Teaching Children to Be Good Friends

blueberry flowers and nasturtiums

When I went to pick up my first-grader at school today he was hiding as usual with his two best buddies near the boys' toilets.    After I extracted my son from his (very stinky) hiding spot, I noticed that a new little boy from Pakistan was sitting all by himself, with no one to play with.  

Expecting his usual, sweet-natured compliance, I asked my son to go over to Abdullah and ask him to play.  To my shock, the response was, "No, I don't want to play with him.  He's stinky.  He doesn't play any good games, only boring ones like chasey."  Then he laughed with his friends, who repeated what he said.

I was appalled.  I couldn't believe my kind, loving, generous child could say such a thing.  Or be so thoughtlessly cruel, even if he was just being silly and showing off.  Fortunately, none of this was said within earshot of Abdullah.

Needless to say, I have talked to my son about how hard it is to be a new person and not have many friends.  And that I expect him to be kind and let Abdullah join in, in future.  I will also be speaking to their teacher tomorrow to see if the boys can do some activities together in class.  Hopefully I will have the opportunity to introduce myself to Abdullah's parents in the near future.
 

Have you ever dealt with an issue like this?  What did you do?  How do we teach young children to be sensitive to the needs of others?

Postscript: When I arrived at school yesterday my son ran over to say that he played chasey with Abdullah all through lunchtime and they're friends now.  I'll continue to keep an eye on this situation. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Nasturtiums

I used not to like nasturtiums much because I thought they were too garish in their vivid oranges, reds and yellows.   However, now I like them.  A lot.

They quickly fill patches of bare earth between bigger plants, they cascade down rockeries, and they happily thrive in scorching sunshine.  Moreover, nasturtiums are very low maintenance, requiring little in the way of fertiliser and water.  The seeds are large and germinate quickly, which makes growing nasturtiums a great project for little people.

Even better, just about every part of a nasturtium is edible.  The leaves and flowers can go in salads, and the seed pods can be pickled like capers - or so I'm told, I haven't tried this.

Now that the nasturtiums I planted during winter are starting to flower, it feels like spring is really here!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ugly Lemon

I think this is the ugliest lemon that I have ever seen.  It's ugly and lumpy and looks like it has dilated pores, like an unfortunate teenager recovering from acne.  Let's hope it's prettier on the inside!

It was the last lemon on our tree.  Admittedly, this winter's crop was a measly total of seven lemons.  The tree, which has looked sick ever since we moved here, is now covered in hundreds of tiny purple flower buds and a few baby purple leaves.  I am giving the poor tree as much TLC as I can, to get it back on its feet (I know that's a silly metaphor for a tree!).  Last week I fed it with blood and bone mixed with potash and I've been giving it regular doses of worm juice. 

And I've been encouraging the boys to, ahem, 'water' it themselves, if you know what I mean.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

It's my party!

Aqui ficam alguns pormenores da mesa dos 7 anos das minhas sobrinhas, e que tanto gosto me deu a fazer. São fotografias tiradas do telemóvel, pelo que a qualidade deixa muito a desejar... A jarra de flores também não está como eu queria, mas foi feita a correr, pois os convidados já estavam a chegar! :-) Mas é assim que se aprende a melhorar, depois de ver o trabalho feito e, principalmente, depois de ver as fotos. Tenho de aguardar pelas restantes... Até já!

Just a few details of the table that I did for my niece's birthday. These photos were taken with my cell phone, so their quality is not so good... the vase with the flowers isn't as I wished as well, but I had to make it in a hurry, as the guests were arriving!... :-) But this is how you improve, learning how to plan in advance and looking at the photos - that's when you can see if things work out or not. Well, I have to wait for the other photos!... See you soon!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Backyard Harvest: Garlic Scapes

I think my favourite thing about garlic scapes is their name.  It is such a great name.  It always reminds me of Severus Snape from Harry Potter, although of course that's Snape, not Scape.

Garlic scapes are really just the greens that shoot up when you plant garlic cloves. The scapes taste strongly of garlic and can be used any time you would normally use garlic.  I have also used them in place of spring onions.

My little boy and I planted a row of garlic just outside my back door so, as my husband jokes, there will be no problems with vampires in this house!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

You were always on my mind

Esta imagem já tem alguns anos e, desde que a vi numa das Living que a minha mãe subscreve, que nunca mais me esqueci do efeito lindo das flores em papel penduradas. Obrigada, Martha Stewart, por seres uma eterna fonte de inspiração!

Credits: Martha Stewart

I saw this picture a long time ago in one of the Living magazines that my mother subscribes. I never forgot it since then and I still find the paper flowers decoration wonderful. Thanks Martha Stewart for your ceaseless fountain of inspiration!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

My Favourite Time of the Week

Three p.m. on Thursday afternoons is my favourite time of the week.  I walk out of my office, pick up my son from school, then go home for three days with my family.  

On Thursday afternoons I wander around my garden thinking about what I want to do over the next few days.  Will I plant more seeds?  Will I thin the lettuce seedlings?  I also think about what I need to do around the house.  I start planning shopping lists and think about any organising that is needed.  And I face the mountains of laundry that have built up over the past four days.

My freedom seems to stretch out forever.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad