Flying Kites, Fighting Kites On-The-Brain: At Local Weekend Workshop, In Bestseller & Recently Released DVD

Judging from appearances, I'm among the few readers who did not take the time to check out the 2005 bestseller The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Fans of the book may know that Hosseini's book was voted as the top book group selection of the year in a poll conducted in the United Kingdom in 2006. The Kite Runner also made it's debut as a major motion picture last year and the film, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, 2004) was nominated for a slew of awards including a recent Academy Award nomination for best achievement in music written for a motion picture.

My son, who still lives at home and works for a major corporate chain video store, arranged for my spouse and I to enjoy the newly released DVD edition this evening. For those like myself, who didn't read the book or view the movie when it was in theaters, setting aside a free interval to see the film is certainly well worth the time.

A discussion ensued after the film had concluded at my house because my spouse was born and raised in Japan. A good part of his formative years growing up in post-war northern Japan were devoted to the flying of fighting kites very much like the two Afghani youngsters whose lives are so compellingly told in the movie.

Interesting enough a flier I picked up at a local library produced by the Tacoma Art Museum passed on the news that April is National Kite Month! Which now leads in a roundabout way to plug a timely program commencing only two days from now for local kite enthusiasts from eight years old upwards at TAM on Saturday, March 29 from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. featuring Seattle kite master Greg Kono, of Kono Design.

The program looks to be an ideal way fans of The Kite Runner - book or film, could celebrate a weekend morning learning how to create and build their own eye-catching bird kit. For adults, it's a great theme date! For parents or grandparents of children who are looking to an opportunity to share some stories of their youth as well as an activity with a younger member of the family, this might be the place where a lifelong bond is made!

All this highly specialized and personalized instruction is available for the price of $35.00 for members, $45.o0 for non-members. All supplies are provided. Fees include admission for one child and their adult companion. For those 16 years of age and older, it may be a welcome note that the accompanying adult is not required. To view a portfolio of some of the beautiful and high-flying kites Kono has created click here.

An Infinite Game of Creation

When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time alone. The rest of my siblings were sent to various boarding schools in England and Scotland while I stayed with my parents in Southeast Asia, too young to be sent away. With a vivid imagination, it never seemed lonely or boring between the holidays that brought my brother and sisters home.

One of my favourite pastimes was to build miniature gardens in containers, such as biscuit tins. I can't tell you how many times my mother opened her compact...to find I had nicked the mirror out, in order to have a pond for my tiny, imaginary world! I had a beautifully curved Japanese bridge to put over the pond and then it was just a matter of choosing the right small stones, shells and other found treasures. Tiny branches, taken from bushes around the garden would become trees at the edge of the pond.

When my own children came along, I shared this game with them for an activity. It could be played together or with separate projects, depending on the size of the container. With a large rectangular pan the game became known as, "Infinity," for the endless different worlds we could make. After pouring in a base of sand, each would take turns adding a stone or other miniature something to make the landscape grow. Small pie-pans made great containers for individual worlds. Sometimes a particular creation would be kept for a while; sometimes a world ended as soon as it was made, creating room for another.

So I share this, in the neighbourhood, as a great game of imagination without competition for your kids. All you need is an old pie-pan or biscuit-tin, some sand and treasures, mostly provided by Mama Nature. It is an infinite game of creation, making great connections in a child's growing brain and imagination.