Flowers, art and triops

The temperature has gone down a little, so we are enjoying the garden more again, alhamdulillah.
I want to continue the creative theme a little more through this summer, inshAllah. I didn't plan this in advance, but from reading some entries from Ummtafari and coming across the Usborne Art Treasury I started to think of ideas for Ia, as the boys always say they don't want to do art. But then a friend asked me whether that was really it for art with the boys, the end of it! That thought played on my mind, and so the idea of doing some art summer projects formed. Done in this way the boys are enjoying joining in, alhamdulillah.
This is what they did today. (Now on the kitchen door).

Do you remember how we were undecided about having a second go at the triops after the first batch failed? Ia decided that she would like to use her kit this year, and as this coincided with the warmer weather, alhamdulillah, it was good timing. Inside this murky tub of water live four triops. They normally live in puddles, so they like it a bit murky apparantly.

Ia's kit was the smaller, less complicated bowl version of the triop tank, and really it is easier to use, and takes up less space. This kit also came with sand, which the triops like to burrow in. It is interesting to watch them do that. Overall this smaller, cheaper kit is actually better than the more expensive version. All the children are agreed on that!