Quarantine To-Do’s

April 3, 2020April 15, 2020Leave a comment

Whew, is it getting real enough out there for you?

The days go by and we know that coming up with inspiring projects to keep your little one active is no small task.

That’s why each day on the Kids Yoga Garden Facebook page I have been sharing a resource that can be used as a part of your homeschool / unschool / or online schooling routine. Some of the shares have been activities we do at our learning center, and others have been more directed towards our parents and caregivers to offer extra support in this time of need. I’ve also tried to highlight teachers and communities that have a wide breadth of online materials available for use so you can use these projects as a starting point for online searches.

To keep things simple, I will collect all the project links here organized by category and update as this project continues. If you’d like to see something in particular, like more art projects or cooking recipes, please let me know so I can keep it tailored to your needs.

Quarantine PLAYlist:

Art Projects:

God’s Eye Weaving Craft. Video
DIY Play Dough with Kru Georgie of Chiang Mai Drama Centre
Draw Along with Me “Happy Sun” with Deep Space Sparkle
Magical Thailand Coloring book by Magical Thailand
Crafting with Shabby Tree Paper Plate Hats
DIY sidewalk chalk photobooth from Kids Yoga Garden

Yoga and Movement for Children:

Rub Your Hands Yoga Warm-up Song by Karma Kids and Kids Yoga Garden
Wiggle Like a Worm Sun Salutation Song by Yogiful
Full free yoga classes with Cosmic Kids Yoga – Pokemon Episode
Chair Yoga Video with Calm Classrooms and worksheets
KidFit water bottle workout video and KidFit Easter with Reenie Brooking
Sun Salutations for Kids Video by Kids Yoga Garden
Gratitude Relaxation by Yoga 4 Classrooms

Cooking:

Papaya Salad Recipe by Kids Yoga Garden
Banoffee Recipe by Eco Logic Thailand
Taste the Rainbow cooking class by Sunny Days Organic
Tiny Green Chef Free Cooking Lesson

Science:

Mystery Science Adventures with Doug. Mini Lesson on Viruses
COVID activity book: “Why is this virus making me stay home” printable
Daisy Creek Farms regrow your vegetables video tutorial
Imagination Tree 5 Things to Do in the Rain activity list
Bird Snacks by Sprouting Wild Ones
Earth Day Printablesby Little Bins for Little Hands

Math & Music:

Andrew Bird 8s Times Tables song

Storytelling:

The Princess and the Pea with Fairy tales with Belle by Cascadia Cosplay

Parent Resources

Free Adult Yoga classes by Yogamour
Free Live Streaming Yoga Classes with Chiang Mai based Annie Bliss.
Supporting Children’s Emotional and Mental health with mindful meditation, free 3 part online workshop by Divine Light Yoga.
Parent and Teacher Resource Center by Dictionary.com

We’d also like to remind you that when all else fails and you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and create some boundaries that create space for both you and your little. Maybe its a little play and dance break together, maybe its 20 minutes of “independent” time where you can both try something you love, maybe its learning how to fold clothes like Maria Kondo and getting some house work together. The biggest way you can support your child is by spending time with them, it doesn’t need to be completely structured and educational to aid in development. You are already doing enough. ❤

More to come! Take care out there and share your pictures with us, we’d love to see how they look through your eyes.

Papaya Salad Recipe

March 23, 20201 Comment

It’s as good a time as any to get your little’s active in the kitchen. Papaya Salad is an easy, healthy and versatile option for little hands and fingers. Practice cutting different textures and preparing raw food the whole family will enjoy!

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 unripe green papaya
1 large carrot
2 long strings of green beans cut into 1 in. pieces
2-4 medium sized tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
Handful of unsalted roasted peanuts (opt.)

Sauce:

3-5 limes
2 tbs. palm or coconut sugar
1 tbs. fish sauce (leave out for vegans / vegetarians and the faint of heart)
Salt to taste

Process:

1.) Remove skin from the carrot and papaya, then use a serrated peeler to cut them into long strips. Quarter tomatoes, cut green beans and set aside.

2.) Mash garlic in a wooden mortar (referred to in Thai as the Pok-Pok) until it is broken into small pieces. Add green beans and mash until slightly broken open. (Alternatively, if you do not have a mortar and pistil, chop garlic and mix with green beans).

3.) Add papaya and carrots, mash gently. Add tomatoes and toss together.

4.) Squeeze limes and combine juice with palm sugar, fish sauce and salt. Taste to ensure the balance of sweet, salty, sour and fishy is to your liking. Take time with this step and don’t be afraid to play with your proportions, every traditional Som Tam maker will have their own distinct blend of flavors.

5.) Add sauce to salad so that it is slightly dressed and well combined. Sprinkle in peanuts and serve with your favorite kind of rice.

** This dish is traditionally made with chili and is so spicy that it is eaten with rice to cool the palette. For adults who like spicy food add 2-4 Thai red or green chilies with the garlic in step 2.

** There are many variations of this dish so if you don’t have all the ingredients, experiment with what you have. Thai eggplant, corn and fried sardines all make tasty compliments to this famous dish.

Papaya Salad or Som Tam is traditionally paired with sticky rice, a plate of green herbs and veggies, and a protein like a bbq grilled chicken, pork or fish. We also love it with fried chicken or a plain omelette.

More opportunities to join us!

September 1, 2019Leave a comment

We’ve been listening to the input of our families and are ready to bring some adjustments to our weekday schedule. Starting October 9th 2019, Kids Yoga Garden will be open for full day activities each Wednesday – Sunday, giving you more opportunities to join us each week.

The weekday activities will be geared towards our home school learning group with options to study 2-5 days per week. All days will be open to drop-ins but members of the homeschool group will have priority booking to ensure our regular learning group is able to thrive.

This is our first major schedule change since opening and we hope that it will bring more fluidity and consistency to our staff and families. Monday and Tuesday our office will be closed but prior bookings for private sessions may be made during our regular office hours Wednesday – Friday 8 am – 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 5 pm.

Leading up to this shift we will take a 1 week break to reset and prepare.

Please let us know any requests or questions leading up to these shifts!

❤

Children’s Day

February 11, 2018Leave a comment

THANK YOU to all our beautiful families and facilitators for joining our children’s day celebration in the garden last month. Our hearts and bellies are so full from all the delicious food and thoughtful conversations set amongst juggling and cat crafting!

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Children’s Day in Thailand

January 12, 2018Leave a comment

“Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, the country will be prosperous.”

-Thai saying

If you live in Thailand, you probably already know that this is a wonderful place to be a kid. Ample sun for expanding energy and growth, abundant agriculture of tropical fruits and veggies, not to mention the world renowned nature of the “Land of Smiles.”

But even further, Thailand nurtures children and acknowledges their importance as the future of their country. In 1955 the country established National Children’s Day to celebrate the significant role of their children. From Northern Thailand to the Southern Peninsula, the second Saturday of the month is saved for activities that fill their youth with joy.

At Kids Yoga Garden, we are committed to expanding the physical, mental and emotional intelligence of children through awareness and sensory-based creative activities. We love serving the mind, body and souls of our community by creating a nurturing environment to grow.

This year we will join the festivities with a FREE Children’s Day BBQ Potluck in our garden this Saturday, January 13th from 11 am – 2 pm. We will be joined by some of our favorite teachers, facilitators and families to welcome you to our space and some super special activities.

Workshops will include:

+ Arts and Crafts

+ Yoga Games

+ Tepee construction

+ Chess and Robotics

+ Circus skills

All Day enjoy:

+ BBQ (w/ veggie and vegetarian options)

+ s’more roasting

+ face painting

+ community

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adding sticky rice soaked water

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Holiday Craft Camp

December 1, 2017December 1, 2017Leave a comment

Let’s use less cash and more creativity this holiday season! Expose your children to the magic of their own imagination as we gather to create gifts, cards and movements that carry the cheer of the season with a smaller ecological footprint.

This craft camp will include tutorials on how to make 100% natural soap, DIY gift wrap, recycled snow globes, ornaments, cider, cookies in a jar and much more!

As always there will also be plenty of movement by the way of yoga, dancing and even Thai boxing. We will exercise our inner performers with drama, music and storytelling activities incorporating different traditions from around the globe.

And we’ll round it all off with a celebration on the final day!

Ages 3 -12 welcome

Limit: 9 children per age group

A day at the market

October 11, 20171 Comment

Our homeschool group has been hard at work developing their practical math skills, including estimation, inventory and calculations. So this past weekend, some of the homeschool learners joined with Nic’s Restaurant to take part in the Kid’s Flea Market at their 6th Anniversary celebration. The girls sold a plethora of second-hand items from home including books, games, old toys and clothes with some help from parents.

The day was full of negotiations, laughter and lots of learning (next time we will bring a bigger tarp, and shoes that can get muddy!) By the end of the day our hands were lighter and wallets a bit fatter. We are super proud of our young entrepreneurs and excited for our next opportunities to practice these skills. Already this week there has been talk of halloween costume creation, where to shop for materials and how to get it to market! Excellent enthusiasm captured by one of our garden photographer friends.

October Break Camp

September 19, 2017September 19, 2017Leave a comment

We’ve got a whole lot of fun lined up for your child’s October breaks! Join us starting September 25 onwards for explorations of Tinker Transportation, Wild Weather, Mindfulness for Minis and Halloween Harvest. We will be joined by our buddies at Auntie Orn’s Organic Cooking and some other very special facilitators for special subjects and sustainability.

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End of the month sweetness

August 20, 2017August 20, 2017Leave a comment

The craft of the donut

We would love to invite you for a morning time explosion of flavor and fun with Pam Pimmas, the creator of wowpam.com and former owner of The Dorm Bakery in Chiang Mai. On August 27th we’ll be having a donut making workshop from 10- 12 pm, students ages 3-12 are welcome to join. Space is limited so please contact us to reserve your space.

Pam is a truly passionate baker and being that brings excitement and enthusiasm to her craft, we hope you can join us for this special event. Check out photos from her last visit to Kids Yoga Garden here.

We also want to remind everyone we will be off for the first week of September. Weekend camp will resume September 9th and 10th and we hope to see you then!

<3,

Kids Yoga Garden(ers)

Cupcake Love

June 18, 2017June 18, 2017Leave a comment

Last weekend our friend Hana brought her mom P’Sai, the owner of Love to Bake Home Bakery to the garden to help us with a special workshop. We got to work with P’Sai’s special baking instruments to mold icing fondant into a host of feathery friends. We rolled and flattened, cut and placed our fondant on top of the yummy vanilla cake. By the end of class there were little owls on a branch and also some ducks and chickens. Thanks P’Sai for your patient and caring tutorial! We had so much fun!