Learning

Meadowlarks on the Prairie

 

We are continuing to work our way through the life of Laura Ingalls, and today we reached the following passage in Little House on the Prairie:

“The rising sun was shortening all the shadows.  Hundreds of meadow larks were rising from the prairie, singing higher and higher in the air.  Their songs came down from the great, clear sky like a rain of music.  And all over the land, where the grasses waved and murmured under the wind, thousands of little dickie-birds clung with their tiny claws to the blossoming weeds and sang their thousands of little songs.”

 

(This photo in the public domain)

I would have loved to see an event like this!  Can you imagine that this was a daily occurence for the Ingalls family?  When we lived in Iowa, I felt priviledged to see just a handful of meadowlarks singing in a field. 

Now, it’s no secret that the Western Meadowlark is my favorite North American bird, so I was really glad when Firecracker asked what a lark’s song sounds like.  This is one of those times when I really like having internet at home, because we looked up this website and spent quite a bit of time looking at pictures and listening to the songs of birds that Laura might have seen while she lived on the prairie. 

 Maybe I have two more little ornithologists in the making?

A little drawing

In keeping with the ever-present fairy theme around here, Little Hen wanted to share her picture of “The Fairies Go to the Ball”.  My favorite part is how the fairy in the middle has to climb a ladder to reach her shelf of goodies, “just like Mama has to climb a ladder into the attic to reach the craft supplies.”

Doll Making – Freestyle, Part II

WordPress is being a little wonky, and wouldn’t let me put everything in one post – so now we conclude our impromptu doll making.

Where were we?  Oh, yes - next we cut the doll out of the fabric, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance, and using a spoon handle and tweezers, we turned the dolls right sideout, stuffed them, and hand stitched the side closed. 

After that, we laid the dolls down on top of the dress fabric, and free-handed a dress out of the main fabric, and an apron out of the contrast fabric (for little girls fascinated with Little House on the Prairie, aprons are as much a fixture around here as bonnets.)  We sewed the aprons to the front of the dress, then sewed the two dress pieces together, flipped them right side out, and slid them onto the doll.

We may eventually add some wool roving for hair, but for right now, we all liked the very simple look of the dolls.  Little Hen likes her’s so much, she took it to homeschool group for her show and tell. 

Firecracker’s little doll with the bright pink dress has been named Mary, Little Hen’s with the pale blue dress is Lucy, and the girls named my doll Caroline (I guess I don’t get a say in these matters).

Overall, I don’t think this was a bad way to spend the afternoon.  Next time I’d make larger dolls (it was hard to turn the thick wool fabric right side out on those skinny arms and legs), and we might get brave enough to try making a Daddy and a brother doll dressed in pants and shirts.

Doll Making – Freestyle, Part I

Last Christmas, my mother gave me a box of 100% wool fabric scraps that were leftover from a Christmas tree skirt she had made.  This past week, we used a few of those scraps to make some very simple, rustic wool dollies.  (The girls wanted to make each other handmade dolls, like Mary had made Laura a doll in Little House in the Big Woods.)

The girls picked out which fabrics they wanted (and I picked out some  for my own doll!), and we free-handed a doll shape on a double-layer of the skin-tone wools.

We took the sewing machine down from the attic, and set it up on the kitchen table.  Each girl took a turn sitting in my lap and together we guided the other girl’s doll around until it was fully stitched, except for a slit on the side.  I gave them each a chance to work the pedal while we sewed my doll, as well. 

In the next post we’ll finish the dolls…

Traditional Toys IV – Handmade Dolls

Below are a few of our handmade dolls, including three we made a few days ago (I’ll post on that adventure in a day or two).  We didn’t make all of these, but they are all lovingly handmade, and somehow I think that children can tell when a toy is handmade – they can feel that love sewn or knitted into every stitch.  

Their great aunt made the Raggedy Anns just like my mom made mine.  Very special, and very played-with.

 

The handmade doll has something special – she has quirks and imperfections that make her a unique little personality.   

 

My girls do have some factory made toys from their aunties and grandmas, but the handmade dolls hold a special place in their play.  These are the dolls they choose to take to homeschool group for show and tell, these are the dolls they sleep with and tuck into their dolly slings for trips to the park.  These are the dolls they will pass on to their daughters.

Traditional Toys III – Wooden Circus Blocks

These wooden circus blocks are my all-time best thrift store find.  We bought them when Little Hen was two and Firecracker was a newborn.  At the time, we were on a super tight budget, since Hubby was in grad school.  The set was $12, and I really wanted it for the girls, but we couldn’t rationalize the price.  I waited for weeks, hoping no one would snatch it up, and what do you know, it went on sale for $6!! 

The blocks are all hand carved from various woods, and includes a bear and a cub, two camels, two alpaca, a donkey, an elephant, a giraffe, two horses, two men, a tractor, a see-saw, various blocks, and a circus box.  I can tell that they were gently played with, because they are in beautiful shape, but also have a smoothness and patina from being handled frequently. 

I kept these in our “gift box”, waiting for the right time to give them to the girls.  For 3 1/2 years we waited, and ended up giving them as a welcome gift from their new baby brother on the day of his birth.  They have been a big hit around here, especially with Firecracker, who likes to stack the animals into tall towers.

Some great blogs with lovely wooden toys – Woodmouse, Mamaroots, Ninny Noodle Noo, Waldorf Mama.

Do you and your little ones have a favorite wooden toy set?  If so, I’d love to see it!  Next time – Handmade dolls.

Traditional Toys II – Tea Set

 

The girls love to play with their “fairy-sized” china tea set.  It’s a mish mash of pieces we’ve collected from thrift stores.  I don’t think we’ve spent more than $3 in total.   There are duplicates of some pieces, and we’re missing a few cups and sugar bowl lids, but the girls still enjoy serving tea to their little guests.

 

Some days they even make paper food (cut from magazines, or drawn on construction paper) to serve on the dishes, and fill the tea pots with water.  The girls love the feel of real china, and the proportions seem to be just right for their favorite dolls, or a visiting invisible fairy or two. 

 The fact that we have a rather eclectic set means that the occaisonal broken piece isn’t the end of the world- we’ll find another that “almost matches” within a few trips to the thrift store.

Traditional Toys I – Paper Dolls

We place a lot of value in traditional, open-ended toys that foster imaginative play (Let’s just say I’m not a fan of most things Disney, plastic, made-in-China, battery-operated, etc).  I thought I’d take a few posts to highlight some of those toys that kindle my children’s creativity. (Sorry for the photo quality, the lighting wasn’t so hot, and I was trying to snap pictures while feeding the baby!)

After spending their entire Monday morning and most of the sunny, gorgeous afternoon at the park, the girls spent two hours quietly playing on the living room floor with paper dolls that their aunt gave Firecracker for her birthday. 

I sat knitting and snuggling with a fussy Tum Tum (he’s cutting his first tooth), listening in on the girls as they told the most complicated, meandering, multi-layered story with their dolls.  It was quite a saga!

More of our favorite traditional toys tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out Grosgrain’s new giveaway and the opening of her store!

Autumn Nature Table Progression

The girls have been adding items to their nature table almost every day.  We’ve been collecting buckeyes from the neighbor’s tree and pine cones from ours, acorns from the park, pumpkins from the farmer’s market.  Little Hen and I have also been needle felting in the afternoons. 

Some updated pictures of the ever-evolving autumn table in the fading sunlight of late afternoon:

Reading

Little Hen reading to her siblings
Little Hen reading to her siblings

Wishing you a snuggly afternoon, full of stories and children’s sweet voices.

Magazine Tree Tutorial

Today’s craft was quick and straightforward, but Little Hen really enjoyed it.   The inspiration came from a colle project in the book below. (Don’t you love old craft books from the thrift store?)

Materials: various pages from the October issues of Sunset and Mother Earth News, construction paper, scissors, glue stick.

The goal of the project was to get the girls to look at textures and images in a new way – to use an ad for hardwood flooring, or a picture of a canyon wall as the tree trunk, for example.  Firecracker thought that images of pumpkins would be good for fall leaves, and I added in pictures of pillows and corn from the pages of the magazine.  The girls got a real kick out of taking one type of image and repurposing it/reimagining it as something else (in this case, parts of a tree.)

 Firecracker and I did this one together – she picked out the images, and had me cut them out, we arranged them together and then she glued them down.

Little Hen did her own – I love how she chose a sandy beach for the grey fall sky, and an image of a canyon wall for her trunk – the rocky texture really looks like bark.

Now, off to clean up the oodles of little magazine snippets littering the living room floor!

Fruit of the Spirit

First – Ninny Noodle Noo is having a giveaway for 3 Ostheimer chickens. Check it out here!!

About a year ago, I read on a gentle Christian mothering blog (can’t remember whose), about a wonderful parenting tool.  She and her daughter learned the verse:

Galatians 5:22-23 (English Standard Version)

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

When her daughter had a difficult time with her behavior, her mama would ask her which fruit she might be needing “a bite of”, and they would pray and ask God to help her develop that fruit.

I thought this was such a wonderful idea, that Little Hen and I made our own cards with one “fruit” per card.  This is how she’s decided to use them – she’ll be in a really grouchy mood, and she’ll come to me with “peace” and “joy” tell me that she needs some of each.  Then we’ll talk about how how she’s feeling and if she wants to she’ll pray about it, if not, usually a long moment in a “squeezy hug” will give her that peace she’s needing.

This week, we were waiting in line at the library, and I watched her pull the cards out of her bag, thumb through, find “patience”, and look at it (meditate on it?) until we got to the front of the line.    

 It’s a great way for Little Hen not only to strive to develop those good character traits, but also simply as a communication tool, to let the cards speak for her when she has trouble expressing her needs. 

Little Hen Fall 2008

Love you, my sweet, sensitive girl.  And thank you, gentle Christian mama, for your super idea.  If I find your blog again, I will bookmark it!

Inspired Ornithology (and a little history lesson)

I was doing dishes in the kitchen, when Little Hen grabbed this book of the library shelf, thumbed through the pages, and began to draw one that spoke to her. 

What a great Pileated Woodpecker!

I used the opportunity to talk about who John James Audubon was (he’s one of my favorite people from history – Tum Tum’s middle name is in his honor).  Little Hen asked more questions about woodpeckers, and that began a wonderful exploration on the internet and in my bird books about woodpeckers – their anatomy, habits, habitats, and the rediscovery of the once-believed-extinct Ivory-Billed.  It was a great afternoon of discovery that covered art, history, and science.

Little Hen’s Cafe – Tutorial

This morning Little Hen was up early, all excited about her idea – she was asking if she could create “a cafe with a menu and everything” for homeschool today.  We don’t eat out much, and I’m not sure of the source of her inspiration, but what a great idea!

She had very specific ideas about what she wanted – the cafe must 1)serve autumn food 2) have a tri-fold menu in fall colors and 3)offer appetizers, drinks, entrees and desserts and 4) she would be the waitress, I would be the customer, and Firecracker would be the chef.

Here’s how we made it:

Little Hen writing the title page.

and decorating with fall stamps

Then we made the inside pages.  Little Hen wrote the titles and asked me to write in the dishes (She is only 5, and gets tired writing so much, she explained).  She and Firecracker decided on what dishes the cafe would serve – all things they felt were reflective of the fall season. 

Don’t you love how she spells “entree” (at the top of the picture)?  So adorable.

Then we glued two pieces of construction paper together, glued a coordinating piece on top, and glued our three menu panels over it all:

After folding it into thirds, we spent the morning play Cafe – the girls took my order and served me playfood.  After I “ate” my entree, Firecracker said, “Now, who has room for dessert? We have a lovely selection.”  Too cute - she sounded just like a waitress!

Nature Table – Autumn

We have slowly been making and collecting items for our fall nature table.  I know that many more things will be added as the season progresses, but for now here’s what the girls and I have assembled.

also, check out a giveaway of homespun yarny goodness here

Orchard Country

This past weekend we took our annual day trip to Hood River, OR with my sister.  Reading Grace and Denise and Abby and Blue Yonder had me eagerly anticipating this trip.  The day met and surpassed all my expectations. 

 

Above – Little Hen, Auntie, Firecracker, Me holding Tum Tum

We were blessed with warm, sunny weather, pears to pick, apples to eat, alpacas to pet and fiber to purchase.

 

Now to the pear butter, apple butter, apple sauce, apple pies, spinning, and knitting that are waiting to be created!

A Little Beading

My sister-in-law just had her birthday, so I thought i’d whip up some earrings for her.  I spent 15 minutes making two pairs of earrings, and then the girls spent about half an hour quietly playing at the table with the beads – stringing them for a while, then acting out little scenes with various beads as characters in their stories. 

Little Hen Beading
Little Hen Beading

I love homeschooling and the freedom it provides the girls to craft and free play without the pressure to produce a finished product. 

The girls playing with beads
The girls playing with beads

Busy Days, Simple Dinners

Stirring Carrots into Black Bean Stew
Stirring Carrots into Black Bean Stew

For homeschool, we are exploring the letter “B” this week and butterfly crafts, blowing bubbles, beekeeping books, and butter making abound.   Little Hen suggested that we bake Banana Bread this morning.  I thought a simple dinner of the bread served next to Black Beans with carrots and Brown rice would round out the B theme nicely.  I love the nutty, rich smell of black beans cooking on the stove. 

Simple Banana Bread

Simple Banana Bread by Larksong

2 large bananas, mashed

3/4 C sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 C unbleached flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Butter a 9×5 loaf pan and preheat oven to 350F

Beat bananas, sugar, butter, eggs in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Gentle stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix.  Pour into prepared pan and bake until knife inserted into the middle comes out clean (about 55 minutes).  Invert and let cool on a rack.  Serve with Black bean stew for dinner, or with peanut butter for a snack!

Leaf Box Craft

The last few days Little Hen has been collecting fall leaves and saving them in her pockets.  Needless to say, this doesn’t preserve them too well, and they have been ending up in the laundry instead of the nature table.  So, today we made her a little box in which she can collect her leaves.

Materials - paper bag, old candy box, glue stick, scissors
Materials – paper bag, old candy box, glue stick, scissors
Firecracker uses bird hole punch, fall color construction paper
Firecracker uses bird hole punch, fall color construction paper
Firecracker's finished birds
Firecracker's finished birds Little Hen Glueing the paper to the box

 

Little Hen finishes glueing the paper
Little Hen finishes glueing the paper

 

Firecracker anf Little Hen glue the birds
Firecracker and Little Hen glue the birds

 

Finishing the box - let's go find more leaves!
Finishing the box - let's go collect more leaves!

Simple Sequin Craft

Hmm…It’s a grey, dreary day, and I need a cheer up.  The girls are asking for a “sparkly craft”.  Solution?  A 39 cent bag of sequins from my favorite thrift store down the street, some glue, colored pencils and scrap paper.

Sequin Flower Garden

Momma's Flower Garden
Momma’s Flower Garden
Firecracker's Flower Garden (age 3)
Firecracker’s Flower Garden (age 3)

Inspiring Unschoolers

Our Nature Table - Summer 2008
Our Nature Table - Summer 2008

I am so inspired by unschoolers, like Amanda, but find that I still need a little bit more structure to feel that my kids are learning what they’re “supposed to learn”.  About two-thirds of our day is spent in free play, crafts, and books of their choosing, and I weave lessons into their interests.  However, I just can’t let go of those set lesson plans for some writing and math.

Nature Table Closeup Summer 2008
Nature Table Closeup Summer 2008

I continue to draw inspiration from mamas like Grace, Sara, Denise, Shelley.  Thank you, ladies.

Getting it together

 

Mocha Chip Cake
Mocha Chip Cake

This crafty/knitting/baking/homeschooling mama blog under construction   Please check back ina  bit!  thanks!