Growing Up Creative

Pattern blocks, not only for the class room.

Pattern blocks are associated with something you would find in a class room.
Probably because they were designed as a mathematical manipulative tool to help kids learn mathematical concepts hands on, such as decomposing shapes into other shapes. About a year ago I have invested in a box of 250 vibrant pattern blocks. I wasn’t really thinking math when I bought them, knowing Zoe and myself, I was thinking more patterns (I tend to leave the math stuff for the teacher). And so it was. Ever since we got them our rug has been covered with vibrant patterns that we are always sad to take apart.

^{Patterns by Yotam and Zoe} 

It is a very soothing activity, hardly any frustrations. It is great for working alone or in pairs. Our set is made of wood which is very nice for the touch. Placed in the living room underneath the sofa, therefore it is easily accessible. The 250 pieces has been just the right amount of blocks for about an hour of exploration. Some times Zoe combines the pattern blocks with her building blocks and creates a magnificent ballroom floor in a grand palace. Other times the blocks are turned into intricate flowers, and some times just a composition of shapes created with her cousin Yotam. Ori (2 ½) has started using them also composing simple shapes by using 2-4 blocks together and giving it names.

This is the set we have (I didn't get any patterns or boards, just the blocks).

Further exploration:

Patten blocks on the computer

Pattern block and music

Pattern block template, print on a magnet paper , cut out shapes and play on magnetic board or fridge. 

Hearts for dinner

I was grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, my favorite. while suddenly I bumped into my friend Shoshi whom I sometimes call Shoshi Stewart because of her extra attention to details, her great aesthetics, and for making it all seems effortless (especially her kids birth day parties), just like Martha. Anyways, she surprised me with the question of “what are you making for valentines dinner?” I had no answer; I wasn’t planning of doing anything special till she asked me. Shoshi immediately filled me in with her menu which I have decided to adopt happily.

What’s for dinner:

1.    Tomato soup served in white bowls garnished with a sour cream heart
2.    Personal heart shape pizzas
3.    Salad (must have some green with all this red)
4.    Chocolate cake shaped like a heart

The pizza:
My kids usually make the pizza with little interference from me.
Roll the dough. (I bought some dough from Trader Joe's).
Cut out heart shapes (use a large cookie cutter or a knife).
Spread some tomato paste
Spread cheese (I usually use goat cheese or mozzarella)
Add preferred toppings such as olives, tomato, and basil leaves etc. use the toppings to decorate the pizza (this is a great opportunity to express some creativity).
Place in a preheated oven (follow bag direction for temperature)

I like the fact that this dinner will be a fun activity for Zoe Ori and Yotami (my nephew) as well as delicious.

I would love to hear if you have any other suggestions. Please add them to the comments.

Love
tali

Loving the heart - the origins of the heart symbol

The fascination with the heart symbol; if you have a girl you may just know what I am referring to. I cannot count the number of hearts featured in ZE’s drawings between the ages 3-5. She has explored the heart shape in every possible way, with any available medium. However, I can’t say I am completely innocent. Ever since she started preschool I have been writing her name with replacing the O. I have been ridiculed by my friends for branding my girl before her second birthday. 

The heart shape is an extremely prevalent symbol representing love. In the past the heart has been associated with emotions, moral, spirit and even the intellect. The word heart has long been used when referring to ones soul, while the stylized depiction of a heart is representing love. You would think the heart shape icon is driven form the actual heart inside our chest; even though you truly feel love as pains in your chest, the resemblance between the two is slim. Therefore the origin of the heart shape must come from somewhere else. One of the most intriguing suggestions goes back to the 7th century B.C. to the city-state of Cyrene.  Cyrene traded the rare, now extinct, plant silphium. This plant was widely used as an ancient herbal contraceptive (means for birth control). The seedpod of the silphium was shaped exactly like the iconic heart symbol, that is why historians believe its shape of the heart  have come to be associated with sexuality and love.

^{Ancient silver coin from Cyrene depicting a silphium seed or fruit.}

3 Epiphanies: learning how to draw, doing what you love.

When I first had my eyes checked I was surprised to learn that I needed glasses. I remember how astounded I was when I first put them on. Suddenly I realized how blurred my vision was. In that second, for the first time everything seemed more in focus, and the world seemed clearer to me. Like those glasses I can recall three events that influenced my creative perception, three Epiphanies.

Learning to see
The first thing I remember is a scene from Mistral’s Daughter mini TV series from 1985. In the scene Mistral, a well known painter, reveals the fundamentals of drawing to his daughter, by drawing an apple. I have recently watched it again for the second time and I was amazed to how detailed I remembered that scene. I think it was Mistral’s passion for his work that struck me as extraordinary. For me it was the beginning of consciously understanding how to see…how to draw.

 

Loving to draw
20 years later I still didn’t get it, the ‘drawing thing’. I was drawing here and there, I drew many life models, but it was never part of who I was. Then I took a technical drawing course with Michael Joyce in the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. As you can only imagine technical drawing is one of the more restricted and controlled types of drawing (some may even say boring), but Michael Joyce was very exited about it, and managed to some how give me some of his passion for drawing. He used to talk about lines and shading as if they were aged red wine and bittersweet chocolate. I specifically remember that one time we went on a field trip to draw at the Science Museum. I was sitting outside the museum drawing what was in my view, the Salt and Pepper Bridge over the Charles River in Cambridge. Suddenly I realized that I enjoy this very much, it was cold and gloomy but there was no other place I wanted to be or other thing I wished I was doing. Drawing was finally part of who I was. I didn’t learn much about drawing perspectives or casting shadows, oh well…

The need for making something out of fabric
The movie “In the mood for love” by Kar Wai Wong is breathtaking. I was struck by the beauty of the movie in general but more specifically with the dresses that Su Li-Zhen played by Maggie Cheung was wearing. A couple of days after watching it, I was coming back from New York City (I was living in Boston at that time), Oren was driving and I was enjoying the soft sun with my eyes closed. Thinking of the movie and those dresses, I realized I needed to go back to sewing, and visit a fabric store as soon as possible, something I didn’t want to do since high school (I was a fashion major). I went and got a sewing machine and I haven’t stopped sewing since. Going into a fabric store really makes my day. My favorite fabric store is Mood in NY. I recommend the movie and the soundtrack In the Mood for Love .

 

^{In the mood for love: Su Li-Zhen played by Maggie Cheung, directed and written by Kar Wai Wong} 

Getting them (those children of ours) to love nature walks.

Oren and I love being outdoors just as much as we love being inside (maybe a little more) when we moved to California from the cold east (2 ½ years ago) one of the things we decided was to have nature walks as an integral part of our family experience.
The first challenge was to find where to go; we needed kid friendly hikes not too difficult with a bit of interest. The first place we went to was Solstice Canyon recommended by a friend. We turned back about 1/3 mile down the trail (we got to the big Oak tree past the bridge) the complaints became too great.

The grumblings didn’t stop. Many more hikes were cut short. Until one hike became our turning point. It was the Eaton Canyon trail nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains. We couldn’t get Zoe to go home. All we did different was to bring along a sketch book and some coloring pencils. I think that was one of the first times she drew from observation. She was drawing the cactus in front of her and many more things from her imagination. I thought I found the secret to our  hikes.

Soon enough the complaints came back…amplified. We had to find another outlet.
Like their mother, Zoe and Ori think highly of food (especially Zoe). I strongly believe that any great experience must have some culinary aspect to it other wise it is not complete. So we added an herbal mint tea thermos and some Israeli wafers to the experience. They join us on every hike. The challenge now is to find the best picnic spot. After adding the thermos and wafers to our backpack, complains diminished to almost none. 

^{New Years day picnic spot at Charmlee Wilderness Park in Santa Monica Mountains}

^{Ori walking Pepsi our little yorki}

^{Zoe drawing from the Tu-Bishvat activity book using water color travel compact set by Winsor & Newton}

^{zoe, tali from the Tu-Bishvat activity book}

For occasional unavoidable complaints I tell them stories (they love hearing stories from our childhood and from when they were babies) and sprinkle some games that we can play while we walk.

Here are some games we usually play:

1. 20 questions (most favorite):
One person is thinking of an animal. The others need to reveal that animal by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Participants are allowed 20 questions (we don’t really keep track)

2. Sounds of silence (we usually play it when Ori doesn’t stop talking)
Keep quiet for few minutes, cup your hands behind your ears to make everything sound louder (similar to a Deer that have large ears that are very sensitive to sound). How many sounds can you hear?  We compare our list of sounds when Ori starts to talk again. This is a great game to sharpen one hearing sense, and engage with the surrounding.

3. Walk like...
Experiment with different animal walks such as: an elephant, a bear, penguin, frog (Ori’s favorite) etc.

4. Eye and ear helper
Decorate and empty paper roll, keep both ends open. Punch a hole at one end, thread a string through the hole and make a necklace sized loop.
Wear the eye and ear helper around your neck as you walk.
Use it like a telescope to spot things along the way, turn it into a magnifying hearing device by placing it near your ear, listen to different sounds.
This is an idea I got from a book I highly recommend ”Trails, Tails & Tide pools in Pails”  by the Docents of Nursery Nature Walks.  You can find it and more in the family favorite book shop.

5.  Tree exploration activity book
I have designed an activity book you can print and take with you on your hikes. This book was originally designed as a Tu-Bishvat activity book (the Jewish New Year for the trees) but it may be used by all tree lovers. Please check it out. Free download (pdf)

To sum it up:
This weekend we went back to the same hike we started 2 ½ years ago… at Solstice Canyon. This time we actually managed to finish the 1 mile long trail (each way). We heard birds chirping, water running in the stream, water gushing in the waterfall, kids giggle, frogs, footsteps, wind blowing through the leaves. We had a wonderful time. At the end we had a little surprise, but I won’t tell you what it was you have to go there your self. 

Our family walks are now part of our family rituals together with the tea and wafers.

Links trail information:
national park service (US)
Solstice Canyon (santa monica mountains)

Childrens nature institute (Los Angeles)

Recommended reading:

Trails, Tails & Tide Pools in Pails by the Docents of Nursery Nature Walks

I love dirt by Jennifer Ward