A long break between posts

This blog will be quiet for a while, as we are in the northern hemisphere enjoying a break, visiting family and working. The seasons are all out of kilter in my body clock, as I have been in Australian ones for so long. It was nice to enjoy a dark candlemas however, and we are in the middle of a very snowy February in Norway.
I will catch up again, but it may be some time…..

Advent traditions

Our candles are out, stars and angels are spread around the house, the nature table is cleared away ready to receive the nativity (a piece a day), the paper windows are up ready to open, and the christmas story books are back on the shelves. 

Our little star moon baby is back at the bedside to share in the night time stories, and the waiting has begun for Christmas day. 

Blessings on your advent celebrations.

Spring cleaning

I think our spring cleaning and mending day that we traditionally follow

martinmas

with needs to be a whole week this year. Clutter has crept up on us in a big way, but it is feeling good to pare it back and polish and mend.

 

My eldest has kept us entertained with a story of little man red cap, little man blue cap and little man gold cap who love eating crumbly currant buns, but have trouble keeping their house clean.  One sweeps too fast and strong everywhere but just ends up spreading the crumbs, one sweeps half heartedly pushing around the broom so upset that there is a mess but not making any better inroads into cleaning it up, and one that flits a little here and there trying to sweep up little bits they see, but tracking it back and spilling crumbs as they get distracted by the next patch to clean.  Finally their friend little man green cap comes to tea, but their house is still a mess, so they can’t offer him anywhere to sit that isn’t all crummy.  He helps them clean by showing them to sweep with care each part of their house until they are all finished.  Red cap lifts the furniture out of the way, blue cap points out all the crumbs that might get otherwise missed, golden cap runs back and forth emptying the dust pan for the birds outside, and green cap gets the job done with their help so he can happily sit down to tea. 

Crumbs, crumbs everywhere

Under the table and under the chair

Sweep them all up, sweep them all up

Crumbs in a pile make us smile.

We have so far fixed a hole in the kitchen ceiling, sewn back into good repair hand-me-down summer clothes, swept up alot  and polished wooden surfaces and toys with lavender scented beeswax, but we still have a long way to go…  

May our light within continue to shine forth and work for good!

Story Dolls

In many of our stories a few simple props or even just hand gestures can captivate and capture the imagination as the tale is spun, and often helps to hold the youngest members interest in storytime  in our mixed ages playgroup.  I have seen some beautiful table plays or stories told in other steiner settings with marionette puppets, but for our simple stories (and a single storyteller) I have found props which can stand themselves are easier to use with less fuss and free up a spare hand or two as you go along. 

One of my favourite alternatives for people characters are wood and wire type dolls which I sew clothes onto (from wool felt mostly).  They are slightly posable and stand well on most surfaces.  These are two I have made recently,  Joanne and Peter.  Of course they can easily be called other names and be other characters, and they often are in the traditional tales I tell.  But I have found the stories I write myself tend to take on the characters of some of the storydolls I have sewn.  I can easily see how commercialised toys could limit the play or storylines a child spins for themselves, being so heavily invested in a set character, and find it interesting I have the same tendancies with my own handmade supposedly open ended dolls!  I need to make a conscious effort to shake myself up a little and let Peter be the little boy or the wise old farmer, or the proud father, and Joanne to be the big sister, the crafty aunty, or the strong harvester … Not always an easy thing to do!

Alphabet pictures

My eldest son has finished all his big and little letters as we have only one more term until the end of the first grade school year.  We made some mini pictures of his letter work from his main lesson book to cut up into a wall frieze.  It makes a neat summary for us of his letter stories through the illustrations, and is an easy acess visual reminder of those words and sounds, not just hidden away in a lovely and cherished, but cumbersome MLB. 

I have taken close up photos of the letters/pictures if anyone is interested, but I didn’t want to overload the post with photos, and I’m sure you all have your own stories and letters that captured your imaginations.

Peter and the Willow

A story to share from playgroup that I told,  inspired somewhat by the traditional tale of the giant turnip, the recent making of spring crowns or garlands, and some little hands that want to grab and play with something that another is already holding on to, and others holding on too tight to things they could share  

Peter and the Willow tree

Once upon a time there was a little boy called Peter.  One of Peter’s favourite places to go was the weeping willow tree across the field from his house.  He loved to go and play there so much he even made up a little song he would sing and hum when he was there.

I love to sit beneath the willow

The willow bending low

To sit and watch the little birds

Go flitting to and fro

It’s a lovely secret cubby with its branches bending low

I really love the willow and it’s where I like to go

 

And sometimes he thought he could hear the willow whisper “my dear friend Peter” as the long fronds brushed gently against his face in the soft spring breezes. 

One day Peter noticed lots of lovely spring flowers growing in the field on his way to the willow, and he thought he would pick a long frond of willow to weave himself a crown to thread the flowers through, so when he got to the Willow he grabbed one of the fronds and he heaved and he pulled, but it would not budge.  The willow cried out “Oh! Oh! Oh! Who is pulling my branches so!” and Peter called out “Its me, your friend Peter!” but the Willow was so upset she didn’t seem to notice.  Peter tried again, and just as he was doing so Stickly Prickly echidna came past and asked what Peter was doing.  “I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers”

“Oh I’ll help you” said Stickly Prickly and together they pulled and pulled

“Oh! Oh! Oh! who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly!” but the willow was so upset she still didn’t seem to notice them. 

Peter got ready to try again when Hoppity Floppity rabbit came by.  “What are you doing Peter?”   She asked .

 “I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter 

“Oh I’ll help you” said Hoppity Floppity and together they pulled and pulled and pulled.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again more loudly than before  and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity!” but the Willow was so upset she still didn’t seem to notice them. 

They were getting ready to pull a third time when Slibberslack snail came slithering past

 “What are you doing Peter?”   He asked .

 “I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter 

“Oh I’ll help you” said Slibberslack and together they pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again more loudly than ever before and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity!” but the Willow was still so upset even now she didn’t seem to notice them. 

They were getting ready to pull a fourth time when Little Wren hopped up. 

“What are you doing Peter?”   He asked .

 “I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter 

“Oh are you going about it the right way?” said little wren

“Is there a right way and a wrong way to pull a willow frond?” Asked Peter “I didn’t know!” 

“Well of course” said little wren, “all you need to do it the right way is to ask!”

“Ahhhhh!” said Peter and he carefully stepped up to the willow tree right under its weeping green fronds and called “ Mistress Willow?” 

“Yes, Peter is that you? I’ve been so distracted this morning trying to hold on hard to all my fronds as something is pulling and tugging them so”

“Oh” said Peter, a little embarrassed “that was me, I came to ask if I might please have a frond to make a spring crown with the meadow flowers.” 

“What a lovely idea, of course you may, why didn’t you say so!”

“I’m sorry” replied Peter

“Well, try again now” said the Willow, “and I will help you.”

So Peter and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity  and Slibberslack all got ready and pulled, and Willow let go of the frond and over tumbled Peter, Stickly Prickly, Hoppity Floppity and Slibberslack in a laughing heap with enough willow for all of them. 

Peter gathered up the fronds and raced off to the flowers when suddenly he turned and raced back to Mistress Willow. 

“Thankyou” Peter called all breathless and rosy cheeked

“My pleasure” replied the Willow and bowed low to Peter, who turned and once more raced off to begin his springtime crown.

Snail trails

A lovely surprise found its way to our mailbox today.  A Syrendell snail from Rick Tan in return for some poetic muse.  I think I was a double winner, having been inspired to write a poem, and receiving a gift for participating! 

It is right at home in our garden, and the boys have already taken it to search out four leaved clovers, and smell the pansies, before it returned indoors to take pride of place on our spring nature table.  You will discover many inspirations if you take the time to visit with Rick and his lovely family at their blogs.  Thankyou Syrendell!

Birthday season

In our family, the second half of the year heralds birthday season as all the cousins start celebrating  birthdays, a run that seems to go all the way up until Christmas.  So how to avoid constant visits to toy shops, or crafting burnout to make that special something for everyone?  Here is my little list of treasured ideas that I constantly add to and peruse for inspiration as the birthday season rolls around.  Packed in a nice thrifted basket or sewn drawstring bag, these ideas have been well received by various cousins over the years.  What would you have on your list?

circular tree stumps/offcuts and sandpaper/ beeswax polish (or sanded and/or polished depending on age)

plank of wood, ends rounded, sanded/ broom handles with rounded off ends /old clean sheets for cubby building

seeds and flowerpot

dustpan and brush/ straw broom

trowel, garden fork

paintbrushes

bicycle bell/ basket/ pannier

cookie cutters

wooden rolling pin

apron/oven mitts

basket (lined/ribboned/decorated?)

dancing skirt/dressup

dressup shoes/hats/bags

jar of buttons

wooden bowls/eggcups

pottery jug/ teapot

cotton tablecloths/ picnic blanket

silk scarf

wooden pegs

buckets

hand  tools /hammer/screwdriver/sandpaper

pieces of soft wood and nails

handdrill and bits/tape measure/ saw and rasp

toolbox

soaps

shells

marbles in a bag / pebbles and dice in  a bag with printed rules for some games like tom thumb, knucklebones, mancala or thunderhole dice. 

balls of wool

gift ball of wool (wound with tiny tresures inside)

chalks/ sidewalk chalks

torch and batteries

candle holder/ snuffer

candles

rope with ends spliced in

padlock and chain (and spare keys for mum/dad)

vase

clay

beeswax (for modelling)

chopping board

magnifying glass

photo album

drawing paper/ crayons/pencils

needle case with needles

coloured cottons/ felt pieces

blank recipe book with two or three favourites written in to start off

rope pulley

wheelbarrow

fruit trees/vege seedlings

bedspread/pillows/pillowcase/sheets

beeswax sheets and wick for candlemaking

maps of the local area with walks etc.

binoculars/ compass

waterbottle and holder

…….

If you leave your ideas in the comments, I’d love to add them to the list.

Wet-on-wet wonders

I love to watch the shapes emerge when painting wet-on-wet, starting out just playing with the colours and seeing what comes into form.  Sometimes we use a story to guide our painting, today we were just playfully using up the last of some mixed up paint from the back of our fridge. 

One child found a pine forest and the moon

another found a  giant peach with a pip inside

I found a snowy tree in front of a starry sky

What can you find?

Snowflake garland

 

We have had a lovely time in a cabin in the snowy mountains for our winter holidays, and tried our hand at many crafts in between the igloo making, tobogganing, snowman making, snow train and train track making, coloured ice ball making, skiing and snowballing,  …. and one of the favourite indoor crafts was snowflake cutting.   We have ended up with so many paper snowflakes, we selected the best ones and strung them up as garlands by threading ribbon through the holes. 

 

our winter gnome was kept busy each night collecting up the stray paper scraps that eluded tired and busy fingers and left neat little paper trails to the fireplace to be discovered in the morning.  Our eldest declared that if you carefully collected the paper trail and threw it in the fire with one go, you could make a wish.  I think he wished for a weeks worth of snow, and he couldn’t have been happier with the result.