cut-out sewing toy update

So, whenever I get a chance I go back and update an earlier post with a photo or two - just for my satisfaction, my record... (and take the chance to correct any typos or miscommunication as well).

Turns out, a few times when I queried my parents they missed the photo updates altogether, reasoning, "We've read that post already - but if you tell us when you update it, we will go back and read it". Which seemed a bit tedious and counter-intuitive - I mean, what's the point in posting in reverse-chronological order and having them go back?!

So, I have decided, at the risk of repetition, posting the updates as a separate post:-)

[Finally, I am catching on to this blog-thing!]

Now, in my earlier post, I had written about the first item on Tharini's rainy day activities list that inspired me to make the cut-out sewing thing - a pig and a fish, out of craft foam sheet.



And, as this was the firs time I came across it, I naturally leaned towards using a yarn needle for letting Ana "sew" the holes in the pieces. And wasn't happy that I had to supervise closely whenever she wanted to do this activity.

Then I had a lightbulb moment!

I pulled out a shoelace from an old shoe of hers and started using it for "sewing" the foam cut-outs!



Seems like Ana likes this better than the needle. And, it still seems to provide the necessary fine motor exercise as she threads the shoelace through the holes... Mostly, she likes to do whip-stitch style - just bottom to top through each hole, which is fine by me:-)

Kids Craft: Easy No-bake Flour Beads

Crafts usually involve a utilitarian end-product created via specific skills. Now, Art also involves an end product, and involves techniques and skills to produce it, but is not always necessarily utilitarian. Well, except for the cultivation of human spirit, that is.

Going by the simplest yet widely-accepted definition above, some of the activities I do with the kids can be considered crafts. I am not worried about semantics. Some of the activities don't fall into one or the other easily, but, I am not finicky. If my kids had fun exploring and making new things, and I collected precious memories from it, it doesn't really matter what the academic classification of it would be.

I am rambling again... byth yn meddwl.

These flour beads don't need to be baked - just air dried. And, it doesn't harden to wooden firmness, so, a pincer grip could crumble it.



This started as a quick and quiet task for me: I was hoping to make some beads to prepare some home-grown stringing activity for Oggie. Some colorful large flour beads and shoelace was all I was hoping to throw together that afternoon.

But, watching me mix the flour immediately caught the kids' attention and they wanted to play with it. So, I let Oggie taste it, poke it, and examine it, while Ana managed to wrangle a portion of the dough from Oggie to make beads of her own.

Naturally, many interesting odd-shaped beads came about. We used chopsticks to poke holes in the center so we can later use the beads for stringing activity.

I managed to make a small batch of big beads, paint them, and put them away safely out of reach.

Ana helped paint some of the beads once they were dry. Since she is way past bead-sequencing and stringing activities, she tried making caterpillar and bead wreath and other nameless things using pipe-cleaners (Chenille stems). Now, a set of pipe-cleaners aka chenille stems is a fantastic thing to keep in the crafts arsenal...

Of course, Oggie is not quite ready for stringing and sequencing, at a few months shy of two, so, he liked un-stringing the beads :)

At the end of each session of bead play, Oggie managed to crumble a bead or two just to prove he can do it.

Items Used: All-purpose Flour, Salt, Corn Starch and Water.

I tried a few variations, and the one I am happy with is, equal parts salt and corn starch, with maybe about 1½ times flour, adding just enough warm water to knead it into a fairly stiff dough.

To DIY or Not

Well, that was never the question, really...

D comes from a sturdy Do-It-Yourself (DIY) stock. If it is doable - less expensive & more customizable than ready-made, and functions just as well or better for the intended purpose and use - then let's get it done ourselves.

Of course, not all things can be handled this way - several constraints - mainly Time, and possibly Assistance and Tools and Know-How - make it challenging... and certain household tasks are definitely left to professionals (am thinking household electrical wiring... but then again, having seen D do some re-wiring of the lights in the bar/pool room downstairs, nothing major, it seems like some basic physics and commonsense can come in handy...)

And, I thought Tiling required special skills (it still does, to me at least - something that I lack - stamina and patience), but, having seen D transform our blasé old bathroom into elegant tiled wonder, with minimalistic new low-flush toilet and pedestal sink and space-saving shelving, by just reading a book about it and doing it himself (assisted by me, of course - Tamil-speakers might recognize the word "Chitthaal" here), I am beginning to rethink this a bit.

I am rambling... or rather just typing away, albeit incoherently... No matter.

Earlier today I was sorting through Ana's things trying to pick out hand-me-downs for Og and thought it would be nice to post a few things I found useful that fall under the DIY category and are rather easy to do...

1. Fastening Skills Toy: Of course, there are many sturdy ready-made wooden-backed items available for this. But, when D suggested making one for Ana, it seemed like a nice present for her first birthday. It could be a snake or a train toy with little sections connected by zipper, velcro™, buttons, shoelace, and snaps so that each section can be separated and attached again using one of the fastening methods built-in. Now that it is catching Og's fancy, it seems like a half-a-day well spent making it about three years ago. Items used: scrap fabric, velcro, zipper, snaps, buttons, shoelaces, grommets/eyelets, stuffing.



2. Flash Cards (for early/beginner language and math): Well, since flash cards are basically dime-a-dozen here, I guess it makes no sense to waste precious time making fancy ones. But, I like the simplest customizable ones (as in color, size, shape) like the numerals set, which takes less than 10 minutes to make, that got Oggie to recognize these numerals so early. Items used: colored cardstock paper, printer, clear contact sheet, scissors.



3. Word Magnets: To keep up with Ana's exploding language skills, I wanted to get her the standard word magnets so she can form sentences and have fun, and even work with some sight words. However, at $20/- for a box of 50 "standard" words (maybe 100 if I hunt for deals), it seemed like a nice DIY project that could work out less expensive, and involve Ana in the making, and could help tailor the color and words to her current liking and level... and keep adding more as we make progress. Her current fascination with fairies and the Daisy Meadows' series was a strong motivation to add "Amber", "Heather", "Ruby", "Fern" etc to her word pile. Items used: A roll of adhesive magnetic strip, pink bond paper, printer, scissors



Of course, I don't discount the attractiveness, quality, and variety of readily available flash cards. I particularly loved the Insects and Landmarks ones we worked on over Summer in India. It is a pleasure to hear Ana squeal excitedly when she recognizes pictures of Taj Mahal or Big Ben or Eiffel Tower or Stone Statues in Easter Island with the same enthusiasm she shows for identifying Daddy Long Legs and Tarantula and Stink Bug, thanks to these lovely flash cards :)



And the Word Families flash cards give something extra to expand her language skills and seems to be attracting Oggie's attention as well these days...

However, back to DIYs: I would list sewing numerous dolly clothes, dolly cloth diapers, crocheting dolly winter clothes, booties, makeshift dolly house from cardboard, plus little farm and jungle and ocean dioramas from household items and cardstock paper so I don't have to plonk money on ready-made plastic sets on a passing fancy...

I guess Time is a big challenge for many moms - at-home or working-outside - and I am sure each mom (dad) decides how best to utilize the available time and resources at her (his) disposal. I know I have several interests I am dying to pursue and just like everybody out there in today's world, am constantly prioritizing and re-prioritizing to keep life productive, balanced, and happy.

Sometimes I wonder about the jack-of-all-trades adage... not the sciolism that comes from adding the latter part of the adage, but, just the plain and simple satisfaction that comes from being good at what one attempts to do and enjoys doing...

I am awed by smart and 'successful' women - be it in business, finance, sciences, literature, or fine arts - and wonder if it is indeed true that something has to be sacrificed/let-go/compromised (like family time and other interests) to become a renowned and respected expert in the chosen field to be taken seriously... an expert by definition has delved deeper than others, focused single-mindedly excluding other distractions... does it imply that they forsook personal indulgences and interests along the way, or is that just a myth?

Reason convinces me that one cannot have the cake and eat it too - sort of like the Schrödinger's Cat situation in my mind - a superposition of two possible conflicting states of existence.

Did Dr. Padma Subramaniam have a happy personal life, away from her awe-inspiring dedication to Bharathanatyam life? More importantly, did it matter to her? Did Lisa Caputo set out to be where she is today and single-mindedly strive to get there? Or did circumstances arrange themselves to help her leverage her potential? It is never black-and-white, is it? It's usually a combination of several factors...

I don't like to take myself seriously... it could be due to an in-built sense of modesty, or a well-deserved dose of reality, or simply that it is terribly boring to be pretentiously highbrow (even if that were a natural state of being, which I doubt), or just the realization that in this world I am but a speck, an insignificant speck, and that suits me fine... reminds me of the Whos of Whoville found by dear old Horton while wandering in the Jungle of Nool...

It is comforting to not have any sense of self-importance... but alas! human nature centers around the identity of the self... plus inherent skepticism of all things external to the self...

Somehow, while elitism seems egotistical, humans are apparently wired to constantly assess their position with respect to their peers and environment.

Does being a devotee of arts qualify one to assume the role of a zealous critic as well? While I duly appreciate a particular literary review of my favorite children's book in a well-established publication as brilliantly academic, is it natural to accept my personal review of the same book to be of any less value?

Well, yes, in a way. Subject-matter experts are called experts for a reason... but then what is value in that context? Isn't it dependent on other factors besides the quality of the review itself? I mean, if I am looking for literary deconstruction and analysis, then, yes, it is fantastic to rely on the review of such high calibre from proclaimed experts, but, if I am looking for the plain and simple virtues of a book and how it affected the the parties involved at a personal level, does it become unworthy? The two approaches are not mutually exclusive in my mind, although they seem to be in the real world...

Where am I going with all this? Nowhere, really... sometimes it is nice to type away and not worry about making sense of the disjointed flow of thoughts - especially in the quiet of the night, when kids are asleep, enjoying the solitude, regretting that extra late cup of caffeinated cardamom chai...

Four times around the sun...

Four years ago, under the glare of the OR lights, in my half-dazed state, I held you for the first time, my dear Ana, not quite fathoming the depths of emotions you were about to evoke in me in the coming years.

During the first year, I was struggling to keep up with your rapid development. I tried to do everything, and do it right, else I thought I would be failing you as a mom. While I secretly savored the Mommy Attachment/Separation Anxiety phase, I certainly was not ready to ignore your pathetic wails when I had to briefly use the bathroom or cook a meal, leaving you to keep yourself entertained... and I certainly was not prepared to operate on a couple of hours of intermittent sleep night-after-night for almost a year...

I was thrilled when you surprised us by walking/wobbling without support by about 10½ months, forcing me to device some homegrown child-proofing, especially for padding the brick fireplace which was your favorite haunt, for some reason... your interest in books fueled me, made me tap into that tiny bit of reserves of energy to keep it up every night despite bone-weary tiredness... and, you were amazing - you could sit and eat finger foods independently and sign for "all done","more", "drink" and "milk" and you were communicating well-enough even before you learnt to say anything.

During your second year, I began to appreciate one of the precious gift you can give me - our times together exploring arts/crafts activities - finger-painting, brush painting, crayons, home-made play dough, shoelace-sewing for hand-eye co-ordination, blocks stacking/nesting, the usual... bath times became special times for relaxation, and reading books became our favorite bedtime ritual. You could put your shoes on by yourself (thanks to velcro™), eat by yourself, say quite a few words in Welsh, Tamil and English and establish a fairly good level of two-way communication...

I was dreading the terrible twos, but, you seemed to by-pass it without much ado, thanks to your daycare teachers working with me in recognizing the importance of developing emotional intelligence and helping you acquire the skill set and vocabulary for expressing your feeling as best as your tender age would allow. You learnt early on to help me understand what you might be going through - letting me know you are "sad", "upset", "happy", "angry" as the case may be, so I can help you deal with it appropriately.

By three you got used to being the center of my world and commanding my time and attention... what a rude shock it must have been for you to be pushed aside for just a bit when we welcomed your little brother. I cringe at some of the memories I have of those days when I was still raw from birthing and struggling to cope with mommyhood all over again, when I had to appear a monster to you to make sure we keep the little one safe from your curiosity and resentment.

But, you adapted, you learnt to share your mommy and daddy, and you started showing your love for your little brother in very special ways. You have become independent enough to dress yourself, brush your teeth and get your jammies on by yourself, even help me clean up the mess Oggie makes at times, and voluntarily be my sous-chef peeling cardamom pods for my tea and the shells off hard-boiled eggs... you show a keen interest in independent craft activities like découpage and watercolors

Now that Earth has gone around our sun four times since the day you arrived in our midst, it is natural for me to get sentimental... You have blossomed into a well-rounded 4-year-old thanks to your Montessori teachers, curious about the world around you, communicating with grace and politeness that is surprising in kids your age, helping me around the house without much coaxing, and treating Oggie with surprising tenderness at times.

I am no saint, and I don't expect you to be one either. But, I do wish you would heed my advice, such as they may be, and try not to repeat my mistakes... and if you do, so be it, you will learn better after making your own. At four, you are still a baby, not quite a big kid despite acting like a mini-adult at times, and I catch myself often forgetting this simple fact. I start treating you like an adult simply because you have learnt to communicate, negotiate, manipulate and assert yourself more confidently. I can't help but admire that.

Each time I hug you, I can't help but notice how small you are physically, and yet how large an impact you have on me. The dreadful teenage years may tax our bond to the limit, but, I hope the strength with which we build it now will withstand the strain effortlessly. No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby. Even though I can't shield you from harm and hurt, I hope I can foster the skills you would need to pick yourself up and move on cheerfully.

I know our eyes see what we want to see and our brains interpret the sensory input to optimize our sense of well-being... so, it is possible that I am seeing what I want to see in you and am simply projecting... but, I doubt it.

You are incredibly precious, my baby-doll, don't you ever forget that!

Happy Birthday, my little Rani Kutty!