The Junior Wanderer

Creativity with stirrers and straws!

2011-12-13T12:08:00.001+05:30

Its been a long while since I have posted anything here and the main reason is that we have been too busy with school, as well as gymnastics and athletics, not to mention skating as well as badminton!!! With so many activities, as well as a 4 day camp to look forward to, Samhith has not been much in the mood for anything else.

Yesterday, however, as I met a blogger friend for coffee, he busied himself with straws and stirrers, and I left him alone to do as he pleased, happy that he left me alone to talk!! He later said he wanted to make a man, but didn't know how to make his arms. That was how things stood when we reached home, and I thought he had forgotten all about it. And then, suddenly, after dinner, he comes up to me and shows me the stick-man he has made - having figured out all by himself how to make the arms for the figure!!

It might be a simple thing to make, but do I need to mention how proud I am that he thought of it himself and actually made it the way he wanted, without any help at all!!!

Our first Travel Scrap Book!

2011-06-08T10:46:00.000+05:30

I have been pestering Samhith to write about our travels, and so far, havent had much success. However, this summer, while we were at Pondicherry, I bought him a handmade paper scrap book, on the condition that he would document our travels at every stage by himself. It seems to have worked, and as I put up his work here, I am one proud mom today! Please do leave your comments and suggestions to encourage him!

Urban Leaves Summer Camp

2011-05-09T16:57:00.000+05:30

With the vacations in full swing, getting Samhith to write anything is a difficult task. With the IPL underway, it is next to impossible! However, here is something which at least made him write something down – the Urban Leaves Summer Camp. You can read more about the camp on my blog, and see the complete photo album here. Meanwhile, take a look at Samhith’s work…

The very first day, he found a dead butterfly. This seems to have been the highlight of the camp for him., because he couldn’t stop talking about it and showing to everyone!

He collected such a huge number of leaves and flowers, but these were all he stuck on his book…. He was supposed to sit down and name them, but got distracted and never got around to doing that!

A few lines about what he did….

And some pictures of what they made….

A self watering can…

And a method of drip-irrigation!

He made a new friend – who lives in same area, and was born on the same day as him – they were born just an hour apart! And together, they made the most of their last day at the camp – collecting dry leaves for mulching …..

Listening to Julius telling them stories and teaching them new songs….

The highlight of this day was the snake skin… a long one lying by a tree….

We finished the camp with a pot luck breakfast…. And made promises to join them as soon as we get back from our trip! Samhith now has a reason to get up early every Sunday!

Back after a long break - Writing of Soft Toys

2011-01-15T17:33:00.000+05:30

Here is something from Samhith's pen after a long long time...... This was triggered by my wish to donate his soft toys, considering that he doesnt play with them anymore, and his insistence that he NEEDS them!

To prove that he still can play with them, he not only arranged them near his bed, he also made up a story about them! He didnt really want to write it down, though,but did when I promised him that I would post it before I posted my own posts on Hampi, and that he could keep his soft toys... for now!

So, here is his work.... first the pic, so you get an idea about what he writes about.......

These are actually two pics he took... I merged them to give you a better look....

and heres another pic taken by him...

Finally, here is the story.....

For those of you who are having trouble following that handwriting which becomes a scrawl towards the end, here is the story..... typed by me...

Its Christmas and here's a family waiting for Santa Claus

Here Grandfather bear is relaxing on a cushion, here's Winnie the pooh nicely having a nap on his father's lap. Here his two sons Michel and John playing together happily and waiting for Santa Claus and make a long looooooong wish, Krishna was waiting to play a prank on Santa! Policeman Dev has got a case! The case is to find Santa Claus! Squirrel Oliver is jumping on Krishna, Dalmatian Johnsons is having a nap, Tiger, Tiger's jumping has stopped and he has stuck himself so that he doesnt bump into Santa! Tweety and her father have slept. Just then they woke up! and then Santa Claus came!

Well, so thats it.... What do you think?

Ganesh Chaturthi through the eyes of a seven year old....

2010-09-25T10:06:00.000+05:30

Here are a few lines Samhith wrote about Ganesh Chaturthi... The words are all his. I am simply typing them out for him....

We celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi for ten days. We celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi because one time Gowri comes down to earth and Shiva tells Ganesha to bring her back. That time Ganesha stays on earth for ten days. Some Ganesha idols are Lalbaugcha Raja, Siddhi Vinayak, Tilak Nagar Ganpati and Raghuleela Ganpati. In some buildings, there are Ganpatis, like Deep Apartments, Radha Krishna Building. Gowri is special in Karnataka and Ganesha in Mumbai. Ganesh Chaturthi just got over. Ganesha is worshiped as Lambodara, Vinayaka and Gajanana. People immerse Ganeshas. Amitabh Bacchhan and Abhishek Bacchhan visited Lalbaugcha Raja. From my school, we went to see Tilak Nagar Ganpati. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.

Please do leave your comments.. They are sure to encourage Samhith to write more....

Usha, I am especially looking forward to your comment, and so is Samhith!

More Computer Art....

2010-07-19T08:32:00.000+05:30

Samhith now seems to getting better at using Paint, and keeps trying things out (Of course, when he is in the mood!). Here is his latest creation....

I guess we could call it 'Modern Art'???? Well, according to him, it just something he wanted to draw.. the figure on the right is an animal.. which one? Even he has no idea! He wanted to erase it, but I liked it so much, I persuaded him to leave it alone....

So, what do you think????

Binsar Photographs

2010-04-23T13:30:00.000+05:30

Its been a while since I have posted anything here, waiting for Samhith to do some writing by himself. Since that doesn't seem to be happening, here is my contribution to his work......

These are all photographs taken by Samhith at Binsar, in our resort. There is now a perpetual tussle for the camera, and it is becoming quite obvious that I need to upgrade soon and hand over this one to junior! I did try giving him my old Kodak, but it doesn't seem to hold any interest for him, since he cant see the result of his click! What a far cry from the days when I was handed the camera... when I was almost out of school! Well, its inevitable, considering the changed times, and lets accept it, a digicam is much easier to use, and more fun, and best of all, you don't have to spend money and time to develop your negatives! So, we have now arrived at an arrangement where Samhith now shoots all the flowers and plants at the resorts, targets which will not move in time to spoil his shot! So here are his captures....

The first thing to fascinate him at the resort was the towel arrangement on the bed! It was fantastic! Here are two brilliant creations!

Now for the flowers - he has now learnt that Biology is the study of living things, and is thrilled that he could spell it without my help!

A lone feather...he has been searching for feathers of different colours, but is yet to find them, so is a bit disappointed...

This was a huge ball...I have forgotten its name....a person gets into it, and is then rolled all over the resort! He was fascinated and wanted to try it out, but we convinced him to wait till he grew a little older....

And finally, here is his shot of his mom.... i.e. Me......

Please, please leave your comments and encourage him to write something on his own for the next post!

A Handkerchief For Peace

2010-03-24T10:27:00.000+05:30

Friday marked the end of the exams and we all heaved a sigh of relief! (not that we had worked too hard for the exam, but the fact that it was over was enough for us to rejoice...). The school diary came back full with instructions for the coming week - the last week of the current academic year. We have one week of freedom before we begin the new year...Samhith will go proudly to the second standard...after a much awaited holiday.. But more of that later....

Anyway..... my son is great at telling me what happened in the school, but about 15 days of the event! I get to hear of nothing in time, and am usually lost when other parents call me up asking for some clarification. This time, courtesy my having to pick him up during the exams, I heard that the kids were required to bring along a handkerchief on Monday......something I had, of course, no clue about! When I asked him about it, he answered, "Oh Yes, I knew about it.... and forgot to tell you!" Asked what it was for, he hemmed and hawed for a while before telling me that it was something to do with friendship and messages for peace.. and an exhibition about something called, in his words "amma and asha". It took me a while to understand that he meant "Aman ki Asha"- the current cultural peace initiative between India and Pakistan! (of course, the association of ideas was quite clear - 'Aman' became 'amma', the more familiar word, and 'asha' to him meant his aunt of the same name!)

The campaign at present involves writing peace slogans on handkerchiefs, a project involving schools across both countries, and using them to form a rope to be tied across the border over the trademark barbed wires. I read about this in the paper months ago, but had no idea their school was participating in it, and actually thought that it was already over! You can read more about it on their site, and even add a virtual handkerchief of your own... Check it out here.

As it happens, we had kept Samhith's handkerchief and colours ready, but in the enthusiasm of exams getting over, he took them out to play, and forgot to put them back into the bag! Thankfully, he didn't cry at school when he realised that he didn't have his stuff, especially thanks to the fact that many of his friends had done the same thing! He came home and sat down to decorate his kerchief, all by himself!

Here is the final result..........

For those of you who need some explanation, there are mountains, a river, a road and a grassy plain, with two children, one handing a rose to another...

He wanted to take the kerchief to school and give it to his art teacher,but unfortunately, she was absent, and (as I had expected), the date was past, and they did not accept it. Thankfully, this chap did not cry, but brought it back...... To appease him, I told him that I would feature it on the blog, so please guys, encourage him with your comments.....

Computer skills to the test

2010-03-19T17:55:00.000+05:30

One of the subjects Samhith learns in school is ICT - Information and Communication technology! Sounds grand, doesn't it??? In simple language, all that amounts to, is computers.... as of now, basic stuff like what exactly is a computer? what are the different parts? how do you turn it on and off??? All these are stuff Samhith already knows, and so do almost all his friends.....

This term, the new thing of interest was that they were taught to use Paint, something Samhith showed least interest in. For the whole term, when I asked him to draw something on the comp, he responded with vague scribbles and scrawls, and I, as usual, gave up, deciding that the chap was not interested, and would learn when he wanted to... after all, it is just one of his subjects, and one that doesn't even have a proper exam - they just have an oral one.....

Anyway, exams approached, and he was just hanging about, after convincing me that he knew all that had been taught. The day before the ICT Orals, he decided to try out Paint by himself, after a long, long time..... And the results really surprised me, so here they are, for you all to see...... and he had even learnt how to save the file!!!

This one is a bus, as he so obviously states on the drawing itself. And the next one is a stone!

As to the oral exam, apparently he answered all the questions except one. And which was the one which stumped him??? He didn't know what was the 'cursor'!!! An anti-climax, wouldn't you say?????/

Exam time creativity

2010-03-17T20:22:00.000+05:30

Exams are on, and school is closing early... More time on our hands means more boredom........and even though Samhith has exams this time, I can't really make him study too hard... he knows what he has learnt through the year, and last minute cramming isn't going to make a difference. Even his teacher is very clear - all he needs to do is improve his handwriting, she says...... after all, it is she who has to go through his answers!!!! Of course, exam time isn't the best time to practice ones handwriting, so he is practically free the whole day, and gets on my nerves. His eyes have been itching for a couple of days now, so he is banned from the TV. All that leaves him are his books and his blocks...... He did manage to read a couple of books, but I despair of him ever becoming a bookworm like me.... The only thing that has managed to keep him in one place are his blocks, and he has come out with some wonderful creations. Here are some of them....

This one started out as a temple, and then he decided to show the interiors.... and this was the result...

This one is also a temple.... his fascination with temples is understandable, especially since we visit temples most of the time, also since he loves stories related to them....

Did you see the cricket set leaning against the temple wall? Those are part of an eraser set which came with the Moov Ointment..... these are part of the Rajasthan Royals memorabilia...... These IPL chaps are crazy, but smart... they are targeting kids really early!

No guesses for this one..... temple again....

And this one, his masterpiece - is a house..... his next favourite topic..... considering that he wants more space for himself, you can just get an idea of the size of the house he dreams of!

Samhith's work of art

2010-02-22T09:54:00.000+05:30

This is one of Samhith's latest creations - he has just learnt to draw!!! Yes, at the age of 6 and a half, it is indeed a bit late, but he has never been interested in drawing or colouring! "Why should I want to draw or colour?" has been the refrain for so long! He couldn't even colour properly, let alone draw anything!

Then, suddenly, last month, he brought back a perfectly coloured sheet from school, telling me that one of his friends had helped him out, teaching him how to draw within the boundaries! I can never thank the little girl who helped him out enough!

And then, imagine my surprise when he brought back a note from the teacher, informing that he was to participate in a drawing competition! So, we spent Sunday morning drawing a school bus, which was the topic given. This drawing below is the one he drew by himself, as a sort of trial, and then he drew it finally on art paper, which he has taken along with him to school.

I wanted to take a pic of the final drawing, but with one thing and the other, we somehow missed it, and it has now been sent off to school. But this, his very first effort, deserves a mention on my blog, which is where he now looks for appreciation...

A special thanks to Sudhir, Usha's brother, who has been instrumental in encouraging Samhith to draw. The poor chap has spent so much time with him, giving into his drawing demands, but also trying to get him to do his bit.....

So, guys, please take a look, and leave your comments for the little chap!

This one is for Samhith.....

2009-12-26T18:21:00.000+05:30

This one is for those of who who have been wondering what Samhith has been up to during this vacation, and why there are no pics of him in the last post on our Pagoda trip. Well, I took so many pics of him during the trip, I decided they were worth another post!!!

So, let me start with the best one..... Samhith skipping along happily on the path to the Pagoda....

..and then, here are his many moods as he played happily in the green grass while we waited for the ferry....

He was fascinated by the exhibits of EsselWorld, and with his chitti (my sister) happily posed for the camera....

He then picked up the camera and tried to click pictures... Here are the ones that came out well....

While we waited for our taxi driver, we came across this flock of geese...............

.......and you can see for yourself the fun Samhith derived from them!!!!

Finally, this part is solely for him.... published on his insistence...his efforts during this vacation....

First, this 100 piece puzzle..... he's doing one after quite a long time, and he did this all by himself!!!

and then, here are his train and blocks once more... he is using them for the first time after Navaratri.....

Navaratri Preparations - Part 6 - Ready at last!!!!!!!!

2009-09-19T13:37:00.000+05:30

A hectic day and a sleepless night! That's how I spent the whole of yesterday - getting the Bommai Kolu ready. But at last, I am done, and only the finishing touches need to be added, for which Samhith needs to have enough free time, something that's going to happen only this Sunday.

While I get ready to celebrate the festival, take a look at my Golu.

Navaratri Preparations - Part 5 - Almost done!

2009-09-18T09:49:00.000+05:30

My house is in a mess, stuff strewed all over, cardboard and paper turning up at the most unexpected places and the floor is sticky with the glue that has spilled! Doesn’t that sound like I am living in a pigsty? Well, it does feel like that, but I am still thrilled, for almost all the preparations for the golu are done! The toys have been unearthed from the attic, the slotted angles for the steps have been found, and ALL the houses are ready!! All I now have to do is clean up, set the steps and arrange everything! Of course, there are other things left, such as the rivers, roads, etc., but that’s part of the layout which can only be done when I have made the steps!

Without more ado, let me show you the result of our hard work of the last few days!

Thats the age-old trunk which keeps our toys safe,year after year.....

Those are the houses, cut out from paper,and stuck on cardboard, ready to be assembled. A tip for anyone wishing to try it out: DON'T use cardboard! use Card or chart paper... its much much easier and the effect is better!

And finally, here are the houses, all ready!!

Come, take a closer look....

That's the railway station - front and back

This is supposed to be a bus stand, but we don't have buses, so we are going to use it as the village railway station!

And here are the different types of houses we made.....

And these are totally Samhith's work, the painting work, I mean.....

Another house, with some of the shops....

And these are part of the farm buildings...

This is the barn and silo(where grain is stored) ......

Navaratri Preparations - Part 4 - Samples for the Golu....

2009-09-17T10:23:00.000+05:30

Taking a break from navaratri preparations, I went to Matunga yesterday to buy some essentials for the puja. A trip to Matunga is never complete without a visit to Giri Stores – the one-stop shop for every kind of book and CD we South-Indians would ever need. Every navaratri, Giri stocks up on the ‘Kolu Bommais’ – dolls for keeping in the golu, and I love having a look-around, though there’s no place for more dolls at my place.

It would have been great to take Samhith along, but he was at school, so I brought back photographs instead! Here they are –

An assortment of dolls - from Krishna to the Devis and the Dashavatar , Tirupati Balaji and Sri Raghavendra.

More of the same...

Rows and rows of Gods and Goddesses.....

Different types of Krishnas.......

and a Karthikeya too.....

Some beautiful representations of sculptures, recreated in clay.....

The divine musicians - Samhith asked me whether asuras knew how to play musical instruments, and when I asked why, he replied that they looked like asuras!!!

The marriage of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi

The birth of Krishna....

Gajendra Moksham...

Lord Ayyappa.... and also the Paramacharya....

Rows and rows of Kamadhenu - the divine, wish fulfilling cow.....

Bala Krishna, stealing butter, Radha and Krishna, and Narashimha with Prahalada..... more detailed tableaus of the Dashavatars....

Moving from divinity to the human element - representations of professions - from the brahmin priests to blacksmiths and cobblers....

and vegetable sellers......

... labourers, dancers and sanyasis.....

to tribal dancers...

and village life....

One of the most popular sets of all time - a cricket team!

Mahishasura Mardini - a representation of the Durga Puja in Bengal.....

Here's something for the kids.... the ever popular stories of "The Hare and the Tortoise" and "the Lion and the Rabbit"...

And finally, it is not only the animate, but also the inanimate which find their place on the golu - cartons of wax fruits and vegetables!

Hope you all enjoyed these toys as much as I did! Samhith loved them, and I have promised to take him next time!

Navaratri Preparations - Part 3 - 10 most useful links for Paper Modeling

2009-09-16T07:08:00.000+05:30

Buildings – just the thought of making lots of buildings makes Samhith all excited! When we started our navaratri preparations, he realized that his blocks wouldn’t be enough to make all the things he wanted in his town – stations, shops, houses, buildings, etc. etc. etc……… As usual, his solution was simple – “Let’s buy more blocks!” he said!!!!! After a lot of argument, I had to put my foot down and explain that his quota of building blocks for the year was done, and I wasn’t buying any more till his next birthday! But then he was so upset that I assured him that I would help him make good houses with paper, and set to work. It would have been easier buying ready-made stuff, but then, it wouldn’t really be the same, would it?

Thus began a whole lot of work for me – beginning with days of searching on the internet (to which I turn for anything and everything these days…), which yielded absolutely stunning results! I found not only some interesting sites which gave me ideas to make my town, but also lots and lots of sites with ready to print paper models of houses – which I only had to print and fix together!

Here are a few…. If you have kids or want to become a kid yourself, go ahead and try some of them out…… they are just too beautiful!

Most of these sites have ready-to-print patterns, colours and patterns all done, which yield the best results, but there are a few which give us the chance of colouring in ourselves, which is what I chose, so as to give Samhith the pleasure of doing his bit of work…….

So, here are my top 10 sites for making paper models -

1. Powerhouse Museum - Outback Farm

This is one of the first sites I came across. It reminded me of a paper-cut-out farm I had when I was a kid (a gift from my aunt in the US), and which had been given away when I grew up. Today, I wish I had enough space to keep all these things instead of having to give them away!!!!

2. Your Child Learns - Owl & Mouse

This site has some wonderful stuff – right from making your farm, village and town to castles! Just the place for us! Most of my patterns have been taken from this site, and the best part is that they are all blank templates and we can colour them as we wish! And soon, I shall share our work with you!!

3. Paper Toys

This site has some amazing paper fold-ups – ranging from some of the most beautiful buildings in the world to vehicles and even dolls, and everything is absolutely free!

However, one point about these models is that they are extremely detailed and hence quite complex. Definitely not child’s play!

4. Buildings and Structures - Free Paper Models

This one is a treasure-house of paper fold-ups, listing sites with free models of everything from modes of transports to castles, railroads to famous landmarks, villages to skyscrapers. The sites are well classified and it is very convenient!

5. Miniatures - About.com

This site has some wonderful miniature models of houses, shops and churches, ideal for model railroads or a model village like ours.

6. Martin Gumhold's Paper Model Site

This is the personal page of Martin Gumhold from Germany…. His site is in both German as well in English, and has some wonderful houses, including a small one which can be coloured in. Samhith loved it, and has made a few of them.

7. Family Fun - Printable Barn

This one has a very pretty little barn, complete with animals and fodder. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take a good colour printout and hence couldn’t use this one. Maybe next time!

8. Big Indoor Trains - Barn and Silo

This is another good site for barns and stuff, which even has tips for getting the wall and roof textures absolutely right!!!

9. Houses - Chinese site

This site has some great houses, all for free, but the whole site is in Chinese… but who cares, the patterns are all I need!

10. Craft town - Canon Creative Park

And finally, this one has a whole lot of stuff! This was where we found our station. It is supposed to be a bus stand, but who knows, by the time we are done, it might be a railway station!

These are certainly not the only sites on paper-models, but these were the most useful ones for me. There are lots and lots more sites which have interesting patterns, and all you have to do is - search!!!!!

Well, that brings me to an end to another part of this series. My background is done, my printouts for the houses and other buildings are ready. All we now have to do is colour them in, cut them out and fix them up! Sounds easy? Think again! This has been the easy part. Now we have to sit down and get to work! With just two more days in hand, it’s high time I get to work and get things ready! I shall soon be back with the results... Till then, have a nice day!!!!

Navaratri Preparations - Part 2 - The greenery

2009-09-15T11:13:00.000+05:30

Samhith enjoys Navaratri not just because he can make all these wonderful things and display them, but also because we leave them as they are for all 10 days! Left to him, once he makes something with his blocks, he would like to leave them just like that for ever- or at least till he gets into the mood to make something new. But with the space we have (or rather, I must say – lack of space), that’s not possible, and evenings invariably end with me pestering him to put his stuff back!

His idea for the navaratri is simple – we use up all his blocks, add a few trees, a river with some water, a mountain, some houses – and it’s done! Easier said than done, but that’s something he isn’t old enough to understand. So the first thing we had to do was arrive at a compromise – the Kolu (steps) takes the prime place at the centre of the area we have reserved (that’s one for me, and he gives up, but not without some grumbling!) and we are going to have his stuff on both sides – one side is going to be the urban one with an airport and city, and the other side is going to have a village and a jungle! This was one for him certainly, as I was planning to simply make it a jungle theme with his animals. But I had to give up, he wants to use his train set as well as his airport set – as he says, “People have to get to the jungle someway – so they fly to the nearest airport and take the train from there to the nearest village…” good logic, so I gave in!

One of the first things we had to look out for, once our plan was ready, were – trees – lots of them! After all, jungles need plenty of trees! Besides, the city should have a green cover too! So, while Samhith was at school, I went tree hunting. The first choice was, of course, to grow some plants and use them as trees, but that involves regular watering, and with a restless child in the house who picks up plants to show his friends, its not really feasible at the moment, so this time, we started looking around for plastic trees. My first choice was Crawford Market, where, after a lot of searching we finally found some Christmas trees –

Then the family chipped in, and my aunt finally got a variety of plastic plants and flowers, and even one on a grid which is just great for the jungle. What a discovery! Now I can use these every year! No more tree hunting for me!!!!

We have settled on green velvet paper for the grass and blue gelatin (or cellophane) paper for the river, but I still have to go out and buy all of them. Samhith has done his bit by helping me make a list of all the things I need to buy – since he can’t accompany me to the shop!

So that brings the preparations for the background to a close. All we have to do is make the actual houses and buildings needed to make the village and city. While the stuff Samhith has to make with his blocks are last on the list, to be made on Friday evening after he returns from school, we are in the process of making paper houses which you can look forward to seeing in the next post.

The next couple of days are sure to be busy ones for me, but I shall be back soon with Samhith’s creations for all of you!

Navaratri Preparations - Part 1

2009-09-12T20:59:00.000+05:30

We Indians celebrate some festival or the other every month…… and in the peak festival season, more than one in a month. Apart from the big ones, we also have a lot of smaller ones, all of which have their own importance. Every puja in the house is accompanied by the special festive spread, the decorations and of course, the decking up in nine yards (for me) and festive wear (for Samhith)!

Imagine then our plight, when all festivals were cancelled post a death in the family, for a year! To make matters worse, another death postponed festivities for another year. At last, the period of mourning is over, and we can get back to the business of celebration!

No one is more thrilled than Samhith, especially since the first festival we shall be celebrating is Navaratri – the nine days and nights dedicated to the Devi. This festival holds a special attraction for him, since we keep the traditional “Bommai Kolu” – steps with earthen dolls kept on them.

Traditionally, the Kolu is comprised of two parts – the first being the steps – usually 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11, depending on the space and doll availability. This usually depends on the family, and each keeps a certain number of steps every year. While it is considered agreeable to increase the number of steps, the number of steps is usually not reduced.

Here are is a photo of the golu at the Fine Arts Society, Chembur, last year, a perfect example of what a golu should be.

The toys kept on the steps too have their significance – they symbolize the creation of life, which is attributed to the goddess, and comprise samples of her creations – from humans and animals at the bottom level to characters from mythology and demigods at higher levels to gods and goddesses at the highest levels.

The second part of the golu is where scenes from everyday life are recreated. This is the part where children usually contribute their bit, and is certainly the most interesting part of the golu, especially as it changes every year!

This was the decoration at Fine Arts - a representation of Mount Kailas

This is what Samhith is looking forward to, and has great plans of making a city, complete with airport and railway station, and of course, his favourite animals in a forest……. Grand plans, wouldn’t you say, considering that he has his first brush with exams coinciding with the festival? Well, nevertheless, we are going full steam ahead with our preparations, keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that nothing happens to disrupt our plans.

There is exactly a week left for navaratri, and I am planning to write a series of posts describing our preparations, especially as it involved a lot of web-searching on my part, with interesting results which I would like to share with all of you.

The credit for this series of posts goes to Srivats, who has not just given me some great inputs and ideas, but has also been egging me on to write these posts! So, Srivats, this series is for you!

While I prepare my first post on the actual preparations, you can take a look at our last golu – which was a couple of years back.

And here is Samhith’s contribution – all made with his toys! There is a river, lots and lots of animals (at last count they exceeded 200!) and even the sea….. Of course, the sea is contained within a small plastic tray, but it is absolutely crammed full of sea creatures – I had suggested laying them out on blue paper, but he vehemently opposed it! These animals were supposed to be in the water, not on top of it, he said!

That was when he was a couple of years younger, so it was easy to convince him that the mountain and river in the background looked real enough. This year, though, is another story altogether! So, look out for the next few posts......

One for my son.....

2009-08-23T18:24:00.000+05:30

This post is for my son, Samhith.

For the past one week, we have been cooped up in the house thanks to the swine flu enforced holiday, and being a bit unwell myself, I did not want to risk going anywhere and actually getting the dreaded flu of the moment. We had no choice but to occupy ourselves at home to the best of our ability. To be fair to him, he kept away from the TV most of the time, turning to it only when we were lost for ideas. While we caught up on a lot of stories we hadn’t read in a long time, and I also managed to teach him how to turn the computer on himself, and even type a few lines by himself. Of course, that kept him occupied for quite a while… (So now you know who is going to contribute next to my blog!!!)

But this blog is not about that. This is blog is about something both of us spent time making these last few days…

Samhith loves blocks, and they are the only things sure to make him sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. This week, we made quite a few things, and finally decided to make something big and nice. He had only one condition – I should write about it on my blog. So here they are….

This house is a combined effort – me the foundations and the details, the actual work done by Samhith.

Here is a rear-view...

All these other things are purely Samhith’s.

This is a playground…. And behind it is a coconut tree…. and there is also a water-tap....

And these are assorted buildings and vehicles… and even a traffic signal!

As I write this, Samhith is peeping in now and then, trying to read what I have written……If you like it, do write and let me know. He will be thrilled!

Meanwhile, here are a few other things we have made with his blocks in the past….. I intended to write a post on these, but never got around to actually writing it. What would be better than adding them to this post, which is about his blocks anyway? So, here goes….

This one is one of the first we ever made - this is a map of our area.... evreryone in our family is obsessed with maps, and Samhith seems to have that in his genes too....

Now this one is special - this was just after his birthday, and he has used up every single piece of blocks and the Thomas the tank engine set he got for his birthday..

This one is a temple and some buildings around it...

and this one is a house with a maze adjoining it..... totally samhith's idea.. and the maze is completely his work..

Here is another house with a garden.....

and another...

and more...