More blooms

Sickness has hit our smallest again so we're taking it very easy this week. Lots of cuddles in the hammock, little nature walks, easy crafts (a paper cup string telephone, hammer beads etc) and games (Carcassonne, City of zombies).  And of course lots of trying to catch up on the sleep some of us have been missing out on!

The nature walks are giving us a great opportunity to enjoy the springtime and appreciate the flora and fauna around us. The children are really enjoying listening to the birdsong especially our resident blackbirds. Lotta said to me yesterday, "remember mummy if we lie here and close our eyes we'll be able to hear the birds better". And also all the flowers which Maya particularly has been drawing in her herbier/nature journal.

Here are some pictures from our walks...

 

Five Little Things - Flowers

I almost called this post Pretty in Pink! (Yes I love that film). Here are a few of my favourite flower snaps at the moment. There is something infinitely joyful about a blooming, beautiful flower. They are at once delicate, ephemeral and yet robust. Enjoy.

And from a treasured poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, my favourite stanza from Maud in which flowers feature greatly. 

 

There has fallen a splendid tear

      From the passion-flower at the gate.

She is coming, my dove, my dear;

      She is coming, my life, my fate;

The red rose cries, "She is near, she is near;"

      And the white rose weeps, "She is late;"

The larkspur listens, "I hear, I hear;"

      And the lily whispers, "I wait."

Spring is here!

Happy Spring! We've been enjoying all things spring, spending a lot of time outdoors and beginning to get the garden ready to go. It's so good to shed some of the extra winter layers and breathe in the fresh warm air. And there is so much beauty out there, what's not to enjoy.

Blossom

Sunshine

Reflections

Clouds

Blooms

Homeschooling the Seasons : Spring Activities and Crafts

Spring is in the air. At the weekend the weather was so warm I hung my washing outside to dry for the first time in months, it was strangely exhilarating. And yes I am aware that it's a bit sad when you get excited about where you can dry your laundry! 

Sunny day

I've always felt it was important to bring the children's attention to the seasons. When we first began homeschooling, Waldorf was a strong influence on my approach and the emphasis on nature, the seasons and hand crafts really suited us. With three children now of varying ages I don't always get to steer the homeschooling in quite the same way I did when I only one. However, I do try to keep an awareness of the seasons in our lives and work on it specifically with our youngest child, Lotta. 

One of the ways we focus on the seasons is with our seasonal books and you can read about our spring favourite here. The garden also helps, March begins the season of planting and we try to get the children involved as this post explains. Last year they each had a plot and they are keen to be responsible for a part of the garden again this season. They love when we eat food that they grew themselves.

Lotta with one of her own carrots

And I also try to make sure that we get in some seasonal crafts. We often spend some time drawing and painting flowers and blossom and we usually paint eggs for easter and of course there's flower pressing and picking wild flower bouquet's. I've already had my first little person flower offering - lovely.

Yellow Bouquet

Maya in bloom

Here is a quick round up of the crafts I've spotted and think we'll give a try this spring:

• Paper Eggs to Suspend from Craft and Creativity

Craft and Creativity's Paper Eggs

• Pom Pom Easter egg painting from Crafty Morning. I think they'll enjoy the novelty of painting with a different medium than paintbrushes for this one!

• Unbelievably we've never grown cress so I think we'll give something like this from The Imagination Tree a try,  it will be great to tie in work on letters.

• Eggs for Ornithology is just one of the fantastic ideas on Imagine Childhood's wonderful list of spring crafts, I think we might also try out the blooming petit fours, spring macaroons and probably the rainbow flower wreath.

• And from the amazing Artful Parent site which we've turned to many times for inspiration, I'm really liking the stained glass window ideas (last year we used real flowers and sticky back plastic to decorate our windows), the fairy wings, and this fun with a box!

I'll be sure to update with some pictures of these crafts once we get started!

thte