fungi, furry caterpillar and natural paints.

The weather is due to be great this week, I didn't want to waste it by staying inside so we took our workbooks and went to the reservoir.
The water was so low! A month ago, where they are standing, the kids would have been under the water.
But lots more to explore.


A toadstool!



After lunch the kids (including a friend) sat down to learn about seals as part of our animal block. Here they all are making clay seals.


Kiki was stung by a wasp :( so while the others played, she sat with me.
And looked what crawled by, a furry caterpillar!!!
but after her sting, she was taking no chances :)
While we were out at the reservoir the kids discovered that with certain rocks they could write and draw. They then hatched a plan to make their own natural paints when they got home.
They managed to find brown, yellow, green and purple.
The art studio :)
The children weren't the only ones to enjoy natural paints :)

Snippets from our first week of 'school'

Because of our boating holiday we only started our official "school" work this week. As some of you know we loosely follow the waldorf/steiner curriculum for its gentle and very creative approach to education. What I find wonderful is the rhythms that are used in the day.
It is very age specific to work with childhood developmental stages. However, it is not easy to separate the children when you have four at home all day, so instead everyone joins in to their ability with most things and when it is time just for the older two I set up different projects for the younger two.
We also make sure that when the sun is shining we go out and play :) Here Kiki made a pond for fairies that she was very proud of.

K taking the neighbour's dog for a walk.
The first block that we are covering is man and animal. After discussing the human form they made clay models.
They enjoyed discovering how they couldn't make a human with proper proportions out of clay if they wanted it to stand up.

After shaping their little human forms, the kids stood them up but they wobbled over much to Kiki's delight :)
Once dried, the kids wanted to paint them. K made a tiny mouse too.
We also got stuck into bookwork. With new books to fill the kids were eager to work.
A different day, a different lesson :)

B called me outside one evening to look at the sunset. I grabbed the camera and snapped away at the pink sky.


"No, Mom, look that way!"
!!!!

This week we also visited a wood workshop. I wish I had taken more pictures not only of the workshop but it's setting. It was amazing!

Final day - Day 7

There was a mooring that I had my eye on the whole week. Everytime we went past it there was someone already there BUT on the final day we got it!!!
There was a lovely path to run down with blackberies growing along it. A lovely spot to fish set back from other boats.
Off to explore, gather firewood and pick blackberries.
And a great spot for a row in the dinghy.
The guys could fish...
While I relaxed under the trees with a book and the kids and the cushions from the boat :)

Later on in the day a family of swans came to say hello. They allowed the children to sit and watch them for a long time.
B managed to catch his biggest fish of the holiday :)


And we made a fire

Mom baked an apple crumble and used the foraged blackberries. We all ate it round the camp fire. It was a perfect final evening.
K made herself her own swan nest.
So of course Kiki did too :)
On the final morning, the older two really didn't want to leave. Here they are feeding the last of our bread to the swans.
It was a wonderful holiday, one that we would love to repeat in a few years.