This is a simple art activity you can do with children that looks really effective. The other day we did it for fun but we have also done them before as homemade greeting cards...

Isaac then drew his squares and circles as he pleased. After each one he just lightly brushed around each one with a little water. He tried to use fresh water for each colour so the colours bleed into each other a little but not so much that one colour gets lost in the other too much. 

We let it dry then peeled off the tape.Then we displayed with pride...

With the other picture that Lucas wanted to do, we taped around the paper as before. Then I placed tape all over the picture in random lines.Lucas used the pastels to colour in lines. He is all about colouring in lines of colour at the moment. All his pictures are coloured this way so we just went with it. I imagine the picture would be equally great no matter how you coloured over the tape. He then brushed over each section with a little water. Again cleaning the brush between each section of colour for the same reason as above. Letting the colour bleed a little but no so much that the whole page becomes one colour...

It's really important to make sure it's completely dry before you very carefully remove the tape. Otherwise it can smudge onto the white areas. Lucas was amazed to watch the picture change as I removed each section of tape. Like he didn't see it coming at all. Adorable.Then again we displayed with pride...

Really simple and really fun.

Spring Whisperings...

It's not officially Spring here yet. The branches are still bare and empty.

The remains of lasts years garden are still on display...

But there are whisperings. The lighter mornings, the random warm day, a few buds showing, a lone daffodil brave enough to come out. And the Crocus, always the first to show itself in all it's tiny glory...

This hint of Spring. But having been heartbroken over the lack of snow for two damn winters in a row, I cannot help but get excited about the possibility of Spring. I'm willing to take the risk. Last Saturday it was unusually warm and sunny. I couldn't wait to get out and start gardening for the first time this year.

My hands in the dirt, the boys playing around me with no coats on, examining the garden for change and new growth....

Lucas asked to help, I showed him what to do while gently reminding him that we are not in fact digging for gold.

"What are we doing then?' he asked. 
'Just waking up the soil and taking out the weeds' I replied. 
After that, all I could hear from him as he jumped from one end of the garden to the other is 'wake up soil, wake up...' That day made my heart happy. The next day it was bitterly cold and it rained heavily all day. But I didn't care...
In me Spring is already whispering, and it's saying 'wake up Siân, wake up...'

Beach best bits

Making sand pictures...

The race to the sea...

Hello Sea...

Little cold faces poking out of winter hats...

Rock patterns...

Digging and exploring...

Watching the waves crash upon the rocks...

Playing until the sun goes down...