Bantams and Wise Enchanters

The bantams have settled in well and today was our 4th egg from the little Serama. Their faeces have an odour that is going to take a while to get used to but it could be worse (lions for instance) - there is a feathery smell about the garden as well. I love that smell because it reminds me of the budgies and canaries I had as a child. I had scrambled egg (tiny portion) yesterday and it was one of the most delicious eggs I have ever had. They had some sweetcorn yesterday and they've been eating clover (not sure too much is a good thing) from the lawn. They love to be outside but because they're so tiny we stay with them when they are. We have a sparrowhawk and a kestrel about - I reckon the former would find them easy to take. I had the little Frizzle bantam on my lap earlier and she settled down and didn't seem to mind being stroked. She's still following Springy around but the two bantams seem to have formed a bond too (although the Serama is still top chicken).

I have been telling The Wise Enchanter since yesterday. Springy is going to be getting a chapter a day for the first three days of each week (this week will be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday since we are out on a children's day thing tomorrow). The first chapter was the prologue, the second introduced the letter A/a through Ancestor and today Springy received The Magic Book (a blue main lesson book) from me. She wrote in her best writing in pencil crayon The Magic Book by (Springy) and did some spirals and a face on the first page. The rest of the book will be the Stockmar wax crayons - 26 pages with the letters in upper case and lower case. I really like The Wise Enchanter. The four children in it are very sweet-natured and positive role models for Springy and it's a lovely way to connect with the symbols that are our letters.

Springy has started to read some of the Animal Ark books by Lucy Daniels (although looking at the copyright pages of some of the books I'm pretty certain that the name is being used in a ghost way). We went to the library yesterday and she chose a couple more of the Animal Ark books. It's not always easy to find decent books though - some of the series they have in the library are full of fashionista-type children who tease and taunt and bully their way through the pages.

We also did some Magical Maths - one of the Letts books for 5-6 year olds. She really enjoys it and I do too. The premise is that you are a wizard's apprentice but you answer questions, receive a shield (a silver sticker) for every section completed. Springy is not doing the questions to get the stickers which is a relief but is enjoying the maths in general - just one big game. Maths is one of the areas where I believe there is a window where it is easier to learn and latch on to the concepts and I'm hoping to make use of that window.

I've ordered some more of the Letts books in the same series for her. I hate workbooks but these are so well-designed and imaginative in their formatting. They are also a year behind (at least on the cover) her actual age, although to me they are at the right stage because we haven't been doing formal academics until very recently and she's sailing through the concepts. The suggested ages for many books baffle me because they push little ones too early on and set them up to fail.

I heard a sad thing the other day when a friend of ours said her 7-year old no longer wants to visit the playground because it's too babyish. I'm so glad that Springy isn't thinking like that. It's nice to have a child who is still a child. Yes, she's asking some very deep questions these days but she's still a proper little girl rather than 7 going onto a teenager. This is the age that she would just be starting school in many countries e.g. Finland.