Although Li Li was not here today all of the children were very keen to carry on with their Papier Mache models and have been continuing to work on them throughout today.
Some have even reached completion, painted and varnished too.
Those who have finished have already started on new models…a very successful and popular activity 
We have had an excellent day today with our good friend Li Li Tan and her friend Khun Poon who ran a fun Papier Mache workshop today, from 11.30 till late in the afternoon.
Once again our children were very attentive and learnt very quickly the methods they were taught.
I was able to sit back and took the opportunity to work on another artistic idea, completing my first coffee table using some of the tree we recently had chopped down and an old chopping board.
It was great to see all the kids under the shelter that they built themselves , following Li Li and Poons instructions and coming up with some really good papier mache models.
As it was another scorching day we took a mid afternoon break for a dip in the nearby river. Even Li Li jumped in.
Then it was back for more work on the models and Khun Poon also outlined ideas for future craft project, giving the kids a chance to think, plan and design in advance.
Not only did the kids get a great workshop but Li Li and Khun Poon also left paints, brushes paper and more for the kids to keep practising their Art.
So engrossed were they, with this project, that many were carrying on with it after dinner, rather than jumping in front of the TV.
Big Hit ! Big Thanks, Li Li , Poon and Art Speak.
Today the children did some more conventional art. Having had so many of them show great potential I felt it would be good to have them practice more with paint and brush.
For most of them I had made a selection of tracings, flowers, snake, tiger and elephant and their task was to paint as accurately as they could, but in what ever colour’s they wished.
Also keen to ensure proper skills development comes out of this I made them all aware that there was no rush to finish. The aim is to get their best results.
So the finished results may appear tomorrow, or in Tai’s case maybe a couple of days. As his skills are already quite advanced he was given free hand and chose to work on drawings he had already produced prior to the Song Kran break.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to make a quick appeal.
Our good friend Li Li Tan and her friend Khun Poon, will be popping in to do a papier mache workshop. For this we need as much used newspaper and toilet roll tubes, indeed any cardboard tubes.
The workshop is scheduled for the 12th so if you are able to contribute before then please contact either myself or Li Li.
This afternoon our friends Li Li Tan and Ally came for a welcome visit. Li Li was keen to continue work on the Mural she worked on on Saturday and this time all the kids got involved as well as our latest Volunteer, Roshni from India.
It is incredible the amount done in such a relatively short time and the fact that with Li Li’s help and support the children have today contributed so much to a true work of art today is even more incredible.
Thanks again Li Li and well done everyone.
What a great Saturday, so much happening in one day.
After breakfast all the children helped finish off the base painting of the playground walls and the fence posts we put in yesterday.
With help from a couple of the boys I attached the chain link fence, finishing that early afternoon.
In anticipation of the afternoons music session the children got everything ready for Freds arrival and got into some practise.
For a while I joined in with Gu , Tai and Jack with them playing drums and keyboard and me playing flute.
For a while it was sounding sweet and I’m sure we will be doing much more of that in the future.
A little after 3pm Fred arrived with Ally and Li Li Tan.
Its been a while since we’ve seen Li Li and the kids were all very happy to see her.
While the music lesson went on Li Li did some work on one of the unfinished Murals, ably assisted by Som. Jor , May and Nu also joined in after the music had finished.
It was another great lesson by Fred, with the children working on the Beatles classic “Let It Be”.
Once again The Stratton ABC Foundation would like to thank Panyaden School for generously giving up their space at The Chiang Mai Friends Party this weekend to us to help us promote our work.
We also owe great thanks to our longtime friend and supporter, Ally, for manning the information stall and letting visitors know what we are all about.
The Banner on the stall was produced by 13 year old Tai who gave up three evenings working hard to follow the design supplied by Li Li Tan.
Well done Tai, excellent work and much appreciation for your selfless work.
And of course thanks to anyone who visited the stall and we can only hope that you may have been impressed enough to want to take a closer look, and maybe extend your much needed support in order that we may continue and develop our services to disadvantaged Children in Northern Thailand.
Everyone here at Stratton House wishes to pass on heartfelt thanks to our good friend, artist, Li Li Tan for arranging the sale of our handmade cards, postcards and our calendars at Friday nights Music Night at J J Good Place.
Added thanks to Chiang Mai Living for organising the event, only wish I could have made it there myself.
Li Li managed to sell over 700 bahts worth of our cards etc, and theres money to be counted from the collection box to.
Thanks to all who purchased or donated, be sure your money will be put to good use and please feel free to come and visit at anytime, (phoning or emailing ahead is good just in case we are out and about).
Saturday was a very special day. All the children knew was that we were due some visitors in the afternoon. In the morning they all pitched in as usual with continued garden improvement work.
Then at around 3pm our visitors arrived; Ally, Li Li, Ann, Fred(who will be doing music workshops in the New Year), and Adam Sandaver and his lovely family.
Adam had responded very quickly to our recent appeal for a Trumpet for Gu, our eldest child.
Saturday was presentation day and it was great to have been able to keep it as a surprise. Gu was so happy. And the rest of the children weren’t left out either. The Sandaver children kindly donated many toys for the enjoyment of all.
Gu explained that all his friends at school play music in the band and he dreamt of joining them but didn’t have the instrument he most wanted to join in with. There you go Gu, dreams can come true.
We want to be careful not to spoil the children here at Stratton House, but sometimes, when a child has shown the sort of effort that Gu has shown, in every aspect of life here; helping out around the house and garden, trying his hardest at school, always showing respect and appreciation, and rarely asking for anything; the they deserve the reward.
Once again a huge thanks to Adam and all his family.
And for those who were here, the tears came on Sunday, as I watched all the children playing so happily together with their new toys and Gu proudly cleaning his Trumpet after attempting a little practise.
Another excellent day here at Stratton House. The Mural works carried on yesterday , some of it into the early evening as Tai seemed unable to stop working on his masterpiece, while the others played on the new lawn or sat meditating infront of my Buddha painting.
And today was a mix of continued work on the Murals, cheerful play, including great fun with some plastercine; given by our friends Li Li and Ally , who popped in for a visit; and some more serious garden work on yet more vegetable plots.
Its been a good weekend for some ‘family discussion’ and getting the kids to understand why we ask them to work. It is important to us that the children here understand the ways of life, including needing to work for what you want out of life. This weekend they asked me why I asked them to clear weeds ready for the growing plots. They pointed out how much quicker I am able to work. So I explained that I would do them no favours by doing everything for them. The plots are to grow food for us all to eat and they need to learn that this all takes effort. The work also, hopefully, brings the rising self esteem from being able to say ‘we did this’.
Today we had a delivery of a truck load of soil which now waits to be distributed to the new plots. For now it is a bit of a playground, which brought forward another disucussion about learning to think ‘safety’. One of the kids called me to proudly declare that they had dug a great tunnel in the soil pile. Past horror stories about children playing in unsupervised building sites flashed through my mind.
So using a plastic bottle as a demonstration ‘child’, I got all the kids gathered round and showed them what could happen if a playful child decided to enter the tunnel, unaware of how fragile the soil was.
Some of them had been keen to run up the pile jumping and dancing at the top and running down the sides. Great fun, but none had thought to put away the wheelbarrow and shovels that sat close to the pile.
“Is it safe?” I asked.
“Yessss!!!” came the reply.
So being careful to keep good hold of him, I demonstrated the likely trajectory of Jack happening to trip and fall down the far side of the pile, and how his head would likely collide with the edge of the wheelbarrow.
After putting all the garden tools away properly, the children played carefully for a while longer, in safety.
