The Mango Tree House

Joseph has recently done some fun projects with the kids around our house. He added a huge net on the porch, which I call the human spider web, for the kids to climb in. He installed two Ikea swings. He also added a rope ladder on the side of the house which takes you up to the roof--the lower roof that covers our porch area (we don't have a garage, just a small driveway and an area I call the porch.) A huge tree grows on the side of the house and spills onto the roof. The kids made a tree house of sorts: instead of the tree house being in the tree, it is under the tree. And we recently discovered that it is a mango tree which was kind of fun. It is starting to produce little mangoes all around, most of which are too high to pick. The kids love to pack their lunch boxes and carry them up to have a picnic under their tree. We put a plastic bin up there with a rug and pillows to sit on. Again, as I have mentioned before, we have to improvise here in Singapore. Without a yard, we have tried to be creative in providing "normal" childhood activities.