How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside–Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown–
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!– Stevenson
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside–Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown–
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!– Stevenson
You know I am not a foodie. I try to make an effort here and there though since there are a lot of people who eat in my house. My friend Cheryle sent us this site which looks promising. The author has committed to using her crockpot every day for a year. And has! There are a variety of recipes from main dish to dessert to even shrinky dinks. I think we will try the Cheddar Apple Turkey Meatballs first since they sound like they would be as tasty as the Adell’s Chicken Apple Sausages I am addicted to. Only quibble is that my family is not particularly fond of mixing sweet and savory ingredients and there is a lot of that here.
We have been doing some major projects around here this month in anticipation of the baby and also family visitors next week. We took some time out to make sure the children were getting their needs met versus yet more edu-tv. Keeps them happy which keeps Mama more productive. : )
The latest time-out was to make homemade playdough. Alannah got the recipe out and the boys helped with the assembly and cooking.
While I knew Brendan and Tess would be thrilled I was pleasantly surprised at how absorbed the boys could be with the dough after they had a hand in making it. I admit to sometimes wondering if it is “worth it” or if it is just extra steps and more time swallowed up. This was a good reminder that we don’t make materials simply to save money but to show them the entire process and to give them ownership of the whole.
Oh, you are going to love this one. This article was linked on the Playschool6 list yesterday. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Here is an exerpt:
For me, being a Mom isn’t about buying a lot of electronic toys or decorating my daughter’s room as a fantasy castle. It isn’t even about having exciting adventures, or giving my kids the opportunity to take every possible after-school activity or sport that today’s culture seems to offer. What it is mostly about is time. Time being present with my children. Time to let Emma take her own time: to put on and pull off her shoes twenty times if she wants; time to figure out how to get her arm in the sleeve; time to scoop her own cereal. Time to let her set her own table, again and again and again. Time to cuddle with her on the low bed and read her favorite book over and over and over. It is a quiet way of spending time and letting her grow guided by an environment where she is safe to explore and learn about her world.
Do read it in its entirety to get a good feel for what makes a day in a Montessori home. This could have easily been titled A Waldorf Home in many ways. No tv, natural materials, rhythm and routine. Whatever you call it, it is simply delightful.
(For more ideas and images of Montessori in the home check out How to Raise an Amazing Child.)
My favorite season has arrived. Can you tell?
The lace curtains in the living room are gathered with small grapevine wreaths year round. In fall they sport autumnal colors. In late November we will change out the garland and wreaths for pine. In spring/summer with hydrangea or baby’s breath. (Yes I detest the blinds behind them. They were a neccessity in this south facing room to save the piano. If we stay here forever we will replace them with plantation shutters eventually.)
This is another little basket project done. I repurposed a gift basket from the baby shower and made a coffee station for Allen. The kids tend to take his coffee cups and travel mugs to use as regular drink cups and they are not to be found. So, I gathered the mugs, the travel cup, some sugar and creamer and napkins into a basket for two to four to enjoy since that is generally all the coffee that we serve around here.
And finally – a sneak preview of the newly reupholstered couch. I will try to upload some before photos and directions in the next day or so. It was easy-peasy I promise. Stay tuned
The Crafty Crow is another new bloglines resident of mine. ‘Cause you know I was REALLY in need of more blogs to follow lol! I really enjoy the inspiration though even if some ideas get tucked away for a good while. They are there : ) And inspiration is overflowing here. What I love is that many of these ideas require very little planning. Take the pine cone owl. If you have pines in your yard this is as fast as a stroll out back and some glue. Great notebook page.
Or the colorful kitchen work. Most of us have milk, food coloring and dish soap on hand.
How about reducing your child’s art to make a lotto style game?
I could go on but you can probably read it all for yourself, can’t you? I will contain myself and let you go. Enjoy!
If you visited the Classroom Clutter post I forgot to link up to Mrs. Newingham’s classroom when mentioning the book baskets. Check it out and let me know if any of you have any insight about them (ie where to purchase, what kind etc)
We have made great strides in the schoolroom. Technically we can move back in for school but there are more things that could use attn as time permits. For starters I am becoming a container freak. I have this deep drive to gather like items into baskets and bins. (don’t think I could be nesting do you?)
I remembered this classroom and REALLY want to finish my bookshelves this way. We have twenty feet of floor to ceiling shelves. They are currently organized by topic but I am not enjoying books standing individually next to each other. If you take more than one or two books from the center of a long shelf it spells trouble. It is also easy to slip a library book in with the rest. It is not so easy to locate a specific volume from a series or genre. You must look through every title in that region of the shelves. I started gathering some similar sets of books like readers and series to help resolve these problems. Now for more containers…. I would prefer natural baskets for this project too but I fear it will be far too cost prohibitive.
The Clutterfree Classroom site has lots more good ideas. I am intrigued by the idea of covering some of the shelves. We need to use the books but not daily since the dailies are already gathered into – you guessed it – baskets and crates. This would free up lots of vertical space for calendar work, thematic posters, felt board etc. Things I enjoy but could not use due to lack of wall space.
Another fun find was Teacher TV. There is a video here that discusses the merits of a visually soothing classroom.
More classroom organization sites.
The Moveable Alphabet has just posted pics of her schoolroom. Very inspiring. Full, but not overwhelming.
Newsweek recently ran two articles about boys struggling in school. Both are worth reading. While girls have been making steady strides academically, it is boys who are increasingly falling behind. One author hypothesizes a contributing factor is overscheduling – from dusk to dawn in many cases. The other points to feminist educators who have made “girl behavior the gold standard,” meaning that sitting still and being quiet are highly prized skills in many classrooms. Still further on, the article discusses biological differences in brain development and usage in boys and girls. Fascinating stuff.
Starry Sky Journal 