Treasure Bags

On a rainy day not long ago....

Orlando suggested he wanted to do some hand-sewing. Hand sewing has become a little popular in our household recently so I said "SURE why not!". We sorted through fabrics, found one that was firm enough. Not too floppy, but easy enough to get a wool needle through. Felt or a wool blend works really well, and set to work.

Orlando picked a wool he wanted to sew with and we chatted about what he wanted sew. He suggested a little bag for treasures. Being the treasure hunter that he is, I thought this was a brilliant idea. He wanted it to be for a bush walk and he could collect bush treasures (a man after my own heart).

We cut out a rectangle, folded it over - leaving a little to cut into an interesting shaped flap. We tie on the wool and Orlando set to work with his running stitch. A button and a button sowed later and he was rather chuffed. A handle is yet to come.

Instead of stopping there he decided "Matilda and I explore in the forest together, so I think she will need one too. Matilda I am going to make one for you to."  What a generous soul he is. He picked some fabric and wool for her and set to work. 

This inspired Matilda to come and sew. Instead of over complicating things, I gave her a square of fabric, attached the wool and allowed her to stitch throughout the fabric where ever and how ever she pleased. She loved this and felt rather important sitting up there stitching with Orlando. I think it also looks rather good, the contrasting wool and fabric. What ever she created was going to be beautiful.

So they may be rustic, but the kids love them, and most importantly they made them all by themselves. This sense of connection and ownership makes using the treasure bag so much more special. The bag is a treasure in itself. A treasure to hold all future treasures. 

Sewing, like beading, is a fantastic opportunity for children to develop their fine motor control and attention to detail. Bring at an age where writing and communicating your ideas through drawings is of great importance  I am always happy to provide opportunities for Orlando to strengthen his fingers and dexterity. Also to be able to work carefully and take pride in this care. Every stitch was examined to see if he felt it was good enough. This is bound to create great pride and a wonderful feeling of self fulfillment.

  

The Need to be a Superhero

Over a my time teaching Kindergarten children I have always noticed that at around 4-6 years old, boys have a burning desire to be and play games involving superheros. I had always just thought it a normal developmental phase (which it is) but was always surprised that children of this age even had an awareness of some of the characters they were imitating. The movies they were from were FAR beyond the comprehension of a 5 year old. It wasn't until my own son who has never watched any of these shows and knows very little about superheros came home pretending to be Spiderman, Superman, Darth Vader and Darth Maul that I really began to wonder about where this desire came from.

I was quick to express my dislike of these characters. Why were they considered a hero when they beat up the 'baddies'? They were as violent as the 'evil' people were... so what made that okay?

Orlando learnt quickly to not talk to me about them much, and when he did the interest was put onto his peers "I only play it because that's what "A" likes to play....." I knew this was un-true. Even in his play at home, he was fascinated in the world, life and power of these characters.

I started to wonder and question as to why they had such pull over this age group. I sat and listened carefully to the solo game Orlando was playing. The continual dialogue gave me insight into what was important in these characters. I realised it was all about POWER and PHYSICALITY.

The important facts were the super human strength, the ability to fly, jump really high and be strong.

When Orlando was imitating these characters, his chest was puffed out in pride and he felt worthy and very grown up. He was loved by all and he was the most powerful of all.

I thought about this feeling and it is really a feeling that we all enjoy. That sense of importance. 

Physiologically in boys bodies at this time they are getting a new big surge of testosterone. They feel set for the fight. Ready to run, leap, jump and take new risks. They are feeling more grown up and ready for a new challenge. Superheros allow them to be fast, physical and take risks, all while they feel this inner sense of 'goodness', importance and power.


So I now understand the appeal, but still don't feel completely comfortable with the imitation of these mass produced media heroes. Movies that are way too old and always out of reach, with merchandise aimed at children who are not old enough to watch the movie!

So.... what parenting choice do I make here? How do I find a middle ground that assists Orlando to play these games that meet his needs, without the mass produced heroes that I can't stand?

Well we do what we do best and we make our own!

Orlando and I are in the process of designing our own superhero. Orlando is thinking about all of the special powers this hero will have, what funky name we can come up with. We are going to do some drawing and designing and then together we are going to sew a special costume for this superhero.

We are having a lot of fun in the process but I will have to wait until we are completely finished before I introduce you to the new and delicious superhero that has come to live in our house. 

I can tell you though that there is a lot of jumping happening. The higher the better (as capes flow out more when you leap off something high enough for mum to cringe!) 

First Day....

Today was the BIG DAY!! First day of Pre-School for Matilda AND first day of Kindergarten for Orlando. 2 First days on one day!! (3 if we count my first day going to work without children in tow for 5 years!!)

So how did it all go?

Well the weekend ended up with me dealing with my nervousness by being SUPER prepared. I sewed new relaxation time pillows, got new 'school' shirts, named everything, packed bags, practiced needed skills, and talked, talked, talked.


The kids were excited, Ollie about seeing his good friend (and a little nervous about a new place), Tilly excited that "Mummy will go home and I can stay to play" - spoken like a true younger sibling who is ripped out of the classroom each morning at drop off... finally it is her turn.

We woke, got ready, had our first day photos and set off. We were all in good spirits. 

Matilda was dropped off first... Orlando set her up and in we went. She is in his old classroom, so knows the space well. She confidently put her things away and held my hand while we went exploring. she was captivated by the light/dark play and then discovered the clay. She sat down, we all said goodbye and she was busy... great! Easy! 

Now for Big School!

Orlando was wide eyed but keen, we went in, he made eye contact with his teachers, smiled and took a deep breath. In we went, found a locker and looked around. He spotted his good friend and off he went to play. We followed and he looked up and said "Mum I think it is time for you to go..." RIGHT. I've been told! Glad you feel comfortable... off I go!

So all went well. Then a couple of hours later I got this sinking feeling in my stomach... what if Matilda had started to freak out.... realised that we were not coming back for a while and was not happy? I let the fear pass through and got on with my day. Realised that I had been so busy feeling nervous for Orlando's big day, that I hadn't realised I was particularly nervous about my 'baby' going to Pre-School!

Reflections on the day...

Orlando - "Mum it was great! I didn't want to come home and can't wait to go tomorrow. You know when you left... I didn't feel sad at all. I was really happy. Tomorrow I am going to dig to the bottom of the sandpit and see what treasures I can find!"

Matilda - "I did lots of things! I started with Clay and then I did some painting, purple, pink and more purple. I washed some babies, did all the puzzles and played with the wooden people. I didn't eat all of my yummy lunch and I loved waking up from relaxation time."

Me - I felt really proud of the courage and confidence they both had. I didn't recognise Matilda when I got to Pre-School. She looked too grown up. This made me think that during my little freak out in the day, my perception of Tilly grew up... she isn't a baby any more... This is a good thing. She knows it... I just took a while to catch up :)

I find it fascinating to watch and observe their different areas of focus. Orlando has always been focused on the human environment, the teachers, friends etc. Matilda on the other hand is focused on the things she can engage in. What is there for her to investigate? I would be surprised if she gave any of her class mates a second glance! Maybe when she feels like she has explored enough she will look up and see who is around her :)

But we are all feeling positive and now home the kids have gone off and are playing by themselves... GREAT! 

Bring on tomorrow!

Artistic Endeavours

Being a teacher of the young, I have spent a lot of time exploring, observing and reading about the stages of artistic development. I have seen this progression in many children over the years. I've consoled many parents that children NEED to go through these stages, to accept it and support them.

Exploratory 'scribbles' at first, then marks with meanings, through to identifiable images, and then refinement. Each new medium needs to start at the beginning again.


The theory of this, I know. When watching MY son continue to 'scribble', year after year, when I know he can do more symbolic drawings, I find rather frustrating. I find myself getting cross, and dis-interested in doing artistic things with him. I am not satisfied with what he is producing.... I CAN HEAR MY SELF CRINGE!!! It isn't about what he produces, it is the process.... although I believe this with every cell of my body, I still find myself getting frustrated. At times he produces a stunning, identifiable picture and shows me that he is capable, he just chooses not to... WHY!!!

I have realized that I don't value 'scribble' as I feel less comfortable with it. I don't feel as though I can talk with him about his art as much. I see his peers move forward and want him to do the same. I also know that where he is going to kindy, children communicate a lot of their ideas and concepts though drawing... if he can't do that will he get as much out of kindy?

When visiting a friends house who has children a similar age, I noticed that her children got drawing and painting out as a self directed activity on a regular basis. All of the sudden it occurred to me... I HAD NEGLECTED TO PROVIDE AN ART SPACE AT HOME!!!  Why hadn't I thought of that! All of the programs that I run at school are art rich. We get art stuff out at home, but not everyday. Every time Orlando came to the art experiences it was different, he never had the opportunity to revisit the same experiences. Therefore he never had the space to practice and build on his skills... he was always needing to start back at the beginning.

Well, now I felt like I had all the answers! I went home, re-arranged the play-space,  and brought all the art materials out of the cupboard and onto a self-help shelf. It isn't free slather, there are still things put away for special experiences, but there is a range of mediums out for use when ever creative inspiration hits. 

The kids and I found some attractive bowls to present the materials in and organised everything they needed. Here is a list of a few of the things we choose to include:

- Paint brushes

- Water colour paints (washes off nearly everything)

- Chalk

- Crayons - oil, soy, and wax

- Chalk Pastles

- Textas

- Pens

- Pencils - Coloured, lead, charcoal

- Stickers

- Collage materials

- Sticky tape

- Glue

- Paper - office paper, lined paper, thick water colour paper, diaries, scrap books etc

- Ink and Paint pads

- Rubber stamps

- Scissors

- Paper punches - ones the hole punch pictures 

- Pencil cases full of craft materials like pom poms, pipe cleaners, string etc etc

- Playdough and tools

Matilda 3 : "Roses that are not open yet"

We also brought 6 A4 frames. Three each to present the kids art works. The kids get to choose what goes into each frame and if they create a piece they like better then we swap it over.

Orlando 5: Undersea animals

Presenting children's artworks in respectful ways, shows them that you value their effort and their creative process. I also happen to think it looks stunning!

So, with our space created, it has been used multiple times a day by both of the kids and they adore having the frames to display their artistic creations. I am happy, they are happy, the space looks beautiful. 

Have you got any interesting ways that you respectfully display your children's artwork? If you do, I would love to hear about it!

Lady Bird Lady Bird, Fly away Home...

Something Australia is very good at is hot and dry. As we also pride ourselves on the amount of beautiful bush we have, bush fires are inevitable. So much so that many or Australia's native flora have grown to be bush fire dependent for reproduction.

In the past few years the effects of these fires have been devastating to many communities. We love the bush and so we build our homes in it. Then when a natural fire comes through we get burnt.

Our awareness and strategies to deal with these events are growing. Today we have been told that the fast, hot 60km/h winds and the 39 degree temperatures are 'Catastrophic'. Everyone is on high alert. I have friends not at home (in bush) today, just to be on the safe side. The Rural fire service has a map littered with fires. The reality of it all is rather sobering.

In these, and other natural disaster, (which we seem to be experiencing a lot of) situations, I always ponder how much to share with the kids. We don't watch the news in our house very often. Nath reads it on the net and I find it depressing, so remain blissfully ignorant. I have a few friends who shield their children from it and others who have the telly and news on constantly so their kids are inundated with it.

My eldest and I have had some conversations about it, following him seeing a car be washed down a flooding river and hearing at Pre-School of a tornado. I simply answered his questions the best I could...It went something like this...

"Mum, why had that river flooded?"
"Because it has rained so much that all the water has run off into the river and the river has got too big"
"Will it flood at our house?"
"No, we live up on a hill and there are no big rivers near us"
"What about a tornado? Will a tornado hit our house?"
"I don't think so, they 'usually' happen near a beach and we don't live anywhere near the beach"
"So then what do we get?"
"Well we get bush fires, where the grass and the forests catch on fire, sometimes these can burn houses down as well"


following this we happened upon a bush fire effected forest on one of our bush walks. Orlando had context, he was fascinated and loved exploring the charcoal, drawing with it and breaking it apart.

Yesterday we were watching a news snippet on the current Tasmanian bush fires. Having just come back from visiting many of the places currently effected, Orlando was interested. No questions were asked, I just watched him watch and waited to see if questions would come.

Today he came to me after a painting session with this painting....

I asked him to tell me about it. He said "this is all the grass on fire and the winds that are here today are making it go "woooshhh" and blowing it into big fire balls. This is the brave fireman and he is working really hard to make the fire in control. When it is in control, that's when we are all safe again."

I asked him if he was feeling unsafe. and he replied "I know about bush fires Mum, we don't have any bush very close to our house and I saw the fireman in their truck down the road yesterday,  so I know they are working hard keeping us safe"

enough said... other than THANK YOU to all the fireman that are working tirelessly to keep us as safe as they can... Stay safe everyone!

An Emotional Ending...

Last week, my Beautiful Boy attend his last, ever day at Pre-School. My prediction was that it was going to be a happy affair, and it was, but I was unprepared for just how emotional it would be...

Orlando has been excitedly telling all that will listen that he was going off to 'Big School' next year. He understood what a significant right of passage this was. He bravely went to his kindergarten orientation. He was excited, nervous and full of anticipation. The morning went reasonably well, but Orlando's perception of  'Big School' seemed to change. Not from anything that had happened there, but by the fact that it all became very real that Pre-School was going to come to an end.

We had a week or two of "I don't want to go to Big School" when I realised what was happening. I asked him ... "Is it that you don't want to go to Big School or is it that you don't want to leave Pre-School?" his answer told all. "I don't want to leave George (best friend going to different school), and I don't want to leave Sam and the teachers, and there wont be the 'big shovel' at school and I didn't see any scooters and ..." the list went on.

Orlando has had 3 very beautiful years at an Independent Pre-School with an amazing philosophy.

I remember 3 years ago, my 'big' boy was ready for his first day at Pre-School. He was so ready for something more than home was offering. He had a stimulating week, but he wanted his own experiences, that he could come home and tell me about. His own friends and to be part of a bigger community.

3 years later, Orlando is deeply ingrained in this community and cherishes every day he spends there. He feels safe, nurtured, stimulated and an important teacher of the 'little' kids. He has great friends, wonderful relationships with the teachers and feels successful because he can 'do' most things there.

We have had a number of chats in the last week about the importance of moving on to new challenges and appreciating the experiences you have had, while being open to new ones. We have stressed the fact that, as you become an 'expert' at something,  and have taught it to someone else it is time to move forward. That goodbyes can be hard, but that is because you heart has lots of love for what you are saying goodbye to.

We asked Orlando to come to a special dinner with us to celebrate his achievement in finishing Pre-School and have been talking with great excitement about the new adventures and possibilities ahead.

His last day came and I could see he was feeling a little internal as we arrived. He happily got involved and went about his day. At pick up time, he collected his bag and hovered a little. I reminded him that this was the time to say goodbye and he ran to each of his teachers and gave them a heartfelt squeeze. He then found his good friend and gave him one of the most open-hearted, loving cuddles I have seen. He was then satisfied, took a deep breath (as if taking it all in for the last time) and was ready to go.

I on the other hand, who had thought I would be cool and calm (these are also my work colleagues and Matilda is coming to Pre-School next year) was a blubbering mess! I was looking at my big boy and seeing what an amazing journey he has been on. How far he has come and what a beautiful and strong foundation he has had to build his future educational experiences from.

I am so greatful and thankful to his Pre-School for taking my baby and giving me back a thoughtful, inquisitive and adventrous boy.

The Secret Art of Reading

Being a Kindergarten teacher for many years, I have been asked so often about how children learn to read. I think it really depends on the individual child BUT, at the moment Orlando is very keen to read everything that he sees. It has got me thinking and reflecting and I wanted to share a few of these thoughts.


 
This is by no means a "how to teach your child to read.." passage, just some reflections and ideas I thought I would share.

Just before leaving on our holiday, I was reading a very old and very outdated book on children's literacy. It was "On learning to read: the child's fascination with meaning" by Bruno Bettelheim. Now this chap had a lot of twisted ideas and blamed mothers for everything BUT he had a few points that got me thinking...

He was discussing how in the olden days (even old when he was writing it, so were talking WAY BACK) the book that was most commonly read was the Bible. Most people were illiterate and those who did know how to read were seen to know the 'secrets' and wisdom that was contained in the Bible. Those who could read were able to access the mysteries! This was a great motivation for people to learn to read, as they could then be able to access what other were.


When we then think about writing and reading from a child's perspective today... Adults and older peers are able to read. They are able to access the text rich world that we live in, where as younger children rely on the picture to interpret meaning. Many children are eager to learn the secret art of reading so that they too can access the world around them.

The only real way we are going to assist a child to become literate is to give them the passion and motivation to want to become literate. If they don't have the want, there will never be a way... no matter how hard you try.

So, as parents, it is drilled into us (and rightly so) that we must read to our children.  I agree whole heartedly with this... read, read and read! But read INTERESTING books. Beautiful texts that are rich with melody and rhyme. Texts that are inspiring and leave the child's imagination zooming from one place to another.

These books develop a passion for text, a desire to hear and know all the wonderful stories of the world (any one who knows my children, knows that the fastest way to their heart is to sit and read with them... and it is the adults who have had enough LONG before the children have :))

So at 4/5/6 ish most children who have this passion for books and stories are going to want to start accessing the books independently. They are wanting to read the signs around them and to tell others stories. They now have the passion AND the motivation! PERFECT!!! So what do we give them, to assist them to learn to read? READERS....

Anyone read one lately? OMG how stupid do the writers believe children to be? How could anyone go into writing and write such monotonous crap! "I can run. I can jump. I can swing. I can walk." snore!!!

Then kids sit and think..... WHAT! this is what I've been working up to? This is the secrets I've been waiting to access?

It is not motivating to read this rubbish! There are no secrets discovered from reading it! There is nothing for my imagination to explore! I have learnt nothing.

The only motivating fact is that we as adults create such a fuss over the fact that the child is 'reading' that they believe this is a way to receive praise and attention from adults.

I don't even consider these beginner readers as even reading... the adult assists you to read the title, which is then repeated through EVERY page of the book and you can look at the picture and guess what the other word is.... thats not reading, its parroting and guessing!

And then we wonder why many children have no motivation to read at school? With these readers we are not valuing children's capabilities and intelligence.

I completely acknowledge that there are situations where children need specific skills and knowledge taught to them to assist them to connect the gaps in their understanding. These need to be done on an individual or small group basis as 75% of the children will have worked out what sound an 's' makes without a formal lesson about it.

So as a parent, with a 5 year old who is chomping at the bit to read, is full of motivation and passion and wants to soak up the literate world around him... what am I doing to support his budding literacy?

- We are continuing to read AMAZING stories and chapter books full of adventure!

- We are talking about words. When Orlando asks about what that sign says... I say .. "Why don't you read it! Have a try and I'll help you if you need". He has a try, he finds the sounds he knows, I give him the ones he doesn't, "In this word the 'tion' makes a 'shun' sound"

- In this fashion we read signs everywhere, when in context children can read words far harder than we give them credit for. Particularly at the moment with all of our bush walking, Orlando is reading us all the warnings and directions that we need! and LOVING it.

- When reading interesting picture books together, I ask Orlando to read some of the more simple words, we take turns and share.

- Orlando reads books that he 'knows' to Matilda, whether he gets all the word right or not doesn't matter, he is still getting the satisfaction of 'reading'

I completely acknowledge at this point that I have an intelligent young chap who is keen to learn everything the world has to offer. Many children are not always so keen. Having had many a Kindy over the years, I have had to help numerous students who just "didn't get it". In acknowledging all of this, I still maintain that a passion and motivation to want to learn on the child's part is the most important factor in the whole event. We need to be careful to fuel this passion, not extinguish it by feeding them rubbish!

Let's maintain a sense that the written word is full of secrets, mysteries and delicious information that you just have to get your teeth in to!

Bush Camp Crafts

Children have an innate need to collect things. When I do the washing I am continuously removing, stones, pine cones, seed pods, leaves what's ever was irresistible, from my children's pockets.

I love this process as it shows me that their eyes are open... They are taking in the world around them with that wonderful sense of wonder. Something catches their eye and they find it so irresistible that they just have to pick it up, hold it, examine it, and keep it safe in their pocket for later.  I think I am probably so partial to this as am a bit of a pocket collector myself :)

You can see the great joy in children's hearts when we then use these treasure to make things. We have a few simple  craft items in our stash when we travel and these get used time and time again.

Here is a few of the camp crafts we get busy with:


Mobiles/Wind Chimes
Cotton twine or fishing line
1 stick
Pocket full of treasures

We tie one long piece of string from one end of the stick to the other. Then all along the space in-between we tie  our treasures. This can either be simple, one  treasure/one string, or more complex tying treasures at intervals along the string.

Sometimes we make large communal ones and put a tag at the end of it with the name of where all the parts were collected from. We have a number of these at home, which is really nice way to remember a holiday or special place.

One beach camping Christmas we made long strings of beach treasures and tied them all around the communal tarp. We then threaded vine around and some coloured lanterns and it was very festive and rather beautiful!

Clay Prints
Air drying clay or natural clay found in the ground
Pocket full of treasures
String/ wire

We make round flat (1cm thick) 'plates'. We put a hole all the war through the top, like a pencil hole. Then we use our treasures to make imprints in the clay. Once finished we leave it to dry. Once dry we tie some string on it and hang it in a tree or somewhere important to the maker of the print.

Stone Stacks
Lots of stones

My two are particularly fond of collecting stones. At times a can clear a whole bucket full out of the back of my car!

So just like you would with building blocks you encourage the kids to stack the stones, large up to small. How many can you get to balance  in a tower?

Stick Strings
This is a more long term project but I have a friend who's son likes to collect sticks as much as my kids like to collect stones. She was lamenting as to what to do with their stick pile. I suggested that she could drill a hole in each one, write in small black texta on it where it came from and thread them all on a long string that hangs in his room. This idea was taken with great enthusiasm as it encouraged him to collect smaller 5 cm long sticks and gave a neat and interesting place for all the sticks to live. This family does a lot of bush walking and their son now has a stunning looking, 2m long collection of sticks hanging on his wall. It is amazing the differences in colours, textures and shapes sticks are form different regions. We as adults wouldn't always notice this as we never see them all together!

Collage
Glue
Paper
Pocket full of treasures.

As the wonderful Jeanie Baker demonstrates, we can do marvelous things with collage. Some treasures have greater success being glued down than others but experiment and find out!!

Bush Prints
Paint
Paper
Pocket full of treasures

Not a complex one, you dip the treasures in paint and use them to print on the paper. Leaves, pine needles and feathers make particularly good 'paint brushes'

Rainbow Rocks
As collectors of many rocks, I have had to come up with a lot of inspiration in this area :)

Paint
Larger rocks
Paint brushes

This is simply rock paintings. We make all sorts of creatures or 'pets' out of ours. Sometimes we paint them beautifully and hide them back in the bush and theorize about what we think the animals might thing when they find them!

Acorn Creatures
Living in the Acorn capital of Australia - Canberra, I clean out as many acorns, during acorn season as I do stones!

We find 'hats' to fit the acorns, glue them on and draw faces on them! You can make whole families!!

There are many more, but until the next installment I will leave you with these!

What crafty things do you do with a pocket full of treasures? I would love to expand my collection!!!

This is the Bed that We Built.....

We were greeted with a request... "I want to have a bunk bed Mum... can I have one!"

Orlando had been visiting his friend who's Dad had built him a rather inspiring bunk bed...

I shared a bunk bed with my sister when I was a kid and we LOVED it! (well I did as I was on the top :) )

At the time Ollie asked, he was 4. I pointed out that his friend was 5 and that maybe that was a good age to get a bunk bed. We discussed the need to be out of night nappies and having a dry bed most nights. Getting out of a bunk bed to go to the loo needed a little more maturity...

This was agreed.... then a few weeks before Orlando's 5th birthday he reminded us of this agreement, telling us that he was excited to get a bunk bed for his 5th birthday..... right we better get organised!

We looked at an Ikea bed that had a tent over the top but then realised it was not very high at all and that's not really very much fun! The whole joy of a bunk is seeing the world from up high!

Then we searched around on the internet and found this one...

http://www.lillylolly.com.au/catalog/scoop-bunk-single-p-313.html

It was just want we wanted! But at $3250 it was slightly more than we were wanting to spend on Ollie for his birthday!

Also thorough discussion with Orlando we decided that instead of having a second bed underneath we would make a lego /cubby space. This would allow a mattress in there if a friend was to stay, but would provide Orlando more room space for the rest of the time.

So we decided to be cheap skates and make it ourselves. This was we could save money and make the modifications we wanted.

We had a chat with our friends who made the original inspiration and had a good inspect of theirs. We looked around the net some more and then Nathan and I drew some plans. Once measurements were agreed and my mathematical mind was satisfied Nath put it all into the computer and we were set to go...

We purchased the ply in extra thick and strong and Nath set to work...

He carefully jig-sawed and sanded each piece, making them beautiful. Then he brought them outside where I dusted and painted them with 3 coats of stain.

Then it was ready to bolt together! This took a good part of a day to put it all together but we were really happy with the newly finished bed!

Ollie took a little while to get used to being in a loft bed but now loves it. He adores playing underneath and I love that I can put all his constructions under and still sweep/mop the rest of his bedroom. We're happy and all for about $500 and a weekends work! We now have a custom sized loft bed that we think looks pretty funky!

If you would like plans to this bed then we would be happy to share and keep the inspiration chain flowing!! I love being inspired by others! So THANKYOU to all those who provided input to Orlando's beautiful bed!