Books and Reading

Noro Yarn Along

Last week’s Yarn Along project is finished, so it’s on to something new for this week’s reading and knitting link-up with Ginny.

Most of my knitting gets done in the early morning, or after lunch while the kids are doing their read-aloud.  I’m between novels, and have enjoyed thumbing through craft books first thing in the morning, before the coffee has kicked in.

During read-aloud this week, Ruth has been reading to us from one of our favorites, Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady.  The kids have a renewed interest in Arthurian Legend, and we’re going to be starting The Dark is Rising series for our family chapter books. (It happens to be my absolute favorite series from when I was around Ruth’s age, and I’m excited to share it with my children.)

Bea is reading from level 2 Readers now, with some help.  She is working hard every single day, and we’re quite proud of her dedication to improving her reading skills.

Once again, I am finally casting on another easy project that has been in my Ravelry queue forever – the Baktus scarf.  After reading through the comments/advice of other knitters who have made this, I’ve decided to do the increases at the end of the row, instead of the beginning, since it is supposed to make the stranding of two colors a bit easier.  So far, so good.

The yarn is a few balls of garage-sale-find Noro I originally bought to make a larger shawl.   There is just enough left for this project.  It will be a belated birthday gift for my mother.

Looking forward to reading up on the other knitting projects in the link-up after the kiddos are in bed tonight…

Yarn Along

Up before the big kids, trying to get our lessons organized for the rest of the week.  Obligatory coffee and knitting with a side of peanut butter toast help get me through the early morning planning.

I’m currently working on yet another quick, easy piece.  It’s Amanda’s larger version of this vest for George.  George has a long torso, and the scaled-up pattern is quite long, so no need to add extra rows.  If I knit another for a gift, I would probably take out 4 rows in the stockinette section.

I have a self-imposed ban on buying new yarn until the “stash dresser” is depleted, so this is two balls of tweedy goodness my brother got me in Ireland years ago.  I could never find the right project for it before, but it is just enough for a toddler-sized vest, and the color (grey with white, black and brown flecks) is perfect for fall.

This semester I am teaching an Intro to Anatomy class for kids 9-12, which is based on a book I loved as a child, Blood and Guts: A Working Guide to Your Insides, by Linda Allison.  Our first class this coming Friday will cover The Scientific Method and basic cell structure, and this morning was a good time to review upcoming the activities for the first few weeks.

Linking up to Ginny’s Yarn Along for this post.  Always good to see what other folks are knitting and reading and draw inspiration from both.

Nothing To Do

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The children are really enjoying this book.  It’s those days where we have “nothing to do” that the kids engage in deep, meaningful learning on their own terms.

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This week we’ve been playing a lot of card games (Bea’s favorite), which reinforce cooperation, strategy, addition, subtraction, memory recall for the girls, and help Hal ( age 3 1/2)  with number recognition.

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Our friend Dr. Ellie gave the children this paper punch-out book, and Hal has particularly been enjoying the city play mat in it.  It has been really neat to see him maturing in his play, and listening to the detailed conversations his toys have with each other.  🙂

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In the mornings, when it’s been too cold for the kids to play outside, and we have down time, all of the children have been sculpting with Bendaroos.  Bea likes to create her own designs (a “long neck” dinosaur, above), while Ruth prefers to follow the directions in the pack (a Toco Toucan, below)

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What learning are your kids engaging in when they have nothing scheduled to do?

Radical Homemakers

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Things are crazy busy here at the moment, so I’ll just drop in to say that there’s an interview with me and some other ladies (including author Harriet Fasenfest) on the topic of Radical Homemakers in this month’s Metro Parent (you can read the article for free by following the link – we’re on page 22-23).

Be back soon with some blogging about food justice, garden happenings, and a few recipes.

Preparing for the duck invasion

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After a flurry of chicken-planning activity this winter/early spring, we have our long-dreamed for chicken flock (the three hens, plus three new Speckled Sussex chicks, and three more chicks on order (2 Australorps and a Buff Orpington)).  And the chicken run is mostly complete (needs a little gussying up, and a grape trellis up the side).  Now, moving on to the next project, the Baker boys have gone into intense-planning-mode for …

DUCKS!

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The boys are a bit so-so on the chickens, but can’t wait for ducks!  We have room for 3 (and maybe sneak in a 4th?) next year, and all the talk from Daddy is, “Where do we put in a duck box and run? What style?”, and “should we get runners or Khaki Campbells?”   Tum Tum’s contribution is more along the lines of  “Duck goes QUACK QUACK!”, but he loves to look through the stack of duck-keeping books with his dad.

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Did you know that the better duck breeds are more efficient at removing slugs than chickens (a major problem in the NW)?  And lay larger eggs (sometimes more eggs -up to 300 per year for Khaki Campbells) than chickens?  And those eggs that produce more substantial whites, which makes for better meringue, souffles, etc!  And, ducks are darn cute!

So, if all goes as planned, by next year, our little urban farm will be complete when it comes to livestock.  Except, maybe for future additions of meat rabbits…or honeybees…If you could (or do!) have any livestock on your property, what would it be?

Library books this week

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The girls are listening to Daddy read The Mousehunter at bedtime, but our daytime book selection reflects the unusually sunny, warm weather that has us all thinking of anything except the tail-end of winter.

We just finished listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Which is why we’re starting an asparagus bed -  Little Hen was fascinated by the chapter on asparagus – as read by Barbara Kingsolver’s daughter), interspersed with a complementary collection of Appalachian music.  Indulging a totally separate branch of the girls’ current interests, we had worked our way through a stack of books on Norse mythology and ancient Egypt.  So, it was time to order some new items.  In the afternoons, when we’ve needed a break from gardening, we’ve been scrolling through the library’s website, ordering books, books on CD, and music CDs that appeal to us.

When we went to pick up the books, it was clear that a definite theme must have been running through our collective subconscious while we were ordering:

SPRING!!

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This afternoon, while the rain comes down outside, we’ll be reading the chapters on winter and spring from Our Farm, a book about 5 siblings’ experience of a year on their family’s farm.

What books are seeing you through the end of winter, as we edge toward spring?

Morning reading

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This photo pretty well sums up our morning literary activities of late.

First thing this morning, we had to get a bit pot of chili blanco going on the stove, and batch of brownies in the oven, since it’s our turn to bring dinner to our homegroup.   While Firecracker helped measure out the spices and crush the garlic, Little Hen was in the living room, practicing some yoga with her Yoga Pretzels cards (she says “Warrior 1” is her favorite pose).  She does 3 or 4 cards each morning, when she remembers.

After the brownies came out, we sat down for a little reading.  We are trying to read two stories a day, and the children all really enjoy and look forward to our snuggle time on the sofa while we read and discuss the stories from Scripture.

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For Christmas, my mother surprised us with a copy of my favorite book of children’s poems – Tirra Lirra: Rhymes Old and New, published in 1932 and now out of print (I have scoured used bookshops for it for years, but she was able to quickly find a copy used on Amazon.com for next nothing.)  It is a wonderful, whimsical book fo children’s poems, and the girls got a big kick out of reading some of the poems today.

The poems in this book are full of delightful imagery, tell rich stories, and crack us all up.   I think we’ll keep reading a few every day for now – they enjoyed them so much.

I’ll leave you with the poem from this book that was my favorite as a child – Eletelephony :

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Once there was an elephant,

Who tried to use the telephant –

No!  no!  I mean an elephone

Who tried to use the telephone –

(Dear me! I am not certain quite

That even now I’ve got it right.)

Howe’er it was, he got his trunk

Entangled in the telephunk :

The more he tried to get it free

The louder buzzed the telephee –

(I fear I’d better drop this song

Of elephop and telephong!)

– Laura E. Richards.

An afternoon with Percy Jackson

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A lovely, chilly December Saturday – the icy weather kept us in the house, delving once again into the world of Greek Mythology.    We made  mugs of hot mint tea, and listened to Daddy read from our current Percy Jackson book.

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It’s wonderful to share a passion with your children – there’s not much we love to do together more than read adventure stories and share the world of imagination.

Wishing your family some time to slow down and connect this busy season.  Blessings.

Christmas tea

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The dolls hosted a little Christmas tea party for their sparrow, cardinal and swan friends yesterday morning.   Pretend mint tea, fruitcake, gingerbread, and bird seed were served under the Christmas tree.

The girls were inspired by my favorite childhood Christmas book – Tasha Tudor’s, A Doll’s Christmas.  If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.  It is out of print, but you may be able to find it at your local library.

Last-minute handmade gifts

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The weather here has been  bitterly, bitterly cold (we are eagerly anticipating our annual Christmas trip to Florida next weekend!!).  The past few days, we’ve built a big fort out of chairs and blankets in the living room.  We’ve been spending our mornings snuggled under it, reading Christmas stories (like this collection of short stories, and this, and this).

While Tum Tum naps in the afternoon, the girls and I have been finishing some last-minute Christmas gift sewing.   The children’s’ Great Aunt gave us some lovely blue toile, and I picked up some other fabric at the thrift store (including a sturdy pale-blue canvas with ferns).  We set out to make a few more farmer’s market totes/library totes for family and friends.

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Firecracker held and worked the pedal, and Little Hen and I guided it through the machine.  Little Hen trimmed the threads and helped cut fabric.  In two afternoons, we were able to churn out five large totes, and one child-sized one.

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All of the totes are lined with contrast fabric and have reinforced, deep-set handles.   A few have lined pockets, since I had a bit of fabric leftover.

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The child-sized tote was cut from 3/4 yd late 1940’s/early 50’s (?) sombrero fabric we found at the thrift store – the colors were so vibrant!  And for 75 cents, how could I pass it up, even with a few age spots?  I had originally planned to give it to one of my nieces, full of craft supplies (colored pencils, watercolors, brushes, etc), but Tum Tum adopted it this morning, putting Nativity figures in it and carrying them around the living room, so we’ll see if it actually leaves the house…

No time to make handmade gifts for Christmas?  Consider buying handmade – here are some beautiful totes  on Etsy – a burlap coffee bag tote, a floral bag,  a tie-dyed tote, and this bright oilcloth bag.

Now to clean up the clouds of fabric and thread snippets all over our living room!

Making the most of our time

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We are feeling a bit like hermits, cooped-up in the house for days and days – the little ones are still wrestling with sickness, and we had to miss church again this week.  Little Hen, still healthy, escaped to Grandma’s house for the weekend (a BIG thank-you to Grandma for inviting her up!).

After homemade pecan-chocolate pie for breakfast (hey, we’re sick!), Daddy read to us from The Lightning Thief, which is turning out to be an excellent choice for Firecracker, who is captivated by Greek mythology.

Another good thing is that I’ve been able to get quite a bit of Christmas-gift knitting done (and give the dog a hair cut, and mop the floors…).

We are trying to make the best of our isolation, and finding we are blessed by the quietness today.  Firecracker is getting up from a rest, so I’d best go, so Daddy can read a few more chapters to us out of The Lightning Thief.

Some Greek Mythology Resources we love :

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Greek Myths (although, the stories are re-imagined a bit)

Classic Myths to Read Aloud

Greek Myths for Young Children

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (well, it has a smidgen of Greek Mythology in it, with Hephaestus and Aphrodite, and we like it)

By Jove, a board game

and we’d love to find this board game and try it out.


Safari Girls

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We’re studying Africa off and on lately, primarily because the girls’ interest in the continent was sparked by their favorite musician’s recent work in Malawi.  I picked up this felt Africa playset at the thrift store on sale for a quarter, and it was a big hit.   Along with Dana’s music, we’ve been listening to some African music while the girls played with the felt set and throughout the week  – Acoustic Africa, Ladysmith’s Long Walk to Freedom, and the girls’ favorite Gift of the Tortoise.

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The girls decided they would take turns setting out pieces for the other sister, who would then have to arrange the pieces and tell a story.  I think it was a great idea!  That way, they both had a chance to be to be the storyteller.

(Please excuse my pajama-knee in the shot.  Yes, I was still wearing my PJs after lunch.  It was Tuesday, which is technically PJ day at our house, although the girls decided to get dressed anyway.)

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Firecracker’s favorite was this baby antelope, by the way.  She wanted to be sure it was included in this post.  🙂

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We’ve been watching The Life of Mammals bit by bit, a few afternoons a week, to supplement the study of Africa’s wildlife.  I highly recommend it.  Although it covers mammals from all over the planet, the girls have gotten a lot out of it, and we’ve stopped to focus on, and discuss the mammals of Africa as they are presented.

For children’s books on Africa – here are a few we recommend  –

The Field Guide to Safari Animals

DK Eyewitness Africa

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (on of my childhood favorites)

I Lost My Tooth in Africa

Akimbo and the Snakes

Africa for Kids

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears

Jungle Dreams

Hungry Planet

After we finish The Life of Mammals, if the girls are still interested, we may watch Michael Palin’s Sahara.  Who knows, maybe that will be a doorway into ancient Egypt – a topic they have yet to discover – or perhaps deserts in general, which could cover Antartica, the Sonoran, Death Valley, Siberia, Australia as well.

Or perhaps we’ll stay where we are, taking in some more of Africa.  I love that we can just marinate in a subject for weeks if we want, learning all we can discover!  For now, we’ll continue to explore the richness of Africa’s peoples, culture and wildlife (and of course, several other subjects on the side!)!


Healing Touch

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Little Hen found this book at the library two weeks ago.  The topic is one that has interested her for a long time, and she read the book , cover to cover, as soon as we got it home.

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The basic massage routine takes 5-10 minutes, but there are several techniques described in the book, and massage for different purposes.  The book runs the gamut from massage to relieve anxiety/stress all the way to reflexology for hay fever.

(Although we don’t ascribe to the philosophies of reflexology or acupressure, Little Hen has been fascinated with the topics, and studies the reflexology chart intently – she keeps asking Firecracker if she’d like a foot rub for her respiratory issues, to which Firecracker replies, “Don’t get near my feet!”)

Although I wouldn’t initially have thought of a “massage for children” book as parenting aid, this book has been helpful in helping me mother the children more effectively and compassionately.  Little Hen tends to be a high-anxiety child, and Firecracker full of energy with a fiery temper, and we’ve found this book to be a great tool to facilitate calming and connecting and having a more peaceful home.

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We have tried to make some time a few days a week, in the afternoon or evening, when everyone is tired and tempers tend to flare, to get out the book and get a massage from Mama.  Little Hen likes to give Firecracker a back rub, too, reading the directions as she goes.  I think it diffuses a lot of sibling rivalry and helps everyone mellow a little bit during what can be a grouchy time of day .

By caring for the children in such a small way, I am modeling and learning compassion and service.  Such small acts go a long way in creating peace and  we are all blessed by them.

What mothering tools do you utilize to comfort your children and foster harmony in the home?

Nature Table by Little Hen

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Yesterday afternoon, while Firecracker played with her magnet dolls, and Tum Tum slept, and I was mopping the floors yet again, Little Hen was a very busy girl – running upstairs, to her room, getting into the kitchen cupboards, and heading back upstairs again, gleaning items from around the house to remake the nature table.

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Even though it has been warm and sunny, the nights have been chilly, and the air has that autumn crispness in the morning.    It is September, afterall, so Little Hen remade the table with a “summer into fall” theme.  Looks like she has a bit of a “green with a touch or orange” color scheme going on – like fall is edging in on the greenness of summer.  🙂

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Mr. Emerson’s Cook is a book we’ve really been enjoying the past two weeks.  We made sunshine pie one morning, just like in the book! (Maybe there’ll be a post on it soon.  It was a really fun activity.)  If you haven’t read it yet, we really recommend checking it out.

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Please join in the nature table sharing at The Magic Onions.  We look forward to reading everyone’s posts on Fridays!

Math this week

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Here’s a look at some of the mathematics we’ve been studying this week.  The girls LOVE the Sir Cumference series of books, and even though the math concepts are technically “above grade level” for them, the girls seem to have no problem understanding the material.  For example, Little Hen informed us that the slice of applesauce cake she had for dessert “makes an acute angle.”

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We’ve also pulled out a few board games from our enormous board game stash (mostly from thrift stores) that encourage children to think mathematically.  Despite the tedious sounding name, this Dino game is great for reinforcing the concept of place value for Little Hen, and simply counting and reading numbers for Firecracker.  A great game for kids of diverse ages.

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Hey, That’s My Fish! is a wonderful strategy game (don’t listen to the age suggestions – my girls can play it and they’re both well under 8 yrs old.  Firecracker and I play on one team, Little Hen on the other.)   Sudoku for Kids was a gift from my parents, and Little Hen loves to play it by herself when she needs some quiet time.  Monopoly: Don’t Go to Jail is a fast-paced game we picked up at the thrift store.  It reinforces place-value and three- and four-digit addition.  It’s one of Little Hen’s favorite games.

What tools are you and your children using to approach math in a natural, interest-sparking way?

Books to buy, books to borrow

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We made another trip to our favorite local bookstore, Powell’s.   It’s on the way home from church, and so very hard to pass it by without stopping in.  Every visit I am tempted to spend a ridiculous amount of money on crafting, cooking, and kids’ books.  And I could hide out in the Orange Room for hours and hours if my children didn’t keep dragging me back to the kid corner…

In the end, I exercised some self-control, and left with only this hilarious kid’s book, which will be a gift for Firecracker’s birthday in October.  (But, I also left with a long mental list of things to order from the library – you know, those books you’d like to read once, but are not ready to commit to purchasing.)

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Here are some of the books we’ve been reading this week for homeschool, as well.  Little Hen, who loves to finger knit, is learning how to knit on two needles and spin on a drop spindle, so we’ve ordered a big stack of knitting and spinning books (although the librarian was skeptical when I tried to check out knitting books on my home-educator library card.  I guess they didn’t look like “homeschooling books” to her).   The book on Turkish sock knitting led to an internet search of Turkish culture, and we ordered several children’s books and cultural books on Turkey that will hopefully come soon.  (Isn’t that one of the wonderful things about homeschooling?  How you’re free to chase your interests wherever the trail leads?)

We must have had fiber-art on the brain, because many of our other choices had to do with socks, knitting, sheep, fiber.  Only our new book CD – Island of the Blue Dolphins – seems out of place, although we’ve been listening to it during our quiet-time in the afternoons, while the girls finger-knit or sew with me during the baby’s nap. (Speaking of great kid’s fiber art, Quince and Quire has a neat kid’s wet-felting post)

Some other mamas with stacks of books  – 5 Orange Potatoes, Charming the Birds from the Trees, Red Dirt Mother, and Starry Sky Ranch.  There are always great reads on the bookshelves of Mom in Madison, and  SouleMama,  .  And don’t forget to check out the very talented Mamaroots, and her lovingly hand-crafted wooden playsets with literary themes.

Some reading, some thrifting

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Today’s take-home from the library – I love it when a bunch of books I’ve ordered (and re-ordered!) all come in at once.

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Today’s take-home from the thrift store (right down the street from the library).  $1.50 of fabric (Maybe 3 yds total?).    The one on top is my favorite.

Can’t wait to crack into both stacks.

Don’t forget to check back – giveaway in just a few days!  Thanks!

Doll Journal

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After a break of several weeks (during which time, she preferred to draw and paint large portraits and wildlife scenes) Little Hen has returned to drawing miniatures and creating mail for our Sparrow Post.

We’ve decided to put the Sparrow Post box out in the garden in a few weeks when it starts to take shape, but since the yard is in such a state of transition, it hasn’t happened yet.  So instead, she leaves little sketches on the window sills, tucked into bookshelves, on the nature table – wherever a passing fairy-friend might find them.

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Here she is intently filling pages of her Doll Journal with sketches of flowers and butterflies.

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There’s been some more nature inspired children’s art at The Magic Onions, Syrendell, and appreciation of Tasha Tudor at Renaissance Mama, and Garden Mama.  Check them out!

Playing and arranging

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Someone‘s been playing with the PlayMobil set she got for Easter.   I think she enjoys arranging the toys as much as she loves playing with them.  Maybe for her, you cannot separate the two – order is something she values highly, something she enjoys.  Oftentimes, everything must be “just so” before she can settle into her imaginative play, and often it must be returned to its proper place at the end of the story.   Setting the stage is an essential part of the play, afterall, and there is joy to be had in the preparation.

A Sparrow Post of our own

Doll Journal with cherry blossom bookmark
Doll Journal with cherry blossom bookmark

Recently, the girls and I checked out Tasha Tudor’s Dollhouse from the library, as well a film about her entitled Take Joy.   In Tasha’s world, her dolls wrote and received cards, letters, catalogs via Sparrow Post. Little Hen has been making miniature letters, cards, books for her doll, Princess Rooth.   (A little side note, she used to be “Ruth”, but since Little Hen is rapidly absorbing spelling rules, changing her beloved doll’s name “to Rooth from Ruth makes [her] smile when [she] thinks about it.” )

"Daffodil"

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Just a few examples – A page from Princess Rooth’s nature journal (a daffodil with insects);  in her doll journal (pictures of her two best friends, Crist (one of my childhood dolls that is now Little Hen’s) and Sunflower Baby (one of Firecracker’s favorite dolls); and lastly,  an “I love you” banner with daffodil left by a visiting fairy.

We are moving to the new house this week, and the girl’s have requested we put in our own “Sparrow Post” for their dolls (and any visiting fairies, birds, and butterfies, of course).  Can’t wait to make the post box and see what correspondence takes place!

Toy Daydreaming

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The Palumba catalog came today.  The girls and I poured over it, dreaming and wishing and talking over everything in its pages.

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The child-sized domestic items were a favorite – especially the clothespins and clothesline and the ironing set.

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Most days, Little Hen seems to be wrapped up in pretending to be Susan Pevensie, so she was quick to point out the bow and suction-cup arrow set.

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Firecracker was partial to the pirate chest and treasure set.  (Yes, she’s my naturist in the making – prefers to run around in just her undies whenever she can get away with it).

I was oohing and ahhing over the playstands and the wooden bowls and spoons.  I’ve been keeping my eye out on Craigslist for the former.  Maybe I’ll come across some someday that fit our budget, but for now we make do with kitchen chairs and blankets.

A few other places full of beautiful, natural, lovingly made playthings that stimulate learning and the imagination – Waldorf Mama, Little Seedlings, Mamaroots, Red Dirt Mother, Little Jenny Wren, Buntspeckte, Bamboletta,  Waldorf Home Flickr Pool.

And my ultimate dream of a playspace for the children (from Little Seedlings).

Who inspires you to dream of childhood’s creative play?

Nurk

We are reading this delightful little book, by Ursula Vernon.  What better to do on a sick day, than curl up on the sofa in your PJs and read a cute story about a little shrew and a fun little adventure that falls in his lap?

We also spent a little time surfing the internet for information on real shrews.  Not quite so cute in real life, but still truly fascinating.  In case you’re interested, we learned a little here, and a lot here, and here.

Click to see an enlarged picture

(Common Shrew.  Picture in the public domain)

A lesson in germs

We are all sick with a cold and sore throat, spending most of yesterday and today resting on the sofa, listening to this peaceful music and reading together. Coincidentally, this month’s Spider and Click are all about germs and being sick.   We’ve been reading all about bacteria, allergens, playing doctor, and of course the ever fascinating “magnificent mucus” (the girls keep snickering about the phrase “snot rocket” in the article about sneezing).

I thought this might be a good opportunity to reinforce good handwashing technique.  A long while back, I had read of this lesson in on of our kid magazines, and Little Hen wanted to try it out.  You will need:

Cinnamon

Apply cinnamon all over your child’s hands (about 2 tsp).  The cinmamon will represent bacteria. 

Now, let child wash hands in warm running water with soap until all the cinnamon is gone.  It will take at least 30 seconds, which is the minimum time a child should spend washing his/her hands. 

Little Hen said she would think of “invisible cinnamon” every time she washes up.  I think it provided a pretty great visual aid for the necessity of good handwashing, plus, my bathroom smells like lovely cinnamon now.

Wishing you good health today and through your weekend!

Felted Tomten

We have continued to enjoy reading The Tomten the past week or so, and we were so inspired by Mamaroots’ little collection that we decided to make some ourselves.  The girls each have one, and have already scurried them away to their room before I could snap a picture.

This little guy will be going to a certain big brother whose baby sister was born on Christmas Eve.  His mama sends the girls the best Waldorf goodies, so I figured her son might like a little Tomten for his winter nature table.

The snow has all melted in Portland, and the children and I are looking forward to heading out to Florida tomorrow.  Grandma and Grandpa are anxiously awaiting our arrival.  My next post will be full of sunshine!   Yay!