Mermaid Sponges

Here is a great idea for the typical household sponge!  These are great for just playing with or can be used to make as a 'stamp' for painting too.  They're so versatile as they can then be used to as sponges after the kids are finished with them!

Absolutely Anything Muffins!

I got this recipe of a friend recently, and I adapted a few items to make it as simple as possible (as I do!)

It's super easy to make, and they taste absolutely delicious too!

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15mins
                                                                                       

Ingredients

2 C flour

1/2 C sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 1/2 t baking powder

1 egg

3/4 cup liquid    i.e. syrup, water, milk or juice

75g butter, melted

1 1/2 c fruit   i.e. banana, berries, apples, peaches etc

Method

Sift dry ingredients. In separate bowl, add wet together. Add wet to dry ingredients.  Add wet to dry then put in muffin tins, and sprinkle 1 T sugar mixed with 1/2 cinnamon.  180 degC for 12-15mins.

                                                                                                                                                                   

It's that easy!!!

Note: It actually makes about 16 muffins which is great, as you have to sample at least 2 once they've come out, so it doesn't look like you've eaten any!

Collecting Cockles, Waiheke Island

Easter time meant we can escape Auckland City (much easier by boat!), and venture out to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.  After anchoring at Waiheke, we enjoyed relaxing and the ritual of harvesting shelfish from the shore.  We went ashore not actually knowing what we were going to collect, but we found lovely cockles!

The kids love helping collecting them, and even filled up their flippers!

Ashore at Waiheke, the kids had a great time making volcanoes out of the mud

 Blake found his mustache!

 Making volcanoes, puddles & finding cockles

Watching a sea slug doing a 'fast escape'... yes, it was travelling slightly faster than a snail 

After contacting DOC about this sea slug for identification, we were advised it is a "Woolly Sea Hare" or Bursatella Leachii.  It is known to emit a purple liquid when disturbed (which it did with us, strange as it was!), and is found on sheltered shores of northeastern New Zealand and the warmer waters of the Western Pacific Ocean.  It is fairly common and can grow quite large up to 120mm in length - which is quite large for a sea slug!!!

 Cockles!  Flippers are multi-use!

Finding shells, fish and flounder in Mickey & Mike's net.

Freya helping the locals release the baby flounder they had caught in their net.

Workshops on the Waterfront - Puppets!

One of the many wonderful things that happen in the weekends in the Viaduct are the Workshops on the Waterfront.  This weekend was "Make & Take Puppets" which is exactly what we did.  Thank you ladies for the amazing display of all sorts of stuff that the kids could use.  I actually went along to make one for myself!

They run every Sunday and often work with the Sustainable Coastlines crew too which has fabulous workshops for the kids with upcycling and re-using rubbish that has been collected from the shore.

Parsley Pesto

This is one of the kids FAVOURITE foods, and not only because they can help me make it, it tastes delicious too!  It's super easy, and it can be adapted to any herb that you have been given in mass quantities, (or have raided from someones garden), or have grown yourself of course. Even the fruit and vege shops sometimes have them at reasonable prices and in good bunch sizes too.

Basically I use parsley as my main ingredient as this is something that I get given often, and it tastes great too!  It's also wonderful with a little coriander thrown in too and makes it more 'light green'.

PARSLEY PESTO

1 large bunch parsley
1.5 cups olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed (can put more in if you wish, just the kids find it a bit overpowering)

Blend seeds, garlic and a bit of oil together first, then add bits of parsley and oil alternatively to create a smooth mixture.  Blend until you get the right consistency.

Enjoy!

Unitary Designers of the Future!

Last week the kids enjoyed the great Youth Town Marquee with all it's goodies to make our 'sculptures' for the future.  It was a opportunity for kids to show some skills and what their ideas are for the future of Auckland City while the councilors were inside the Viaduct Events Centre doing their own brainstorming on Auckland's design.

Click on the photo below to see our blog post on our Mazuran Sailing website of the creations we have made!

Water Scootering!

Being so hot on board the boat at the moment we decided that we would head to the Wind Tree down in Wynyard Quarter for a cool off.  We had friends over for lunch who also came for a walk which was a nice treat for them too.  The kids had already spotted the Wind Tree and got their bodies into the cooling of the water as quick as possible.

Seagulls at one side, and kids on the other, it's a multi-use pond that is chlorinated.  It's often cleaned so it's great for the kids around the city to have a dip after playing at the playground right next to it in Wynyard Quarter.

 Just a dip turned out to be a great fun and games with the scooters!  Instead of just riding them about the playground, they decided to use them to scoot into the water and had a great laugh racing in from up on the grass hill.  It was very entertaining for both me and others who were watching the new adaption of 'water scootering'.

To see more about the Wind Tree by Michio Ihara click here.