"On The Ground" Pics - Week Aug 8-14 Aug 2010 - Forum

Hello KASers...

Wow! Busy times!. Ronda was in Cape Town last week, as most of you know, having a well-deserved break. She spent lots of time with Sian, my sister (her OTHER daughter) and her little ones (Luca, 3, Gemma, 1 and another little girl due to make her debut in late October, early November) and also spent time with our beloved Pete's wife and two youngest children who all live in CT too.

While Ronda was away we have been trying to keep up with some opening (Whew!) and Lindi, Wandi and I went to Slovoville to visit Sizanani Day Care and give the children some blankets, beanies, go-overs and sweaters. Please keep an eye out for the e-zine, coming soon, where Sandy will tell you all about our visit and will give you lots fo wonderful pics to look at . In the meantime, I am going to post a group pic of the children, SO happy with their beautiful, colourful blankets and beanies. Another cold front has hit us this week so I am SO happy that we got there last week and that they are a little more equipped than they may otherwise have been. Brrrrrrrr!

Thursday tomorrow so we meet at KAS JHB headquarters (aka, Ronda's lounge) for an opening session with Lindi and Wandi. Will take a few pics to post later in the week.

Chat soon

xoxo

There was a discussion about sleeping mats going on back in May in the 'More fromSA " discussion.

On May 12, Erin wrote " I am inclined to agree with Sandy in that providing these little ones with one of our blankets may be more sustainable in the long run as it would be sort of 'multifunctional'. The blankets we have given them are all quite large and would definitely be able to be wrapped around a little person so that there was a bit of insulation underneath them as well as over them when they lie down to nap...... In the long run, once our funding programme around the creches is up and running, we would really like to buy proper, insulated sleeping mats and or sort out proper flooring perhaps"

It might be more practical to purchase these mats in SA . The cost of mailing may well be prohibitive, and the sheer logistics of keeping things fair - so everyone in in a creche gets a mat - might complicate life for Ronda and Erin until they have more on the ground help.

As far as the plastic bag mats go - I suggest we forget it. We collect these milk bags at our church - I help sort and fold them every week. They are passed on to a lady who makes these mats and is trying to find others to help make them. Once made, they are taken to a Lutheran group in Ontario which uses them as packing material for medecines they are shipping..... so once they arrive, someone uses the sleeping mats.

It takes 350 bags to make one 24x36" mat - they are very hard to crochet (I tried and gave up - too heavy, too scratchy), they weigh a ton, and they are rough enough that the kids would still need to be swaddled in one of our blankets to be comfortable.

Replies

Laurie C. Hake September 7, 2010 at 2:05am

Erin: What an inspiring photo - great! I have a question - my niece is a 3rd grade teacher here in Harwich, MA. Her children have an incredible batch of supplies given to them each year so what didn't get used last year or was GENTLY used last year, usually get thrown out - we are very spoiled here in the US!! Anyway, my sister helps her daughter in the classroom sometimes and asked if instead of throwing out everything, she could bring some of it to me to send to Africa. The first things she brought were colored crayola markers (used but still usable) - I have cleaned them all up and wonder if I can send them? What is the feeling there about GENTLY USED? - Laurie
Carol S. August 18, 2010 at 2:19pm

What a gorgeous, inspiring photo Erin. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it.
Mandy Covington August 18, 2010 at 8:04am

Wonderful photo. I really made me smile.

Mandy
Mary Kristel Lokken August 15, 2010 at 1:57pm

wow - that's great! thanks for sharing your news and the photo!
Anne Powell August 15, 2010 at 11:05am

There was a discussion about sleeping mats going on back in May in the 'More fromSA " discussion.

On May 12, Erin wrote " I am inclined to agree with Sandy in that providing these little ones with one of our blankets may be more sustainable in the long run as it would be sort of 'multifunctional'. The blankets we have given them are all quite large and would definitely be able to be wrapped around a little person so that there was a bit of insulation underneath them as well as over them when they lie down to nap...... In the long run, once our funding programme around the creches is up and running, we would really like to buy proper, insulated sleeping mats and or sort out proper flooring perhaps"

It might be more practical to purchase these mats in SA . The cost of mailing may well be prohibitive, and the sheer logistics of keeping things fair - so everyone in in a creche gets a mat - might complicate life for Ronda and Erin until they have more on the ground help.

As far as the plastic bag mats go - I suggest we forget it. We collect these milk bags at our church - I help sort and fold them every week. They are passed on to a lady who makes these mats and is trying to find others to help make them. Once made, they are taken to a Lutheran group in Ontario which uses them as packing material for medecines they are shipping..... so once they arrive, someone uses the sleeping mats.

It takes 350 bags to make one 24x36" mat - they are very hard to crochet (I tried and gave up - too heavy, too scratchy), they weigh a ton, and they are rough enough that the kids would still need to be swaddled in one of our blankets to be comfortable.
- P. Jeanne Haessler > Anne Powell August 16, 2010 at 6:16am
  
  I love fleece fabric and a cheap supply source would encourage me to make wraps/blankets out of it for the kids for now until a final verdict is set about the floor mats. I find fleece items of clothing very warm and while it doesn't stretch like our handmade garments and hats, to "grow" with the child, for blankets fleece is incredibly sturdy and while not brilliantly "cushiony" is fairly warm and windproof. If I was living in the UK I'd order some of that fleece fabric precisely to sew into some blankets, it's lovely stuff and our local superstore is phasing out their fabric department so all the fleece is gone...ARGH. :P
  - P. Jeanne Haessler > P. Jeanne Haessler August 19, 2010 at 6:02am
    
    I am having trouble finding sites that sell real fleece as opposed to flannelette which is entirely different. Urg! ;P Mind you some fleeces look like flannelette in photos so it could just be my skepticism coming into play, lol.
    
    Jeanne
    - Christine Johnson > P. Jeanne Haessler August 19, 2010 at 7:35am
      
      I was having a little nosey the other day at the Joann's site because I had never heard of them before and I saw fleece there that looked very like the material that Julia used for her sleep mats. I don't know if that is accessible to you or how prices compare (it was on sale though.) I did think it looked a bit like flannelette in the picture but I doubt if I would really know.
      - Jana Benitez > Christine Johnson August 20, 2010 at 9:42pm
        
        JoAnn's website has a sale 40% off Blizzard Fleece Solids & Prints.
      - P. Jeanne Haessler > Christine Johnson August 20, 2010 at 10:19am
        
        Okay thanks Christine, I'll take a gander at their site. :)

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