Week one i'd like to call an unbridled success. The theme of the week was ladybugs as will be the theme next week. Our little magic 1970s magic orange crockpot cooked delicious meals for us all week which we ate up upon return from the woods. I am still fine tuning the ingredients measures, but all in all, they worked out very well. The favorite meal of the week was Friday's steel cut oatmeal...cooked with some milk and agave and a fair bit of butter. Yum yum.
Everyday we visited the bridge in the woods and by week's end we had navigated our way farther west walking along the stream bed. The little ones grow so strong amd sturdy on their feet navigating the rocky bed and enjoying the cool water on their toes. There are still some cries of .. "i don't want to get my feet wet" or " i don't want to get my shoes dirty." There is also the old standy-by of "i can't do it". But these cries lessened as the week went on. The children truly enjoyed the time out in the "wilds" and the time passed very quickly.
Little creatures we found in the woods included Sally Salamander, two noisy little frogs, many dancing butterflies..even small purple ones. Robin red breast, cardinals, woodpeckers and the spotted yellow warbler were among feathered friends who came to visit.
Favorite stories told while lounging on the bridge or balancing on a felled log include Teezle and Tweed, The Crystal Cave, The magical cooking Pot, and of course my version of Robin Hood.
Our puppet story this past week and this upcoming week comes from Suzanne Downs and is the story of an orange flower that mysteriously has a red center with black polka dots..as opposed to its friends with white centers. Can you imagine who had been visiting that flower?
Inside play allowed children new to my place to discover the pram full of babies, the children's kitchen, train tracks and the magic marble run. My Curtis built a lovely home from couches, cushions and blankets that graced the living room for many days. Lots of negotiating amongst themselves was practiced in that cushiony house...doorways needed to be modified for those that needed a more accessible way in, extra rooms were made to accomodate guests and a backyard garden gate was added for those that "were getting a little nervous."
It was fascinating to watch Curt learn to adapt his play to his new playmates. He wanted to start right in with them on games from Daisy Kindergarten which he played happily with the older boys. I suggested that perhaps the three year old might not want to play swords and Star Wars, and that she might like faeires and babies. My heart just melted as he adapted to her and built her a lovely house for faeries complete with ladders and swings which they played happily with together.
Rest time is always the most challenging part of our day..but so needed by the littles after all their adventures. We started at 130 each day with bathroom time and a story. This was read from a book. Books this week included The Nutcracker: A Ballet, Something from Nothing, The Lost Kitten, and the one that I always have to choke back tears when I read it...Guess How Much I Love You? Once in our cozy beds I hum a lullaby for a while and most days even the 5 year old had a snooze.
Tea time is promptly at 345 and it is so nice to enjoy a cup of tea, Rooibos or lavendar, and a croissant with the little ones. This is served on my favorite faery tray complete with lots of sweet faeries with wings and lovely clothes.
Then we were out to the garden in the backyard. Things are coming along out there. The sandbox was heavily used as was alot of water..quite a heat wave this past week with temperatures rising to 100F! The pool was brought out as were the sprinklers. The lettuces are doing well....the sugar snap peas are finished..way too hot for them. We planted some tomato seeds, brussel sprout seeds and zinia seeds. It also seems that in the Children's garden, the rotting pumpkins from november have sprouted vines...maybe there will be at least one pumpkin in the autumn!
Lastly, Friday's craft project was a success! We wet felted lovely balls with lots and lots of Dr. bronners Sal Suds soapy soapy water. Two turned out as ladybug balls and two turned out to be favorite color balls. I had hoped to put a jingle bell in the middle of each...but couldn't locate them. We'll do this craft again this upcoming Friday..maybe i'll find the bells by then. If i still have your child's ball it is because they had not dried yet and I have to pass the felting needle over them to push in any stray ends. They are lovely though. As soon as the proper cord for my cellphone arrives in the mail, i'll add pictures to this posting.
I look forward to this week.
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