Something on our summer list was inspired by a gift brought back by Daddy from his recent trip to China. The contents were intriguing and slightly mysterious (we still don't really know what some of the bits are for, any enlightenment would be gratefully received!) but both the boys and I were keen to experiment.
What started as a lighthearted couple of hours outside, became a difficult learning experience as we struggled to make the unfamiliar tools do what we wanted. Frustration, tears and scrumpled paper were not what we had intended but in a way were what made this such a special summer experience. In trying to explain the importance of enjoying the experience over the end result to my littlest one, I also managed to see it clearer for myself. My empathy for my little artist, who like his Mummy, always wants his pictures to be perfect, allowed me to see this fault in myself, so much clearer, and resulted in all of us being able to 'play' with no need for beautiful results. At the end of the afternoon we were able to admit we had had fun and each of us had something we were fairly pleased with....even if for one of us it was not made using any of the materials from the set!
I am going to take some time away from a computer screen for the next couple of weeks. As we are spending them all together as a family and trying to tick a few more of those items off the list before school starts back. I hope you all have a great end to August and I look forward to catching up on what has been going on when I return next month....should have some exciting photo's to share with you by then too!
