Out of the Box Festival

My toddler and I headed to the Out of the Box festival that was being held in the Performing Arts/State Library/Art Gallery precinct in Brisbane. There were a lot of ticketed events...we attended the Grug show aimed at the under 4 audience. The set was excellent, the show entertaining and a good sized audience that allowed parents to sit with their children without hindering the view of others.

There were also a number of free events, including story telling, music stages and crafty activities. These were excellent and high quality, all with an educational theme.

There was also a lit maze that allowed exploration for the children. We didn't however venture into this due to queue and the expected wait time, but the photos I have seen of it, made it look like a great experience for parents and children alike.

Overall, what a brilliant idea for the education and entertainment of young people in Brisbane. Certainly looked like it was a hit with the school children and their teachers.

Farm Day complete

Farm Day was brilliant. We spent a weekend at a cattle and sheep farm near Goondiwindi. I recommend everyone who is interested in learning more about farms nominate for the next Farm Day in 2011.

We did so much and our farm family was brilliant. I learnt to ride a motorbike and a quad bike, we had a dinner party with one the neighbours, morning tea with another neighbour, did pregnancy testing on the neighbour's cows, learnt about jojoba beauty products....from paddock to product, fed baby lambs and the chickens, played with an alpaca, sheared a sheep or two, moved stock between paddocks, learned how to use a cattle crush and a number of veterinary tools and just generally had an awesome time.

We were fed like kings, shown how the farms works day-to-day and felt truly accepted by the 'country family' despite the fact that we were true city slickers.

If you're interested in knowing more about this initiative, registering for next year or just want to see what some of the city families got up to on their farms have at look at the Farm Day website: www.farmday.com.au