Hapa LAB

Plate Settings.

2011-11-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

The breakfast bell rang early this morning...
We were pleasantly surprised by this lovely 3 person setting complete with: plate, fork, spoon, napkin, and juice glass. He got excited to try out the new cork mats from Ikea.
Apparently, we even got a complementary visit from Zozies favorite stuffies as VIP guests!
Now if only we can train him to whip up that nice HOT 3 course breakfast to be served on this nice setting?
I'll get workin' on that one.

Oh, Oh, Oh...

2011-10-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween again.
We opted for the faster Marker Jack-O-Lantern face this year!
Zozie liked that he could do multiple versions each day of the week...
Draw, put out on porch. Next day, wipe clean (washable markers), draw another face, put out on porch.
Rains. Oops.
Mama, my pumpkin face is melted!
It's ok, now we can draw AGAIN, right?

At school, there was the annual "Halloween Fashion Show Extravaganza".
And indeed it was.
Kids in fantastic costumes, having a dance party to the tunes of KATY PERRY's Fireworks.

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine.
Just own the night, like the 4th of July.
(but in October).
Oh, oh, oh...

Zozie wanted to be a Zoo elephant, and me to be his Zookeeper. Not exactly sure what the difference is between a "Zoo elephant" vs. just an "elephant" for costuming purposes? Pulling my safari shirt tight across my near 4month pooch belly, we made our debut that morning, bopping along.

In the evening, there's no getting away from the Trick-or-Treating this year.
We went along one block and collected the treats, then came home to do the best part of the evening...
The What will you pick? Game.

So what IS the What will you pick? Game, you ask?
The rules are simple.
Each person gets a tupperware bowl.
In our case, we had 3 people. (Zozie, Mama, Dalee).

We place the pile o' goodies in the middle.
Then we go around in a circle, asking "What will you pick? , taking turns to place one piece of treat in our bowl. Keep going till the stash is gone.
We place the lid on our tupperware and each have our own bowl of treats.

Best part of the game for mama & dalee?
That Zozie just has 1/3 of all he collected.
(Shhhhh.....)

I'm STUCK!!!

2011-10-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Mama...I'm STUCK!!!
We woke from a cry for help early this morning....
"Come to our room Zozie, what's the matter???"
We see this.
His hand, literally, CAUGHT IN A COOKIE JAR.
The face says it all. Altho the grip was still pretty tight.
Lesson learned.
Umm...We think.

Poking Fun!

2011-10-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Shape Tracing.

"I want to write smooth letters, mama..."
Zozie has been asking to write alot recently.
He's been working on his name, but at 3.5, he often does "love letters" where he's is pretending to write sentences in paragraph form and give them to me all folded up. The sentences are just loops and squiggles, but they connect, like cursive letters, or in his words, "smooth". "That's E, mama, look..."as he makes a small loop in one of his sentences.

Montessori starts toddlers with lower case cursive letters when introducing the alphabet. What? None of this ALL CAPITAL learning in all the kids toys, books, and teaching props sold in stores? What's up with that?

NOPE. Apparently, lower case cursive is considered the natural "next step" to a child drawing loops and circles. Once introduced, that actually made complete sense to me. Just think of your 3 yr old drawing pictures. How hard is it for him to make a solid straight line, let alone a series of straight lines that connect in a certain sequence (Print Capitals). Curves and loops are much easier for little hands. Also, grammatically, we don't write in all caps. Caps only begin a sentence and lower case letters are used 90+% of the time.

Now to the shape "poking". Tracing is the foundation on which Montessori builds writing skills. When a child shows interest in writing, they are asked to start with the METAL INSERTS. This repetition of tracing different shapes with a pencil builds their coordination and pencil grip, skills they need to master in order to move on to writing.

At the LAB, I was in need of a FAST new home tool, and the metal inserts were much too expensive to own. So this one is really simple, only requiring some paper and a marker. It builds on the idea of tracing shapes, so we used various geometric shapes, outlined by dots, and we asked Zo to hand-poke the dots for tracing purposes. Sounds basic and simple, but the kids really dig it. Now run along and go do some poking-fun of your own!

The Goal
To build hand eye coordination & focus as foundation to start writing

The Set Up
1) Cut scraps of paper
2) Markers to draw geometric shapes and outline each shape with dots. Make the dots more dense if child is older, looser if child is younger.
3) Sharpened Pencil
4) Small hand towel

The Presentation
1) Bring tray to the table
2) Select one shape to work on
3) Lay the shape on the folded towel to create a soft surface for poking
4) Take the sharpened pencil in one hand and come down firmly on one of the dots, piercing the paper
5) Continue to trace along the shape until all dots have been pierced.
6) Ask child to clip up their finished shapes on a ribbon (Our own addition to work clipping pincher skill and just an opportunity for the child to have a "finish" to the routine in displaying his work)

Some poking fun at home:

Puleta Ab-lay!

2011-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a Chinese speaking American toddler sounds like reading Spanish?

We were inspired by one of our Blog Followers who is a fluent native Spanish speaker teaching her daughter Chinese in their own homeschool. Since Dalee can speak Spanish, we thought to read a few Dora stories to Zozie, just to hear his "Spanese" accent!

Open the door, shouts Dora.
Puleta Ab-lay, screams Zozie.
(snicker, snicker...squeeks mama & dalee.)

BooBoo Glue.

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, my toddler LOVES band-aids.

They make everything better... kinda like ketchup. (For him).

They come in lots of fun shapes, sizes, and patterns.

We like sticking to the plain old boring beige, but sometimes "shake it up" with bright solid colors like zesty orange, mint green, and hot yellow.

(Wait, is that a color?)

We added this "First Aid" cup to his own VANITY STATION in the bathroom.

He goes through ALOT of band-aids, or "OK-Bands" (Pronounced "OKay-Bahn" in Japanese/Taiwanese) whenever there's an ou-wee.

But what's the Secret Sauce? The BooBoo Glue.

Yes, that's right. His own little antibiotic cream dispenser.

To Zo, the "Glue" is the key to success in healing everything.

He applies the glue to all wounds, even ones that don't break skin. I tried stopping him before, but it's just easier to not most times. Alittle extra glue never hurt anyone.

On this day though, Zozie came home with a bad sandal blister on the side of his foot. We've been gently nursing this tiny wound for the past day or two. He changes his own dressing and likes to give himself fresh OK-bands...until he's, well, OK! And when he's OK, I'm OK.

Here's a little clip of him playing paramedic to himself:

I shoulda had a...

2011-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been away this last month.
I've not been myself...just alittle off kilter.
Walkin' sideways when the world around me is darn straight.
I needed something fresh.
So I've met a new friend.
She's smooth, tart, and is good... very good to me.
Icy cold, but I like that.
We have been hanging out nightly, ever since I found out I have a new passenger on board.

That's right, we are growing a tiny new Hapa LAB rat.
A new subject to share in the fun here at the lab with Zozie.
For whatever reason, that little new labbie just loves V8.
But not much else.
Zozie has named our newest member "Little Bean" (小豆), or "Beanie" for short. We've updated Beanie's profile photo (on right @ 13 wks today) as a welcome to our LAB.

It's been a turbulent ride for us so far.
Intense insomnia, bland tastebuds, and that relentless nausea!
We are both glad we've found a new friend that doesn't mind hanging out with us in this most unflattering state. Crack me open another! I love me some liquid veggies.

Alas, we're slowly crawling out of that vortex of fatigue and typing on the keyboard again.
It's good to be back, my old friends.

The Harvest.

2011-10-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing says fall like going to a farm for a true harvest.
The sun. The soil. The corn. The hand-churned ice cream.
And yes... the sweat. The lines. The husk cuts on the hands from shucking.
We love it all...cuz it's real.
No costumes, no candy, no spooky stuff, and nothin' to buy.

We packed up the troops and headed out to Ardenwood Historic Farm again this year. This is actually our MAIN fall event each season. It highlights the changing of the seasons with brilliant foliage and teaches the true pioneer spirit of an active working farm. A perfect Montessori outing for little ones seeing the cycle of farming from soil to table.

I got a POPCORN one, mama!

Two varieties of maize for public harvest: Popcorn & Indian Corn. The popcorn was to be dried for a month, and can actually be popped on the cobb directly in the microwave or on the stove. What? Doesn't popcorn come out of the waxy bag from the microwave? The Indian corn was for decorative purpose only with it's beautiful kernels ranging from indigo blue, deep variations of plum, and glorious oranges & golds. The only rule was that you give back 50% of your harvest to the farm as payment for taking the other half home. A pretty good deal for the pure adventure of it all.

Ok, I guess there was ONE spooky thing on the farm...

Besides the crops, we met lots of nice bugs today...

This guy greeted us on the tractor train.

This little wormie said "Hello" when we peeled his home open.

At the farmhouse, we made our own husk doll, scrap quilt, and sampled hand churned ice cream and yummy homemade cookies & popcorn...

My choo-choo quilt.

Alot of muscle to make ice cream!

A nice BIG smooch for mama for a fun harvest day!

See you next year Ardenwood!

1062.65

2011-10-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hummm...What are you lookin' at???
The reason for the Long pause between posts.
And the short answer?
Our Junk.

So it's "Junk Clearing" time again.
Our Annual Mandarin Playgroup's Yard Sale is back! Junk Central is Chez Moi. Long driveway, perfect for displaying oldies but goodies (to others). This means all bags are dropped at my doorstep for the FUN FEST of sorting and tagging the 3 weeks before the big sale.

This time, 10 families joined in the madness!
Also new this year? An expanded "Dollar Snack Shack"!

Buying & Selling.
Pass up an opportunity for kids to practice real life transactions? Not on a Montessori mama's life! No...things are not free in life, and YES, we have to WORK for them. And that work is actually FUN...most of the time!

This little four letter word gets a bad wrap these days. WORK. It's really too bad. There are lots of way worst ones out there. "Work" is just the process of arriving at the next step of things. Nothing loaded... just a process. Yet ALOT of us spend ALOT of time trying to avoid it. It's like lifting your foot to take the next step so you can actually get somewhere, right?

Well for our Snack Shack Steps, we (with kids) made the signs, set the menu, made the inventory, then had the kids use a cash register and sell the products while trying not to consume everything themselves (lesson in self control built-in.) Work...but they felt like grown ups doing all this. And grown ups DO work, alot. Especially ones that stay home with kids all day...boy, do we work.
To be humane, we offered each child 2 snack coupons to redeem at the shack.

Why was everything a dollar?
Easy math. One item = One dollar. At ages 3-5, this math was something achievable. Minimal adult supervision, maximum independence. Although from the looks of the picture above, we may have ate most of our profits...yikes. Perhaps more adult supervision may have been wise.

After the fun hard work, we served a yummy Chinese noodle lunch complete with Boba drinks! (Yes, more food makes a happy bunch.)

More snap shots of the Big Sale!

@ the Check Out.

Snack Shop Maintenance.

Lollipops & Silly Faces...hard work.

Humm...what to eat next?

Given our jaw dropping success at last year's sale, we fell a little short of record breaking this year.
But with only a year's time to "restock" our junk, I'd say we did pretty well.

Still managed to juice this out.
1062.65
A nice chunk o'change to reuse and recycle.
Wanna go clear out some junk with some of your mommy pals?

Fly Away.

2011-09-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was a breezy blustery day back in summer...
Lots of kites, hundreds of kits, everywhere in the skies.
Every year, on a particularly windy hill, there is a Kite Festival here at the Berkeley Marina. We've heard about this and wanted to come see it LIVE with Zozie. A fantastic "natural element" lesson on the effects of wind and flight. Free to the public, and again, true to Berkeley form, free bike valet. We mounted our wheels, beanies on our heads, and rode off to that windy hill. Saw this view on arrival:

Look Dalee! Big Octopus in the sky!! (he's screaming as we approach...)
The excitement was building. We continued our ride and came just in time for the "Make your own Kite" workshop. Zo could not wait to get his very own kite up in the sky.

Maybe we can tie some strings to you Zozie and fly YOU in the sky?
No, mama...(chuckling) I'm too heeeeavy, I'm not a paper or a tail!
You need a tail to fly?
Yes, a long, LONG one.

He was ready to fly his creation.
A little added height from Dalee helped to get the maiden voyage going:

After watching a fantastic "Kite Ballet" competition in the sky, naptime approached. We picked out our own Octopus to take home, then saddled up. Pulling into the garage, we find THIS in the bike seat...

ZZZZZZ....with new kite in arms.

Some "Post-Nap" Flying:
Zozie wanted to fly his new kite with our home fan...Note - He's "working" the kite (pumping his arms back and forth) as that's how the kite competitors were demonstrating their choreography at the show.

If you have a big windy fan at home, try this out. It really is a great way for them to see the effects of wind and flight!

Wash & FOLD!

2011-09-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Folding Laundry

I do the WASH, and these days, he does the FOLD.
Never too early to put the kids to work.
Sounds harsh, but they actually like it! (Really.)
This is the FOLDING lesson. Got stuff to HANG?
Check out our post on HANGING.

The "Finish" prize!

The Goal
Learn how to fold clothes.
Specifically shirts, pants, underwear

The Set Up
A pile of clean laundry
A small whistle (my own variation)

The Presentation

Shirts:

1) Lay the shirt flat on floor with sleeves stretched out
2) Fold in one sleeve, press flat evenly
3) Fold in second sleeve, press flat evenly
4) Bring the bottom of the shirt up and fold in half, press flat evenly
5) Place in a stack to the side
6) Once the whole stack is done, blow the whistle to signal finish!

Pants:

1) Lay the pants flat on floor with legs stretched out
2) Fold in pant leg over in half, press flat evenly
3) Fold waist side down in half, press flat evenly
4) Place in a stack to the side
5) Once the whole stack is done, blow the whistle to signal finish!

Underpants:

1) Lay the underpants flat on floor
2) Fold in half, press flat evenly
3) Place in a stack to the side
4) Once the whole stack is done, blow the whistle to signal finish!

One sleeve over.

Other sleeve over.

Up in half, done!

SO WHAT'S UP WITH THE RED WHISTLE?
The "Whistle Step" was added for Zozie to have an incentive to finish the whole stack. He loves to blow the whistle so I threw that in to give him more of a sense of completeness. It's not a must, and can be something else, but this was a quick way for us to make it more fun for him!
As with most things, a (moving) picture is worth a thousand words (see below!).

The Shirt Video:

The Pants Video:

The Underoo Video:

and CUT!

2011-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Food Cutting.

What's up with kids and wanting to cut things up?
It fascinates them, fully occupies them, and seems highly satisfying to them.
Guess that's why it's one of the most basic of practical skills in Montessori: Cutting.
Teach them to do properly what they want to do naturally.
No need for uphill battles, right?

I dunno.
Sounds dangerous.
Toddler + Knife = Worried Mom.

It's ok, let's ease into it.
The set up is really simple and you can get started right away.

The Goal
Learning how to cut using a knife

The Set Up
1) Small cutting board
2) Butter knife or dull table knife
3) Soft fruit: Melon, bananas...
4) 2 Small plates (one with fruit, one to serve with)
5) Small apron

The Presentation
1) Have the child put on the apron and come to the table
2) Be sure to have all parts of the Set Up ready
3) Peel the fruit or have it in wedges already (melon)
4) Hold the fruit with one hand, knife in the other
5) Come down firmly with the knife from the top
6) Do a gentle "see-saw" motion till it clicks with the board
7) Lift knife and repeat until all cut up
8) Scrap all loose fruit onto the serving plate
9) I have Zo put toothpicks (animal ones) in the fruit to serve.

chopping at 2.5.

We first introduced this skill to Zozie at 2.5 yrs old, nearly a year ago. It's been quite the life saver actually at dinner prep time. If they get fussy, just bust out a banana and have them go at it. Totally keeps them occupied and content. So you might waste a banana, but so what? That 19 cents bought you some quiet cooking time, yes! He's still at it a year later, doesn't get old I guess.

Preparing an afternoon snack at 3.5yrs old:

Some age reference if you have a younger one...

Working on some melon at 2 yrs 11 months:

Working on a Banana at 2.5yrs old:
*Difficult to capture since he was aware of the camera*

LAB Work: Mirror Mirror

2011-09-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Work Budget: Re-used items $0
Time: 15 mins
Location: Our own washroom

So it all started with this little mirror.
It fell out of it's original frame, just a small 5x7 piece, on it's way to the dumpster. Watching Z one morning, I I saw him tip-toe-ing on his stepping stool in the bathroom, trying to see himself in our vanity mirror.
Yes! I found it a new home!

In the gap between the faucet and the bottom of our vanity mirror frame,
Zozie's very own vanity station.

I actually wanted to set something up like this for a while but never saw how I could since our bathroom is so small. We already switched out the faucet handles to be levers vs. knobs so tiny hands can operate the fixture easier. Also brought in a ducky soap dispenser to replace the messy soap bar. One of the suggestions of a Montessori environment is to provide a vanity area for the child to self groom. Sounds cute, could be practical, but where?

The Station
The answer has always been there, right on the counter. I cleared a mini floating shelf that I used directly on the sink counter. Placed 3 glass candle cups above, and filled them with various sundries for Zo: Brushes, combs, lotion, floss, band-aides & Boo-boo cream. Below it housed 4 small wash clothes for post-wash hand drying. Everything is within reach for self service.

The Teeth Cup
Right in front of the Station is the Teeth Cup. A double handles rinse cup with tooth brush and tooth paste inside. I started to get travel sized toothpaste for Zozie so he could open/close his own tube and dispense freely.

The Stepping Stool
If you haven't already, this is a must in every toddler's bathroom. A little boost goes a LONG way in self confidence and independence.

The Night Light
We added a Dino night light for night time potty-tunities. Nothing worst than being woken up to take a toddler potty because they can't see where they are going!

So, in the end, we got a mini makeover in our mini bathroom after all. Sometimes it just takes a small spark (or a small broken mirror) to get things going. It's nothing glamorous, and far from fancy, but it works. Zozie is very happy with his new vanity mirror and station, and mama is ecstatic that she doesn't have to help wipe the toothpaste bubbles from Zo's mouth anymore! He can see his own messy face now (and fix it)!

Order UP!

2011-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ding, Ding.
"Breakfast is READY!!!!", he yells from the kitchen.

Another new addition to our home classroom...THE BELL.
Found this little retro gadget at our local Homegoods for 3 bucks.
On many days, this sound wakes us in the morning.
This is when Zo can't wait for his lazy parents to get out of bed to serve him breakfast. A hungry boy has got to take matters into his own hands. Mama needs those extra minutes in bed somedays...ahhhhh strreeettchhhhh!!!

My early efforts in building towards his independence in the kitchen is paying off (yippee!). We have found cereal bowls set up for 3, toast, or eggs cracked in bowls for me to fry, ready on the table when we have answered the bell.

I think he really likes the power of the DING.
Dalee and I jump up like it's the Tardy Bell at school, Geesh.
Talk about rude, but sweet, awakening...

The Breakfast Cereal Set Up:

Weeeee!

2011-08-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

This is Zo's ride...the WeeRide.
In the world of "Toddler Cycling", there are 2 basic schools of thought.
The training wheels vs. The balance bike.

We picked the Balance Bike (or Glider), the idea being more in-line with our Montessori Homeschool. Always, just try the REAL thing and practice till you get it, no training wheels (in this case, literally).

Easier to learn how to pedal than how to balance, right? So naturally, we opted for the harder task first. The cool thing about this cool ride is that they can start trying at 2 yrs old. Short little legs? No problem. The training wheel bike needed slightly longer gams, which Zozie didn't grow yet. At first he walk around with the bike between his legs alot. Soon after a few months, at 2.5, he started to sit down on the seat. Then the magic happened. He walked while sitting. That evolved into a faster paddle and before we knew it, he was gliding...Weeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Like our homemade-classroom tools, we take the jist and come up with an inexpensive version. In this case, we went with the WeeRide for our Balance tool. This is a tiny metal bike with 10" foam wheels that don't need inflation. It comes with a hand brake for a basic introduction to this hand motion. We are adding our own bell. Wooden versions like Skuut run $100, other aluminum ones go from $100-$200. For us, $22 sounded perfect. Just in case he didn't take to it, no big loss.

Needless to say, Zo absolutely LOVES his WeeRide. At 3, we now take family rides and go to stores together on our own bikes. It's really a funny sight when we are all out. Most people can't believe they are seeing a bike that small with an even smaller boy on it. They often don't notice it's a pedal-less bike until we point it out because of his sheer speed. Z asked for his own lock so he can lock up at the racks like us. A simple 4 digit combo lock from Target ($5) did the trick.
Like Z says, "C'mon guys, let's Wiiiddde!"
His riding skills? Check. His "R's"? Still working on it.

His favorite "down grade" outside our front sidewalk:

The Slicer!

2011-08-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Egg Slicing.

We learned how to Crack em' already.

And now...we Slice em'!

Eggs are amazing things. It's one food that offers endless teaching opportunities. That fragile shell: You can crack it, peal it, paint it, dye it. Its existence in different forms: You can boil it, beat it, slice it, mold it. The malleability of it is incredible. It truly is a fabulous Wonder Tool!

I picked up an egg slicer a few weeks back at a garage sale for 50 cents. A new way to mess with eggs, gotta have it. I've never used one before this but it seemed an obvious Montessori tool the second I saw it.

Continuing on the road to self reliance, little gadgets often add to Zozie's repertoire of skills in the kitchen.

Goal
Learn to slice eggs with an egg slicer

The Set Up

1) Egg Slicer

2) Small Plate (2)

3) Napkin

4) Hard boiled Egg(s)

Presentation

1) Take a hard-boiled egg and crack on the edge of a plate

2) Rotate the egg until it is evenly soften for peeling

3) Start the peeling process and place shells onto one plate

4) Continue until shells are gone then wipe hands on napkin to remove extra chips

5) Place the egg on the slicer horizontally (The yolk stays in more)

6) Hold the slicer bottom half down with left hand

7) Gently with the right hand, bring the wire slicer down onto the egg, slowly.

8) Push down all the way until it clears the egg.

9) Remove the egg gently and place on the serving plate, serve.

10) Repeat if the child wants to try another egg

This has been an exciting part of serving eggs for Zozie. He'll sometimes "splay" the slices to present it like a flower afterwards. The cool-factor of working with something that you can then EAT is still a big hit for a toddler. So from boiling, to cracking, to peeling, to slicing, to serving, it's a complete work cycle that he can see from beginning to end, and best of all, participate in himself.

Another chip in the O'Independence jar, CHING!

A little slice of our slicer:

BLOBhead.

2011-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Meet BLOBhead.

Zozie's latest creation.
He drew it, then named it.

BLOBhead has a bright mooostach.

He also drew some friends for BLOBhead.
I think matching family Tees with BLOBhead on them are in order?

BLOBhead's Brother with Eyebrows.

BLOBhead's Friend: "Sad Spider" with tears.

TO DO.

2011-08-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Got a million things on your mind?

I Do. Man, I sure do.

For those who know me, I'm a HUGE list maker.

My mind is always swirling with endless thoughts. Like a messy closet, it's good to just routinely clear out and re-sort. That's how I see "THE TO DO LIST." Dump out whats floating, sort out the thoughts by priority, check it off as needed. Knowing what's ahead settles stress and anxiety and avoids the undue burden of keeping it all in your head.

When life gets tough, grab a pen and paper.

Such is the curriculum of "Tools of the Mind", a particular teaching technique as mentioned in the book Nurture Shock.

"TOTM is a research-based early childhood program that builds strong foundations for school success in preschool and kindergarten children by promoting their intentional and self-regulated learning."

Key Words noted? Intentional Self-Regulated Learning.
Wow, right up my Montessori alley!
It's not so much completing the goals of all the presentations I show. That's just the details. The REAL joy is that my child is learning how to govern himself. I want to give him tools that are helpful to his success in daily life, to make good choices, to know what is best for himself. For as cute as it is to see him sort marbles, I'm the happiest knowing that he's learning reasoning skills and an understanding of the physical & conceptual world in order for him to resolve problems that arise, WITHOUT my assistance. We all know that we can't be with our children forever, so what do we want to leave them with?

The TO DO LIST works for me, so why not for my toddler? I found a calendar that breaks out the day into hour-slots. This works best since we can list a task for each hour. A black pen for me to write events, a green marker (or your choice) for him to cross out as he completes the task.

Goal
A conceptual understanding of time and sequence of events

Set Up
1) Daily calendar that has hour breakdowns
2) One black/blue pen
3) One colored marker

Presentation
1) Have your child come close next to you
2) Talk through the day's events and start with breakfast
3) Go slowly and narrate each task, ask the child if that's a "good thing to do?"
4) Once they agree to the task, write it down
5) Feel free to verbally spell words out as you write them.
6) Draw pictograms or symbols next to the task to trigger child's memory
7) As items are complete, invite the child to come cross out each task so he gets a sense of time, progression, and sequence of events

"What's Next?"
After the first few days, I realized that I needed to draw "Pic-to-grams" next to my list items. I'm not an artist, but my little chicken scratches helped tremendously. Since Zozie can't read yet, it was difficult for him to refer back to "What's Next?" Once I started to draw little symbols while saying the task, it stuck like HONEY. Zo would be able to recall events that happened a week ago, simply by "reading" his list and seeing the pictures. Example: I drew a small cat face next to a playdate where the host house had a cat in their neighbor's yard...a week later, Zozie saw the appointment and said "I already played at N's house last time!" just by seeing the cat's face.

Less Conflicts
The results were immediate. Zo would wake up in the morning and ask for his list. "What's on my list today mama?" If I say an event, he would ask if it's on our list, or what time it's on our list. And if he deviates from what we write down (not wanting to get dressed, or not eat dinner yet), I would refer him back to his TO DO list and he would actually comply! *Shock* "It's not time for puzzles Zozie, the list says it's time to get dressed, right?" "Oh yeah, right!" (Then he goes to get clothes).

Open Slots
Of course there are "open" tasks as one can't possibly schedule out every second of the day. In those times, I write down the "biggest" task (ie. Play with trains), and if he happened to do a few other things, it's not a deal breaker.

The peace and clam that comes with knowing what's next is incredible. A simple list, created with a child, for that child, clarifies the confusing world. Again, intentional & self regulating. A perfect pairing with our Montessori homeschool!

Crossing off the TO DO list:

Graffiti Cat.

2011-08-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

A scratchy feline stared at us this morning.

Caught him in the act yesterday...chalk in hand.

Right on our wooden fence.

Let's keep the spray paint away from this munchkin, eh?

LAB Work: Wanna take this OUTSIDE?

2011-08-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Work Budget: Pocket Change + Free stuff

Time: 2 Short Afternoons

Location: Our own carport, CA

Finally...A play yard for Zozie!
One man's trash is another's treasure.
Our front neighbors have moved to a new home and left us their play slide as a parting gift. This wonderful gift has "domino'd" into our latest transformation, this time, outdoors!

Our apartment unit is on top of our carport, a small abode of around 700-ish sq ft. We have no yard. Never had. Wished we had. So I'm always scheming to get a yard, or a "yardish" feeling around our carport area.
Yes, yardish.

Before: A place for our trash cans...and some oil stains.

After: "My garden park!" ~ Zozie.

Centerpiece
Often times, there's a "spark" to start a transformation. Something that gets the momentum going. To squeeze the most out of the 6x6 space outside, I placed the new-old slide as the focal point. This was the start of our play yard space planning, placing everything around this centerpiece for circulation. Some foam mats line the floor to give alittle cushion from the scratchy floor.

Seating
If you actually want people to be in a particular space, you need seating. Nothing pulls people in to a space faster than putting some chairs out. It's really true. You should try it. Just put a chair anywhere, make it a couple, and people will start hanging out there. So since I wanted the kids to hang out in this play yard, I placed a set of table and 2 chairs next to the slide. (Garage Sale finds: $15) Threw in a discounted umbrella from Target to shade and identify the dining area. And now, we dine Al Fresco @ Zo's Cafe multiple times a week. Also a perfect "snack buffet" zone when we have playdates.

Garden
For as much as I daydream, this is still a concrete driveway nook. But green space was on the top of my list for Zozo's home classroom, so flower boxes were in order. I found some old ones in the shed and planted some herbs and flowers. Zo & I also potted a red bell pepper plant and a cherry tomato plant. It's been nice for Zo to have something to water and watch grow. Our small container garden also acts as a "partition" wall, bringing some green into the playspace. An old fireplace screen (leftover from our Annual Yard Sale) keeps the plants separated from flying balls!

Storage Bucket
As in our Homeschool Classroom, storage is needed and essential. Nothing makes a space more confusing than not having a place to return things to. We used a city recycling bin as a "Catch All" for balls, gloves, bats, roller skates, and all loose toys.

Private Pool
For the summer only, we set up an inflatable kiddie pool for some splashy fun. This is in our extended concrete area outside our laundry room downstairs. Glad the kids love this Dino Falls Splash Pool (Again from Target post-summer sale) since I nearly passed out from exhaustion manually blowing this contraption up. (Cough!)

It's such a blessing to have an extended play space now. We are proud to say we have our own outdoor play yard, a fun extension to our indoor home classroom. So ya wanna take this outside too?

Dish Master.

2011-08-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Dish Washing

We got his preschool "Report Card" a few weeks back.
Pretty funny at first...really? A report card? C'mon, the kid's 3. But typical to Montessori curriculum, documentation is an important part of charting a child's development, used as a building block for introducing future presentations and skills.
But still, he was only there 7 weeks till summer started. I'm curious....

A small key code reads: "Presented = 1", "Practiced = 2", or "Mastered = 3".
Looking down the list, I see a few "3's"....one of which, is next to the skill:
DISH WASHING.
Wha dah?

The past 2 + weeks or so, Zozie has shown an intense interest in washing dishes. I didn't think to show him this since it seemed pretty involved for a 3 year old. I was wondering where this intensity was being fueled and humored him by letting him splash around at times. Little did I know, he was a "Master" dish washer at his preschool already...hahaaa!

With this new knowledge, I got to work in facilitating his new practical life skill.

Goal:
Learn how to wash dishes

Set Up:
1) Stepping Stool
2) Soap Pump
3) Dish Soaking Tub
4) Dish Towel
5) Sponge
6) Soap Dish (To hold sponge)
7) Small Apron

Presentation
1) Ask child to bring step stool to the sink & lay out dish towel on counter
2) Take the sponge and hold under the soap pump
3) With palm, push down on the pump and dispense some soap on to the sponge
4) Pull the lever upwards to start water flow
5) Pull out one dish from the soaking dish tub
6) In a circular fashion, wash the surface of the dish until clean
7) Do the same on the back side
8) Place the sponge back into the soap dish
9) Rinse the dish by rubbing one hand over dish
10) Flip the dish over and repeat until all bubbles have been rinsed off
11) Give a gentle "Shake" for excess water
12) Place on to dish towel
13) Repeat until all dishes are clean & dump out the excess water from the dish tub

This is just my working "pipeline" for dish washing at our house. At school, the kids don't have access to a sink with running water for dish washing so I'm sure the presentation is alittle simpler. Not sure if they do soap either at school.

But at our house, doing the set up for Zo to wash dishes has made it actually easier for all of us. Seeing him struggle with squeezing the soap out of the regular container prompted me to find an old hand soap bottle with pump and transfer the soap into an easier dispenser. The soaking bucket was elevated with a smaller plastic take-out container so it was not too far to reach for his little arms. The step stool made it easier to reach the water faucet. We usually just use the dishwasher as a "drying rack", but having Zo lay out a dish towel for him to place and dry dishes was much easier.
He's been setting up for mealtime, clearing dishes, and putting dishes away for a while now. This is a nice completion of the "Dish Cycle" in his daily routine.

Master of Dishes:

Sing-A-Longs.

2011-08-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Introducing....the SING-A-LONGS!

@ 3yrs 6months.

He learned this last year for Chinese New Years.

Lyrics: 歌詞新年好

新年好新年好

舞獅舞龍真熱鬧

Pe-Lee Pa-La Pe-Lee Oa-La 鞭炮響

恭喜恭喜新年好

This is a new TOPIC for our LAB!
By popular demand, Chinese Children's Songs are here.
Some past clips are now available and with lyrics!
You can find them under the "Sing-A-Longs" topic link on the left of the homepage.
More will be posted as I dig them up, dated on the original date for age reference.
Enjoy!

Ice Cold Truck.

2011-07-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

I open the fridge this morning to find this.

Hummm...guess the truck had to be chilled before use?

Spring Cleaning.

2011-07-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Vacuuming

Technically, we didn't show him too much.
Just vacuumed 2 other spaces before handing him the machine.
We did demonstrate the hand grip, slow and exaggerated.
Right hand on the handle, left hand palm up to support the hose.
Right foot on the large button to start and stop.
Showed one foot stepping forward with each "push" so he doesn't trip over.

Then, just told him to run over the dirt specs.

Our semi-annual "Spring Cleaning": Major cleaning, dusting, wiping, of all classroom items/space.
This was in January, he was almost 3 then in the clip.

We just did this again yesterday for the July one.
Love that "Crunchy" sound when you run over major good stuff with the vacuum, eh?

Super Z.

2011-07-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Meet Super Z.

He picked out his whole outfit this morning.

True Super Hero form, briefs and all.

BoPoMo.

2011-07-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Chinese Character Matching.

Our first attempt at "reading" Chinese.
I noticed a similar tool at a recent tour of a Montessori Preschool.
Not knowing where to start, I have been meaning to find a simple way to introduce Chinese written characters to Zozie. The sheer numbers of Chinese characters is quite overwhelming: 47,035.
Full literacy in Chinese requires knowledge of 3 to 4 thousand characters.
Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world.

But before taking bites into the characters, we need little nibblets.

BoPoMo is a loose equivalent to the English "ABC's" in that it is a building block to phonetically sound out the way a Chinese character (or word) is spoken. As if it's not already hard enough, we have to learn the characters to the SOUNDS in order to sound out the written final characters...the alphabet before the alphabet?

So...Our first letter is "Bo", shown in the green square in the photo.
This is the preferred way to learn to read Chinese when I grew up in Taiwan. Learn your BoPoMo's, then learn your words. Perhaps a similar introduction to English can be done in this manner as well?

The Goal
Sight Recognition
Memory exercise
Hand eye coordination

The Set Up
1) Tray
2) Photocopy a page out of a book
3) Clear sheet protector or laminate the page
4) Photocopy a second page and cut out the various words or sentences
5) A container or small basket

The Presentation
1) Bring the tray to the work table or mat
2) Take the basket of loose letters out
3) Start with the main character/letter being introduced
4) Continue with the other sentences
5) Hover each new sentence over the base sheet in a linear and systematic fashion, doing an exaggerated motion of comparing, shake head if not a match and move on till a match is found. Can even start with a sentence up-side-down, then reversing it upon hovering over the key sheet
6) When a match is found, place the loose sentence over the existing one, then keep going until all sentences have been placed
7) Have the child try, when done, place all pieces into container and return tray to shelf

This is both a typical memory matching game and a basic Chinese lesson.
Our boy seems to be playing it like a picture puzzle, not yet really reading the characters. But since Chinese characters are considered Sinographs, it's basically a bunch of little pictures anyways. Although Z did note that the target BoPoMo character was highlighted in pink to the right of the Chinese word. So he's noticing that these parts make up the sound. We'll need alittle more exposure and practice on this front, but a (free) and good start on pre-reading.

Final Atlantis.

2011-07-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

The last mission in NASA's space shuttle program is now complete.

Atlantis rocketed into orbit on July 8th, 2011

It returned today ...

I remember watching the 1986 Challenger launch in my elementary school. TV's were rolled into our classroom for the special screening. 68 Seconds into the launch, an explosion occurs. GASP. Confused but knowing something went terribly wrong, our teachers rushed to turn the screen off and quickly wheeled the TV boxes away in hushed tones...That mixture of sheer excitement and utter disbelief can still be tasted as soon as I heard that Atlantis took to the skies a week or so ago.

We took the opportunity to make a "Space Lesson" out of this historic event for Zozie. The evening began with a special viewing of the final Atlantis launch on You Tube (see below). We brought out the blow-up space shuttle and the random astronaut figure that previously had no real purpose.
We then busted out our Planets Table Puzzle that shows earth...
"That's my home, that one. Errfff." says Zo.

After bathtime, we concluded "Space Day" with a reading of one of his old favorites:

This is the end of an era.
We are pleased that we could share this historic milestone with Zozie, whether he fully comprehends it or not.
Through tragedies and triumphs, we are now looking to see how our future exploration of the universe around us evolves.
Welcome home Atlantis, for the last time.

For the launch:

Beam me up!

2011-07-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

We are getting our science groove on.
Our SF Exploritorium pass ends this month so we are packing in our homeschool science! This place always challenges us to see the "Scale" of ourselves, body & soul, relative to the universe around us.
Our first visit was around a year ago and this museum continues to amaze us. Looking at our old post photos, Zozie was tiny. A year later, standing in the same steam vortex, his universe continues to expand, along with ours, on our life journey together.

Self Reflection.

Sometimes, life seems too small for you.

Othertimes, life "should be" just right, but it's not.

Most times, it's just plain SILLY.

So who am I?

Just a tiny drop in the big splash pond?

So do we renew again?

Sure, why not.

We are no where near figuring this stuff out.

Classic POOH!

2011-07-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Looking for that perfect FIRST CINEMA EXPERIENCE?
All the Disney or Non-Disney stuff is, believe it or not, way too much for a 3 year old. Or atleast, OUR 3 year old. We have our 2 min rule: If munchkin bursts out crying within 2 minutes of any movie, it's too much.

Just when we were giving up until his 6th birthday, Pooh comes to town.
Today, we took Zozie to his first "in theatre" movie, opening day.
His eyes grew as we entered the dark theatre. The seats are familiar to him as we've been to many life performances. But when the screen turned on...WHOA. He just stared. His head kept snapping back to the projection box and the constant flicker...then back to the screen.
"It's a BIG movie, mama."
I kept watching him, watching the movie.
My own first was Snow White at the local YMCA in Taipei, sitting on the gym bleachers for the screening at age 4. I remember being much more frightened than Zozie looks...burying my face into my dad's side.
That warty witch...now that's a scary one.

Soft, gentle, classic Pooh.
Eeyore lost his tail, BIG drama.
Barely 54mins with extended SLOW MOVING credits to pull it into the "Feature Film" category, there's even a surprise treat if you can sit through the end. *Wink*
And at dinner time that night...
"I have a tumbully in my tummy rumbully, mama."
"You mean a Rumbly in your Tumbly?"
"Yeah! Like Winnie bear!"

Later on, after being tired from doing a chore..."Oh bother."

Smoke & Mirrors

2011-07-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

A swooshy side-comb.

A twisty paper streamer.

A bedazzling robe.

(Making it's encore performance since the Dralion Show)

I now proudly present to you...

And more the next morning...

Thank you, thank you very much.
I'll be here all week.
Try the veal.

My Girl.

2011-07-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Zozie's best girl pal.

He's "Charlie Brownie" for the day, and she's just plain sweet Charlee.

When they hug, it makes me want to take pictures.

"Damsel in Distress"

"My hero"

Summer Practice

2011-07-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

We've watched some little league practice at a park near us.
Zo decided he was joining his own team this summer.

My DaLee.

2011-07-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's DaLee's special day.

Zozie picked out the cake at the shop.

"Pink one PLEASE!"

No frosting Zo?

"No thank you."

But that's only a slice, how about a whole cake?

"No,no. We have little tummies, that's too much."

That's it?

" Oh, and the flower mochi, one for mama, one for dalee, one for me!"

3 Candles for the 3rd decade something he's celebrating.

The sweetest non-sweet birthday treat ever.

Red.White.Blue.

2011-07-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's time for the FAIR!!!

We got our annual flag-on-a-stick and wore our Red, White, and Blues.

It was a BEAUTIFUL Monday morning and we rode our bikes to our local city park for the celebration. Circus Imagination was in town again, one of the highlights from last year. This is a unique kids circus since the kids are actually the acts so no two shows are alike. This "No TV - Yes Backyard" motto of CI is very Berkeley indeed... Zozie was interested last year, but now at 3, is completely entranced. He smiled his biggest smile to be picked as a wild animal in the show, but oh well, better luck next time.

After the circus, we watched a magic show performed by the "Magical Nathaniel", a local student who won first place at his HS talent contest a few years back. Zozie was silent, and staring. This was serious stuff. Especially his rope tricks. It was great to see locals get the chance to participate in these community events, and Z went home with a new passion for *MAGIC*.

A couple of mild carni-rides, an ice slushy, 2 plates of Organic Thai food (again, we are in Berkeley)...it was time for a nap break, then back on our bikes TO THE BERKELEY MARINA! It felt so refreshing to whiz by the long lines of cars to get into the festivities. The dragon boats & kettle corn were big hits and so was the "Bike Valet". Yup. Park your bike for you, for FREE. Gosh I love hippies.

The Best part of the 4th? The Fireworks - @ 7pm sharp. In our pajamas, the 3 of us on the couch,YouTube clip of Stadium of Fire at BYU.

Call us OLD, call us BABIES, but those were the best seats in the house for the hottest firework display in the country. Whoohooo...David Archuleta!! Z actually asked "why the fireworks is NOT stopping?" and that "maybe I need to pause it". It was seriously so much action that a toddler couldn't handle it.

Lights out by 9pm.

Best 4th EVER.

Sad Froggy.

2011-07-01T22:17:00.001-07:00

I know, sweet pea.

Your froggy sandwich did not have a body.

Just a funny face and 2 stump feet.

Life is hard, kid.

Take a deep breath.

Then...Take a bite.

Happy Daddy!

2011-06-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

Matching fish stamps.

Today is Father's Day!
Our in-house daddy loves nature so we decided on a sandy picnic at Lake Anza @ Tilden Park.
The water was crisp and refreshing...err, freezing is actually more like it.
But we had a blast nonetheless, it's always so beautiful to look at the clouds while gliding through the water on your back...ahhhhh. The highlight for Zozie was watching a "big girl", around age 10, being buried in sand by her brother and sister. "Why they do that mama?" Just because Zo. Just because.

We are grateful for all the daddies out there and up there.
And of course, to our own "Da-Lee"...

Burrrr....

Mama joins the freeze fest.

A special Daddy Day message:

Yellow Shima.

2011-06-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Zozie as the new "Poster Kid" for Hanabi Judo.

After a few months of Judo, Zozie is now ready for his first exam.

I can't say that he's actually ready, or knows what that means, but he is actually really excited about getting a tiny strip of yellow tape around the end of his white belt.

Oh, and also getting "the Certificate"...

which says he got a tiny strip of yellow tape around the end of his white belt.

Yellow Tape = Shima

Shima = Proud toddler who is happy!...but not really sure why.

Although the Shima was a highlight...

The BEST reward for attending Judo has been meeting his good pal, Taro.

Sensei Dan is one of the kindest Judo teachers around and has put up with Zozie's post-nap hesitations in recent times during class.

Domo Arigato Sensei!

The Shima Ceremony!

Zou San.

2011-06-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sing A Long: Zou San (Mr. Elephant)

@ 3yr 4mons.

Learned this Japanese folk children's song at Judo class.

A 3 language intro for our family in Japan!

Lyrics: 歌詞

Zousan Zousan
o-ha-na ga na-ga-I no ne
So-yo ka-a-san mo
Na-ga-I no yo
Zousan Zousan
Da-re ga su-ki na no
A-no ne ka-san ga
Su-ki na no yo

Elephant Elephant
You have a very long nose
Yes, my mama has a long nose too
Elephant Elephant
Tell me, who do you love?
Oh you know it's my mama that I love

Fast Train! (火車快飛)

2011-06-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sing A Long: Train Fly Fast! (火車快飛)

@ 3 yrs 4 months.

For you, with dramatic hand motions.

Lyrics: 歌詞

火車快飛　火車快飛
越過高山　飛過小溪
不知走了幾百里...
快到家裡　快到家裡
爸媽見了真歡喜...

Where's My Friend?

2011-06-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sing A Long: Where is my Friend? (我的朋友在哪裡？)

Lyrics: 歌詞

一二三四五六七我的朋友在哪裡
在這裡在這裡我的朋友在這裡

啦啦啦啦真歡喜同唱歌來同遊戲
笑嘻嘻多甜蜜我的朋友就是你

Fabric Squares

2011-06-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Preasentation: Fabric Square Matching

Ahhh...my long lost home tool, the Fabric Squares.
This was one of the first tools I made for Zozie for our home classroom.
Just found it again sorting through our video files.
A typical Montessori tool, it costs quite a few bucks when buying from the catalog but is a cinch to make at home.

The Goal
Refine tactile sense
Memory exercise
Hand eye coordination

The Set Up
1) Container (small basket or wooden box)
2) 4x4 Fabric Swatches
3) Pair of Pinking Shears & Random Fabrics in various natural textures
4) Cut the fabrics into 4x4 squares, then place in basket; can also hem the fabrics if preferred.

The Presentation
1) Bring the tray to the work table or mat
2) Set the basket down and slowly remove the first fabric swatch
3) Start setting down each fabric in a row until you have 4 squares
4) Then continue the same until you come across a match
5) Hover each new swatch over the old swatches in a linear and systematic fashion, doing an exaggerated motion of comparing, rubbing of the texture, shake head if not a match and move on till a match is found
6) When a match is found, place the fabric swatch over the existing one, then keep going until all swatches are paired up.
7) Have the child try, when done, place all pieces into container and return tray to shelf

This is the same as a typical memory matching game. Instead of picture cards, we used just a variety of fabric samples (leftovers from my design library). A mix of textures is key. Some were sheers, felt, silk, canvas, spandex, velvet. The focus was NOT on color variation since I did not want Zozie to complete the exercise by matching colors. In fact, I chose alot of "beige" color fabrics that had distinct texture differences for him to take note of the more subtle lesson here. He got progressively better at it within a few days once he got the concept. A quick and fun tool to try.

One of his first attempts at the tool @ 2.5 years old (9months ago).
*I miss the "Tiny Zozo" in the video...they grow so fast..sigh.

LAB Work: Madison

2011-06-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

Work Budget: $300 ish
Total Time: 3.5hrs + a trip to Ikea
Location: Albany, CA

Just shy of 3, Maddie is without a doubt, one of the "dolliest" of Zozie's friends.
Yes, she literally looks like a Japanese animation doll. Like the one on her shirt.
Or "Boo" from Monsters Inc... but even cuter.

Maddie has a Beautiful & Cozy Home.
The front living & dining room space is smaller, like Maddie herself, but just as sweet and full of potential! We are determined to carve out a dedicated play/work space for Maddie. Tight spaces really gets the LAB going...there's ALWAYS room for a kid's area, even when there's no room, we make our own!

The Before
Previously, Maddie's play area was fun but limited to the space between the living room sofa set and the dining room table. Let's see about expanding this alittle to give more function to this multipurpose front room.

The Transformation
We started by shifting the dining buffet off the wall.
By placing it in the center of the space, it acts as a room divider for the new dining area and Maddie's new playroom. Since the dining set is typically a traffic "island", people approach dining seating from all sides, the set did not need to be against a wall. This made it a perfect candidate to "float" in the front room. The accent mirror moved over to the new dining space, setting the new identity with the buffet as the backdrop. One of the existing downlights is now about center over the dining table, which could be an easy conversion to a new pendant light later if wanted, further marking the dining area.

The After
So what did we do to Maddie's space?
Shifting the buffet off the wall opened up a whole new Montessori-Inspired Corner in this compact front room. We set up a toddler sized table and chair set and moved the existing chalk board into the play space for her use. A new lamp illuminates this new area. A basket now holds her guitar and a work mat.

The Food Station
It was important for Maddie's mom that she have the opportunity to practice her practical life skills at mealtimes. Three small glasses hold the various cutlery utensils, good for gather at meal times and sorting after dishes are done. Large & small plates sit on top for easy access. Freebie wooden wine crates were used to help separate the various dishwares.

The Drink Station
How many times does your toddler ask you to get them a drink? Giving them the chance to help themselves, helps the parent out, and well, helps themselves! Very empowering, this pint-size pitcher with lid is perfect for small hands. Pair that with some Ikea glassware and you're good to go! At only 3 for $1, no worries if there's a casualty or two along the way...

The Clean Station
Every LAB transformation has to have a Cleaning Area.
A simple dust pan and broom. A simple metal flower pot converted to trash can. Both tug nicely into another freebie wooden wine crate. Kids are naturals at making messes. They also, unexpectedly, like to clean them up! We just don't give them as much opportunity to do so. Just like riding a bike, the more practice, the better! With a broom readily accessible and a trash can in plain sight, this simple life habit can be easily learned and practiced. And trust me, this is one habit that WILL reward them over and over again into adulthood...

The Storage
We added a new 2 x 2 cubbie bookcase with 2 wicker baskets. The cubbies provided display space for new activities and games while the baskets conceal old or new supplies for mommy. A 3 shelf standard bookcase was also added to provide more display space for larger items.

In Action
You know a space "works" not just because it looks cute, but if your child goes right to it. Although looking cute is a welcomed bonus, the real test of the space flowing well is that it is a "teacher itself." Things should look obvious & logical to a toddler so it is self-explanatory: a road map as to how thing work. In our LAB experiment, both Mad & Zo were both immediately curious about the new space and gravitated towards the various tools and setups. The playroom offers 2 work surfaces, one at the table, one on the floor with a work mat.

Stamping at the new table.


Apple Sorting.

Threading on the work mat.

New playroom in full swing.

Maddie's mom continues to add to this set up...the newest addition being a metal magnetic board for the back of the buffet! Wonderful use of space mama! Thanks for letting HapaLAB participate in this newest transformation.

All Directions

2011-05-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

I dunno.

Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in all directions.

* Le Sigh*

Fresh Feet.

2011-05-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Zo, Ollers, Zu, Mi, Dels.

It was an early morning flight to North Carolina...

A last send-off to our sweet cousins across the street, now our sweet cousins across the country. Zozie was still in his PJs on our trip to the airport, teddy bear in hand.

We cannot imagine our days in Berkeley without each of the smiley cousins and their ever-resilient mama & papa...but we'll manage, I suppose. We spent everyday of their last week in town together.

On the final day, I decided to give each pair of their tiny feet a home-pedicure, in preparation of their long flight and journey ahead. As I washed their toes and heels (I had to bust out the vinegar, scrub brushes, and Epsom salts), it was sweet to remember our adventures here together with each of them.

One by one we finished, dried off, and they went running again.

There's something very comfy and secure about Fresh Feet.

In times of change, fresh feet will set the tone for a fresh start. When asked what comforted people the most in Japan's post Tsunami efforts, the number one answer was clean feet with a fresh pair of socks.

And so today at the airport, we'll wash, dry, and run again.

love my aunt bek.

With a tear in our eyes, a pain in our hearts, a smile on our faces, we send them off! You can keep up with them at Pushin' Up Vaiseys, the adventures continue on the East Coast...

The Gang sings a sweet farewell...

HapaSTUDIO?

2011-05-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

You can find me IN THE STUDIO.

Come see why it's Now Open?

Boy, I'm Dashing.

2011-05-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Black Velvet Jacket.

3 Piece Suit.

Cow hide shoes.

And a cute girl on his arm.

Boy, I'm Dashing.

The LAB's been alittle quiet these days...

We've been preparing for a sweet friend's wedding at V. Sattui in Napa.

And now the Big Day has come and gone.

It's Zozie's first wedding as Ring "Bear", and yes, he LOVES his cow shoes.

Mama is tired as the Matron, but what a beautiful wedding...

Congrats Auntie Meg & Uncle Dave!

(More on the wedding @ HapaSTUDIO. )

He also loves the appetizer.

And we love him.

More photos: 05062011M+D

ben·to

2011-05-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

A kids gotta eat.

That fact + Preschool = Bentos.

Introducing a New HL Tab: "Z food"

(Click & See!)

That's right, Z is starting Preschool.

We've been on a wait-list for a Mandarin Immersion Montessori School and got "the call" last week. A space has opened up at the Young Children's House (YCH). Like opening night stage fright, I was both totally excited and completely petrified of the idea of not having Zozie with me every morning. This program is 5 days a week, 9 - 1pm. A huge shift for us. Aside from being Montessori, the Mandarin Immersion with traditional Chinese is the real prize for us. Only in the Bay Area would we have such a school just 15mins away. We're very lucky...or are we? Could having no choices be possibly better than having too many choices?

Being late in the school year, joining at this point will leave just 7 weeks before school is out. It's not that bad. I'll have him back for the summer, then we'll see about the fall....later.

Just 7 weeks. We can do that.

I can do that.

Having the Preschool question come up is a significant one in any SAHM's life. It signifies an end of a life chapter. One where you are further severing the already phantom umbellical cord from your child. I suddenly started to feel when Zozie use to kick my belly, from the inside. Then holding him, for what it seems like forever and always, when time stood still, as a young mother-son couple. Now, from the occasional request of being carried around, to the shortened good-night snuggles before lights out...

the distance grows.

Ok mama, all done hugging.

He is growing up, it's not time to start letting go.

We've already let go.

Now, it's just wash and repeat.

First Day. *Gasp*

During emotionally hard times, I turn to things that are both essentially required and easily conquered.

This takes us to B_E_N_T_O_S!

So, What is a Bento?
A "Convenience Box" of sorts, it is a single portion packed meal usually set in a multi-compartmental container of many varieties. Since the idea of putting Zozie in preschool overwhelmed me, I quickly went to buy various Bento making tools to make myself feel better.
Pack a lunch? OK, I can do this.
Use a compartmental box to simplify portions and food ideas? Even better.
The sheer number of ubber-cute Bento Box options is incredible. You can find all sorts of Online Shops along with sites that share a myriad of Bento making ideas to make lunch fun for your child. One particularly fabulous site is Weelicious. It has a great Bento Gallery, featuring the nutritious healthy lunches in compartment containers. But it's also just a generally great site on making food to feed kids. You can sort by Vegan, Gluten-Free, purees, or other food categories.

Funny Looking Eggs?

Boy, he LOVES these.

Just hard boil some eggs, place in one of these egg molds, snap shut, submerge in cold H2O for 10mins.

These will jazz up any boring Bento lunch!

Find these at JustBento.Com

I got to work.
Making Bentos for Zozie became my way of still being with him. Seeing his food at lunch time will be like, seeing his mama. Well....who knows really, probably just wishful thinking. He'll probably just be happy to have something to eat when his tummy is hungry.
I'm the sappy one here.
Think I'm gonna go make myself a Bento....sniff.

So what about HapaLAB?
No worries...
His homeschool adventures will continue in the afternoons, post naps.
We'll keep the Home Tools comin'. Plenty where that comes from.
Again, just 7 weeks.

The Dropper.

2011-04-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Water Dropper

Time for a new water tool!
I was thumbing through my toiletry closet for something and came across a simple but often forgotten about item: The medicine dropper.
You know, those HUGE droppers they give you at the pharmacy when your kid gets an ear infection. You take the dropper and think... there's no way that they could ever choke that pink stuff down. But they always do, and the infection clears. I was watching Zozie have a ball with some new bath toys, squirting away, and aiming for various bucket and water pails. Hummmm.....dropper time!

Goal
Using the dropper to transfer fluids
Hand-eye coordination
Muscle control

Set Up
Tray
3 Same glass bottles
3 Color glass beads
Small water pitcher (Creamer)
Small Sponge
Clear funnel
Medicine dropper

Presentation
1) Ask child to bring tray to the table
2) Place a colored glass bead in each glass bottle
3) Place the funnel into the empty glass
4) Fill the small pitcher with water
5) Insert dropper into the pitcher with bulb PINCHED
6) Release bulb, watch H2O rise
7) Place the dropper into the first bottle, then SQUEEZE
8) Repeat till the bottle is full, then do the same to the other 2 bottles
9) When all 3 bottles are filled, then place funnel over the pitcher
10) Pour each bottle in, the glass beads will be caught by the funnel
11) Replace the glass beads back into each bottle
12) Wipe any drips or spills with the sponge

The dropper went well for a week, then he wanted to pour again...
So here's the clip, with him pouring. But fun nonetheless.

Pr-OVO!

2011-04-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Off to Grandma Wallelah's (Loretta's) for Easter.

This is going to be special.

First flight alone with daddy.

First time doing ovo(s) in Provo.

First Girls-Get-Away Spa Weekend for mommy.

Everyone Wins.


Alrighty....let's see...they told me something about some eggs, a field, and running....

Dance party @ Grandma's!!

Grandma Wallelah & Auntie Hannah!

Who needs bunnies when an elephant is around eh?

This is a warning...Step AWAY from the eggs.

A week earlier....a "Candy-Less" Egg Hunt with our Mandarin Mommy Group!
Stickers and toys galore!

Who needs sugar eh?
Mommy doesn't.

Sofaline vs. Bounce-Aline

2011-04-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you don't have a trampoline in the backyard because you don't have a backyard. (@ 35months)

And he watched the old school Seasame Street song "1, 2, 3, 4, 5...6, 7, 8, 9, 10..Eleven, Twelve!"

3 months later, he found a trampoline in Grandma's backyard, errr, I mean...a "Bounce-Aline"!!

Post Disney.

2011-04-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

This is what a trip to Disneyland does to a toddler...

Humming to himself with all his best pals on the "Aladdin Magic Carpet" ride, a sweet morning surprise.

First Alphabets!

2011-04-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

So I was washing dishes today and turn around to see this.
Looks like somebody is ready to write, eh?
"Are those A's Zozie?"
"Yeah! ALOT of A's mama!"

Interesting that Zozie should "start writing" just as I discovered my Cousin-In-Law's (is that a proper title?) Homeschool Blog the other day. She did a feature called "Letter Weeks", in which she worked through the alphabet, one letter per week, and came up with various fun projects for her daughter to learn each letter. The Homeschool Menagerie is a wonderful resource if you are looking to setting something up for your toddler at home. Smart, sweet, and sassy...Adrienne is sure to keep you reading, and smiling, about her many adventures with her 2 cutie-patooties! After seeing this chalkboard covered with the letter "A", I think I'm going to start my own Letter Week too...this kid keeps me on my toes!

An animal costume always makes homework more fun!

Now at 38months, Zo has progressively gotten better with signing his name since I first noted it a year ago. The "O" was his first written letter, then followed by "E". It use to be a vertical with 4-5 horizontal lines extending out. Now, on good days, we get just a single line in the middle for "E" (see below).

last month's signature on a birthday card...

But the Big Surprise, after doing the board of "A's", is actually him writing "Little I's"! 2 New letters in one day on his own...I was floored. I never showed him either letter, but he has been able to sight recognize Capital letters for a while now. The lower case letters is another story.

So when he did this on camera for the first time ever...

"i is like a candle..."
Just like potty training, they are ready to be literate when they are ready.
He is ready.
Just not sure if I am.

Oh....Boy.

Wonder @ Wondercon!

2011-04-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Zozie meets a new friend at the 2011 Wondercon!

It's always a blast to visit the annual comic convention with all it's various costumed patrons strutting their stuff. We bumped into one of Zozie's hero's on the subway into the city.

"Look mama! It's BIG Buzz Lightyear!!!"

Sure enough.

There was Mr. BL, winking and giving Zozie a big thumbs up from across the train car. It's always nice to have Z experience something new, especially something that holds alot of family history as his grandfather Ric, his own dad, and many of his uncles are in the film/visual effects industry.

Z's first Wondercon "Pro Pass" with daddy!

Even with all this excitement....Nap time RULES!

Z was completely mesmerized by the whole convention and especially by all the awesome costumes of robots and superheros. We wondered along until he spotted this guy, his first Star Wars Encounter...

"Why he not say HI to me, Daddy?"

"Because he has no mouth & no words, Zozie. He just makes beeps to talk."

"Give him a hug ok?"

"What his name?"

"R2D2, pumpkin."

The Wonder Continues.

RICE me.

2011-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Pour me ANOTHER!
On the heels of the last pouring post, here is an extension to that fundamental exercise.
This time, add a small wooden spoon and a funnel.

Goal
Pouring objects between containers
Hand-eye coordination

Set Up
Tray
2 Same glass tumblers
Handful of Rice
Small scooper or spoon
Clear funnel

Presentation
1) Ask child to bring tray to the table
2) Place the funnel into the empty glass.
3) Lift spoon to scoop some rice out of the other glass.
3) Use the thumb, and 2 fingers to support the spoon.
*I tell Zo to hold it "like a pencil" and not fist grip it.
4) Slowly tilt and pour out the content into the empty glass.
5) Deliberately miss and have a couple pieces fall out into the tray. Then clear the tray and tilt all the contents out into the glass. This is to show how to gather small loose objects on a tray.
6) When the contents have been transferred, repeat & switch pouring directions.

7) Allow the child to scoop as much as he wants, the let him pour the entire content for variety.

the pencil grip.

the transfer.

the confirmation.

Let the pouring begin!

Zozie tries to gather the scattered grains with the spoon...then proceeds to make "eyes & a mouth" with the containers and the spoon. A pretty simple "cause & effect" lesson. Try with a variety of beans, grains, pebbles, or sand, anything that fits the funnel. Nothing fancy but the fancy rice, premium grade.

(S) (M) (L)

2011-04-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Pouring Pitchers

An Oldie but Goodie!

The pitcher pouring tool is a CLASSIC in the Montessori tool shed.

We found our creamer "Pitchers" at our local Crate N Barrel outlet.

Also picked up some white coffee mugs in 3 sizes: Espresso (S), Regular (M), and Big (L).

These days, we like having the same things in 3 sizes. It helps Zozie understand the concept of Small, Medium, Large as it applies to our daily lives. He often refers to me as the "Medium Mama" since large items are for daddy and small ones for himself.

Now, we just need some warm porridge.....hummm.

Now back to the pitchers...

Goal
Pouring objects or liquide between containers
Hand-eye coordination

Set Up
Tray
2 Same Pitchers
Objects (Pebbles, marbles, grains, beans)
Or Liquid (Water, milk, juice)

Presentation
1) Ask child to bring tray to the table
2) Lift with handle, elevate the first pitcher over the other one.
3) Use the thumb, and 2 fingers to support the spout portion.
4) Slowly tilt and pour out the content into the second container.
5) If using objects, deliberately miss and have a couple pieces fall out into the tray. Then use index and thumb and grab each stray object and place back into the pouring pitcher. Repeat the pouring motion to empty the jug. *(This is to show how to take care of spills).

6) If using liquid, deliberately miss and have a sponge ready to wipe

7) When the contents have been transferred, repeat with the other jug, switching pouring directions.

Take your pick at the various pitchers online.

Just DON'T GET PLASTIC. The breakable ones feel more weighted, look more beautiful, and most of all, they are a reflection of the real world physics that a child should be exposed to rather than guarded from. It's only a few dollars if broken, let them try the real thing and they will master how to function better...faster.

White Porcelain Pitchers. We have these and they come in S,M,L sizes that will "grow" with Zozie's hands and muscle control. The large spout is easy for pouring, as is the closed loop handle for shaky tiny hands.

Clear Pitcher. This a great alternative so the child can see the liquid or objects inside and the various levels as a result of his pouring something out. Great for "cause & effect" lessons.

Pitcher with Lid. The clear glass allows the liquid viewing, but the lid is a great "baby step" to Pouring Independence. Minimizing spills, this is a great little pitcher to set out on a tray in the snack area of any homeschool classroom. "Pour yourself some water!" Being able to get your own drink is VERY empowering for a tot!

At 29 months, we started our pouring tool with some smooth river rocks.

A month later, we upgraded to milk and self-serve cereal.

Short Mini-Series Below:

Dispense.

Reverse Dispense.

Refill.

The "Pouring Skill" is actually really useful, more than I ever realized. Zozie dispenses ALOT of things now with minimal supervision: Laundry detergent, watering cans, measuring cups, and pouring of cereal into a bowl (& milk to follow). A must try!

Parteee!

2011-04-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

"It's a big parteeee, mama!"

I found this group of random animals and little people gathering at the end of our narrow hallway.

Out of the corner of my eye earlier, I saw Zozie mumbling to himself, hovering over some figurines.

Taking a closer look, I notice something peculiar.

Aerial View.

"Zozie, are these animals TALKING to each other? At the Party?"
"YEAH!!!"
OMGeesh.
This is probably what he perceives at adult social events.
Everyone gabbing away, paired up.
And there seems to be some "logic" in the pairings.
Cows with cows. Horses with horses. Hippos with hippos. People with people. Sheep with chicken? Alteast they were the same height.
Short rabbit and tall giraffe? Our goofy boy.
He was running out of obvious matches.

All pairs except this TRIO.

Odd man is NOT out.

"I Love your little party Zozie."
"Oh! Thank you mama."

Old Shoe?

2011-04-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Shoe Lacing

Want to buy THIS toy?
Save the $10 and just use ANY old shoe with laces instead!
It doesn't get simpler than this, or free-er?

The "TOY" version.

Goal
Practical life skill of shoe lacing
Hand-eye coordination

Set Up
One old shoe or any kind, with laces.

Presentation
1) Place a shoe on the table.
2) Pull one lace up to the tip, slowly.
3) Thread through the first open eyelet.
4) Cross over to the other side.
5) Thread through the opposite open eyelet.
6) Pull other lace up to the tip and repeat.

We made this video clip @ 30months old. It was still challenging for him to figure out the criss-cross idea, but he got the "feed the lace through the eyelet" idea fast. I am seen correcting the cross overs, which is an indication of showing this a bit too early for him at the time. (Less speaking & correcting is better.) We are planning to revisit this one now that he's over 3 years old. The Melissa & Doug Toy Shoes has larger holes and the shoe is "stiff" (wood) and makes it easier to lace. But I'm all about using actual "life props" to learn practical life skills. He uses glassware and china, he can use a real shoe to learn lacing. So, grab a shoe and try this!
They seriously love it.

A Cool Kid?

2011-03-31T19:35:00.001-07:00

How could you not be COOL in this getup?

A Kimono Dragon Hoodie is just what Zo wants, and Betsy at Cool Kids got him figured out. Each Thursday, Cool Kids features one cutie-patootie and makes custom selections in fashion, games, and accessories just for the Cool Kid of the week! This week, she picked Zozie.

Find him HERE and see the hoodie, along with other sweet picks for him on her fun blog. Thanks B!

SPLAT!

2011-03-29T18:52:00.001-07:00

signing his name.

Z takes the plunge....
right into "Messy Art Day" at the Local Co-Op Preschool!

This was one fieldtrip we were NOT going to miss!
The annual Mess-Fest was packed with eager squealing kids and parents who were even happier that the party was not at their house. Montessori and Messes are not usually friends, especially messes on THIS scale. So we enjoyed all that this Play-based spectacular had to offer! Kudos to ECPC and all their dedicated volunteer parents for bringing this craziness into our humdrum Sunday morning.

With that said....BRING ON THE MESS...errr...ART!

We started with the Spray Table, rescuing frozen animals from their icy beds with colored "Juice." Zo is well practiced with his CLEAN BUCKET at home, but he's use to things getting progressively cleaner, not dirtier! Huh? He kept turning to me with his tiny dirty hands held up, looking quite confused. The more he sprayed, the more his pensive-thoughtful-concerned-eyebrows crinkled. CRINKLED.
"It's ok Zozie, it's messy-messy time," I told him repeatedly.

On to the Sand Table. It had some colored sand mixtures with various baking containers and utensils to manipulate the grainy confection. Only 30 seconds. "All-done Da-lee." Z couldn't figure out why he is suppose to throw sand around in random pans. "It's fun right Zozie?", trying to convince him.
Apparently, not so much.

Things didn't get much better with the Soda Dragon. The mouth was stuffed with a tube full of baking soda awaiting a child to "feed" it some colored water. Once filled, it foams out colored foam! "Cool, right Zozie?" He just looked down at the foamy mess, plopping onto the sandy floor.
More crinkled brows. Man, what does it take?

Things picked up at the Canvas Wall. 3 large buckets filled with red, yellow and blue paints. Various household objects acting as "paint brushes." Mops, plungers, brooms, back scrubbers, fly swatters...this was one AWESOME setup!

Zo started to loosen up although left hand still clutched and pointing out paint splatters on his boots to me. I pulled out a wet wipe to help him while noticing some minor glances from other more free-play-leaning parents...
Look, it's not ME, it's the kid.
Ok, fine.
I taught the kid to want to be clean.
But still...I was trying to get Zo INTO IT, only wiping because of his own pleading eyes. I did notice a few other Asian parents hovering over their child with towelettes. I think Being Asian was the culprit in those cases. Pretty sure those parents don't also do Montessori Homeschooling?

We then came upon The Confetti Room. This is where kids can throw shredded paper into fans blowing upwards in anyway they want. Less than 10 seconds. Zo stepped into the tent, then stepped right out.

A Noodle Art wall had kids flinging colored spagetti at plexiglass! But now being 3, food throwing seemed counter-intuitive. "Throw it Zozie, just throw it!!" He shoots me a look that was similar to us asking him to HIT his first pinata at a party. "Don't hit anything", we always say. But DO thrash a cute turtle paper-mache, demolish it, and rip some candies out of it's stomach.
The world is a confusing place, my young grassHAPA.

I was starting to question if our homeschool routines of order and cleanliness was hampering Zozie's ability to let loose and experiment with GOOP. Doubting myself and wondering if I've made Zozie disorderly-challenged...we came upon the Spatter Slide, aka Slide Painting.
(Yes. I keep forgetting...It's ART!)

Mid-fling!

Zozie really lit up with this one!
Buckets of squishy balls, 2 tubs of paints (blue & yellow), and a sheet of craft paper lining the slide. No explanation needed. He grabbed, dunked, and hurled! HOORAY! Paint splattering everywhere and dunking his arms deeper and deeper, Zo is now squealing himself, finally! He loved watching the balls roll and bounce off the paper, making patterns and streaks with each movement. "Look mama, I made GREEN!" Z high-five'd the helper-dad before leaving. Note the bare hands of the dad, and also note in the photo, the latex-gloved hand of a helper mom, Asian. Of course.

This wonderland of artistic experiments continued to the Paintable House. Zozie swept, rolled, brushed...
The cleaning gloves were OFF!

Welcome!

Got the column...

don't forget the ceiling!

The Hanger Sculpture was also a highlight. Zozie's first 3D art installation, although he spent the first few minutes picking up the hangers off the floor and hanging them back onto the dispensing rods. "It's a sculpture Zozie." "Oh! Ok." The hangers were placed carefully, mostly where there weren't any already. He would step back once in a while before placing the next hanger, taking in the overall effect of what he was creating. "A tower mama!"

The Messy Art Day ended with a BANG!
The last stop was the Musical House, where every surface of the house was covered in sound making pots, pans, cans, bottles, drums, you name it! Zozie went about doing his usual "set" on the buckets he found inside the house...

LAB Results:

It was extremely interesting to observe Zozie in this environment!

Winners? Tools that really drew his attention and imagination had an immediate Cause & Effect, along with an inherent lesson reflecting how the real world worked. The Splatter Slide, The Canvas Wall, The Painting House, The Music House. He did something, then there was an instant feedback or result from his actions that was relevant. It was NOT about his like or dislike of being messy. Paint splatters were welcomed, disorder of the hangers created, when the exercise had a particular agenda of creating something, the mess level did not bother him.

Losers? Those that did not appear to have any particular "purpose" or "sense" to the actions being asked to be performed in real life. Confetti room, Soda Dragon, Sand Table, Noodle Art.

Messy for messy-sake.

Like eating cotton candy, so fun, so sweet, the satisfaction so short-lived.

Fantasy & Imagination are two different things.

Zozie's response to this art day reminded me of the talk Po Bronson (Author of Nurtureshock) gave recently. One, fantasy, is random ideas not grounded in reality in which an idea is produced for idea-sake with no connection to the real world or each other. The other, imagination, is mastering a grounded and clear understanding of reality and coming up with creative ways to manipulate that truth. They are not one in the same and are often confused when applied to Children & Play.

Chuckling to myself, the same principle applied to our splattering day.

True Art, serves a purpose. It engages and captures our attention thus spawning creative imagination.

Fluff Art, is crazy for crazy-sake. Fantastically fun, but the high is temporary and inconsequential.

Every living being yearns for work that is True.

Well well.

Montessori and Messes ARE Friends after all, eh?

R.A.I.N.B.O.W

2011-03-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Presentation: Rainbow Box.

Have a set of Pill Boxes?

We do.

Dropped in on our local Ichiban Kan Shop and came upon this tiny compartmental set. It was just screaming Montessori.

If boxes can scream.

Pair that with a bag of Easter colored fuzz balls from the dollar store and a new HL tool was born.

The Goal:

Color matching & Coordination in opening and snap shutting containers
The Set Up:
1) A set of color pill boxes
2) Matching colored pom-poms
3) A small basket
The Presentation:
1) Ask the child to bring the tray
2) Lift one pill box, run finger over the hinge side, then over the non-hinge side.
3) Use thumb and lift open the lid, one at a time.
4) Look into the basket, find a coordinating color pom-pom.
5) Insert into the first compartment.
6) Repeat for the 2nd and 3rd compartment.
7) Snap close each lid over the pom-poms.
8) Repeat until all pom-poms are placed.
9) Reverse everything and place back into basket.
10) Invite the child to try

The bright and cheerful colors of this set instantly drew Zozie in to the activity. It was pretty intuitive for him once he saw the coordinating pom-poms in the basket. A few times, he would misplace the colors on purpose, look at me with a smirk, then re-order the fuzz balls. The little sneaker. It just shows that he knew "the agenda" well enough to crack a joke with it, eh?

**Zozie added his own extension to this presentation by wanting to SCOOP out the pom-poms to be returned to the basket with a small spoon. He started out by trying to SHAKE them out, but had to re-think it when the pom-poms were going everywhere:)

Hapa This, Hapa That.

2011-03-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

Yum.

Why are all things Japanese SO cute?

As if the real life tasty "des-za-to" are not enough...

Now they have to make the cutie eraser version of it???

This Sweets & Tea Set can be seen at HapaCulture!

For some pocket change, you can bring this mini slice of Hapa-ness

into your own home.

With a similar name to our LAB, HapaCulture is an online stationary shop that carries everything your Japanese-culture-craving-heart desires! From high quality thematic erasers, designer stickers, origami sets, and custom bilingual stationary, an eraser is NOT just an eraser at HapaCulture.

In Japan, everything is "Art"...Check it out.

Not only is HapaCulture an uber-adorable shop to browse for that perfect stocking stuffer, birthday present, or everyday party favor, it is also owned by a dear friend of mine. W at HapaCulture has a great artistic eye for stocking her shop, and an even greater heart for reaching out to the people of Japan in this time of need.

For the month of March, HapaCulture is donating 10% of all proceeds to Japan's Disaster Relief.

HapaCulture, along with numerous crafty vendors over at Etsy, have gathered together to show their support and love for Japan...the land, the people, the culture.

Here are some of my favorite HAPA vendors:

Jojoebi Designs/Montessori Goldmine is a British Crafty Montessori Mommy blogger who lives in Japan. Jojo is also offering A Quake Appeal in light of the recent events. Tons of great Homeschooling Montessori ideas, tool PDFs, and lesson plans. A must visit for the terrific resources!!

Mee A Bee, whom I featured in a previous post about their miniature toddler messenger bags. Another Hapa Etsy vendor, Jacqui is a New Zealander living in Japan. With her own Quake Appeal, Jacqui was also one of the features on an Etsy front page dedicated to Japanese made hand crafts.

A Mee A Bee related New Zealand shop, Li'l Magoolie, is hosting an Auction for NZ and a 1,000 Crane Wish support for Japan...

The list can continue...the sentiments all the same.

The SIMPLE Match!

2011-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Crouching Piggy is now here.

After the initial shock of the Japanese tragedy,

HapaLab is back with a small "gi" and a big smile!

Why are we smilin'?

We are ready for our first MATCH.

No Dojo needed.

Just a cell phone.

What's the SIMPLE Match?

A simple text will send $10 to the Japanese Red Cross.

A simple post below on the blog of who, when (today and onward), how much.

A simple match from HapaLab in donation to the Red Cross.

Anytime from now until April (9days left), after reading this blog post.

The Red Cross is accepting donations online or via text message.

Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.

You'll be prompted to confirm with a second text reading YES.

We have been meaning to post about his Judo class, just had the recent disaster on our minds and ended up combining the posts. No only do we have family in Japan, but we are always enjoying all things Japan here in the US. Things like Sushi, Hondas, Karaoke, Funny Fashions, Engrish Phrases, all things "Zen" from face creams to sofas, and now of course... Baby Judo.

All joking aside tho, we loves me some Nihon.

Right now, Zozie adores Sensei Dan and his Pre-Judo Class.

This new physical outlet has been a nice pairing with his usual homeschool learnings. He's learning how to fall, how to roll, and how to listen...to Japanese.

"Mi, Me, Hana, Kuchi, Atama, Ashi, Te...."

Being one of the youngest, Zo runs happily with his new classmates.

Some serious martial arts action below:

Note the "perfect end" to the running exercise...shortly after Sensei said STOP!

We are training hard in our home Dojo.
Hope you are up for the challenge and will meet us for our SIMPLE Match.

Tsunami

2011-03-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Silence.

Just for a moment.

To those seeing the cycle of birth & death this instant.

To the lives lost and will be born.

Inhale. Exhale.

We bow.

Small World.

2011-03-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

We are all just a stone's throw away.
40 Countries.

Today, HapaLAB welcomed it's 40th country in it's visitors tracker!

It's a random milestone, but over 5000 views later...
we thought it was worth mentioning.

Smiles all around to the various mommies and schools that have been to our lab to see what we are up to. People have emailed about the changes they are making to make more wee ones happy...and independent.

Keep sharing & keep posting!

Thanks for visiting.

Argentina
Australia
Bangladesh
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Ecuador
Finland
France
Germany
India
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Japan
Latvia
Malaysia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovenia
South Korea
Sweden
South Africa
Taiwan
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela

Bottle Caps

2011-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Time to clean out those over-stuffed bathroom drawers?

You know. All those random bottles and jars of half finished creams, gels, hotel sundries, general goops?

Throw them out? NEVER.

They are the best practical life tool.

Some hot water and soap will do the trick.

The Goal:

Visual Matching & Hand eye coordination

Wrist motion in twisting and tightening

The Set Up:
1) 2 Containers of any sort
2) Lots of random jars with lids

The Presentation:
1) Ask the child to bring the tray
2) Remove the 2 containers
3) Start emptying the jars & bottles into the tray in a line (see right)
4) Do the same with the lids
5) Pick a jar up, then hover over the lids until fining a match
6) Hold jar firmly in one hand, clearly set the lid straight ontop
7) Turn & tighten the jar, continue until all jars are matched
8) Reverse everything and place lid & jars back into the containers
9) Invite the child to try

Zozie was quite excited when he saw this tray.

Some jars still have some fragrance in them so he would sniff around at times. When we took the video clip (below), daddy was cooking breakfast and making smoothies next to us, so Zo was quite distracted by all the commotion. Not the best time for using a new tool. Also, he's now 3 and "testing" rules quite abit. You'll see him deliberately putting the caps in the wrong bucket and the jars in the other, then looking up at me to see what my response will be. I usually just smile slightly, acknowledging his little "joke", then he switches the objects back. The match & twist coordination is coming along nicely, except when the groove is off at times.

At first, the fear of him getting into everything took over me. But miraculously, this exercise gave him an outlet for that toddler-need to unscrew every top they see! So the reverse actually happened. He's not asking me to help him open everything. Now he just does his own toothpaste after shower, squeezes on the toothbrush, then does the routine solo. It's as if he's had his fill twisting and screwing, it's not fresh anymore, it's just a new skill his has and he uses it only when needed.

Ahhhh....so NICE.

If you have some random jars & bottles laying around...(we all do).

Give this one a try!

Book Worm

2011-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

An early morning one day...lights on.

Found his book(s)...

Now, where's the little worm?

Silly Spoon

2011-03-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

It's not always work here at the lab.

School is out.

Silliness is IN.

LAB Work: The Vaiseys

2011-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I give you....Rebekah.

I have a plethora of sisters-in-law.

Each extremely beautiful and brilliantly vibrant.
But none more spectacularly colorful as the ever-refreshing Rebekah.

A fine girl with a fine mind...she's a wife, mother, girlfriend, and blogger in her own right....never ceasing to bring the Sunshine, even on the gloomiest of days... my own or hers.

When I started the LAB, I wasn't sure where I was headed with this whole thing. I knew my old career well, but was charting into new territory as a SAHM. People would ask me questions about Zo's space, our home classroom set up, our daily routines, and on my thoughts regarding walking away from a "glamorous" (not really) design career just to do house chores all day. I needed an outlet.

"HapaLab: Changing the world, one cabinet at a time..." ~ Bekah.

And with that quote, she kept me going.

It's not a matter of actually changing the world, but the feeling of being valuable, to oneself. Exactly who you are, where you are, and nothing more.

Ah life. It's all really silly anyways, why not just laugh along the way?

Bek always has a way of squeezing that laugh out of you.

Belly busting gut laughs. Gut. Laughs.
Today is Bekah's birthday.
So on her special day, here's a HapaLAB Transformation from the vault!
A labor of love, on last Labor Day.

Work Budget: As little as possible

Total Cost: Some muscle & hustle

Location: Berkeley, CA

This is a most beautiful and busy family of SIX.
It's tough getting them all to look at the camera at the same time let alone much else some days.

Needless to say, anything that would lessen Bek's daily TO DO list is MOST welcomed. Some serious structure to her toddler room was in order, as much as can be expected in a busy young household. The "Littles" are 3 and 5 years old. This is always a challenge...a shared mix gender toddler bedroom. These two active kids...live hard and play hard. Bring it on.

HapaLab is willing to take on the challenge.

This bedroom has 3 hats to wear:

1) Dressing Nook

2) Play Zone

3) Bed & Rest Area

The Dressing Nook

Let's face it, these open face bins don't work too well for sorting toys. They just get junked up, more of an eye sore than an organizer. Since the kids needed "dressers", these existing bins were a nice option.

We went one step further and label-maker'd (is that a word?) each bin to note what type of clothing went inside. If you are new to label makers, they are one of the top "Must Haves" in organizing a home. No pen or paper needed, just type it, print it, stick it.

The open top nature of these dressers allowed the kids to sort their own clean laundry and help themselves get dressed each day. Yes. It DOES say "SOFT Skorts" and "CRUNCHY Skorts." Again, kids and dad can help sort the clean laundry.

The Play Zone
Baskets and cubbies, the perfect pairing. A good initial pass on the books helped to remove any extras that they've outgrown. This loosened up the bookcases and allowed the remaining toys to be separated and displayed for more frequent use.

The Bed & Rest Area
Having bunk beds really open up this shared room for playing during the day. A couple of cushions on the floor under the window provides a good reading area for the kids. A cute train track rug to anchor the play area, dress ups stored below the bed in bins, a laundry basket in the corner, and the room is finished.

After the "Bigs" visited the NEW "Littles" space...we overhear this:

"Awww...their room feels SO nice, why can't our room be nice like that too?"

Now why do you have to go and do that?
Ok fine.
We'll do the "Bigs" room too.
Just a quick face lift.

This was a trickier space.
Small room, two older kids, boy & girl shared, and a reptile named Felix.
Bek did fabulously on her color pallet for the room! Brick red, apple green, dusty blue, and accents of white. Perfectly fun and gender neutral. She had turned bedding into curtains by simply clipping them up onto drapery rings. She then took the shams from the matched set and placed them on each bed to tie in the red to the beds. The dresser did it's thing in the same apple green and Bek refreshed some cork boards in the dust blue to match. Bunk beds, again, saved the day in this room.

Most of this room was done already, so what did HapaLab do?
Space planning...or simply, pushed furniture around.

The beds started out on the door wall, leaving the room feeling cluttered and cramped. The Lab broke the usual rules by pushing the beds up AGAINST the open window. A typical "No-no" in design. Then another fault....butting the tall dresser against the window. Two strikes....in the right direction.

There was SO little space in this bedroom that the heavy casegood sat nicer in the far corner, despite it being infront of the window. The partial drapery overhang served as a nice "headboard" visual. Then the apple green dresser was a nice focal point to the room, serving surprisingly well as a near bedside table for the upper bunk. The sheer scale in height of the bunk beds made the dresser fit in that spot. This also cleared the walls for two other bookcases which were desperately needed to house all the different books and nick-knacks. Kids have nick-knacks. Big time.

So here's to Rebekah...a birthday wish.
May you always find that strength in life to push awkward pieces of furniture against windows...even when it looks utterly wrong, with everyone telling you so, that you know it feels just perfectly right.

Agua?

2011-02-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

Mama...I'm thirsty!

How many times do you get your toddler a drink at home each day?

Here at HapaLAB, it's all about "Do-it-yourself."

Much like the KD (knock-down) furniture at Ikea, but significantly less painful, less complicated, and less costly. We're talkin' a good DIY experience...one where you have all the screws, you can understand the instructions, and there's no glue involved. And most importantly, that giddy GLOW you get when you finish it...I did it myself!

So...Just think of your toddler feeling that accomplishment while filling up.

Who wouldn't want to be able to grab their own drink?

For Zozie, his preferred drink is: Water.

It was pretty clear that we needed to add this to his classroom...

A Drinking Fountain!

Well actually, it's just a glorified water pitcher with a spigot.

A PUR dispenser...Target $30.

Slim, 1 Gallon, Filters.

More independence + Less asking = Happy Kid & Mama
The usual HapaLAB motto.

A tray of tea cups and glasses round off this toddler drink station.

Used glasses are places right side up, while clean glasses are placed upside down. His friends love getting their own water when they come over for playdates. We've overheard "Mommy! I got my own water at Zozo's house!" numerous times...

Spills? It's only water! Just think of it as cleaning a spot on the floor that you meant to get to anyways, right? Plus with every practice, they get better...right before your eyes!

The entire drink station is sitting on top of a recycled wine crate from a local wine storage warehouse. To maximize our class space, we tucked the cleaning brooms, water bottle sprayer, and sponges below.

As with anything new, they'll want to do it all the time. C'mon, it's water!

At first, Zozie would pour a glass, take a sip, say "all done", then pour another, take one sip, then repeat until all 6 glasses were used at once. Other times, he would deliberately fill until overflowing...just to see what happens. Eventually, after a week, the novelty wore off and it's just used as intended. Don't let the initial curiosity kill the project. It really is worth trying!

Got a variation? Tell us about it! HapaLab@gmail.com

Let Zo pour you a glass:

Sunnyside Up?

2011-02-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Presentation: Egg Cracking

Lately, Zozie and our eggs have been inseparable.
He loves eating them, and most of all, CRACKING them.
He's been our in-resident egg cracker since 27months.
Now, it's just routine.

When doing breakfast, he'll want to crack one for mom, dad, and Zo.
Each in a different bowl, and beat it up.
The presentation is rather straight forward.

The Goal:
Learn how to crack an egg

The Set Up:
1) Eggs
2) 2 Bowls
3) Paper Towels

The Presentation:
1) Gently tap an egg at the edge of a bowl
2) Use second hand to hold the bowl steady
3) Clearly show both thumbs entering the softened spot
4) A quick clean pull apart of the shells and turn down to allow the egg to drop
5) Place the empty shell into the 2nd bowl
6) Repeat with the next egg
7) Wipe as you go

Now if he can just make me a Garden Herb Omelette with extra cheese...

Too much to ask?

A little peak at our egg crackin' Zo:

Here Kitty!

2011-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

Presentation: Shape Sorting

Now that the holidays are over...

(It's time to get back to some Lab Work.)

Handing out kitty crackers?

Nope....he's sorting Hello Kitty Pins!

A New HapaLab tool.
Re-purposed.
Our favorite kind.
Found this random bag of Hello Kitty Broach Pins at our Group Yard Sale. There were around 40 pins in 5 different shapes, each with a country and it's national flower on the face. The shapes include: Square, Circle, Butterfly, Large flower, Small flower. We just threw all the pins into a cloth bag (a cinch sack that held my Singapore Airline slippers in flight once), found a tray, and a new tool is complete for the lab. Cost: Free.

The Goal:
1) Shape sorting & counting
2) Blind recognition of shapes thru touch

The Set Up:
1) A tray
2) A cloth bag
3) A set of shapes (could be blocks, cards, anything else that has various shapes)

The Presentation:
1) Ask child to bring the tray
2) Reach into the sack
3) Take out one pin
4) Place each new shape in it's own row
5) Go down the line, from left to right, matching the shape to each row.
6) Only put it down when it reached the matched row.
7) When done, ask the child to count how many of each shape they have.
8) Replace all pins back into the bag.
9) Can do this again and ask the child what shape they have before they pull it out of the bag (tool extension).

Sorting the shapes.

This was a no-brainer set up and a great pay off! Zozie instantly liked it because of all the cute Hello Kitty pictures on the pins.

Also, he liked how I said the flowers and names of the countries. A visually intriguing tool that quickly engaged him in active play learning. Just what we needed.

what's next?

they are SOOO pretty, mama!

The Prize.
At the end of the exercise, Zo likes to select ONE pin to wear as his "prize." This selection process keeps him looking and noticing every pin, evaluating the flowers and the costumes that each Hello Kitty has on. These are all factors that help him come up with his end winner. Sometimes it's a particular combination of shape, color, and motif...whatever it is, I'm just glad he's enjoying the mini-geography trip around the world!

See the Kitty(s) in Action:

Chinese ABC: ㄅㄆㄇ

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sing A Long: BoPoMo (ㄅㄆㄇ)

@ 36 months.

Zo sings the Chinese Alphabet Song: BoPoMo.
(Mandarin Syllables)

4 U

2011-02-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

It's all made up.

So don't buy it.

Hug your child. Kiss your spouse. Love your self.

3 Gems.

Everyday.

Dralion...

2011-02-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

新年快樂! 恭喜發財!

It is the year 4,709 on the lunar calendar.
Our Mandarin Playgroup was started over 2 years ago.
Hapa families with Hapa Kids.
Funny how they all sort of look like cousins.
Maybe soon, there might be a Hapa box for them to check on forms.
It's a unique social circle for the kids to share our special brand of multicultural Asian heritage.

This year, the Hare brought the New Year on Feb 4th. Our 2nd Annual Turtle Potluck is finally catching up to the hopping year...a week later.

The lunar celebration is technically 2 weeks long.
But eating Dumplings is a month-long CHOW-FEST.

So we are stuffing our faces, proudly.

Nothing says CHINESE like the word: Auspicious.aus.pi.cious [aw-spish-uhs] Why Red? It's Auspicious.

Why Firecrackers? It's Auspicious.

Why Dragons? It's Auspicious.

Why is that Auspicious? Doesn't matter...IT JUST IS.

Anything that promises success, prosperity, opportunity, and favored by fortune, it's a Big-Chinese-Thumbs-UP! Not sure why eating a particular combination of typical Chinese food would do it....
but less asking, more eating!

OUR FEAST
Rice (米飯; mǐfàn) - Fertility, luck, wealth, link between Heaven (Gods) and Earth (Men) Noodles (麵條; miàntiáo) Uncut - Long life Garden Tofu (什锦蔬菜; shíjǐn shūcài) - Family harmony *To include: Muer Black fungus(木耳; mù ěr) - Longevity Three Winter Plate *To Include: 1. Snowpeas (荷蘭豆; hélándòu) - Unity 2. Bamboo shoots (竹笋尖; zhú sǔn jiān) - New start 3. Shitake (冬菇; dōnggū) - longevity, sizing opportunities Fish (whole) - (魚/餘 yú) - Surplus of prosperity Fish ball (魚蛋; yúdàn) - Reunion (Round) Prawn (大蝦; dàxiā) - Liveliness Chicken (whole) (雞肉; jīròu) - Completeness & joy Dumplings (jiǎozi, 餃子/角子) - Wealth *To Include: Chinese garlic chives (韭菜, jiǔcài) - everlasting, eternity, long life Turnip Cake (蘿蔔糕; luóbo gāo) - Good omen Sweet Sticking Cake (年糕; nián'gāo) 年高 /年年高升) - Advance to higher positions & prosperity. Red Bean Soup (紅豆湯) - Sweet union Gluten Balls (湯圓 ,tāngyuán) Sweet dumplings - togetherness, reunion Custard Egg(蛋, dàn) - fertility Fruit Platter: Tangerine (橘; jú) - luck, Grapes (葡萄, pútaó) - fertility, Pineapple (凤梨; fènglí) - wealth, Peach (桃; táo) - immortality, Pomelo (柚子; yòuzi) - abundance, Apples (苹果; píngguǒ) - wisdom, peace. Boy, I'm stuffed just typing this.

Chinese New Year Focus :

1) FOOD: Loaded with symbolism

2) Family gatherings & paying respect to ancestors.

3) Up keeping traditions based on the moon & sun's cycles.

To kick off the feast, kids enjoyed hand rolling their own rice balls for dessert.

Then, the party continued with some Bunny hats I made for all the little hares at Circletime! After some songs and New Year cheers, it was time for a special visitor...

Our very own.... Dralion.
(Nope, not the Cirque Show...something EVEN better.)

It's mostly a Lion Dance, but Zo insists that he is a DRAGON. Plus it's usually 2 people to a Lion, but just go with us.

Here we are with OUR version:
1) A Red Robe (used our Xmas robe)
2) A Paper Mask (ma & pa made)
3) A Small Basket
4) A Red Packet (with $1 Inside)
5) A Piece of Green (Fake toy lettuce)
6) A "Mandarin Orange"
(Small stuffed basketball)

reused some old birthday wrapping paper and extra card stock.

A brief story on our dance...
A Hungry Dragon approaches.
We offer a basket of treats to bring in the New Year.
Once he spots the treats, he is happy, VERY happy...and starts to do some criss-cross fancy footwork to show his pleasure.

Then he circles the basket and gobbles up the Orange first (Oranges = Wealth & Luck...or Auspicious.) Then he sees the "Choy" and is again excited...this time, he may do some rolls and tumbles.
Gulp, he nabs the greens, "chews" it, then spits it back out!
This is a symbolic blessing that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year. The red money packet is the Dragons prize.
All this with loud drumming, chimes, and firecrackers to scare off evil spirits.

Our Firecrackers? Giant bubble wrap!!.
A few good twists and some hardy stomps...can't tell the difference!

The Dralion is HERE...with Firecrackers (Video Clip)

An Encore Performance at his Berkeley Mini-Preschool:
You'll see the "Fancy Footwork" at 1:00 mark on this second clip!

Both routines were self choreographed by Zo, I just drummed accordingly.
Based VERY loosely on the 2 performances he saw in real-life on stage at some Chinese celebrations!

My Prize.

Already an Auspicious year.

ensō

2011-02-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

We are often asked what Zo's name means...

If Italian? It's "Ruler of the Home", or just simply, Henry.

If Japanese? It's "Circle of Absolute", "The Void", or simply, The Moment.

We chose the more common spelling to make his life easier.

Yes. Alot of people think Ferrari when they hear it.

And yes. It was the 2008 #1 boy name in FRANCE.

A true international name...a Hapa name for a Hapa boy.

The ensō symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create. In Zen Buddhist art, the character of the artist is fully exposed in how she or he draws an ensō. Only a person who is mentally & spiritually complete can create a true ensō . Some artists will draw this symbol daily for Spiritual practice.
Very Mr. Miagi circa 1980's.

Zo started to "sign his name" at alittle over 2 years old. It was open scribbles at first, but now he's deliberately connecting the two end points at 3, closing the circle. It's so very hip of him...having a name that's a symbol...like the artist formerly known as something that was formerly comprehensible.

A child's art does reflect on his character in many ways. Either loose or tight, imaginative or literal, from scribbles to writing, a child's reflection of the world around him is simply fascinating.
Zigg-Zags started to appear in alot of Zo's doodles.
"That's a story mama...like ABC's".

A few of his playmates are now spelling their own names. Just amazing.
Zo's not there yet, the letter "O" is his best letter, we're lucky that worked out.

Circles became "words." And now, words became "people."
His latest chalk scribble is of the most beloved people in his life.
At least I would like to think so.

Slowly, the previous empty Void is now beginning to fill.
Words, images, characters...a once clean slate now has inhabitants.
Real or pretend, invited or intruded, these stories of the who we are, what we are, and how we are, are all around us...and in us.
In this lab, I see my subject self filling and being filled.
A mind empty.
A mind full.
The Merry-Go-Round of life has started.

The BIG 3!

2011-02-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

3 Years ago...
I was loitering up and down the halls of the UCLA maternity ward.
21 hours later, he was ready.
Within 17 mins, our sweet boy fell out.
Literally, from standing position.

By suggestion of our midwife, I caught him myself.
Feeling his soft round head, I lifted him out and up, to my face.
His tiny eyes unstuck, one at a time...thurp, thurp.
Hello Sunshine.
And we met for the first time...outside of our womb.

3 Years later...
A party to celebrate growth & LIFE.
His Birth-Day.

We asked what he wanted....
"Some cake, and park...with my friends."
Simple enough.

Some gardening gloves at the store sparked the idea.

Daddy always makes the signs. And bakes the cake.
Mama designs & dresses it.

Last year's creation...

ICING-LESS designs.
Powder sugar, fresh blueberries, and mint leaves finished the tier cake.
Stacking mini-cupcakes = no cutting. We just passed the cakes out, post-blowing.

And this year's entry...

A wiggly treat...
Mini loafs resemble blocks of earth for the worms to burrow through.

Strategically placed toothpicks took the place of icing in "gluing" this all together...soil and worms. Some were cut in half to add to the burrowing effect.

This was a fascinating centerpiece for the kids to investigate...lots of wide eyes and tiny fingers counting the crawlies.

The Garden Buffet.

We designed a "Best Buds" garden where Zozie planted and is growing his closest friends. A tiny bamboo stake labeled each seedling.
This was reflective of all the new friendships that we have cultivated since our move to the East Bay.
To see this tray filled with all these SWEET varieties of Cuteness...
This is one crop we are so grateful to harvest.

As for the cakes, we upgraded from Minis...to Full size. Still without icing, we added the sugar back by giving each child his own worm. This sparked a variety of conversations amongst the kids:
"I have a red worm." "I have a green one." "Where's my cake?" "Do you have one too?" "Zozo has the big cake with lots of worms." To simulate grass, we inserted a sprig of anti-bacterial sushi grass made of cellulose.

A TRUE test of SHEER WILL POWER:
They see it, and can't have it...YET.
Pure torture.
A steady stream of 2-3 kids would circulate the Best Buds garden, eye-ing their pot, asking repeatedly if "it's time yet?" Waiting patiently, or impatiently, until the songs (Chinese & English) were sung and candles were blown.

All 15 kids passed with flying colors!
There really IS a difference between 2 year olds and 3 year olds.
Try this last year? Ya right.


kids find their name in the garden

got one!

dig in...

mama dishes out the Big Kids cakes...

silly cousins...

Favors?
The party wrapped with a take home gardening project for the kids.
Sorry moms & dads...it wouldn't be a HapaLab post without some "work" eh?

We sent em' packing:
1) A potted Peniny of their choice
2) A small round pot
3) A pair of gardening gloves
4) A set of garden stakes and labels
5) A garden tote (can be used for crafts or art supplies too)
The parents were asked to help the kids re-pot the Peniny when they got home. Wonder how many of those flowers will remain after a month?

The day ended with Zozie wiping down his birthday chalk signage:

A recap of the beautiful buddies at our garden party...
See the full album at The Chowda House.