I would wither away and die if I didn’t have access to creativity. You could say that’s just me. But I know for a fact that expressing yourself through creative activities can be soul-nourishing and that’s why I encourage my kids to allow their creative juices to flow any way they feel. Art workshops are a brilliant way to do that and last week the boys were lucky enough to try one out at ElenART Studio in Nicosia.
When you have to spend your time at home, you explore the old games and DVDs you haven’t used in years. And there, suddenly, forgotten at the back of the shelves, you stumble upon an old DVD box of the Inspector Morse. The iconic TV series from the 1990s has aged in places, but there’s a timeless quality to John Thaw’s interpretation of Morse. Morse on paper sounds harsh, grumpy, and like an unbearable know-it-all. But Thaw has given the eternal bachelor a touching grace. And while you laugh at the fashion or the desperate attempts that Morse makes to chat up women, there’s something inspiring about his life. And, perhaps, just for a moment, you can turn to Inspector E. Morse for tips on how to make your lifestyle feel a little sophisticated. After all, Morse is a man of taste. So what can we learn from him?
So here we are, smack bang in the middle of a pandemic and many of us on lockdown. There’s fear and panic in the air and uncertainty that has us all freaked out. Schools have closed as I’m sure everything else will too at some point in the very near future. And so, many of us have found ourselves at home with the kids more than we’re used to, some of us are homeschooling, others are trying to work from home and all of us just want to make it until bedtime. With the help of my readers and social media I’ve put together a quick post on how to keep the kids busy so you can get some shit done, reminders to take care of ourselves and things to do as a family.
Motor learning results in the ability to perform a skill as a result of practice or experience. In adulthood, we think nothing of picking up a coin we’ve dropped on the ground, tying our shoelaces or writing with a pen, but all of these are learned skills which were built early on in life. Helping your children build their fine motor skills will give them more independence and perform important everyday tasks throughout their life, from writing to dressing themselves, feeding themselves and anything that involves hand movement. Here are some ideas for going about it.
We’ve had one of those big ceramic pots on our veranda for over two years now. Inside is a climbing plant – not sure which kind- that quickly managed to cling onto the wall next to it. So when we decided to spray-paint the pot, we knew we wouldn’t be easy. Turns out it wasn’t that hard at all mainly because we had one of those spray paint handle grips. What a life changer. I have always loved spray painting stuff. Frames, pots, glass jars, ornaments and light fixtures. So I know a good spray paint brand when I see one. Enter Pinty Plus. Oh and they have little ones too. You know, for little hands.