Whatever the Weather
Looking back to last year we were having an exceptionally warm end to February. I can’t believe the contrast this year with stormy weather and flooding here in the UK. As you can imagine Floss, like many other children right now, has been quite fascinated by the weather and the effects it has been having.
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Part of our morning rhythm involves opening the front door to observe and feel the weather. She then chooses a weather peg person or two to represent that day’s weather. At the same time we do songs about the days of the week and change the date on our perpetual calendar.
Kite Paper Waldorf Style Stars
The weather has meant we’ve been indoors getting busy with a couple of creative projects. I’ve had some kite paper stashed away for a while and decided this week was the perfect time to make a star decoration to brighten up our home for these dreary days. They’re really simple to make. There are lots of tutorials online, but I will do a little video and upload it when the lighting is better. This design below is a very simple one, there are lots of more complex designs you can have a go at too. A really lovely mindful activity.
Stop Motion Movie Making
I didn’t realise how much Floss would love doing this. We downloaded an app called Stop Motion Studio (free) and had a go at taking a series of photos where you move the different elements in the shot by a small amount each time. The first afternoon we did it I was holding the camera and it was all very wobbly. We had such a good time that we decided to buy a little camera tripod for my phone so that we could make the movie more still! Floss has already requested ‘movie making’ for tomorrow!
As I say, our first attempt was really shaky, but involved involved Floss’s little Maileg mice that she adores. So don’t be surprised if the next movie doesn’t have the Maileg mice in action – I’ve noticed she’s popped them next to the tripod!
Evergreen Trees
Are you following along with the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum or just looking for ideas for learning about trees? This week is Evergreen Tree week and we always enjoy a week all about trees. Here’s a little selection of some of the resources that we will be using. You really don’t need all these, our collection has been growing over many years and we just add bits and bobs periodically.
Resources
- Grimm’s Letter Cards
- Wooden Tree ID Cards
- Usborne Nature Cards Trees – they’re discontinued – but I’ve put down a link as I got them when they came up second hand
- Leaf ID Cards – free when you sign up to Woodland Trust
- Hand painted leaf ID cards – Fiddlesticks Education
- Flower Fairies Postcards
- 3 Part Montessori cards I made – free download below
Flowers
There are some lovely splashes of colour battling their way through the storms right now. I’m just organising a new set of early Spring flower cards. If you haven’t already downloaded my original three part Montessori style cards – Snowdrop – Dandelion – Daisy – Daffodil you can get them for free here.
Yes Creative Space
What a difference a Yes Space makes. Floss has been continually in her creative space since we moved things around. She loves that she can access everything herself. There’s more work to be done, but I’m so pleased with the progress so far. I’ll do a proper update when it is complete.
A little update for 2021 – I hadn’t realised we’d had a change around at virtually the same time last year! Must be a natural rhythm for us. Here is what Floss’s creative space looks like now she is four.
It had turned into total chaos! The little desk is now up in her bedroom and we’ve used an old bench as her ‘workshop’ (Floss’s name for it). It means she’s got more space for bigger projects. She will often spread out onto the floor too if a project is very big.
Once we’ve had a little change around we tidy up, usually daily and I add new little bits and bobs once a week. This keeps things interesting for her and wanting her to use the space.
Bookworms
We haven’t been to the library this week due to the weather, so there will be more of a book update next time as we’ve reserved a few books to collect. One book we have added to our collection is a new release called Birds.
A beautifully illustrated book with lots of interesting facts about birds from all around the world. I really enjoyed the structure of the book and Floss has loved matching up some of our puzzle birds to descriptions and images in the book.
Next Week
Here’s a cheeky look at a project that I’m planning out. I want to make a storage solution for Floss’s Stockmar liquid watercolours. Wish me luck! I’m also getting organised for Nesting Birds week in Exploring Nature with Children.
Have a wonderfilled week – Love Lisa & Floss xx