"Almost all creativity involves purposeful play."

Day 38:

Our style of home-ed has gone completely out of the window since all this began, It was never really structured to start with but I always had a plan in my head each morning of the work we were probably going to be doing. These days I think it's far more important to be focusing on the mental health of our kids. All this is so much for them to deal with emotionally. So with that In mind our days have been all about the creative side of learning, we do what ever makes Opeie feel happiest. Today we made a dinosaur mask for his LEGO Boost and he did some coding. It's always a fun educational activity that never disappoints. 

This whole thing is hard enough without having to worry about academic learning while the schools are closed. get playing with your kids, that's where the real magic is.

"Knox in box. Fox in socks. Knox on fox in socks in box"

Do you remember the time when things were this simple?

Being able to chose whatever vehicle you wished to travel in and jetting off to whatever secluded and glamorous location you liked, not even been confined to this planet. Long distance travel wasn't an issue because you could go in to hyper speed or even teleport if you wanted to. There was no need to moan about the price of fuel going up because your transport ran off Orange squash, or Lego and as you can see from the photo above accessorising your outfit to go with your ride was a breeze (its like a cardboard fast and the furious).

Its amazing how much entertainment the boys can get out of cardboard. We've been attempting to de-clutter again so have been listing our unwanted items on eBay and filling up our local charity shops. Mrs M kindly brought home some boxes for packaging up but as i expected most of them didn't make it that far because big boxes in our house are like gold dust and on sight the boys are all over them.

The boys spent most of the afternoon playing in their new cardboard creations, one minute they were in rockets, then a motorbike with a side car. With the help of a coat hanger being attached to the front Seth's became a racing car and right before we left to pick Mrs M up from work they were on a boat that had hit an iceberg and they were desperately trying to rescue all of their toys from the dangerous currents of a violent sea. I couldn't help but think 'i wish we had a boat big enough for me.'

As the boxes had become flavour of the day and the sun was out we asked the boys if they wanted to take their new custom vehicles outdoor racing down some hills, I'm quite sure you can guess what their response was...

It was a lovely evening so we took a slow drive down to somewhere hilly to make the most of the cardboard super cars. On the way Seth reminded us of a snowman hedge that he had spotted the last time we had passed through so Mrs M jumped out to take a picture.

Sadly on arrival the boxes barely even got a look in as Mrs M's PT Gareth donated a very slippy Gym mat to the cause and it soon became the favoured hill sliding companion. As soon as the boys got on it the boxes were a thing of the past. It was early evening when we headed out so it was quiet and we made the most of our dry slope sledging activity. Even Mrs M got in on the action.

 

We left our sledging escapades in high spirits and were all having a great chuckle on the way home so just before getting back to ours i drove to somewhere that had made me laugh the day before. A house we had driven past a few times had given their already tacky lions at the end of their path a touch up. Orange and Red? really? i honestly don't know what possessed them but Mrs M found it equally as funny.

It was another great mini adventure for me and the troops and ive really enjoyed the making the most of our time after Mrs M being at work. Its been a great de-stresser for her too. I feel so lucky to have a great family and with next week being the last full week that Seth has off for the holiday we have a lot of cramming of fun stuff to do.

"A Pirates life for me"

Why would anyone not like role play?, It's fun to not be yourself every now and again and when the boys are in the mood for dressing up and acting out whatever crazy scenario's they can come up with i like to think i fully embrace it. Ive opened the door to the postman in all manner of outfits. Opeie is really starting to get into it more and wants to be involed in what ever his big brother is doing. Seth's been going through his 'i want to be a Goonie' phase at the moment and it came to my attention that you cant have Goonies without pirates, we were definitely short of any Pirate attire so after finding out about The Toadstool a few weeks back we put in an order for their Haba Captain Charlie Pirate Hat and Beard and Captain Charlie Pirate Sword.

The postman knocked today and Opeie jumped up and ran to the door and when i saw the stickers on the package i knew it was his new dress up items. When we opened the package Opeie shouted 'Pirate' and 'arrrggghhhh'. This was going to be a fun afternoon.

The beard is really soft, detailed and beautifully made, you can tell just by looking at it that it is a well made and safe product which i loved as it meant it was comfortable for Opeie to wear and there was no itching. The beard could be unattached from the hat and moved around by velcro which is great for getting the positioning of your face right. The sword is also soft and flexible too which is great for those overly energetic role players that get carried away in battle (there will be no tears on our ship). What i love most about Haba toys is the fact that they are eco friendly and have a great ethos which is really important to us as a family as we like to do our part when it comes to being green. Opeie was one happy little pirate and after running about wielding his sword for a while we decided to get down to some pirate themed craft, still wearing his hat of course.

It then came to my attention that when Seth came home from school he was going to want to be a pirate too so after reading a facebook status update from The Toadstool earlier in the day about their 'Earth day competition' and keeping in with the Haba ethos we used the packaging that the items came with to make another pirate hat and Sword. Genius if i do say so myself. two hats and swords for the price of one and two very smiley boys.

Well it turns out that Captain Seth was having big problems with his crew. Everytime his back was turned they were all after his bottle of rum. Boldhead blackbeard (that would be me) especially likes a tipple (helps with the scurvy) and he was doing the best he could to remove it from his possession with the help of his helper Jollypinkboots (Opeie)...

Captain Seth was having none of it and things soon became heated...

Luckily i invoked the the right of parlay! According to the Code of the Brethren and the fighting was over and we all became friends and sat down to a glass off rum...

*Giftsfromthepirates in no way encourages underage pirate drinking!!!

Turns out Captain Seth can't handle the strong stuff so in no time at all we were brawling again...

Seth has informed us tonight that as soon as he is back from school tomorrow we are having a pirate battle again (can i make a cardboard pirate ship in that time?). Its got me thinking of other role playing items we need so i went mooching on thetoadstool.co.uk again and found some great items including the Haba Knights Helmet and all its medieval counterparts and a great looking Doctor's Suitcase.

Haba Captain Charlie Pirate Hat and beard for ages 3 - 33

"But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold."

Ive said it many times, but having great friends means so much to me, they are the people that make up for the family that i am missing and for that i am forever grateful. Saturday was such a fun day, we had planned to visit our friends Chris and Michelle earlier in the week and after Seth had been to Tae kwon do we headed in their direction. Chris had mentioned an old fashioned sweet shop and also said the word park, two key words that are always going to get the boys interested in the days events. We had a chat and a cuppa when we got there and then headed to a park in Lichfield. The park was really busy which i thought might put Opeie off but the boys were really excited and couldn't wait to run about. Chris had brought his fancy camera so while me and Mrs M devised a plan for it to go walkies and come home with us Chris snapped away.

It's great having an extra two pairs of adult hands and meant that me and Mrs M could relax a little more than usual. The boys love Chris and Michelle which is great and they made the most of the extra playmates. Opeie said "weeeeeee" over and over to let us know going down the slide was his only agenda and Seth was happy dragging Michelle along behind him on the pirate ship.

 

We played pirates on a pirate ship, had a ride on a train, climbed some rocks, rode a skateboard on a rail and climbed to the top of a rope climbing frame, which Seth was very proud of (even if i did almost fall off). So all in all a fun packed trip to the park was had by all.

After the park we headed in to town to find the sweetshop, Seth enjoyed picking his pick n mix and Opeie shoveled down rainbow drops like they were going out of fashion. We all sat down and had a coffee and then headed to a toy shop that we had been to earlier in the afternoon. Seth got to spend his pocket money on a new Lego kit which we got to build as soon as we had walked through the door at Chris and Michelle's. After a lovely indoor picnic prepared by Michelle and some great conversation we headed home with two very sleepy boys.

We never did get that camera but were very thankful of the 300 or so pictures that Chris took, thanks guys as always we had a great day.

Check out Gingerjamphoto for Chris' take on the day.

Playing with your children... "unless you're a moron, why wouldn't you get bored?"

Nothing on the internet has made me angry until today, there's so much rubbish about to read but it can all be taken with a pinch of salt. I love writing the blog but I don't tend to sit on the computer for hours reading articles and posts that don't draw me in straight away. My friend Alice from bigmilkthing sent me this article and even though I'm a really laid back guy that doesn't let anything get to me, this made my blood boil and I am really disappointed that someone like parentdish would publish it. First the article:

(click the link below)

 

Why playing with your children can be (whisper it) a little bit boring

I was limited to 3000 characters in the comment box so I thought something like this needed to be put in to a post as it is relevant to blog and what I'm all about as a parent, so here is my (extended response).

When i found out me and my partner were expecting our first child I knew that I wanted my son to completely adore me, I mean what father wouldn't? i didn't have a great relationship with my own father growing up and I didn't want that for me and my children. I have a step son from my partners previous relationship who on a daily basis tells me that I am his best friend and am also his favourite person to play with, this isn't because he is shy and he doesn't have issues talking to other children, he is a very outgoing child.. This has nothing to do with me being a 'moron' and I'm not even sure what 'obsessed parents' is supposed to mean? 

 The problem isn't that your children are boring its that firstly most parents seem to have no idea how to talk or communicate at all to their children, you don't have to talk to them in baby talk or act like an idiot. Just talk to them like adults and if they don't understand what your saying then explain what you mean (sadly parents think their lives are to hectic for this level of commitment). The second major issue is that most parents have no imagination and rather than actually listen to what their children are talking about and get involved they would rather make a coffee, put their feet up and apparently watch Jeremy Kyle,  if what i hear on the school playground is anything to go by. 

Try and think back to when you were a child, what did you love to do? My eldest loves hearing stories about all the things I got up to growing up and these stories open up his own imagination. I used to love 'making bases' so how hard is it to take a couple of hours to make a base in the house with some sheets? Lego was a big thing for me when i was younger and I have introduced my boys to this and its something we do together when the weather isn't great and were stuck indoors. My boys love playing dress up and Ive been known to don a Captain America outfit and run around with them playing 'The Avengers', it puts a smile on their faces and if you don't want that as a parent then it says a lot about your parenting skills. 

All it takes is a little effort and some imagination. I play with my boys everyday which is why I started our blog giftsfromthepirates.com as a kind of online diary for them to look back on and also to show other parents that read the blog that spending time with your children is a never ending amount of fun. Your commitment to your children doesn't end at changing nappies, cooking food and bathing etc. I have a feeling that the article was written to make waves and get a response, I'm quite shocked that parentdish have posted such offensive material and to label a parent a moron for wanting to get involved in the development of their child is a ridiculous comment to make. 

Your children want to spend time with you, they want you to interact with them and take an interest in what they are doing, this may not always be the case, these could be the golden years in your time as a parent so you should be making the most of every spare minute you have with them. Yes you have many mundane things to do, we all do but if you communicate with your children and explain that sometimes adults have grown up things to take care of but you still take some time to give them the attention they deserve then they will understand and in time respect you for that. 

Too many parents that I come in to contact with seem to have gone in to the whole parenting thing half arsed. When you decide to have children it is a huge commitment, yes your going to have to watch Children's TV and play with toys but your making them happy, Isn't this the thing you want the most? a happy family and children that want to spend time with you? I cant believe that in the article there were so many ridiculous comments from apparent parents. I'll be honest i just feel sorry for the children as apparently "parts of the business of child-rearing are, frankly, dull.". I could go on and on but i feel that doing so would just make me more and more angry. I love and respect my children, I'm there when their happy, I'm there when their sad and I'm there if they want me to build them a hideout in the back garden and dress up like a super villain. Its all part of being a great parent.

I will agree with one part of the article though the "creaking knees" can be a pain.

Anyway rant over, I'm happy in the fact that I am putting everything I can it to my relationship with my boys.

Pauly (a doting, not obsessed parent)

*UPDATE* - "I did it! I finally killed Batman! In front of a bunch of vulnerable, disabled kids!!! Now get me Santa Claus!"

Just a quick update tonight about last nights post. Seth came home earlier and was really excited about the Fun house and all the characters i had made for him which put a big smile on my face. While we were playing with it he said he wished he had a Mr Freeze mini figure so i got out the mini figure box to see what i could pull together. Ive had seth in stitches most of the night because this is what i came up with...

Seth thought it was hilarious and was playing with it right up until he went to bed. While we were playing tonight i thought i would try something different and take photo's of what was going on and turn it into a mini comic strip.

during our play Opeie was shot with Mr Freeze's ice gun (naughty Mr Freeze), Opeie was then frozen which im quite sure he wasn't very happy about. He then tried to freeze Seth but luckily Seth was well prepared and was carrying a mirror which he pulled out deflecting the ice beam, thus freezing the frosty villain himself. Seth then took his brothers frozen body and placed him next to a fire to thaw him out. Then they had a little cuddle.

Worked out quite well i thought.

The End.