It’s a beautiful afternoon here in sunny Brisbane. I’ve just finished watering my seedlings {fingers crossed they grow into thriving plants}, the neighbourhood is still a little bit quieter than usual with just the odd barking dog and singing bird. It’s the perfect time to stop and appreciate the wondrous environment that [...]]]>

It’s a beautiful afternoon here in sunny Brisbane. I’ve just finished watering my seedlings {fingers crossed they grow into thriving plants}, the neighbourhood is still a little bit quieter than usual with just the odd barking dog and singing bird. It’s the perfect time to stop and appreciate the wondrous environment that surrounds us… Introducing Natalie from Tiny & Little and her 4 year old son.

“In the eyes of a child you will see… the world as it should be.” – unknown

I adore this quote and viewing the world through a child’s eyes, finding it both inspiring and filled with their sense of wonder. My love of capturing that, while encouraging them to take the time to explore the world around them, led to an activity we do regularly in the tiny & little household – Around the Block.

On any given day, usually when they’re not expecting it as it gives the element of surprise and doesn’t allow them time to think out shots before the outing, each of the little ones will be handed a camera – two receive my old point and shoot cameras, the other my iphone. As we step out the door, they’re given a challenge – “We will be walking for 20 minutes and in that time I’d like you to take five/six/ten photos of whatever interests you on our walk.”

Setting the low limit on photos reminds me of the days when I photographed using film. When you only have a 24 shot film, every single one of those 24 shots is carefully considered before you take the photo. You don’t rush too early because you may miss out on being able to take photos at the end of the journey. Each shot needs to be considered if you want to make the most of the limited number of photos, so you slow down. You look around you. You consider the whole world around you to make sure you don’t miss the beautiful thing you could’ve photographed while snapping randomly.

In this activity, I watch the little ones slowing down. They notice the birds and look to see where they are. The little ones hear the wind in the leaves and gaze at how the branches move. They look through gates, down drains and over fences, and watch ants crawl along the footpath. They look for the sun, the moon and cloud shapes in the sky.

Their faces shine with excitement and pride as each shares the images they’ve taken with the others. It’s that or giggles as they see who can bust the craziest pose for another’s photograph.

Throughout it all, I’m an observer. I follow them with my DSLR, capturing their emotions as they create their own photo journal. Often I’ll take a photo of the same thing after them so that I can join the conversation when we compare photos and show them a different perspective. The way that we view the world so differently at times is astounding.

Before they know it, what was a twenty minute activity has taken 45 and they are content. Tired, but joyful, and it’s time for a milkshake break to recharge before we walk home.

All photos in this journal (excluding the title image) were taken by Mr 4 (the TINY in tiny & little) and photos by the teeny and little ones will be shared on the tiny & little blog soon.

A little inspiration for using the photos

• let the little ones create a scrapbooking page with printed copies of the photos
• show all photos (yours and theirs) that you took of the same object side by side and discuss differing perspectives
• use a particular photo as an opportunity to learn more about something (for example, after these photos Mr 4 and I spoke about sunflares, sunlight and camera lenses)
• ask the little ones to draw/paint/sketch their own art copy of the photograph or to recreate aspects of it (patterns, shapes, colours) in their own abstract piece

Over the past couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring handmade designers from all edges of the globe. Our newest feature called “Photo Journal” captures a day in the life of these designers and their families, enjoying their beautiful city, spending time with loved ones, and generally [...]]]>

Over the past couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring handmade designers from all edges of the globe. Our newest feature called “Photo Journal” captures a day in the life of these designers and their families, enjoying their beautiful city, spending time with loved ones, and generally having a ton of fun! Our first guest photo journalist is Jacqui Miyabayashi from Mee a Bee in Japan.

I’m Jacqui, a New Zealander living in Japan. I came to Japan about fifteen years ago on my way to Europe. I loved it so much I never left. Our family of four live in a small city about an hour south of Osaka. The children attend local school and kindergarten are are both bilingual and learning about their two cultures. After several years as a stay-at-home mum I began sewing for my own small bag business, Mee a Bee. I am very fortunate to be able to work from home with flexible hours to fit in with the demands of the family.

Yesterday, being close to the end of the year, my two kids finished school and kindergarten early. My aunt is visiting for Christmas so we decided to go for a picnic at a local castle. Get out in the fresh winter air! It was a beautiful day. Just twenty minutes drive from my place we arrived at Kishiwada Castle.

This castle was originally built in 1640 and was the home of a feudal lord and his family for a couple of hundred years. It was burnt to the ground after being struck by lightning in 1827. The present castle is a concrete replica of the castle (built in 1954) and now houses a small museum. The original zen garden remains.

My two boys are Noah (10) and Tyler (5). They were excited about the possibility of seeing a real samurai and maybe a ninja or two. We made ninja bread men (using cookie cutters from Fred) as part of our picnic lunch.

It’s free to enter the grounds and while you cannot walk in the zen garden area it was still fun running around the moat and up and down the huge concrete stairs. For $3 you can enter the museum and climb up to the top look-out posts. The whole day was definitely fodder for many creative stories and the wild dreams that boys of their ages have.

Kishiwada is a small city about 45 minutes from downtown Osaka. It’s touted as the most accessible castle town in the world due to its proximity to Kansai International Airport and the fact that the castle co-exists with present day residents of the city. It’s really quite amazing to round the corner at a busy traffic intersection and see a castle rising out of the ground.

There’s a high school right next door and we could see the children practising sports and going about their lessons like normal! If you ever get a chance to visit Osaka then Kishiwada is a great place to visit. It’s very family-friendly as it’s almost all flat and most of the tourist spots can be reached on foot.

Thanks so much to Jacqui, Noah, Tyler and their Aunt for sharing their fun trip to Kishiwada Castle! It looks like you had a superb time.

Would you like to be a {KID} independent photo journalist? I’d love to hear from you, please email me for details.

In celebration of Harmony Day {in Australia} along with the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, today I bring you series of beautiful faces that celebrate cultural diversity and embrace uniqueness, community spirit and respect.

Do you remember the song “We [...]]]>

In celebration of Harmony Day {in Australia} along with the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, today I bring you series of beautiful faces that celebrate cultural diversity and embrace uniqueness, community spirit and respect.

Do you remember the song “We all sing with the same voice” from Sesame Street? It has such a beautiful message, and I couldn’t think of a better song to sing on Harmony Day. It certainly warms my heart and puts a smile on my face, and I hope it does the same for you.

My hair is black and red. My hair is yellow. My eyes are brown and green and blue. My name is Jack and Fred. My name’s Amanda Sue. I’m called Kareem Abdul. My name is you.

I live in southern France. I’m from a Texas ranch. I come from Mecca and Peru. I live across the street. In the mountains, on a beach. I come from everywhere. And my name is you.

We all sing with the same voice. The same song, the same voice. We all sing with the same voice. And we sing in harmony.

Sometimes I get mad and mean. Sometimes I feel happy. And when I want to cry, I do. When I’m by myself at night. I hold my teddy tight. Until the morning light. My name is you.

I have sisters one, two, three. In my family there’s just me. I’ve got one daddy. I’ve got two. Grandpa helps me cross the street. My cat walks on furry feet. I love my parakeet. My name is you.

We all sing with the same voice. The same song, the same voice. We all sing with the same voice. And we sing in harmony.

I like to run and climb. I like to sit and read. I like to watch my TV, too. And when it’s time for bed. I like my stories read. “Sweet dreams” and “Love you” said. My name is you.

We all sing with the same voice. The same song, the same voice. We all sing with the same voice. And we sing in harmony.

We all sing with the same voice {Sesame Street}.