little: bits. ...it's the little things

Seeing things Did you know that every colour has an ‘inner’ colour? This reflective or ‘opposite’ colour can be seen when we get our photos developed - on our negatives - where our blue jeans magically appear orange. Try the example below.

c o l o u r s

You can practise seeing reflective colours with the kids. Pin sheets of coloured paper on a wall with a white sheet of paper right next to each coloured sheet. Draw a small black dot in the centre of each page – the eyes should stay fixed on this dot. Stare at one coloured page for at least twenty seconds, then quickly look at the dot on the white sheet next to it. Keep staring and the reflective colour will quite miraculously appear against the white page.

...red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue...

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too.

Stare at this black dot for 20 seconds . . .

Now stare at this dot . . . which colour magically appears?

DID YOU KNOW? Black and white are not actually colours - black is an absence of colour and white is all colours blended together - the seven colours of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. REFLECTIVE COLOURS ARE: red - bright aqua orange - bright light blue yellow - violet green - bright pink blue - orange lilac - golden yellow pink - soft green black - white white - black Useful box Want a great way to clean out junk? Make a useful box! You can add anything and everything, so long as It’s child-safe and clean. String, raffia, coloured matchsticks, yarn, aluminium foil, old wrapping paper and ribbon, toilet rolls, paper clips and bulldog clips, artificial flowers, buttons, stickers, coloured paper, egg cartons and empty boxes – the list is endless. On Boredom Days, haul out the box with a big pot of glue and sticky tape, and let them create! Melted chocolate Too many left-over chocolate eggs? Melt them and make chocolate mousse or lamingtons. Better yet, make home-made ROCKY ROAD Melt chocolate and pour into a bowl with selected additions like desiccated coconut, dried fruit, marshmallows, crushed honeycomb, smashed peppermints, chopped nuts, or whatever treat is left in the pantry. Combine chocolate and preferred additions quickly, then spread in an even, 2cm layer in a lamington tin lined with baking paper. Allow to set, break into pieces and treat the kids (or yourself!). EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 2 cups broken chocolate eggs 1½ teaspoons vanilla 1½ cups thickened cream, heated to boiling point 6 egg yolks 2 egg whites Process chocolate and vanilla in food processor for 30 seconds. Add boiling cream and continue to process until chocolate is melted. Add yolks and blend briefly then pout into a bowl to cool. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into chocolate mixture. Pout into serving glasses and chill. Serves 6. EASY LAMINGTONS 1 packet vanilla cake mix 3 cups desiccated coconut 500g icing sugar 1/3 cup cocoa 15g butter ½ cup milk Bake the cake in a shallow rectangular baking tin. Allow to cool and leave, covered, overnight. Next day, cut into rectangles of desired size. For icing, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof bowl. Stir in butter and milk, heating over hot water until smooth and glossy. Holding each rectangle on a fork, dip each into icing, allowing excess to drain off. Toss in desiccated coconut and place on a tray to dry. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Photographs by Tania McCartney. Read more of my ezine under "little Magazine".