I spy
Today I spied a tulip.
Some months ago my daughter was given a couple of bags of bulbs by the lovely staff at our local op shop, as a thank you for helping there on a chilly Saturday morning. I poked the selection of wizened gnarly brown bulbs into soil in some old garden pots, gave them a water, and left them to do their thing. This morning I glimpsed some brilliant magenta petals peeking through… and it made my heart sing.
Each time we, as a community, respond to COVID outbreaks our world shrinks… the restrictions we live under do keep us safe, but they also mean we’re at home more, we see fewer people, and we stay confined within smaller spaces. Over the past 18 months I’ve spent so much time looking at the house and yard that my family occupies that I feel like I know each and every corner… so the sight of that bright sliver of pink tulip, something new and surprising, felt extra special.
Children see the world very differently to adults. They have a natural curiosity that they use to learn, and a much blurrier distinction between what is real and what is fantasy. All of my four children loved the idea of spying, exploring and discovering.
When our strange new COVID-shrunk world leaves little left to discover, it can be fun to use new tools to explore it in new ways. Your recycling bin will probably have a few good resources for making such tools with your children.
Toilet roll binoculars
You’ll need just a few simple materials:
2 toilet rolls
tape
string
a milk bottle cap or 2
scissors
Tape a bottle cap onto each tube - these are spacers to separate the tubes to ensure they align with your child’s eyes. You may need both caps, or only one (depending on the size of your child’s face).
Then wrap tape right around both tubes to join them together.
Measure enough string to make a neck strap. Knot the ends of the string, and fasten with tape to to the outside of the binoculars.
If they’re not bursting to use them immediately your child may like to decorate their binoculars in any way they choose, using:
texta colours
paint (if they’re patient enough to wait for drying time)
old gift wrapping paper to wrap and paste
aluminum foil
Once their binoculars are ready to go encourage the kids to have a good look around indoors or out, set them a challenge, play “I spy”, take them on a neighborhood stroll or in the car. Most importantly, have fun x
Another crafty recycling idea for your budding explorer.
