Julia Inserro's Blog

I love a craft that uses recycled products (especially those horrible plastic containers we all have lying around). So, when my daughter asked to make some fairy lights, I immediately went to our recycle pile and started thinking.

My kids and I made some suncatchers with clear contact paper and colored tissue paper a while ago and we had some cut-up tissue paper left over. So, I thought wed try using those, with some clear glue and a clear plastic bottle and wah-lah!

Theyre very simple....

My daughters teacher assigned her a social studies project to do where they compared and contrasted life 100 years ago to today. One of the assignments was to interview a grandparent (or parent, friend, whomever) and ask them a few questions about how life was like when they were 8 years old. What was school like, or family life, or transportation, etc. My daughter interviewed a grandparent from both sides and turned in her interview notes.

The larger project was to do whatever they wanted...

The schools in Bahrain have been closed since February 26, meaning we are now in week 6 (6?, thats right, right?) of homeschooling. I know America is just diving into the fun now, and the Internet is FULL - I mean, like CRAZY FULL - of ideas and activities and all. I actually had to stop looking after day 3 because it was a little overwhelming.

But I thought Id share some of the activities weve been doing with our 5, 5 and 8yos that have been fun for all, even parents.

1. Scavenger hunts -...

One of our favorite things to do here in Bahrain is to go camel spotting.

No, Im not talking this camel

Im talking THESE camels:

I have asked around for years, but cannot get any information as to WHO paints them or WHY theyre around. So, I cant share any factual fun tips. But I can tell you that the kids and I love seeing them.

Theyre all over the island. And they do get fresh paint and new designs once in a while.

These are the ones weve found so far.

If anyone knows where more...

We are entering our fourth week of quarantine here in Bahrain. Ive calmed down a bit on the homeschooling. I did have a big meltdown the first night, but in truth it was because I didnt read the instructions well and thought my first grader had to read a 40-page book the teacher only assigned the first few pages. Lesson 1: Read ALL the instructions. But since then, Ive tried to adopt the mindset of creating and finding some fun amidst all the chaos.

Yes, there are lot of negatives about this...

Bahrain’s Tree of Life.

We have been hearing about the Tree of Life since we arrived in Bahrain over three years ago. We used to say that we were waiting for a visitor to come so we could enjoy it with them. But three years later, with our departure looming, it became apparent that we weren’t going to have any more visitors. So, we decided to just throw caution to the wind and go check it out ourselves.

I have to say, that I greatly appreciate that you can type in practically anything to Waze,...

When you’re making your list of “Things To Do with Visitors in Bahrain” and “Things To Do with Kids in Bahrain” sometimes there’s a touch of kismet and they overlap (depending greatly on your visitors and your kids, of course).

Bahrain’s National Museum is one of those kismets. (Click on the link to go to their site.)

They have permanent exhibits that cover Bahrain’s customs and traditions, traditional trades and crafts, Islam, royal cars, and Bahrain’s history, all the way back to the...

Last week, life presented us with a… situation. We could either look at it as an obstacle or an opportunity.

The coronavirus had hit Bahrain. Within 24 hours of announcing that the first case has been discovered, they were already up to nine more. The schools immediately reacted and closed their doors for a minimum of two weeks. Soon other businesses followed suit and within a few days most of my children’s extracurricular activities had been closed for two weeks as well.

As I said, this could...

A while ago, we had one of those experiences where I found myself wondering, “Why haven’t I known about this?“

Furn Bistro & Bakery, located in City Center Mall in downtown Manama, offers a cooking class for kids every Saturday morning. Yes - every Saturday!

From 9 AM to 10 AM - before the mall even opens - they will take your little munchkins and “teach” them to make pizzas or cookies or scones. Every week they offer something different.

For just 5 BD per kid, they provide an apron, a...