Spring Nature Study

A patch of dog-violets in the park

It's taking a while for Spring to get going here. Only last week we still had some snow, and the daffodils haven't quite bloomed yet. However, we're starting to see some spring flowers in the park, and thanks to our nature diary, which we started this time last year, it's much easier to identify them. So far we've seen dog violets, speedwells, celandines, chickweed and cowslips.

Dahlia seedlings

At home we're starting to think about this year's gardening projects. We've got some seed trays on our windowsill. The dahlias did really well last year, so I'd like to try some again. We've also planted sunflower seeds and lobelia in the hanging basket.  We'll have to wait a bit longer to plant the vegetable seeds in the vegetable patch. I'm keeping an eye on the neighbours, to spot when they start planting outside, and they haven't yet, so perhaps it's not quite warm enough. In the meantime I've started pruning the blackberry and raspberry bushes.

Ant world, with cowslips we picked in the park

Charlotte Mason recommends keeping ants as a good nature study project for young children, so when I saw this 'ant world' kit in the shop last year I snapped it up. Last week I noticed loads of ants had found the lunchbox in Sophie's rucksack, which I'd forgotten to unpack and still had a bit of food in it. I thought that was a good opportunity to get the ant world up and running, since it said we needed 20 to 30 black ants. It didn't take them long to start making tunnels, and the girls have been very interested. Unfortunately I think some of the ants have escaped out of the bottom - I don't think I pressed the sides down firmly enough!

Handicrafts

"Again we know that the human hand hand is a wonderful and exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy, direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the pleasure of execution and the triumph of success. We begin to understand this and make some efforts to train the young in the deft handling of tools and the practice of handicrafts. Some day perhaps, we shall see apprenticeship to trades revived and good and beautiful work enforced." Charlotte Mason, Volume 6 Philosophy of Education, p. 328.

Having three little ones six and under, I've discovered a creative side to me I never knew I had. When I planned and organised our new schoolroom I had great fun sorting out all the craft materials into labelled boxes for easy access in our new 'craft cupboard'. Being a perfectionist, my great temptation is to take over too much to make sure that our creations look brilliant with minimal drips and spills and stains. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the the things we've been doing recently......

Caterpillar Craft

It's great to have a few craft books on hand with ideas of some fun projects to do with preschoolers. Sophie and Charis had fun making these caterpillars. They especially love gluing shiny, sparkly things onto their pictures.

Valentine's Day cards

OK, so I know Valentine's Day was a while ago, but here are the cards we made for each other. The girls love making cards to give to other people, and I try to get them to make the birthday and Christmas cards we send to our family too. It saves money, is more fun, and hopefully is more interesting to receive!

Cake Making

Charis loves to help me in the kitchen. I'm getting better at stepping back a bit and allowing the inevitable mess and imperfection that ensues, since I know the process is more important than the end result. Sophie is not so keen, but does enjoy licking the bowl at the end. I usually use vegan recipes so there are no raw eggs in the mixture.

Painting

The girls love to draw pictures and to paint, but in the interests of encouraging handicrafts I was on the look out for some different kinds of painting projects when I came across these Russian dolls. They came in sets of 3 blank dolls ready for the child to paint their own.

Weaving Loom

I got this basic weaving loom for Sophie. It's a bit tricky for her, and she needs a little help, but she's surprisingly motivated to add one new colour each time and is looking forward to having a little homemade rug for her dollies. I like that it's introducing her to the process of how actual rugs and carpets are made.

Cross-Stitch

Finally, I felt that I should be setting a good example, so I took up a new handicraft myself. I started my first cross-stitch project (which I've now finished and framed). It was a lot of fun, and very relaxing to sit and do something with my hands in the evenings or in our 'quiet hour'. The girls were interested to see how it developed.