Fire Station

We joined our friends for a visit to the fire station. We found out how the emergency calls are received by the station, met some fire fighters and had a good look around the fire engine.

Biker Chick

L got a bike for her birthday. We have spent the last 2 afternoons learning how to ride.

Whilst riding around the lake we saw our first snake of the season, along with spring blossom and smoke from a bush fire. Summer is on the way!

Alarm!

Yesterday Dad and R worked together on this "build your own alarm kit". Unfortunately it was used to wake me up this morning!

Happy 5th Birthday

Yesterday was L's birthday. Here are some pictures of her opening her presents. R got a present too!

Elastic Band Sketchbooks

This week we have been looking at sketch books and making our own. First we discussed what a sketchbook might contain and I showed the children some of my old ones. We made quite a list of things that might be inside including drawings, collage, postcards, experiment and lots more, but especially ideas. We then used lots of different types of paper to make our own little sketchbooks.

You need long rectangles of the papers. You can fold them simply in half to make an ordinary page. You can fold the paper concertina style to make pages that open up. If you use a slightly wider rectangle you can fold the bottom section up first to make a pocket to store cards, labels and other scraps.

Once you have enough pages pile them on top of each other. You can use a piece of folded corrugated card for the cover. Just secure it all together with an elastic band around the middle. We then left them under a heavy book for a while until the pages laid flat.

Coffs Harbour Diary

Today the children used a four square writing frame to help them write these diaries about our holiday in Coffs Harbour. I was extremely impressed with their spelling (most of which they did alone) and their beautiful handwriting.

By R

By L

International Music Festival

This weekend the children both played piano for a large audience at Campbelltown Arts Centre for the Dynamic Rhythms International Music Festival. This year Dad and I decided to just watch the show and not record it, but here are some videos of them practising their pieces.

They each got a lovely medal and $200 music money for performing. We were both very proud.

Flowers, Fruit And Fairy Gardens

This weekend the children potted up some plants of their choice. L chose to do 2 pots of strawberries and came back an hour later to see if the fruit had grown! She also did a flower pot and a fairy garden.

L's flowers (left) and fairy garden (right)

Strawberries

R chose to make 2 fairy gardens. He is planning to construct a bridge between them so the fairies can get across to their house; which he is going to construct himself. He also planted up a strawberry pot and a herb pot.

Fairy gardens by R

Herbs by R

Coffs Harbour - Booti Booti And Myall Lakes National Parks

Unfortunately our holiday had to end sometime. We made our way back from Coffs Harbour to Sydney visiting some more national parks on the way.

Our first stop was Booti Booti National Park where we took the 420 steps up to Cape Hawke Lookout.

We stopped for our picnic and a paddle at Sailing Club picnic Area where we also spotted some fish and this heron.

We followed the Lakes Way scenic drive into Myall Lakes National Park where we had a walk on the beach and explored the area around Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse.

Then it was the long drive all the way back home again. Until the next time....

Coffs Harbour - National Parks

Today we headed inland from Coffs Harbour for more bush-walking. Our first stop on route was Dangar Falls. Here we walked down to the bottom of the falls for a closer look.

Further along the Waterfall Way we visited Guy Fawkes River National Park for the views of Ebor Falls and the rim walk between the upper and lower falls.

Further along the road we came to Cathedral Rock National Park for a picnic and then our main hike of the day. Our walk around and over Cathedral Rocks was only 5.8km but was very strenuous; we were climbing and boulder scrambling our way up the granite rocks. Only Dad made it the very last few metres to the top by hauling himself up on a chain set into the rock; it was just a bit too dangerous for the rest of us.