Sunshine, Rain and Friends

We wilded our time away at the Botanic Garden yesterday. We met up with our usual homeschool friends. Every Friday, we meet at a different location and do different things.

It is a time for the children to make friends, play together and have fun. It is also a time for us mothers to share our homeschooling experiences and other issues, a time for learning from each other, and (for me) an avenue for "out loading". Honestly, there aren't other sensible grown-ups, who can understand my unique situation, willing to listen, share the same ups and downs, and able to give constructive comments. Thank you friends!


The children were left to feed the swan and fish, run around, climb trees, dig holes, watch a mouse scampering into its hole, observe plants and birds, pick up sticks and stones, play their own version of bowling, golf and football... ... ... There are just endless ways they could entertain themselves. Out there with the huge garden as their playground, the children exercised creativity and learn to enjoy nature the good old-fashion way.

This particular shot below was taken some months back. The children climb trees every time we go to the park that we have stopped taking pictures of them doing that. lol But I thought it will be nice to include this shot here to give you a feel of what fun they can have. A pity I don't have a shot of the girls climbing...


Nap time for the younger lot means mothers pushing strollers round the park to lull them to sleep. Look at this outdoor nursery...


We were thankful for the fine weather.

The rain did eventually come. When it did, we had to dash to the nearest shelter. After some waiting, an ingenious mum offered her picnic mat to be used to shelter all the strollers and children. We managed to "parade" our way out of the park!

Can you imagine four mothers holding the four corners of a picnic tarp, with three strollers and four giggly girls underneath? (The boys had their own umbrellas.) We must have made quite a hilarious sight. Too bad we couldn't capture this moment on picture...

Later when the pouring rain became just a drizzle, the boys had a chance to share their umbrellas with the girls. Isn't that sweet?


We thank God for sunshine, rain and friends. :-)