Before we took our neighbors on an adventure to India,
Aurora, Adeline and I took a smaller journey to Turkey just the three of
us. We found it on a map, we read
clever stories about the Mulla Nesreddin,* and we talked about the sights,
sounds, and smells at Istanbul’s grand bazaar. Finally, we crafted a mosaic lamp for our window. Not quiet the stained glass masterpiece
that might be found out the market, but beautiful all the same.
To make a mosaic lamp, gather wax paper, tissue paper,
construction paper, a glue stick, scissors, and a bit of string.
Cut out the lamp frame (two sides) out of construction
paper. Cut out two pieces of wax
paper to fit inside the frame. Cut
the tissue paper into small squares.
Paste the tissue paper squares on to one of the pieces of
wax paper. Multicolor works
beautifully, but Aurora was in a pink mood on this day.
Once the first piece of wax paper is covered top it with the
second wax paper piece. Then paste
both into the lamp frame.
Ta da!
I did not think our small lesson on Turkey left an impression
until last night when my little girls was playing “Aurora to the rescue!” Before she slid down her slide in
Wisconsin to save whoever needed rescuing she would announce where we were. I was in Turkey.
*My favorite Mulla Nasreddin stories follows.
Once Nasreddin’s neighbor came to him with a complaint
against a fellow neighbor. The
Mulla listened carefully and concluded, “You are right.”
Then the other neighbor came to Nasreddin and put forth his
case. The Mulla listened carefully
and concluded, “You are right.”
The Mulla’s wife, who had listened to the entire proceeding,
came to her husband and said “Husband, both men cannot be right.”
Nasreddin listened and declared, “Dearest, you are
right.”
