Community Art Project: Yarning Pit Mosaic

West Belconnen Child and Family Centre 

"Yarning Pit Mosaic" Project 2014

Late last year I was invited to come in and work with the "Strong Women's Group" and "Koori Kids", to create a mosaic for the Yarning Pit, in the Indigenous Garden, at the centre.

The theme for our designs was the Bogong Moth  and it's connection to local indigenous people.

First we drew up our designs.

Then we prepared our materials. I estimated we smashed and cut nearly 1,000 tiles for the project.

It was a big project, and we couldn't all first into the yarning pit at once to lay tiles, so we used a netting base so each family could work on their own designs.

I invited my good friend, ceramic artist Linda Davy along and work with the group to make additional clay tips and icons for the perimeter of the Yarning Pit.

Meanwhile the staff and sponsors got to work on the centrepiece, designed by Shaun Caddy; a parent and friend of the group. It was made with hundreds of different sized stones. The centre piece is where the fire brazier will be placed when the yarning pit is used for sharing stories and songs.

We worked on the project during weekly gatherings, for about 5 months and finally all the pieces were ready. 

Now just to put all the bits together in the ground!!

 Day 1....

Day 4...

 About 3 weeks later!!

We had a lot of fun on this project, and made a lot of new friends. The Yarning Pit was opened during Reconcilliation Week and is used regularly to bring together people to talk, sing and tell stories around the fire.


West Belconnen Child and Family Centre

Art Speaks Japanese 'Comes Alive' Competition 2013

Art Speaks Japanese 'Come Alive' Competition 2013

 The Japanese Foundation

‘Art Speaks Japanese

Come Alive’

Competition 2013

This term the students of Art Zone, plus a few visitors from classes 5/6 at Farrer Primary School, entered the competition.

We were issued with a resource pack containing photographs and descriptive text, featuring some of the Japanese Artwork in the collection of the National Gallery of NSW.

The students selected a variety of materials including air drying clay, paint, collage, water-coloured pencils, ink, and fabric, to create their artwork.

It was really interesting to see what inspired the artists. Malcolm (yr2) was inspired by “Death of Atsumori” by Toyohara (Yoshu) Chikanbu. 

He used air -drying clay, to model a likeness of the hero, holding his sword and flute.

                                                            "Samurai" by Malcolm (Yr 2)

Some studied several artworks and incorporated them into their piece.

Imogen (yr 6) was inspired by the artwork “Slaughter Cabinet ll’ by Moriura Yasumasa  and ‘Karaori’ noh robe with design of flowers of the four seasons Edo(Takugawa) period 1615-1868.

She printed silk to represent a newspaper, which she fashioned into a miniature kimono.

                                          "Japanese Newspaper Kimono" Imogen (Yr 6)

Hanging scrolls inspired Jenny (yr 6), Grace(yr 4) Alessia (yr 5) and Lily (yr 6).

The girls worked on their pieces using paint, ink and water-coloured pencil.

 Jenny (Yr 6) and Grace (Yr 4) chose their own composition to incorporate into the scroll. 

"Blossom in the Wind" Jenny (Yr 6)

Alesia was inspired by the Calligraphy piece ‘When the mountain is high the moon rises late”(17^th Century) by Kano Tan'yu for her  brush and ink illustration. 

 by Alessia (Yr 5)

Lily’s illustration entitled ‘Echo of Beauty’ was inspired by ‘Beauty looking back’ by Kainosho Tadaoto . 

   

"Echo of beauty" Lily S (Yr 6)

We were required to incorporate Japanese language into our pieces and  submissions.

Thank you to Hibberd Sensei and Yuko Sensei at Farrer Primary School, who interpreted for us.

All the students did a fantastic job and we submitted 14 entries under Farrer  PSch. You can view our submissions on the Japanese Foundation’s website from November onwards.

Thank you to all involved, particularly the families and classmates of the students, and the teachers and staff of Farrer PSch.

http://artalive.jpf-sydney.net/

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/asian-art/east-asia/japan/

Truffle Festival at Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets

 

 

Truffles (we are talking about the fungi variety, not the chocolate ones here) have been highly sought after by chefs and foodies for years: 

And it's Truffle season in Canberra from June 'till mid August.

To celebrate the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets are holding a Truffle Festival from June 23rd until July 27th.

There will be fresh black truffles and truffle products at Mart Deli, Deli Planet, Wiffens and Happy Pastures.  And truffles on the menu at Bean and Grain, Deli Planet and Ocean Fresh Seafoods. 

Be sure to take in one of the truffle cooking demonstrations presented by 3seeds . Or why not book yourself into a Master class?

So that the kids don't miss out there are even truffle cooking classes for 6-12 year olds.

And we are doing FREE  truffle- inspired craft from 11am - 2pm Saturday July 20th.

There is a great line up of live music to enjoy, plus truffle flavoured popcorn, kids colouring competition and face painting..see you there!!!

To find out more about Truffles and the Canberra Region Truffle Festival follow these links.

Heirloom Gardening

Heirloom Gardening

Whilst visiting the beautiful coastal town of Metung in Victoria, we bought some Heirloom, or sometimes called Heritage, seeds from one of the stallholders at the ‘Local Growers’ market.

We live in an Alpine area with frosty winter nights, which is not the easiest climate for growing winter vegetables, but I was delighted to find a few varieties available.

Now, Heirlooms are varieties of many of the fruits, flowers and vegetables, which we know and love today. The difference being they grow in their original form from many years ago. Did you know that carrots were once yellow or white? That capsicums and potatoes were purple?

Take a look at this link to see some AMAZING multicoloured corn varieties. www.masterchef.com.au/glass-gem-corn.htm

Some Heirloom fruits and vegetables are readily available to buy at markets and grocery stores, but many you will have to grow yourself. There are a few online outlets you can purchase Heirloom seeds, plus seed swops and grower markets.

I don’t have room to grow corn, but my children’s school has an Environment Centre, so I have encouraged them to grow the plants which require more space, in the spring. I am trying beetroot, crimson flowering broad beans, endives and broccoli to start with, as these grow well in the winter.

Right! Better get these things into the ground..let’s see how we go over the next few weeks!

 image by MonaMakela

                                                                                                                              

I have included some links to sites for further reading and obtaining seeds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_plant

http://www.seedsavers.net/

http://www.diggers.com.au/

Be careful when buying seeds from online sites, as we have extremely strict laws regarding the import of seed into Australia.

Art Classes Term 2

Tie-Dyeing

Tie-Dyeing

You will need:

Light coloured pillowcase, t-shirt etc (must be at least 75% cotton)

Elastic bands

Derivan Screen Printing Ink in various colours

1 teaspoon of salt per dye bath.

Cold water

Mixing bowls large enough to submerge your pillowcase

Mixing spoon

Measuring jug

Rubber gloves

Waterproof table covering

Method:

1. Cover your workspace with plastic covering, as the dyes will stain permanently.


2. Measure about ¼ of the jar of each of the inks into separate mixing bowls. Add the salt and stir really well. After a minute or two the ink will become quite runny.  

Add equal amounts of cold water and stir. This will be used for your dye baths.

Experiment a little amount of water you add to the dye baths. The more water, the softer the colours will be.

You can do a little colour mixing at this stage. Red+ yellow will give you orange. Blue + red will give you purple. Yellow + blue will give you green etc

3. Wet and thoroughly wring out your pillowcase. Working from the middle outwards, twist small sections of the fabric and SECURELY tie with the elastic bands.

The area twisted and covered by the elastic band won’t absorb colour, which gives us the interesting spiral patterns. Check out the different methods you can experiment with, at the bottom of the page.

4. Put on your rubber gloves, and start dipping your pillowcase into the bowls of dye. Start with the lighter colours first and work your way to the darker ones.

It is a good idea to only pick a couple of colours, and try and keep the colours from overlapping too much. This will keep your designs nice and fresh.

Don’t forget what you know about colour mixing. Red, blue and yellow together will give you a muddy brown, as will red and green. So think about the effects you would like to achieve and don’t be tempted to have a dip in every bowl!

5. When you are satisfied with your design, leave it to sit in a separate bowl or sink for 

about 30 minutes. This helps the dyes to penetrate the fibers of the fabric, and will give you a brighter design.

6. Rinse your pillowcase thoroughly with cold running water, until the water runs clear.

7. Remove the elastic bands and your design will be revealed. Hang your pillowcase out to dry in a warm shady spot.

8. When dry, iron with a hot iron for at least 3 minutes to finally set the dyes.

Cool Jewellery Making Workshop

We had lots of fun during the school holidays, taking part in the Art Zone jewellery workshops.

We made beads by rolling pretty coloured paper around a skewer. And paper pendants by glueing lots of copies of the same shape together and sealing it, to make it strong.

Stacked paper pendant and rolled paper beads

Then we transfered our designs onto shrink plastic sheets, using coloured pencils, Sharpies and stamps; before shrinking them in the oven, to create pendants, earrings and key fobs.

Pendant from shrink plastic 

Holiday Workshops





We are running 3 different holiday workshops at Art Zone.

On Mondays and Tuesdays will make clay beads and hand built models with ceramic artist Linda Davy.

And on Wednesdays we will be making unique jewelry out of beads, shrinkies and paper.

Spaces are filling up fast! To book call Kaye on 0409462810 or email kidcraft@bigpond.net.au



Bilby Madness

Have you ever seen a Bilby? It seems we are seeing them everywhere!

With Easter just around the corner we have been invited by the Australian National Botanic Gardens to run their Easter Bilby School's program and Holiday Workshops.

One lucky class from 3 different schools in the ACT, were invited to participate. The children were asked to produce a body of work showing what they had learnt about this rare marsupial and its habitat.

The boys and girls from Orana school made fantastic mixed media canvases showing the Bilbies' life style and habitat. They used paint, pastel, paper and found objects, the boys even added soil for an authentic look.

The kids from Fadden Primary School wrote stories, poems and comic strips about the Bilbies and their lifestyle.
And the children from Farrer Primary School modeled Bilbies out of clay, which they will display in a diorama, showing the Bilby's arid desert home.
The children's work will be on display at the Botanic Gardens for the month of April.


And don't forget to look out for these great Easter and School Holiday workshops! 

Pasta Making Class at 3seeds

Miss10 and I have just enjoyed a great afternoon learning how to make homemade pasta and delicious roasted tomato sauce, with Andrew from 3seeds Cooking School, in Fyshwick.

This class was particularily tailored for children, and involved learning how make the pasta, using mixing and kneeding techniques..rolling it through the pasta machines and cooking the pasta.

At the same time making the delicious roasted tomato sauce, plus crumbing and cooking chicken pieces..

...all of which we were able to sample at the end with a well earned lemonade [and glass of wine for Mums and Dads]

YUM!

3seeds situated at Fyshwick Markets [above Ocean Fresh] and is made up of 3 components: the cooking school, a gourmet store and canteen.

Check out Andrew and Catherine's website for details www.3seeds.com.au

Canberra Nara Candle Festival

Saturday October 22nd
5pm - 9pm
Canberra Nara Park
Parkes
ACT


candles..check
lanterns..check
kites..check...


Nara in Japan, is  one of Canberra's sister cities. Each year in springtime, the community celebrates this relationship by holding the Canberra Nara Candle Festival..in the Canberra Japanese Gardens in Canberra Nara Park [behind the Hyatt Hotel]
The celebrations include entertainment, Japanese cuisine, cultural activities, lantern making, kite flying and a stunning display of over 2,000 candles.

This is one of our favorite festivals..there is great entertainment and delicious food..not to mention the beautiful sight of over 2,000 candles being lit, as the sun begins to set..

Come along and enjoy the festivities...We will be making lanterns ($6) and flying kites (gold coin) from 5pm - 9pm. 


The lantern making workshop continues on into the night.



The Wishing Tree with over 800 handwritten wishes. 



More information

Into the Garden

We are enjoying a fabulous show of flowers, from bulbs which were given to me for Mother's Day
 4 years ago and were planted before the winter of that year .....our very own Floriade , if you like.

Now that the frosts are gone [we hope] it is time to think about planting our summer vegetables and flowers.

It's fun and educational to get kids involved in the garden. You don't have to have a lot of space, even some pots on a balcony will do. It is important, however, to plan your vegie patch or container garden well.

Think about what you would like to grow and how much room it will take up. For instance, zucchinis need a lot of space, but cherry tomatoes grow well in a medium sized pot. As do most herbs and small to medium sized flower varieties.

Climate also plays an important role, as alpine plants don't like the tropics and tropical plants don't like frosts.

Check up on the harvest time for your plants. It is nice to have a selection to choose from throughout the summer months. In the case of lettuces, rocket and herbs, for instance, plant your seeds at different intervals, so there is a constant supply to enjoy.

When gardening with kids, it is important to let them plant varieties they like, and ones that are
relatively fool-proof. We struggle year after year with tomatoes, but carrots and beetroot just thrive. We are always on holiday when broad beans need to be harvested, but are around to harvest and eat other vegetables.

We have a medium sized patch in our Canberra garden and through trial and error we have chosen the following plants, which we like to eat and don't take up too much room  

Vegetables/Fruits

Beetroots, Carrots, Lettuce, Rhubarb, Rocket, Shallots, Snow Peas, Spring Onions, Strawberries

Herbs

Basil, Corriander, Mint, Parsley, Sage  

Flowers

Lavender, Petunias, Sweet Peas

Kids in the Kitchen

Most kids love to be involved  in the kitchen, in some way,. I started my family cooking from a very young age. Although it was a huge exercise in patience, on my part, they learnt how to to bake cup cakes, cook Spaghetti Bolognaise and Shepherds' Pie, and make great salads and yummy slices...here is a recipe for one of our favorites

 Delicious Rocky Road

Rocky Road is one of our family's favourite. It is simple to make and is great for giving as presents and for school fete stalls. The ingredients can vary slightly, depending on which country your recipe comes from, but traditionally the Australian version contains chocolate, marshmallow, jelly sweets, glace cherries, peanuts and Turkish delight. Having said that, we have substituted some of the ingredients and added our own favorite flavours.

You will need:

500g good quality dark chocolate
100g marshmallows
100 g dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup peanuts


Method

Lightly grease a (16x26x3cm) slice tray and line with baking paper.
With a pair of scissors cut the marshmallows into 4s.
Place the nuts into a zip lock bag and wrap in a tea towel. Give it a bash a couple of times with a rolling pin. (just enough to break  the nuts into halves).
In a large bowl combine the marshmallow pieces, nuts, cranberries or cherries and the coconut.
Break up the chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on HIGH for approx 30 seconds, stir. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted.
Pour melted chocolate into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well to combine.


Spoon mixture into prepared tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When the Rocky Road has set, lift out onto a chopping board. With a sharp knife, cut into 24 pieces.
Store in an air tight container for up to 10 days (if it lasts that long!)


Rocky Road makes a great gift for friends and relatives. Simply place a few pieces into a small cellophane bag. Decorate with a nice ribbon and handmade gift tag.
*to make sure it is gluten and egg free check the list on the back of your ingredient packets

School Holiday Ideas

With the school holidays just about upon us, we wonder what there is to do, to keep young minds occupied. Over the next few days we will post a variety of  'how to' templates for activities including  Papier Mache construction, simple recipes, art and craft, gardening and drawing classes.

 How to Build a Working Volcano




You will need:

For the Base cut down the sides a bookbox or soft drink box to approx 15 cms high

For the Volcano recycled small orange juice container*

                          recycled 'Borocca' container* or alternative....one must fit inside the other..

Papier Mache Shell

Newspaper

Butchers' paper

PVA glue diluted with a little water

Masking tape

To Decorate

Paint in brown, black, shades of green

Small rocks and leaf matter[optional]

Water based varnish to seal your model

Method:

Place 'Borocca' container inside mouth of juice bottle. Tape the juice bottle to the base, and pack it in tightly, with crumpled up newspaper. Use tape to hold in place,  form a cone around the juice bottle to make yor volcano shape.

Tear the  remaining newspaper into strips.

Fill the T/A food containers to about 2cm deep with glue and dilute with a little water.

Dip the newspaper into the glue and remove excess, by running it between your forefinger and index finger.

Starting from just inside the 'Borrocca' container, overlap the papier mache strips around the volcano shape and across to the edges of the base.... so that you are creating a watertight seal.

Leave to dry for approx 2-3 days.

Repeat the papier mache layer 2  more times....allowing each layer to dry thoroughly.

Make one further papier mache layer with torn strips of butchers' paper.

Your model is ready to decorate now.... we used green, black and brown paint, and small rocks and ferns to create a natural mountain scene..you can decorate your model however you like....maybe add some lakes, or snow....

Seal your model with clear varnish.... so that when the volcano erupts you have a completely watertight model.

Now the fun part.......

You will need:

Warm water

3 tsp Baking Soda [bicarb soda]

Vinegar

Red food colouring

Few drops dishwashing liquid

Fill bottle chamber 1/3 with warm water. Fill bottle chamber to 2/3 with vinegar. Add three drops of each dishwashing liquid and red or orange food coloring to the mixture. Wrap two teaspoons baking soda in a small piece of tissue paper then drop it into chamber full of liquid. As the tissue dissolves, eruption occurs as carbon dioxide gas forces the liquid out of the chamber.

New Season

paper lanterns

Now  that the glorious spring weather is here, it's time to dust off the cobwebs and start preparing for the festival season again.

Hi I'm Kaye from Kids Craftworks....my trusty helpers and I have been very busy  during the winter months, designing and developing new ideas and inventions.

We have made cool, working Volcanos....a cut-out circus....christmas cards....kites and lanterns for the upcoming Canberra Nara Candle Festival ....plus lots more.

Check out some of my other pages and you will find ideas and instructions to make some of these designs yourself.

Over the coming months I will keep you posted upcoming events..share with you cool things you can make and do, with easy to find and recycled materials.... and we may even get some cooking in!

I look forward to your company...