18th Biennale of Sydney - All Our Relations

Sometimes taking kids to large scale arts festivals is more thrilling in theory, and at times it is the train trip or ice creams that end up being the most memorable part of the day. It is a welcome surprise to come across a world class curated exhibition that not only welcomes the wild, curious, loud and generous spirit of children but also invites them to inhabit, translate, interact and contribute to the work in real ways. The 18th Biennale of Sydney absolutely surpassed our BIG expectations and lived up to its goals of provoking interaction, collaboration, shared experience and the telling of new stories.  


While the BIG Kids did love the free ferry ride to Cockatoo Island AND spent the first half an hour rolling down a small hill on arrival, we were unanimous in declaring it a brilliant day of immersive, interactive, unusual, inspiring and unexpected arts experiences. We had an absolute ball and will be returning for the School Holiday Program Monday, 9 July – Friday, 13 July (drop in 10.30 am–12 pm and 1–3 pm FREE!). You can download the kids audio tour here or pick up the Kids Trail activity booklet on arrival.

Ann Veronica Janssens
Daydream, 2012
"Is it okay for me to get really wet in here mum? I can't believe this, are you serious that someone made this for me to get wet in? How can someone actually make real mist? Is this magic or real?"
Twyla, age 3

Sriwhana Spong
Learning Duets, 2012
They swam in silk for a time finding each other through the soft of it
and becoming friends all over again. 

Ann Veronica Janssens
The sound of many hands pushing and finding mirrors of exchange with small fingers pressed into strangers and a shared rush of allowing and exploring and permission to enter the encounter all together, without restraint. So much joyous sound.

Phillip BeasleyHylozoic Series, Sybyl, 2012

Erin Manning
Stitching Time - A collective fashioning

Phillip BeasleyHylozoic Series, Sybyl, 2012
"Can you believe that this wing can
listen to my hand moving?" Twyla, age 3

In the cloud room. Dreaming

SIDE BY SIDE Workstations: How to be a kid and why we have to ask how!

The sun has been shining. The tadpoles are growing. The days are getting longer and we are outside.

The very hungry backyard Caterpillar...

Meanwhile a 'passport' for kids is in process of being handed out to 40,000 Western Australian school children by Nature Play featuring Fifteen things to do before you're 12.

Here is the list and underneath we have added a few more must-do's. Please add your own to-do's in the comments! 

1. Climb a tree
2. Build a cubby house
3. Sleep under the stars
4. Invent a game that lasts three days
5. Learn to swim
6. Catch a wave
7. Play in the bush
8. Play in a creek
9. Visit a national park
10. Play in the rain
11. Catch a tadpole
12. Make a mudpie
13. Build a sand castle city
14. Plant something and watch it grow
15. Learn to ride a bike

The BIG extra's:

16. Hang on for one full rotation of the Hills hoist

17. Jump on the trampoline in the nude

18. Make a home made speed bump to sail your bike over

19. Let a snail leave a silver trail over your foot

20. Make and wheee on a tyre/ball swing

21. Run through the sprinklers

22. Dig a hole and bury something

23. Paint a rock, leaf or twig

24. Ride a bike with no hands

Rubble Painting

While this list is fantastic, it is incredible that we actually have to 'list' and circulate these childhood experiences. With TVs on the back of car seats blocking out the sense and concept of distance, travel, geography, the world outside and TIME, we are similarly worried about the direction of childhood. Andrew Daddo talks about this and engaging with your kids here and is a speaker at the Playgroup Australia Conference All Together Now currently happening in Melbourne. Also speaking is Tim Gill, the author of rethinking childhood. All this talk of mudpies and outside play collides with a post Lilly sent me today from Teacher Tom about risk-taking and the interest kids have in the darker side of human nature. Let's hope we never have to 'teach' our kids how to play outside; instead let's agree to let that snail leave a silver trail over our foot (and yes, I was coerced into this one today - ugh!)

For those that have the BIG mag check out pages 42-43 for tips on how to be a nature researcher and step outside - side by side - with your child to follow Alexandra Harrison's simple steps to bird watching and try out what it's like to be slow like turtles.

For those of you who want the BIG pages delivered to you this week SUBSCRIBE here!