Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Purple Cake day: Kids helping Kids all over the World.









Today is Purple Cake Day.

For our school, Pt chevalier School, Phil Spriggs, the Deputy Principal was in charge of this special event. The teachers and some parents took part. Some children brought purple cakes for the staff. I know, in one class, a mum made cupcakes for all the children. Some of the classes had a shared breakfast of purple cup cakes, some of them made purple cup cakes. Most of them wore purple and donated a gold coin for the children in Nepal.


We raised more $660. A fantastic effort for a primary school.

Nepal has a special place in my heart, About 12 years ago, I spearheaded a fundraising exercise in the Nanyang Technological University to help separate a pair of Siamese/Con-jointed twins from Nepal in Singapore.

What is purple Cake Day?


Purple Cake Day is about connecting children around the world.

Children in Nelson, New Zealand and New Jersey, USA were skyping to learn more about each other's Purple Cake Day. We now have over 1000 people in 28 countries who have downloaded our Resource Kit to learn about Purple Cake Day and the projects we support. 



On 1 st March – there were sporting events and bake sales to purple dress and wearable art, from small to big events, from classrooms to whole schools and communities.

There is tremendous support and recognition. There is real benefit in making these global connections, helping children understand their role in the global community and empowering them to take part in change. 




Children in orphanages in the Congo and Burundi will be celebrating and having purple parties.

At an International School in Bordeaux, France, children will wear purple, make flags of hope, draw and give their thumbs up to Purple Cake Day.

At the Children of Haiti Project in Haiti – one of our project partners - older kids will wear purple ribbons and help clean up rubbish in the tent camp they live in. The little ones will sing, draw, read and play games.

In Hong Kong, at the 10 Woodland Pre-schools, it's going to be a purple day, with purple decorations and purple clothing. And at Citykids Preschool, children are making and selling bead necklaces, butterfly pencils, ladybug fridge magnets and bumblebee bookmarks

In Nepal, our project partners First Steps Himalaya have organised a Mad Hatters Tea Party. Its going to be a fun filled family friendly event - yummy food, purple cakes & drinks, kids art exhibition, competition and prizes, stalls, music and kids corner. They're also running an art competition and lots of rural Nepalese children are competing. There'll be a special purple party, as well as an environmental clean-up. Also in Nepal, our project partners In Time Trust are organising a rubbish collection day at the Kailash Bodhi School.

In the United Kingdom, a school in Portsmouth is planning a purple day. And One World Nannies will be celebrating too.

And moving to the US, we have a preschool and church in Bozeman, Montana turning purple. In San Luis Obispo, California, 10 schools with YMCA afterschool programs have all sorts of purple activities planned, from studying Nepal and eating Nepalese food through to a "who can wear the most purple?" competition. We have wonderful ambassadors in SLO, who have lots of businesses on board for support as well. And at Brigantine Elementary, New Jersey they've been turning purple all week, with "thumbs up", the toy box, bake sale combined with exercise class and studying Nepal.

In New Zealand, lots of schools and groups are getting involved, turning purple, selling cakes and donating. There are also sponsored sports activities, purple yoga and purple icecreams and in Nelson the businesses and Saturday market have already turned purple.

We have New Zealand TV personalities giving us the thumbs up .

Countries involved: Angola, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Dubai, France, Germany, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

What a wonderful day it was. If those students were like me, they would remember the day even when they are 50 years old and blog about it.

It's a small world after all
It's a world of laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to every one
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all

It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world

Thursday Theme Song.
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watery wed: making pizza in school 4


http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/
How do you make an outdoor pizza oven in school?

Ingredients:
Clay from a farm, be careful if you dig your garden, the clay is not too sandy.
Washed sand
Wooden chips
Water to mix
Bricks

Very important extras:

Helping hands and legs from students of Diocesan school for girls http://www.diocesan.school.nz"

Your own senior students, hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifttp:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif//www.ptchev.school.nz/Home/

An expert Ron Sperber of http://earthwhile.co.nz/composting_kids-dvd/

A paparazzi to record all the buzzing excitement.


















Green Door

I love the looks of this Spanish style house but it seems a little out of place since most houses don't look like this in our neighborhood. I still like it though.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A bit of small scale public artishness...


was what ArtSparker asked for here: http://artsparktheatre.blogspot.com/2012/02/neighborhood-hijinks.html

So on a very dull and drizzly Monday we made some Pine Cone People. On Tuesday the sun came out, and so did they.







White-tailed deer for Outdoors Wednesday







Outdoor Wednesdayhttp://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ is a delightful meme that invites you to share the outdoors with others. The theme encompasses the outdoors, a topic within the theme of your choosing. to learn more of this meme or to share your view of the outdoors please click on the 'outdoor Wednesday' logo on the right of this page. Happy Wednesday outood gathering to all

G is for gusty for ABC Wednesday round 10

Its been a really snowy, blowy gusty day as is illustrated by the blowing snow off the rooftop of this old barn. We had a light soft snow last night and it is blowing around somewhat today.

My appreciation and thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place for hosting ABC Wednesday Round 10. To view more ABC Wednesday posts via Mr. Linky please click :http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/
Have a great day everyone.

Monday, February 27, 2012

From Glasgow to...

...Saturn
I haven't posted enough about the online magazine, From Glasgow to Saturn - probably because it's only open for submissions from students and alumni of the University of Glasgow. Ah well, exclusive it may be, but it's still a good read. Poetry and prose, and there's an interesting Quick View with Jen Hadfield in the latest issue.

As well as poems by me, of course.

You can download the latest issue here: http://glasgowtosaturn.com/latest-issue/download/


The archives are worth delving into too.

Ruby red/rednesday: Making pizza in school 2








We are very lucky to have the students from Diocesan school for girls to help us build our pizza oven. Under the instruction of Ron Sperber of earthwhile.co.nz, they and our senior students built what I dub as a traditional oven using traditional material and traditional method.

I will post more on this. I spoke with Ron briefly and he told me he is involved with http://earthwhile.co.nz/composting_kids-dvd/
which fits nicely with my Save the world theme.

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http://annkschin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/pizza-making-in-school-3.html


What a great experience our students had.






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An old red barn window frame and a Robin Red Breast for Ruby Tuesday 2

How delighted I was this afternoon to find that another Ruby Tuesday meme has been established under the name Ruby Tuesday 2. somehow Tuesday's were lacking without have a place to connect with a Ruby Tuesday meme, when the original Ruby Tuesday meme closed. Thank you so much Magical Mystical teacher for hosting this. And shortly after discovering this meme a beautiful American Robin flew into our bird watching area, which we call Bird Alley. Welcome beautiful red breasted bird!
Tomorrow is the day to show off your beauty on this Ruby Tuesday blog.
This wonderful old window frame was found yesterday on an old barn.

Old window frame of faded red paint , faded from absorbing sunlight and the weathering of multiple seasons and of toilsome winter storms.
You are a treasure to behold with your wholeness intact.
Your glass has reflected many farm memories over the years,
now all is idle

Ruby Tuesday 2 meme features photos with red of any subject. To contribute to this meme please go to;
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or just click on the Ruby Tuesday 2 badge at the top of the column on the right hand side of this blog page.

A Waxing Crescent Moon

I am constantly searching the sky every evening to find the moon. I haven't seen it recently since the last quarter of the old full moon. but then, surprisingly early last evening around seven p.m. my husband spied it from our pantry window, in the western portion of the sky. I more often find it in the eastern sky in the evenings and often my first early morning glimpse will be from my pantry window in the west. huh? this waxing crescent moon seems to have really rearranged my expectations. but research this morning has lead me to searching the to find the moon in the eastern sky just after the sunrise. I haven't found it yet in the eastern sky this morning but apparently that is where to look to get a glimpse of it. I'll keep on looking. My independent moon studies project is getting interesting! the present moon is waxing, getting fuller as it heads towards its ultimate fullness of a full moon on March 8th., which I eagerly look forward to.

have a great day everyone and remember just after sunset tonight look in the western sky. Happy moon watching everyone!

A window Reflection of the early morning sunrise for Mellow Yellow Monday


We do not get a good view of the eastern sky from our house:We have few windows on that side of our house and our neighbour's big house and a huge Pine Tree blocks the view from our living room window. However this morning I noticed a glimmer of colour in the sky and from our back sunporch when I went out trying for a clear sky view I glimpsed this beautiful, yellow coloured sky reflected in a window. Lovely! What to post for mellow yellow Monday this morning.? Problem solved: an early morning sunrise in the east. Thank you window!

Got pictures with yellow that you would like to share? Why not post them on Mellow Yellow Monday, a delightful meme that focuses on the colour yellow?Just clink here:http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/ to access this meme

Scenic Sunday/Sunday bridge: Singapore




The Water Engineer went to Singapore on work assignment. He bought himself a nice camera, which operates like a mobile phone.

I shall be posting his photos. This is a new bridge on the Singapore river. I don't remember seeing it when I last lived there in 2006.






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Sunday, February 26, 2012

zig zagging into Spring for Scenic Sunday

A zig zag river of fresh water makes it way along on the frozen surface of the Oromocto river.
Each year immediately after Groundhog Day,( no matter what the groundhogs forecast) I start searching daily for signs of an early spring. I have already had my robin encounter ( what can be a truer prediction of spring days than to gaze at a beautiful robin Red breast?, I have seen mating behaviour of two blue Jays, ( one feeding another) and the branches of the redwoods are getting redder and the willows are starting to yellow up with their spring awakening and the birches are developing a rosy glow along the roadsides. On Friday I saw a river of fresh water on the frozen surface of our river. there have been reports of flocks of Canada geese having been seen and someone saw a redwinged blackbird earlier this week. I am eagerly awaiting the sound of a squeaky gate squawk of a grackle outside my window soon???? I hope so. Can any anticipation be sweeter than that of the delight of approaching spring..
One of my early spring rituals is checking out this body of water shown above. It is open water now!!! this is where I often have my first sighting of Common Goldeneyes each spring. I shall check here each day for the next while. I mean spring means ducks doesn't it?

Scenic Sunday:a meme of beautiful scenery. To learn more about scenic Sunday please go to:http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/ or to post your own contribution, please click on the link within this post.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Red Squirrel for Camera Critters


I was quite elated yesterday morning when I saw this little Red Squirrel on a tree branch mistakenly thinking that this squirrel sighting was an early sign of spring.
However I was mistaken. Accordingly to Bernd Heinrich in his book 'Winter World , Heinrich states that Red Squirrels can be active during any month of the winter. It is in the periods of intense winter cold that they curl up in underground tunnels to protect themselves from the overpowering cold of the winter season Now that I think about it I have seen Red Squirrels over the winter while driving down country and woods roads, sometimes a lucky squirrel will dart across the road to reach safety on the other side. That is why I call it a lucky squirrel as it often maneuvers to safety. An early sign of spring or not I found this sighting yesterday very refreshing

Camera Critters is a meme that features critters, any kind, any size. To see more of this meme please click on the CC logo which can be found on the right sidebar on this page or please click here.http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/