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The promised story about our stay in the City of Voronezh, or the meeting of the children’s art-group in new membership

July 12, 2010, Monday

In Place of Introduction

When returning from the south of Russia to our native city, we stopped in Voronezh at our friends’ place for a day (after 13 hours of driving). The main reason for making a one-day break from driving was the conduction of a children’s art-group! :) Having read in “Parents’ Ideas” about our art-meetings for kids, our mummy-friends from Voronezh asked us to visit them and give a “guest performance” :)

We decided to organize the meetings in the apartment of its youngest participant – 11-month-old Lika. By 10:30 we brought Soniya (2,2 yr.), Andrew (1,7 yr) and Karim (1,7 yr) there. I tried not to think of how everything would go – to conduct an art-meeting in a company of such little ones – that was quite new for me. Before our daughter Soniya had been the youngest at such meetings; she copied the elder kids and we were at home (there were no unknown distracting things there). How everything would go that day – let’s see in practice :) .

The children if not greeted each other happily, then, at least, felt comfortable in the company of each other. Lika was shining with smiles, Soniya immediately figured out where the greatest number of toys was, Andrew and Karim did not fall behind in their investigations, either.

Kids’ Creativity

We started with the meditation part – without balance within it is difficult to do any creative work, especially with such little toddlers. Only Karim behaved ideally – he was sitting on his mother’s lap quietly and with attention watching everything. Actually, we hadn’t expected that the children would sit absolutely quietly. As for me, I was happy that Soniya was participating in all the suggested meditation activities. And what of it that between them she found time to get into the playpen with toys turned onto its side?!

The aim is reached – everybody has got joyful state! We are moving to the second part!… Hm-m-m, Read the rest of this entry »

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Internet Community “Mothers’ Blogs” has launched its first competition. And notwithstanding the fact that officially we are on holiday, we could not but take part in it! The terms of the competition are the following: “interesting mummies’ talks in which you participate or hear on the children’s playground, some not quite ordinary situations that you are living each day”. The prizes for the competition are given by “A Store for a Mother and Her Little One” and Maria Klimova, the author of the book “Talks in a Sandpit, ot Stories from Mothers’ Life”.

And here is our story for the competition:

The first recollections after the child’s birth are always very sweet and memorable: in two hours after Soniya’s birth (though then we did not know that it would be Soniya :) ) my husband came to the hospital and brought us a huge bouquet of orange roses, the first night with a baby (who is not within but beside you!) – I am afraid to fall asleep as what if the child will want to eat, in the afternoon I am keeping our little one under the sun rays falling through the window – a treatment for inogenous jaundice, I am a bit worried but I know that everything will be fine…

child’s birth

There was something else.

Among 1-, 2-, 3-bed wards, I chose the one for two people: there is always someone to ask for help and advice if needed. Unfortunately, my roommate was Read the rest of this entry »

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The authors of Parents’ Ideas are going on holiday for several weeks. But before leaving we cannot but show you the prizes we have just sent to the winners of the competition The Month of Rainbow Hummingbirds. For Ulya we’ve prepared her portrait created from hundreds of pictures of hummingbirds (click the pictures to enlarge them):

photo mosaicphotomosaic

For Maxim and Martina we’ve prepared personal diplomas (as they haven’t sent us their portrait photos): Read the rest of this entry »

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Our holiday turned out to be postponed a little. So, let us share with you some more interesting stories from our life while we are still at home.

Much time has passed since we last had the meeting of the children’s art-group! One child is ill then another one… But in May we decided that one of its Sundays will be definitely devoted to the children’s meeting but… different circumstances interfered again.

We decided not to give up! And started to adjust the circumstances to us :) . Marina and Gulya had wanted to drop in at our place for a long time already. “So, we will hold the art meeting with them! And it does not matter that they are adults. They love kids so much :) ” – I thought.

And again circumstances. I’d planned for us one kind of art but it did not happen: just did not have time to buy everything we could need (but everything was for the better – we’ll leave that idea for the next meeting with kids :) ). But, frankly speaking, I was already sure that there would not be any art at all. But in the morning on Sunday Soniya (2 yrs) and I went to the florist’s to buy some flowers for the creation of a festive atmosphere in our room!.. And my mind started to work, very quickly, inventing something (already on the previous day I’d felt the state of joy typical for such collective meetings, that is why “nothing” simply could not take place :) ).

That state increased when we conducted the first part of the meeting – the meditative one! And we started creating in that state of joy!

I offered Soniya, aunt Marina and aunt Gulya the main elements for the future cards: skeletonized leaves and butterflies which we’d bought together with flowers. And all the rest for the cards was what we’d got at home.

Adults and Kids Create Together, or the Eights Meeting of the Art-group

The cards turned out to be quite different!

In Soniya’s and my variant Read the rest of this entry »

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More and more works are coming to the Contest-festival of children’s land art works, not only from new participants but also from those you have already sent us their works before.
One more work by Kasimir, 7 yrs (participant number 1):

land art

Click to enlarge

Here is what Anaic, Kasimir’s mother, has said, “Yesterday, Kasimir made another Land Art suddenly. After some time, he called me and said, ‘Come and see my man of snails’. When I came to see his man, the snails were going away, slowly, of course, but surely! So, we replaced them again and I took photos”.

New participants of the Contest-Festival of children’s land art works

Meet the new participants of the Contest-festival: Read the rest of this entry »

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At the beginning of May Soniya had her 2nd birthday. And what birthday, especially, the kid’s one, without a cake?! But I did not want to buy a cake in some store (as recently I’ve been coming across articles and TV progs about the products which can do harm to our health). And I did not have any time to make the cake myself!… Finally I remembered what cake can be quickly made for the festive table.

Cakes for Children: recipe of a birthday cake

Cakes for Children: recipe of a birthday cake On a plastic bag (you’ll know why you need a plastic bag a little bit later), put Read the rest of this entry »

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As an epigraph: when I am thinking over what art (craft) we will do with Soniya (24 mo), first I try to show our daughter some unknown way of using her favourite things.

It is a period of dandelions in Soniya’s life now. She is looking at them through the window, picking them up when walking. They are the only flowers I allow her to pick up in the city.
Once I brought home a piece of nature for Soniya – dandelions. And the most interesting activity started:

Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve realized in practice one more attractive aspect of creating land-art works. Imagine, you’re making some picture from cones, sticks and flowers and the thought that soon someone will accidently see the created picture/sculpture, literally, takes your breath away! Will see, get surprised and, hopefully, rejoice and smile.

Recently Soniya and I were in the Kremlin again. The number of pine cones on the grass had grown because of the winds blowing for weeks on end. The initiator to “build a house from them” was Soniya (23 mo).

land art

It was she who decided to add some sticks to our creation. The constructor of geometric figures was me and Soniya played the role of a witness and silent admirer :)

land art

land art

Anastasia

The Competition of Children’s Land Art Works

Richard Shilling was very happy to learn that we are conducting a contest devoted to children’s land art works! Let me quote him a bit: “I see that you are now having a competition, what a great idea! I am so happy to see you and your blog readers are embracing land art and seeing how fun and educational it can be!” As it is not a real competition in the full meaning of the word (the winners will be chosen by a drawing and not by some special jury), Richard has suggested to specify, “The Festival of Children’s Land Art Works”.

The first participants of the Contest-Festival of Children’s Land Art Works

Meet the first participants of the Contest-Festival of Children’s Land Art Works: Read the rest of this entry »

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The baby’s first birthday is an important landmark in the child’s his parents’ life. We try to make the little one happy and to organize everything in such a way for the event to be a good memory. Though Soniya’s and Arseny’s first birthdays are left far behind, it’s always interesting for us to learn how this holiday is celebrated in other families. Here is what one of our friends, mother Olga, has told us:

“The season of first birthdays has come to the yard of our house (where all the mummies walk with their babies). We’ve got about 20 kiddos of the same age, most of whom have got birthdays in April. So, 8-11 mummies with babies are gathering now from time to time at someone’s apartment to celebrate this important date.

The First Birthday of Little Olga

From Olga’s first birthday I remember: Read the rest of this entry »

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April has finished and the Contest “The Month of Rainbow Hummingbirds “ has finished together with it. Different hummingbirds flew to us during this month: the birds made of plasticine and wooden blocks, cut out of paper and cloth, painted with watercolours and crayons… We thank all the participants of the Contest for their enthusiasm, ideas and joy our readers and we got looking through the art works:

Our participants

1. Irina Kovtun (8 yrs, Ukraine);
2. Nirmala Kovaleva (27 mo, Russia);
3. Sasha Antonov (3 yrs 9 mo, Russia);
4. Alon (4 yrs, Israel);
5. Anastasia Tsebrenko (2 yrs 3 mo);
6. Maria Karpova (14 yrs, Russia)
7. Masha Andreeva (3 yrs);
8. Maxim (Israel);
9. Olya Reutova (4 yrs, Ukraine);
10. Nadya, Niona’s daughter;
11. Ulya (3 yrs 5 mo)Anastasiya Solnechnaya’s daughter;
12. Renata Sidorova;
13. Natvei Vorobiev (3 yrs);
14. Ira, Matvei’s cousin (5 yrs);
15. Tanya, Matvei’s cousin (9 yrs);
16. Katalina(8 yrs, Argentina);
17. Ilya (2 yrs, Argentina);
18. Niranjan (8 yrs, Argentina);
19. Martina (12 yrs, Argentina);
20. Ines (13 yrs, Argentina);
21. Kandela (9 yrs, Argentina);
22. Enzo (6 yrs, Argentina);
23. Pavlik Andreev (33 mo)
24. Nika, Nadya’s sister
25. Miroslava

The numbers of the participants reflect the order in which the works came to the Contest.

Some more hummingbirds we’ve got but haven’t published yet:

appliqué work

Miroslava’s hummingbird made of pieces of cloth Read the rest of this entry »

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