Chiang Mai - The Stratton ABC Foundation Childrens Home Chiang Mai

February 2012
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jan
	1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29

Australia, Australia

Jan 072012

We have more than one reason for thanking Australia.

Just a few days ago we received a grand total of 795 pounds sterling from The Faa Gamma Fund raising team, headed by our good friend Heather Mackay who had been working hard with the Xmas fund raising. Their target was 1000 AUD and final total equates to 1200AUD…so big thanks to Heather and all those who contributed. As you can see by our monthly target thermometer, thanks to you January’s target is almost reached already.

And today saw the arrival of our latest volunteers, who also hail from Australia. Angela and Alexi arrived in Chiang Mai, from Pai, this morning. Getting a tuk tuk to Sarapee, they had a short wait before I arrived to pick them up.

After a quick stop at the volunteer accommodation we came over to Stratton House where Angie and Alexi were quickly introduced to the children. It wasn’t long before they were joining in with the kids Saturday chill time, playing ping pong, Patong, doing jigsaw puzzles and later on bicycle riding.

They also pitched in, in the kitchen helping the children prepare the vegetables for green curry.

Nice to note that the eggplants were fresh from our own vegetable plots:)

We hope they enjoyed the first day of their 3 day visit, the kids certainly enjoyed the day and look forward to seeing Angie and Alexis again tomorrow.

Looking Back at Holiday Chill Time

Foundation Blog 1 Response »

Jan 072012

So the kids are all back at school after a fun Xmas new Year short break. Here are just a few glimpses of the chill time with old and new toys.

Santa Maa :)

Lead No Responses »

Dec 272011

Having been awoken early by the receding sound of jingle bells I was checking out my email when Gu stuck his head out from his room, at around 7am, broad beaming smile on his face “Daddy, Santa maa lao”.

Turns out that sometime in the night Santa did indeed visit Stratton House and leave large “socks” by the children’s rooms, packed with books, toys fruit and snack food.

And it wasn’t too long before all the kids were up and delving through what Santa had given them all.

Small jigsaws were very popular; the girls loved getting arty with tinsel paint pictures and the boys love messing around outside with their baseball bats.

Me I just reveled in the delightful sound of fun and laughter and the ambiance of 10 constant smiles.

Before lunch the kids got to watch the Ice Age Xmas special DVD.

After a normal lunch some carried on playing outside whilst others watched another cartoon movie and at 2pm it was “Present time”.

Under the Xmas tree were many gift wrapped presents many of them numbered and the first round of giving came by way of a “draw”.

Nu was chosen as Xmas Fairy and attended the tree with the draw number pot. Starting with the youngest child, May 1 , each drew a number and was given the present with the corresponding number. May hit lucky first time round picking out not a number but a picture of a Rabbit which led to her receiving the huge cuddly rabbit donated by Li Li Tan recently.

Gifts ranged from cuddly toys, to books, from beautiful paperweight to toy cars and more.

Once the numbers draw was over each child got their main present from me and I’m happy to report that I appear to have chosen gifts that they are all happy with…difficult with any child let alone 10

And this whole process was watched over by our special guest , all the way from Worcester in the UK, via the internet…my Mum…MaMa to the kids.

Zak really loved gazing at Mums smiling face on the TV.

You can get a feel of the day here with the photos below or by watching the video highlights of the day.

We had Xmas dinner at 5pm….and a good feast it was too…roast chicken with fried pumpkin and tempura carrots, cauliflower with turnip chips too.

A very Merry Xmas.

Jor Entertains For Xmas

Foundation Blog 1 Response »

Dec 262011

Mae Salaab is not such a typical Thai village , in that it addition to the villages Buddhist Temple it also boasts a Christian Church.

Tradition has been formed that a show is put on every Xmas Eve, with performances by local residents and school children.

Year we watched Yong doing her bit on stage and this year was the turn of Jor , who with her Prathom 6 classmates put on a contemporary dance performance to the jolly sounds of Jingle Bells.

Other performances included on exercise routine by elderly members of the community, hula hoop dancing by Mae Salaab schools little ones and a Nativity Play by some of the older children.

Free food including Pad Thai and other local cuisine was provided for all who attended and many gift prizes were given out in between the performances.

yet more prizes were given out by Santa who arrived around 9pm at the end of the show.

Our children benefited by many small prizes including snack food, washing powder, toiletries and, most impressive, a toaster.

It was a great show and everyone had lots of fun…loved Jors dancing…though I’m not sure she should give up her day job..555

An Inquiring Mind

Lead No Responses »

Dec 262011

A couple of days before Xmas day our microwave was discovered to be unusable anymore, as its inner lining had deteriorated.

It wasn’t long before it found a new use, feeding the curiosity of an inquiring young mind.

14 year old Tai, already established as a grade A student at school, soon had at it with a screw driver, investigating its workings.

This is just the sort of activity we have hoped to encourage with our style of doing things at Stratton House, and I would very much like to further support this new found interest in electronics.

We would very much like to purchase an electronics starter kit to facilitate further , safe, learning in this field, giving Tai and any of the other children who may be interested, a chance to look into developing a new skill.

Having surfed the internet I am posting a link to one such kit that comes in at $94.95.

If you feel you may be able to help please consider either donating $100….I have been so far unable to establish shipping costs… or visit the link and purchase direct on our behalf….shipping address 36/1 ( Stratton House) Moo 7, T.Chompoo, A. Sarapee, Chiang Mai 50140

Or if you find another similar kit that is aimed at beginners this would be most welcome also.

Learning To Give

Lead No Responses »

Dec 232011

Here we are, its Xmas again. I have had some fairly strong views on Xmas over the years, not keen on its over commercial nature these days.

That said, my work with the children of Stratton House has melted my objections a little.

They have all done so well this year, with their studies, our projects, behavior, everything, they make me so proud.

Although this is a mainly Buddhist household, we will be celebrating Christmas Day as the purported Birthday of a special man and using the opportunity not only to give all the kids that special day of fun but to teach them the spirit of giving too.

Thanks to many donations recently, added to gifts already purchased, our Xmas Tree is surrounded by many gift wrapped presents. Some of these were numbered, and last night each child picked out a random number from a box and took the gift with the corresponding number. Today they took those gifts to school, to give to another child who they feel may get less than others on Xmas Day.

Thanks to all those who have helped to ensure our kids will be having a great Xmas this year.

Oh..and Mum! All the kids say please, please, please look after yourself and make sure you are fit and well to come and see them again.

New Friends Visit , Make Lunch and Take The Kids To Childrens World :)

Lead 1 Response »

Dec 192011

Last week I mentioned the lovely Thai family we met at Huay Tung Taow. The older daughter, Bouy, expressed a great interest in visiting Stratton House and helping out with the kids.

This Sunday, true to her word she appeared with members of her family along with their friend Des Sheldon, a fellow Midlander it turns out , and another friend Jurgen.

The first major surprise was that they turned up with literally a truck load of supplies for the kitchen. All the kids came up to help offload.

Not onle kitchen supplies either but Xmas tree, decorations and books for the kids too.

Then our Thai visitors set to preparing traditional Papaya salad , with assistance from House Mother, Muay and many of the children.

What a great lunch it was to with roast chicken on the table to compliment the salad and Pandan Tea to wash it all down.

That was the plan as far as I knew, doing lunch for the kids….but it didn’t stop there.

Mid-afternoon we got the kids on the truck and headed over to The Chiang Mai Night Safari, where our guests very kindly paid for all the children to visit Childrens World, the great new play facility that was finished recently.

Although Childrens World turned out to be a great treat for the children one of the main highlights of the trip was the visit to the Lovebirds aviary. All the children and adults too, were enthralled by these delightful birds who with a little gentle coaxing will come and feed from your hand.

We are so grateful to our visitors for being kind enough to make this day a very special one. It was also good to discover Childrens World, which is cost effective enough for us to consider making regular trips there. With the excellent facility staffed with friendly supervisors it is somewhere we are able to leave the children knowing they can play safe whilst the adults get some real chill time too if they want.

Thanks once again to Des, Jurgen , Bouy and all her family who we hope to see much more of in the future.

First Pen Finished and Wispas Moved in Already

Live Projects 1 Response »

Dec 192011

This weekends work sessions saw a concerted effort by the kids.

Being that this project involves the very young children to I have been doing some work to it myself to help them along.

So far the first pen is finished barring a little more concrete to hold the front fence in place, and our oldest dog, Wispa , has already moved in.

We hope to have the second pen finished next weekend and start on two more for the remaining dogs.

Well done that team, and a mention for Gu who helped the younger ones this weekend and also did some work towards the project on Friday when his class had a free day.

A Mary Xmas and A Brucey New Year

Lead No Responses »

Dec 192011

Sorry about the lousy title, a little bit of Xmas madness creeping in…its been a long year..:)

This years festive season comes with many positive notes for the Foundation as friends, old and new, step forward with their support.

This post is to say a big thanks to our old friends Mary and Bruce who, having visited our Foundations home last year, recently donated a significant amount of money with a view to sponsoring each and every child here to the tune of 10 pounds a month for the whole year, to include 1 new child who is expected to join us in May.

They have also indicated that they are prepared to consider help with funding extra educational needs for our hardest working students.

I am moved and delighted by this gesture and all here at Stratton House wish to say a huge “Thankyou” and wish the Grays a very enjoyable Festive season and a very very Happy New Year.

Tai Chi Comes To Stratton House

Lead No Responses »

Dec 172011

Today we had a run into DK Bookstore in Chiang Mai, ostensibly to look for a Trumpet music book for Gu. Unfortunately they didn’t have a trumpet book so Gu selected a “learn Saxophone” book instead, complete with dvd.

Whilst looking around the store Tai came along with what i was led to believe was a Karate instruction manual. Keen on the children taking an interest in healthy exercise and self defense I ok’d that going into the shopping basket to.

On getting back home I was over the moon to discover that the book, complete with 3 VCDs, was in fact a Tai Chi starter course.

It is many years since I practised Tai Chi but I have not forgotten how effective it is, not just as a self defense method but also excellent for general fitness, co-ordination, a balance of body , mind and soul.

It is and excellent book and the televisual demonstrations very good and easy to follow.

Having long thought of returning to this discipline myself I am very happy that the children have shown an interest as well, and we intend to start regular Tai Chi practise from tomorrow.

Knowing that for best practice of this discipline other complimentary exercise is very beneficial we are also hoping to begin weekly swimming sessions. As the nearest swimming facility suitable is around 12 kilometers away it would good if we could find a sponsor for the transport costs and entrance fees, approximately 320 baht ( 6.50 pounds)

We do intend this to be a serious exercise programme which will be open to those children who take the Tai Chi course seriously and ; whereas fun time will not be banned; go to spend time swimming and not just messing about in the water.

Our trips to Huay Tung Tao give that opportunity.

The children have also been told that if they take this activity seriously then we will look at getting the appropriate martial arts clothing.

Older Entries Newer Entries

Recent Comments

Meta

Australia, Australia

Looking Back at Holiday Chill Time

Santa Maa :)

Jor Entertains For Xmas

Learning To Give

New Friends Visit , Make Lunch and Take The Kids To Childrens World :)

First Pen Finished and Wispas Moved in Already

Tai Chi Comes To Stratton House

Make a donation

Our Sponsors

Sponsor Paint for Murals

Archives

Basic Running Costs Target February 2012

Sponsor Drinking Water

Sponsor Wool for Our Craft Activities

Sponsor the Childrens Healthy Diet

The Stratton ABC Foundation Business Directory

Slideshow

Tags

Meta

Make a donation

Our Sponsors

Archives

Basic Running Costs Target February 2012

The Stratton ABC Foundation Business Directory

Slideshow