I really have been making…
•May 3, 2009 • Leave a CommentI know it’s been awhile, but I wanted to show you a few of the things I’ve been making recently. Hope you like them!
more to come…
a glimpse of adolescence
•March 8, 2009 • Leave a CommentSo Jackson disappeared underneath my chair and came out with an old broken telephone handset. He immediately called a boy in his class… the naughtiest boy. I hesitate to point out that Jackson runs a close second. Anyway, as Jackson’s chatting away, Betty says she wants to call her friend. Jackson immediately switches to:
Jackson – Hey Sara. No, Betty isn’t here.
Betty – Jaaaoooooeeecckk!
Me - Jackson! That’s not nice. Let Betty speak to Sara.
Jackson – She’s gone on an airplane.
Me – Jack!
Jackson – I’m just pretending!
Me – Pretend Sara wants to speak to Betty!
Jackson - OK. OK. She’s still not here, but she’ll be back. She went to the doctor to have her butt looked at because her butt is broken and he has to fix her butt.
Betty – Aaaaaaaaoooooooooowwwwwwww!!!! Mom!
Me – Jackson, give me the phone.
We’re just off to see Gran. Jackson’s in his Scooby Dooby Poopie costume, riding with Betty on Alex’s back. I can see this ending in tears.
Fall Leaf Line
•November 3, 2008 • Leave a Comment
My friend, Richard, is a Country Park Ranger and often teaches school children how to enjoy the outdoors. And, of course, teach them as much as he can at the same time! He gets to do all sorts of crafty stuff from making willow baskets, nature masks and decorating masks to finding creative ways to get school children to appreciate the change of seasons.
So why not try this with your family? It’s certainly fun and better yet, it’s FREE! Take a picnic, a flask of hot chocolate and have a go. Dont forget your camera!
Nature Bowls
•November 1, 2008 • 1 Comment
Watching summer change to Autumn has always been one of my all time favourite things. And it provides an abundance of teaching opportunities. Why do the shadows fall differently? What makes it get colder? Why do the leaves change colour? Where do the flowers go? and many many more, all provided by your curious children.
A great catalyst to open up the floodgates of discussion is to make a Nature Bowl. We’ve used trips to the park, walks to the village and planned trips to Woodland Parks to gather as many different of examples Autumn as possible.
The collection doesn’t need to be exotic. One of the easiest and attractive is simply a bowl of pine cones. The intention of this excersise isn’t necessarily to write and deliver a lesson plan. No. No. No. It’s to explore and discover the meaning of Autumn with your children. And to laugh and kick leaves. That’s actually required.
Have fun!!!
BrambleRamble Jam
•October 25, 2008 • 1 CommentBoil and simmer your blackberries/brambles until good and soft.
Bring the strained mixture to a boil and then simmer.
Lightly boil until the mixture sets. You could do the candy thermometer thing, but I don’t like to be so accurate. So I use the cold saucer technique. Place a few saucers in the fridge. When the mixture has boiled for about 20-30 minutes, place a drop on one of the saucers from the fridge. It’s finished when it wrinkles when you nudge it with your finger. Repeat the process until it sets.
Wash the jars, preferably in the dishwasher. Then ‘bake’ in the oven (GM4/350F) for about 10 minutes.
Let it cool for for about 3-5 minutes and then pour into sanitized jars. It’s best to sanitise just before you need them because it’s safer to pour a hot mixture into a hot/warm jar.
