Happy Birthday King Danny

Danny turned 4 years old today. One of the Steiner traditions is for the child to wear a crown because on their birthday they should be treated like royalty. So today Danny got to decide what we were going to do and he picked the animal and bird park. We met Meeka there and said hello to all of the animals, particularly the rabbits where you can sit and stroke them, although Serena thought it would be fun to pull their ears.

Danny was very lucky with his gifts, he received the Octopod from the Octonauts that he has wanted for so long, dinosaurs, spiderman jacket and batman PJs which he decided to get changed into there and then at the animal park. He has more gifts to come too so he will be sending out lots of thank you cards.

Serena and Lennox are good friends and Serena decided to feed Lennox some strawberries for morning tea. Lennox is a few moths younger than Serena but they are both the same size!

In the afternoon we went to the cinema and saw Pete's Dragon which Danny enjoyed. He was exhausted by the end of the day.

Another Steiner tradition is to recite this poem to the child on the eve of their birthday (this is what I read to Danny last night in bed):

When I have said my evening prayer

And my clothes are folded on the chair

And mother switches off the light

I'll still be 3 years old tonight

But from the very break of day

Before the children rise and play

Before the darkness turns to gold

Tomorrow I'll be 4 years old

4 kisses when I wake

4 candles on my cake

'Every child is an artist'

Danny pulled out the paints this morning and decided he would paint a rainbow with Serena being his loyal assistant. It's not often Danny likes to paint so I love to encourage it when he wants to do it. He enjoys mixing the colours together and especially likes painting with black (I think that has something to do with Batman). Serena was carefully scrutinising the brushes. Picasso sums it up nicely when he said. 'Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.'

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Beach Life

With a lovely day today and temperatures of 27, there is no better place than the beach! Danny and Meeka had fun digging in the sand and Serena is intrigued by everything they do.

Feathered Friends

Today we decided to feed the ducks with Meeka and Annabelle. However, the ducks were very shyand it took them a while before they feasted on the bread we threw for them. It wasn't long before Danny grew bored of duck feeding and instead decided to strip off and 'jump into the ocean' as he put it. Meeka quickly followed suit. Danny made his own water bomb out of a dumped plastic bag, filling it with water and pouring it all over Meeka, and Meeka had her turn too. This kept them entertained for ages.

Mud Pie

Mud Pie!

I left Danny to his own devices outside and he decided to make a mud pie!

Serena even helped him.

And Conan! He turned white after Danny quietly took the packet of icing sugar (which was for his birthday cake) and poured it on him.

We decided to make a mud kitchen!

A true chef is not scared to get his hands dirty!

The best mud pie I have ever seen!

I think Danny has been taking art lessons from the kids in Kununurra!!

Here is a link as to why we should let children play in the mud:

http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/2011/08/10-reasons-why-we-should-let-children.html

The best ones I like is that it encourage creative thinking and connects them with nature.

Party Time

Today was Meekas mums 30th birthday party, so Danny had his nice shark shirt on that his Nanny sent him. Danny doesn't usually like dancing but he was quite happy to dance with Meeka at the party!

Happy Birthday Super Girl!

A year ago today Serena was born at home in the water. To celebrate her 1st birthday I have been looking up some Steiner birthday traditions. I found one about setting up a birthday table so here is one I did for Serena. It has photos on of when she was born, some presents and cards and a candle. I found came across this piece of literature when researching Steiner birthday which I thought was nice; 'A Steiner-inspired birthday celebration acknowledges that the child has willingly entered into this life contract with a preconceived purpose.  It is the task of the child/adult to unravel that mystery as they set foot upon the path of life.  A birthday then becomes a chance to give support to and give gratitude to this brave individual as they navigate through the ups and downs of life.  It is also a chance for us to see beyond the outer exterior of a person and fish a little deeper'

(http://blog.hellocharlie.com.au/2010/08/a-steiner-inspired-approach-to-birthday-celebrations/)

Danny was busy making a cake for her. We made a raw carrot cake, another Bear Grylls recipe which was delicious. Danny loves to cook and experiment with different ingredients. I always find cooking with him is a great way for him to learn counting and numbers as we look at the screen on the thermomix to check the weight of the ingredients.

Serena enjoyed her Happy Birthday song

.....and her cake!

The weather wasn't so good today and unfortunately there is nowhere in town that offers an indoor play area for kids except Bunnings which has a very small area next to the café so we opted for that and Serena thoroughly enjoyed watching Danny whizzing down the slide.

I came across this book at the library and I thought it was rather appropriate. It's about a bear who keeps asking his mum if it's his birthday and it's always someone else's until one day it is his birthday. Danny's birthday is next week and he cant wait to open his presents so this is a good book for him.

The reason why I have called today Happy Birthday Super Girl is because any chance Danny gets Serena is forced to wear a red cape and addressed as Super Girl!