

It's good to have a baby

Ewan is growing in cuteness daily. He has one little tooth beginning to poke up from his lower jaw, and two almost out on top. He has little grabby hands that love to reach out for anything and everything, especially newspapers and hair. He's getting more hair himself - and I think he's going to be a little red head! He loves big brother and big sisters, laughs and plays. He examines objects in his hands and mouths them. He rocks from side to side holding his feet, and pushes up on his feet when he's on his back, so that his bottom comes right off the ground. He is an enthusiastic and frequent feeder, but still can't quite manage solids. He's keen for food to be in his mouth, but can't quite co-ordinate the whole put-to-the-back-of-the-mouth-and-swallow thing. He's probably kept down a couple of micropieces of avocado and a bit of corn mush.

Ewan loves being in the front pack or meitai, and has recently graduated to the sling as well.

He can blow raspberries and has splashy baths. His smile lights up the room. He has iguanadon footprints on his head. (Yes, not your usual baby this one! The footprints are courtesy of big brother, via Orla's new stamp).

It's good to have a baby.

Swimming lessons

We have just finished a holiday short-course of that great middle-class tradition - swimming lessons. We are late starters by some standards - at 7 and 5 Isabelle and Aidan are in their first class (although Isabelle has done a few lessons through school). Both were assessed as being in the absolute beginners class. There were no lessons at our local pool these holidays, so we went across town to a bigger pool.

The children happily hopped into the water for their first lesson. The instructor stood in the main part of the pool and asked them to float out to her. Float! Isabelle pushed off from the side....and floated! She actually floated! All the way over to the instructor, quite confidently. I was so proud - I never knew she could do that. And then it was Aidan's turn. I saw a bit of fear in his face (the water where the instructor was was well over his head). But he took a step out into the unknown, pushed off....and sank. He was quickly lifted out and up onto the platform, no worse for wear. Again I was proud - my brave boy!

It was immediately apparent that despite being assessed as absolute beginners, Isabelle's age and those few lessons at school meant she was some steps above Aidan. Fortunately for us, the class was small and instructors were readily available. So for most of the week, Aidan had one-on-one attention, while Isabelle shared another instructor with one other girl. (Excellent value for money for us!). Isabelle's greater maturity worked in her favour too - it's easier to focus when you're a bit older. (At one stage, the instructor said to Aidan to have straight arms, not "chicken arms" - that is, arms bent at the elbow. So for the next minute, the girls watched the instructor carefully as she demonstrated the strokes, while Aidan did the chicken dance).

They had fun. They both grew in confidence. By the end of the week, Isabelle was floating by herself, kicking, rotating her arms and starting to learn to breathe. She was actually swimming! Aidan was very happy dunking his head under the water, was starting to learn to rotate his arms, and was able to float by himself for a few seconds.

My kids were awesome! One because she could...and one because he couldn't, but did it anyway.