Christmas 2010

After a very  long and stressful night drive (6 hours + stops)) with 1 child, 1 dog, 2 hens, 2 guineapigs we arrived at my folks. They had snow.  It was the kind of snow that is powdery and looks like it has glitter in it.  My dad's garden has an old-fashioned decorative lamp-post so it gave it that Narnia look.  Any second a lion could have run through the snow, along with fauns and a sleigh but they didn't.  Springy went outside on Christmas Eve to sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn (oats).  She left a glass of milk, a home-made mince pie (Jamie Oliver's recipe) and some carrot sticks for the reindeer too.  She heard jingle bells as she lay in bed.  "I heard them mummy but I wasn't asleep so Santa must have gone away again until I was," she said.

On Christmas Day for some reason we didn't get around to opening gifts until almost evening.  Springy was incredibly good waiting that long and it descended into chaos as there was so much going on. This is the first time we have ever stayed elsewhere at Christmas.  We normally have a very quiet Christmas (essentially we are quiet people) but since my MIL died we didn't have her this year. Christmas Day was still snowy so it still looked incredibly pretty outside. 

Poor Lily was in trouble on her stay.  After a very long journey she ran into Grandma's house and emptied her bowels onto Grandma's wool carpet.  Not only that but she had a really bad case of diarrhoea -oops!  She also went into season and had to wear a nappy (diaper) during her stay.  We really missed cuddling her because at our home, which is very small and messy, she goes up on the bed at night. At my folks' house she was banished to the kitchen.  It was also too cold for our bantam hens to go into the shed my father had provided (-7) so they had to stay in the utility room. The piggies stayed there too.

End of Brownies

Springy has been discovering that the snow today is not as it was yesterday and is different to the snow a few weeks ago. It's crumbly and not sticking for snowman making.  Why have a laboratory when you can have a garden and the weather?

We got back earlier from our daily walk. The Moon was almost full to the east and a golden egg yolk sun dropping down in the west turned to a strata of red, pink and orange. The temperature was bracing and underfoot was slippy - great fun and very beautiful.

 The other news this week was we ditched Brownies. Springy is glad and so am I. There was an unpleasant atmosphere there and it was having a negative influence on Springy. They did do some nice things too but some of the attitudes and behaviours from some of the girls was affecting Springy.

Covered wagon family

http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2010/12/meet-ingalls-family.html

 Thought the above was adorable.

It snowed overnight - not good sticking snow but rather slushy and sleet.  However, it was a whiteout this morning and still snowing.  We had a lovely walk around the harbour this afternoon. Lily got very muddy, Springy got very cold but we made it back inside after the fresh air, the slippy slush and seeing the Brent geese, the lapwings and the oyster catchers.

Springy has also been writing a story about a goose landing in our garden (based on a chapter from Schoolroom in the Parlour by Rebecca Caudhill about the Fairchild family).  She also did Fl words in her Main Lesson Book.  She's been reading for a good few years and although this kind of simple spelling would have normally been done last year (in the Waldorf or Enki Curriculum), we've focused elsewhere.  We're going to do a whole load of words and finish off this MLB.  I tell her the start of the word, she has to come up with words and I join in too.  We compile a list of words in her regular text book - I write them out, she then copies them and then she transfers them all to her MLB in her best writing and for homonyms or synonyms she does a little illustration.

We're going to do Ch, Tr, and St words tomorrow.


Springy also had a playdate with a friend this morning when Scouts was cancelled.  They built a magnificent snowman.


Several of our relatives have received Springy's poetry book which we published through Lulu.  It has her poems and photographs in.  It's such a nice way of gifting a number of people with something personal.

Fable poem - the Lion and the Mouse

From the same site I found this poem:

 Der Löwe und die Maus

Der Löwe fing die kleine Maus:
„Ach, lieber Löwe lass’ mich aus!
Bist du in Not, so helf’ ich dir.“
„Du kleines Mäuschen mir?
Der Löwe hilft sich selbst allein.
Spring kleine Maus, magst frei nun sein.“
Doch bald darauf der Löwe fällt
In Netze, die der Jäger stellt.
Wie er sich reckt und streckt und beißt,
das starke Netz er nicht zerreißt.
Er brüllt so laut er brüllen kann,
da kommt die kleine Maus heran.
Mit scharfem Zahne unverzagt
Das kleine Mäuschen nagt und nagt,
und Masch’ für Masch’ das Netz zerfällt,
bis es den Löwen nicht mehr hält.
Der große Löw’ ist wieder frei!
Verachte keins so klein es sei.

Here is the translation:

The Lion and the Mouse

The lion caught the little mouse:
"Oh, dear lion Let me go!
If ever you are in need I will help you in return. "
"You little mouse help me?
The lion helps itself alone. Ha.
Off you go little mouse - be free now. "
But soon after, the lion was caught
In nets, which the hunters had set.
He stretches and stretches and bites,
but the strong net he does not tear.
He bellows and roars loud as he can,
and the little mouse passes nearby.
With undaunted sharp teeth
The little mice nibbling and gnawing,
breaks and tears the net,
Until the lion breaks out.
Lion is the great free beast again!
Helped by one so small.

German tongue twisters

These are taken from:

 http://www.waldorf-ideen-pool.de/index.php?aid=1988

Zungenbrecher und Artikulationsübungen

Schicken Sie über "Beitrag senden" Ihre selbst gefundenen Sprachübungen.

A

• Acht achtbare Aachener achten aktenkundig auf Abgabe aller achtzehn aktuellen Aktenordner.
  von Hazel Frank
  
  
• Bevor die Hasen den Rasen umrasten, saßen die Hasen im Rasen und grasten.
  Schüler einer 4. Klasse (Freie Waldorfschule Wetterau)
  
• Acht alberne Affen angeln mit alten Antennen am Atlantik achtbare Aale.R.M. Schmidt
  

Ä

• Mäh`n Äbte Heu?
  Äbte mäh`n nie Heu, Äbte beten,
  Mägde mäh`n Heu.
  
  Nie mäh`n Äbte Heu.
  Wenn Äbte mäh`n, mäh`n Äbte Gras!
  In einem Atemzug zu sprechen)

au

• Was sich die Braut traut, wenn sie Kraut klaut.
  von Johann Neger

 B

• Bismarck biss Marc, bis Marc Bismarck biss!
  
• Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid.
  
• Bei Bauer Bertram bleibt Bulle Bert bei seiner Berta.
  von Edeltraud Rudatzki
• Wenn der Benz bremst, brennt das Benzbremslicht. Das Benzbremslicht brennt, wenn der Benz bremst.
  von Angela Urton
  
• Ein brauner Bär baumelt mit beiden Beinen auf dem Ast eines Baumes.
  

D

• Wenn dein Dackel zu meinem Dackel noch einmal Dackel sagt, dann bekommt dein Dackel von meinem Dackel so eine gedackelt, dass dein Dackel zu meinem Dackel nie wieder Dackel sagen kann.
  von Janis Sofikis (13 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

• Der dicke Dachdecker deckt dir dein Dach, darum dankst du dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker dir dein Dach deckt.
  Lisa Hirning, (8. Klasse der Freien Waldorfschule Halle)
  
• Dompfaff Dünnpfiff
  Dompfaff Dünnpfiff
  Dompfaff Dünnpfiff
  
  Ogottogott Igittigitt
  Ogottogott Igittigitt
  Ogottogott Igittigitt
  
  Svenmensch Senmönch
  Svenmensch Senmönch
  Svenmensch Senmönch
  
  Laptop Topplapp
  Laptop Topplapp
  Laptop Topplapp
  
  Jetlag Backslash
  Jetlag Backslash
  Jetlag Backslash
  
  Waschlappen Wahlschlappen
  Waschlappen Wahlschlappen
  Waschlappen Wahlschlappen
  von Roland Urban

• Ein dicker Dackelherr dackelt dicht
  hinter einer Dackeldame her.
  von Pia-Zoe Hahne
  
  
• Wenn Dorothee mit voller Kraft auf den Dampfdruckkochtopfventilknopf drückt, drängt der Dampf mit vollem Druck gegen den Dampfdruckkochtopfdeckel: Peng !!!
  von Hannelore Hilbers
  
  
• Die dralle Dackeldame Dana dackelt drollig durch das Dorf.
  von Yvonne Westenberger-Fandrich
  
  
• Dreizehn dralle Drachen drängeln draußen um das Drahtseil.
  von Anita Sperling
  
  
• Durch den dicken Dackelbauch
  der dicken Dackeldame Dagmar
  dauert der Dauerlauf
  der dicken Dackeldame
  dreimal länger
  als bei durchschnittlich durchtrainierten Dalmatinern.
  von Heike Herrmann
  
  
• Dreiunddreißig trübsinnige Dromedare trotteten deprimiert durch die dürre Tundra.
  von Doris Thomas
  
• Hinter dichtem Fichtendickicht picken dicke Finken tüchtig.
  

 F

• Fünf pfiffige Pfadfinder pflücken pfeifend fünfundfünfzig Pfund Pflaumen.
  Hanna Schmidt-Weigand, 9 Jahre
  
• Fischer, die als Floßfahrer
  auf Flussflößen auf Floßflüssen fahren,
  sind fischende Floßflussflussfloßfahrer.
  
  Wenn die fischenden Floßflussflussfloßfahrer
  aus den Floßflüssen Fische fischen,
  sind`s nicht Floßfische -
  auch nicht bloß Fische -
  es sind Floßflussfische,
  es sind Flossenfische:
  
  es sind Floßflussflossenfische.
  

G

• Grummelnde Gespenster geistern gruselig und glubschig in geheimen Grotten.
  R.M. Schmidt
  
• Gerd geht gerade gegen Gerda vor,
  die gerne gerade vor Gerd hergeht.von Karin Lang
  
  
• Glückliche graue Gänse gehen gerne gemeinsam grüne Gurken gießen.
  von Nico Himmelein
  
  
• Gilbert glitt ganz geschwind auf dem glitschigen Grund aus und schlitterte über die Klippe in die gischtende See.
  von Maren Frank
  
  
• Die Magd trug den grasgrünen Glaskrug klug genug, um den grasgrünen Glaskrug nicht zu zerbrechen.
  von Jana Lippmann
  
  
• Auf dem Grunde großer Seen kratzen Grundeln große Krater.
  von Jonas Beck

 I

• Der miese, fiese Riesenfriese zertrümmert völlig unbekümmert das tierisch teure Teeservice.
  von Anita Sperling
  

• Im irischen Irrenhaus irrten irre irische Irrlichter.
  von Markus Löbl (11 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

 J

• Wenn Jogger hinter Joggern joggen,
  joggen Jogger hinter Joggern her...von Katinka Schneider
  

 K

• Der Kaplan klebt Papplakate.
  
• Kleine Kinder können keine kleinen Kirschkerne knacken.
  
• Achtzig Rastplatzspatzen kritzelten kreuzweis klitzekleine Kritzekratze in den Rastplatzsand. Entsetzt putzte der Rastplatzputzer mit der kratzigen Rastplatzputzbürste die klitzekleinen kreuzweisen Kritzekratze der achtzig Rastplatzspatzen weg.
  von Karl-Otto Kaminski
  

• Kellner Karl kehrt Keksreste in den Kohlenkeller und kullert kopfüber in die Kohlköpfe.
  von Klaus Stanzer
  
  
• Knuffige kleine Knirpse in Knickerbockern klimpern in Kleinkleckersdorf klammheimlich knifflige klassische Klaviersonaten.
  von Marita Bagdahn
  
  
• Klaus kauft keine kleinen kantigen Kleiderbügel, Klaus kauft klobige knarrende Klobrillen.
  von Marita Bagdahn
  
  
• Die kitzelige Köchin Kathi kugelt kichernd kleine Kokoskugeln. Kleine Kokoskugeln kugelt die kitzelige Köchin Kathi kichernd.von Katharina Backa
  
  
• Die Katzenklappe klappert, wenn die Katze durch die Klappe tappert.
  von Angela Kaiser-Mayer
  
  
• Klaus, der kein Rabauke war,
  kraulte Klaras krauses Haar,
  klaute Karlas saueres Kraut
  und kaute das Geraubte laut.
  von Andrea Mesicek
  
  
• Kurt kehrt krabbelnde Käfer vom Kragen ohne zu klagen.
  von Marion Rosa Meyer
  
  
• Können Kühe Kiesel genau in Kaninchenkäfige kicken?
  von Indre Richter (5. Klasse der Freien Waldorfschule Schwerin)
  
  
• Kleine glibrige Kaulquappen glibbern glupschig knublig.
  von Charlotte Theile und Klara Isbarn (5. Klasse der Freien Waldorfschule Schwerin)

ck

• Wenn die Mücken beim Verrücken schwerer Stücken sich nicht bücken, werden Mücken nach Verrücken schwerer Stücken und den Tücken mit dem Rücken früh schon Krücken zücken müssen.
  von Harald Linstädt

L

• Lustige Langohren lümmeln liegend längs der langweiligen Landstraße.
  von Alexandra Kern
  
• Lustig lächeln leichte Locken.K.H. Gosau
  
• Lisa Lächerlich lacht lustig im Lollyladen - im Lollyladen lacht Lisa Lächerlich lustig.
  von Clara Pauli (12 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

 M

• Der Mistmischer mischt Mist mit dem Mistmischgerät des Meisters der Mistmischerei.
  von Alexandra Burke
  
  
• Mücken mögen müde Menschen, müde Menschen mögen Mücken meistens nicht.
  von Edeltraud Rudatzki
  
• Mischwasserfischer heißen Mischwasserfischer, weil Mischwasserfischer im Mischwasser Mischwasserfische fischen.
  

N

• Neun nette Nasen niesten neulich im Nebel.

 O

• Clifford warf den Lord nach dem Mord vorm Fjord sofort ohne Wort über Bord.
  von Albert C. Scheffler
  
  
• Gibst du dem Opi Opium, bringt das Opium den Opi um.
  

P

• Psychiater spüren Psychosomatiker auf,
  Psychoanalytiker spionieren Psychosen nach
  und Psychologen sperren Psychotiker ein -
  was für ein psychedelisches Psychogramm!
  von Thomas Ramm
  
  
• Papagei Pixi pfeift plötzlich pausenlos Pfadfinderlieder.
  von Jonas Michaelis (8 Jahre alt)
  
  
• Pauls Pate Bernd hätte bald
  Pauls bunte Bilderblätter
  als Packpapier benutzt.
  von Thomas Steiner

Pf

• Der Pfälzer Pfarrer Pfaff pfiff in Pfaffenhofen pflichtbewusst dem Pferd, das pfeilschnell im Pferch unter dem angepflockten Pflaumenbaum gleich neben dem verpfuschten Pfahlbau Pfefferminzblätter pflückte.
  von Waltraud Gebert
  
  
• Mit Apfelkrapfen stapfen über Gipfelwipfel hüpfend sieben Zipfelmützenzwerge.
  von Médo

Qu

• Aus Quarzgestein quellen quirlige silberhelle Quellen.
  von Hazel Frank
  
• Fünf Quakfrösche quirlten quatschend im Quark.

R

• Rainer rast rumpelnd mit dem Rasenmäher rings um seinen Rosengarten.
  Kevin Hönig (8. Klasse, Freie Waldorfschule Halle)

• Der russische Regenwurm namens Robert Reich reitet im Regen nach Regensburg.
  von Franziska Beer (13 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

 S

• So schleckt Sascha russisches sahniges Schokoschaschliksorbet.
  von Christine Pernstich-Wundsam
  
  
• Sein Schnitzel schneidet Sasha stets sorgfältig.
  von Margit Kröll
  
  
• Sören sagt Sarah, selbstverständlich sei sie seine Einzige.
  Selbiges sagt Sören Selma.von Antje Dossmann
  
  
• Man soll nicht beim Essen in kessen Dressen sms èn.
  von Johann Neger
  
  
• Süße Soßen schmecken ziemlich selten sauer und säuseln zimt-zuckrig über die Zunge, während saure Soßen zum Lispeln zwingen und essig-säuerlich an Zungenspitzen zupfen.
  von Thomas Ramm
  
• Sechs sächsische Säufer zahlen zehn tschechische Zechen.
  

Sp

• Der Bleistiftspitzer spitzt die
  Bleistiftspitzen so spitz
  dass die Bleistiftspitzen
  sogar Blei in Ritzen spritzen
  von Mary West
  
  
• Springende Spitzmäuschen
  spitzen springend ihr Schnäuzchen.
  Schnäuzchenspitz springen sie spitzend
  ins Spitzmäuschenhäuschen.
  von Melanie Weißwange
  
  
• Spritzige, spitzmäulige Spitzmäuse verschmausen mächtig schmatzend schmackhafte, matschige Spätzle.
  von Sabine Metzger-Groom
  
  
• Sprintend starten Spitzensportler samt superspitzen Spikes.
  von Ingeburg Fetzer

St

• Da steht ein Stinktier, still wie ein Stein, ich stipps es an, Gestank strömt aus ... jetzt stinkt mein Bein.
  von Julia Städtefeld

Sch

• Was waschen Waschwasserwaschanlagen? - Waschwasserwaschanlagen waschen Waschwasser!
  von Jasper Pauli (7 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)
  

• Wenn Schwertschmiede Schwerter schmieden, schmieden Schwertschmiede Schwerter.von Samson
  Grubhofer (8 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

• Schaurig schöne Schlösser schimmern schneeweiß im Mondenlicht.
  K.H. Gosau
  
• Schmitts Specht spricht schlecht,
  schlecht spricht Schmitts Specht.
  von Anja Büttner
  

• Das Schlabber - Lied von Ulrich Lanin
  ( Ein Zungenbrecher, nicht nur für Kinder ! )
  
  Intro ( Zum Einschlabbern ! )
  Sch, sch, sch, sch, sch, sch, sch, sch !
  Schla, schla, schla, schla, schla, schla, schla, schla !
  Schlab, schlab, schlab, schlab, schlab, schlab, schlab, schlab !
  Schlabber, schlabber. Schlabber, schlabber ! Schlabber, schlabber. Schlabber, schlabber !
  
  1.
  Schlabberhohn, schlabberhuhn, schlabberhahn,
  schlabberziehn, schlapperzehn, schlabberzahn.
  Schlabberleck, schlabberluck, schlabberlack,
  schlabbersick, schlabbersuck, schlabbersack.
  
  2.
  Schlabberwicht, schlabberwucht, schlabberwacht,
  schlabberlocht, schlabberlicht, schlabberlacht .
  Schlabberbar, schlabberbier, schlabberbär,
  schlabbertour, schlabbertier, schlabberteer.
  
  3.
  Schlabberschluff, schlabberschliff, schlabberschlaff,
  schlabberhipp, schlabberhopp, schlabberhapp.
  Schlabberso, schlabbersie, schlabbersee,
  schlabbernie, schlabberno, schlabbernee.
  
  4.
  Schlabbmies, schlabbermus, schlabbermoos,
  schlabbergruß, schlabbergrieß, schlabbergross.
  Schlabberkess, schlabberkiss, schlabberkuss,
  schlabbernieß, schlabbernaß, schlabbernuß.
  
  Schlabberschließ, schlabberschloß, schlabberschluß!
  von Ulrich Lanin
  
  
• Die schöne schneeweiße Katze schleicht schnurrend durch die schummrige Schonung, um zwei zwitschernde Spatzen zwischen zwei Zwetschgenzweigen zu schlagen.
  von Gabriele Datenet
  
  
• Erschöpft vom Schürfen,
  schöpften die Goldschürfer
  das Wasser und schlürften es
  ungeschürft.
  von Claudia Duhonj-Gabersek
  
  
• Es schlüpft ein schrumpliger Schlumpf schreiend in seinen straffen Schlumpfstrumpf, denn oh Schreck, der Strumpf des Schlumpfs ist geschrumpft.
  Marita Bagdahn
  
  
• Schiebe schönen schweren Schnee stets mit schmaler Schneeschippe!
  von Doris Rau
  
  
• Zwei geschwätzige Schwalbenschwestern schwafelten schwatzigen Schwalbenschwatz, schwatzigen Schwalbenschwatz schwafelten zwei geschwätzige Schwalbenschwestern.
  von Yvonne Bayer
  
  
• Die schönen Schlangen schlängeln sich schnell zum schlichten, steinernen Schloss.
  von Franziska Hagen
• Um eine Windschutzscheibe vor Steinschlagschäden zu schützen braucht man eine Windschutzscheibensteinschlagschadenschutzscheibe.
  von Jonas Beck

 T

• Wenn du Trottl zu mir Trottl Trottl sagst, dann sag ich Trottl zu dir Trottl so lange Trottl, bis du Trottl zu mir Trottl nie mehr Trottl sagst, du Trottl.
  
• Tante Agathe tänzelte entzückt und beglückt mit ihrem Tortenteller in den Kartoffelkeller.
  Wilhelm Neukirch
  
• Immer wenn die tüttelige Teetante
  den Tee in die Kaffeetüte getan hatte,
  tütete die patente Nichte
  der Teetante den Tee
  von der Kaffeetüte in die Teetüte um.
  
• Auf den Terrassentisch im Teekräutergarten passen Kräuterteekrug und Kräuterteetassen.
  von Brigitte Fuchs
  
  
• Drei drollige Trolle tragen trommelnd Tragetaschen,
  trommelnd tragen drei drollige Trolle Tragentaschen.
  von Kerstin Hans
  
  
• Trittfestigkeit von Treppentritten
  prüfen Treppenbauer
  treppauf trappelnd und
  treppab trippelnd.
  von Ralfeva Millionär
  
• Drei tropfnasse traurige Trogträger trugen triefende Tröge treppauf und treppab.
  
• Es ist verboten toten Kojoten die Hose zu verknoten.
  

W

• Wer nichts weiß und weiß, dass er nichts weiß, weiß mehr als der, der nichts weiß und nicht weiß, dass er nichts weiß.
  
• Wir Wiener Waschweiber
  wollten wohl weiße Wäsche waschen,
  wenn wir Wiener Waschweiber wüssten,
  wo weiches, warmes Waschwasser wär`.
  
• Wenige wissen, wie viel man wissen muss, um zu wissen, wie wenig man weiß.
  
• Max wachst Wachsmasken.
  Was wachst Max?
  Wachsmasken wachst Max.
  
• Waldwege werden windelweich,
  wenn Wetterwolken Wasser weinen.
  Arno E. Corvis
  
• Willst du Wichtel sichten, musst du Disteln sicheln, denn nur wer Disteln sichelt, kann Wichtel sichten.
  von Ruth M. Fuchs
  
  
• Löwen mögen Möwen,
  aber Möwen mögen Löwen nicht.
  Schüler 7. Klasse (Freien Waldorfschule Markgräflerland)

 Z

• Zwölf ZipfelmützenzwergeZwölf zünftige Zipfelmützenzwerge die auf zwölf Tannenzapfen saßen, aßen zweihundertzweiundzwanzig blaue Zwetschken. Als sie die zweihundertzweiundzwanzig Zwetschken gegessen hatten, sagte Zwerg Zwuckel zu Zwerg Zwockel ""mich zwickts im Bauch"" darauf antwortete Zwerg Zwockel zu Zwerg Zuckel "mich auch".
  
• In dieser Hitze sitzen Witze in trägen Ritzen auf spitzen Sitzen.
  K.H. Gosau
  
• Zwischen zwei Zwetschgenbäumen
  zwitschern zwei Schwalben.
  
• Zehn zahme Ziegen zogen zehn Zentner Zucker zum Zoo.
  
• Der zerzauste Zauberer zürnt zänkischen Zwergen.
  
• Zornige Zwillinge zogen mit zittrigem Zausen zweifelnd
  und zwanghaft an ihren zotteligen Zwirbelbärten.
  von Mary West
  
  
• Zwischen zitternden Zirbelkiefernzweigen zelebrierten zwei zierliche Zeisige zwitschernd Zärtlichkeiten.
  von Hazel Frank
• Es hat keinen Zweck, zwölf zitternde Zwerge zum Zwitschern zu zwingen.von Maria Klingebiel
  
  
  
  
• Zoran, zugezogener Zahnarzt aus Zagreb, hat beim Ziehen entzündeter Zahnwurzelspitzen zahlreiche Zähne zerzaust.
  von Petra Doering
  
  
• Zweiundzwanzig ziemlich zahme Zebras zogen zweihundertzweiundzwanzig Ziegelsteine, zwei Zentner Zwetschgen und zwölf Zwiebeln zwecks Zählung nach Zwickau zum zwielichtigen Zahlmeister Zwiebackzwicker.
  von Karl-Otto Kaminski
  
  
• Zwanzig ziemlich zierliche Zwerge zwingen zwölf zahme Ziegen zum Ziehen zehn Zentners Zwetschgen.
  von Sylvia Michaelis
  
• Zwanzig Zwerge schlagen Handstand, zehn im Kühlschrank, zehn am Sandstrand.
  von Ferderik Gschaider (12 Jahre, Freiraum-Schule)

• Zanke nicht mit deiner Zimmerzofe, sonst zerzaust sie dir die Zöpfe!
  von Birgit Gross

St Lucia Day

We had a nice day. Cinnamon buns for breakfast (homemade), a candle and a made-up by us rhyme:

"Santa Lucia brings the light
Santa Lucia day over night
Santa Lucia stars in her hair
...Have you ever seen a maiden so fair?"

...with a playdate this afternoon :) Yay!

 And Marsha Johnson of Shining Star School says:

"The story of Lucia is an important one in the dark time of this season....she was an Italian girl who was promised in marriage to a man by her father....she wished to dedicate her life to the one lived in the holy places, the sacred spaces, the quiet contemplative retreats of the sisters and nuns in those old days...but her father desired to alighn his ambition through her with another family....

She refused.

Her intended became enraged and was very cruel to Lucia, finally causing her death. Thus the red sash on the white dress...

The story of her life was known and she was regarded as a very holy and special person, who would give up her own life rather then compromise her ideals.

Later, in the far north, was a time of starving. The people were about to die for lack of food, the weather was frigid, the nights were deeply dark and there was no relief in sight.

Then, across the waters, a boat was seen. In the front of the first boat, stood a maiden, dressed in white with a red sash and on her head, a crown of lights burning in the darkness...the boat was loaded with food and behind, tied together, other boats filled with food to sustain life.

The boats slowly came in and beached on the shore...the people took the food and distributed to each family as was its need, and the people survived....and it was known that this WAS Lucia, the dark headed Italian martyr, who had brought this food to the people of Sweden.

It was a miracle.

To this day, we celebrate the bright yellow flaming candlelight of this miracle with S-shaped saffron/cardamom buns and the wreath of candles atop the head of the eldest girl-at-home of the family, each year on Dec, 13.

This is the story...."

 And there is a link to Faerie Rebecca's site for Saffron buns:

http://faeriedust2001.blogspot.com/2005/12/santa-lucia-day.html

And the recipe from there:

day we will make our Lussekatter, the saffron buns that Lucy carries. The cookies look like eyes (the Italian saint tore out her own eyes--gotta love the lives of saints!), but we like the idea that they are a reflection of Freya's cats that pull her chariot across the sky. Here's our recipe for Lucy's Cats, gleaned from a long-forgotten internet source years and years ago:

• 1 packet yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• saffron threads (or powdered saffron, about 1/4 tsp.)
• 4 cups (about 400 grams) all purpose flour
• beaten egg (for brushing)
• raisins or dried cranberries or currants

Dissolve yeast in warm water (I like to add a bit of honey, too, to make the yeast grow more quickly). Melt the butter, stir in milk, and then add this mixture to the yeast. Beat in the sugar, salt, egg, and saffron, blending until smooth. Add in the flour a cup at a time, and work until smooth. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Turn the dough out and knead. Pinch off small pieces of dough and twist into an "S" shape and place on baking sheet (I like to use a stone). Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 20 minutes in a warm kitchen. reheat oven to 425 degrees. Add raisins in the curves of the "S" and brush with beaten egg. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 2 dozen of Lucy's Cats.

 

Paper Snowflakes

Springy had a friend round on a playdate yesterday.  We did some paper snowflakes just using folded circles.  Today I found this fabulous site which has some very difficult patterns on but they are great fun to make:

http://www.marcels-kid-crafts.com/make-snowflake.html

Springy had a brilliant birthday week.  She was invited on stage by MP, a folk singer, and got Happy Birthdayed by around 2,000 people.  Springy also got to play the bells (jingle ones) on stage with the band.  On her actual birthday she went to a dog groomers with Lily and spent 2 hours learning about dog grooming.  Lily came out looking rather neat and sophisticated (although I prefer her scruffy look) and although Springy doesn't want to be a dog groomer now, it put her off, it was still a very successful treat.

Recipe for Koeksisters and barn owls

And couldn't capture her on camera but a female barn owl  glided past our windows earlier and along the hedgerows in the fields - mystical and magical mist. :)

http://pheasantsfrogsandbananabread.blogspot.com/

These sound delicious - yum :)

Also have this French advent calendar online (not very Waldorf but useful for learning French)

A nephew and a cousin

My brother and his wife gave birth to a 7lb 7oz baby boy around 5 a.m.  I am so pleased for them.

We woke up to the above good news and about 4 inches of snow.Our dog  is outside having an amazing time, leaping about, knocking snow off flower pots and so on.

9-year change

I'm listening to this by Melisa Nielsen:

http://thewaldorfconnection.com/9year-change/

I've bought quite a few of her resources (A Little Garden Flower) and they're pretty useful, affordable and have some great ideas.

I'm noticing quite a few changes in Springy.  She's questioning me a lot and huffs a fair bit too at times.  She's also having some melancholic moments when she's normally been very sanguine in temperament before.  I think 9 is coming soon...

I'm also going to listen to this interview with Steiner Early Childhood educator Janni Nichol:
http://raisingplayfultots.com/podcast/raising-playful-tots-show-36-waldorf-education-with-janni-nicol

Chilly overnight

Springy had a Scout Chilly Camp last night.  It's the first time she's stayed away from home without a family member with her (she's only stayed at her grandparents before).  She was very confident about staying over and I made sure that she felt that she could say no to going.  Anyway she seems to have had a fairly good time although she's very tired today.

She's now back and playing with her guineapig.  I'm trying to sort her bedroom out but it's got so much clutter plus the guineapigs are now living in her room too!

Martha - our new guineapig

Today was our dog Lily's birthday and we also got Springy an early birthday present. She is a little 12-week old guineapig and her name is Martha.  She is gorgeous and reminds us a bit of Sarah. Rose and Martha seem to be getting on well.

I love this recipe from here http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/2008/11/recipe-for-stutenmann-or-weckmann.html  (I've copied it below in case I can't find it again and so I can utilise it but it's not mine - it belongs to the link):

"Ingredients for 6 little Guys:

600 grams of flour

40 grams of fresh yeast ( if not available use about 2.25 teaspoons of dry yeast)

1 cup of lukewarm milk

2 eggs

60 grams of sugar

100 grams of butter ( a little less than one stick)

a pinch of salt,

grated lemon zest from one whole lemon

a touch of vanilla

Raisins and almonds to make mouth,eyes, buttons

Sift flour into a bowl and make a hole in the center. Mix the warmish milk with the yeast and pour it into the hole. Gently mix it in with some of the flour scooped from the sides of the hole. Germans call that the Vorteig=Predough.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, salt, sugar, lemon zest to the mixture and blend it all together. Knead the dough until nice and smooth. Let it rest again for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut out or shape into breadman. Decorate as shown in the pictures. Children love to help with this! Rub on some beaten egg yolks to give a nice brown shiny tint! Let them rest another 15 minutes before baking.

In Germany the breadman usually come with a pipe made of clay. I prefer the non-smoking kind =).

Bake at about 380 degrees for 10-15 minutes."

Riding, swimming, Scouts and Brownies

Because Springy is a) an only child and b) someone who happens to love being around other people, we have made a lot of effort into ensuring she gets regular contact with other children as well as the socialising she does with us, her family and friends or out and about shopping, at the library and so on.

Springy goes riding, to Scouts and to Brownies.  We've also got a weekly or sometimes fortnightly swim going on with some other friends who happen to be home-educators too.

I think that the 'socialisation' issue is important but more from whether a child's personality and temperament makes it so.  It's also more about socialising than socialisation.  If you have a gregarious child then it's imperative imho that their socialising needs are met. My advice to home educators with only children is to ensure that you do set up meet-ups or join in with group activities of some sort on a regular basis, unless your child really can't cope.  If they can't cope then it's worth considering why e.g. auditory processing. I've met home ed only children who were on the autistic spectrum and who to the outside world came across as "odd" and therefore were deemed a "reason not to homeschool" but society often doesn't understand that a.s. children often don't thrive in school either.  In these cases it may be that any group socialising you do is very selective and serves a true need for your child e.g. an interest. 

Baba Yaga's chicken legs

I often wish I had a house on chicken legs.  I love where we are most of the time but sometimes I wish I could say to my home "Wake up, please go here..."  As someone with a very strong Venus in Cancer in terms of my chart I love being at home.  I like to have all my home comforts - tents are not for me.  It would be so nice to be able to take everything along including the heating and go to different parts of the world (safe parts).

I'm also pulled in more learning directions again.  I love learning - I'm a perpetual student as well as being a home educator.  At the moment, I want to do a clinical massage diploma (2 years), take my ArtReflex training to completion, study with the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine for their correspondence course (just personal use on family) and also do an astrology course.  I'd also like to learn more about needle felting and knitting and crochet.  However, with a small home there isn't enough room to do any of it.

I love the facts that the plants you need always find their way to grow about you.   I really believe that if someone has a health condition then all you need to do is look closely around where they live and the plants that choose to grow near them will give an indication of what they need to deal with.

12.11.10 - Springy  has created Hamster World in her bedroom with toilet and kitchen roll tubes, several cardboard boxes and lots of sawdust. (We don't have a hamster nor will we but she's trying very hard to hint).

She also has her own restaurant and has made a fat ball with peanuts and sunflower seeds for the garden birds.   We got some lard and softened it a little in our hands and then cracked open some monkey nuts and some sunflower seeds to add into it.  We've hung it up in the front garden in the hopes that we will see some of our winter visitors as they feast.

Friday, 11th November 2010

We are stocked up on dog food, hen food and guineapig food. We have a tube of cardboard wide enough to accommodate our guineapig and Lily has new dog toy that she is very excited by and keeps asking us to throw.

We also lit a lantern and walked around the kitchen table as it is far too wild and windy to go outside with a real flame. Poor Lily had to wait until this afternoon for her walk because it was pouring down at an angle.

We keep seeing either a curlew or a whimbrel in the harbour (not today though as it was far too choppy when the tide was in). I need to take a photo so that I can fully identify it with Springy's help. From the way it is staying it's more likely a curlew as they stay resident in the winter, whereas whimbrels just pass through.

 

And Springy   is currently still up singing her times tables in a rather odd operatic voice. "Numbers are are fun, threeeee times six iszzz eight-teeen..." !!!

The Tower of Babel

We did some 3 times tables (with stamp stamp clap), told a story about the Tower of Babel and Springy is now playing with some old clay that is soaking in water. She's going to be doing some clay tablet writing over the next few days (I hope - not much clay though!). We've also read Story of the World about the first writing.

 (update:  we didn't have enough clay to make the tablets but she made a mini Tower of Babel.  It was interesting to note how she has recently been asking about what did people talk like in the past.  She was asking about the Stone Age and so on and how people would have sounded so the curriculum meshes with her developmental needs).

Old Testament Stories and clay

We did some 3 times tables (with stamp stamp clap), told a story about the Tower of Babel and #Springy is now playing with some old clay that is soaking in water. She's going to be doing some clay tablet writing over the next few days (I hope - not much clay though!). We've also read Story of the World about the first writing.

 I went to Michael Hall earlier this week and had a great time experiencing a Day in the Classroom.

We covered Nature Stories.  I learnt a lovely story from experienced Waldorf teacher David Smith (30 years of class teaching).  This is an adaptation because it as an oral story and I didn't tape it:

Once there was a plant nursery and in the autumn and spring, as you may know, a lot of birds either leave or come to our country.  They travel from far away, sometimes from countries to the far north with ice and snow and sometimes from hot places such as Africa.  Now there were a lot of new baby plants growing in the nursery and some of the birds had travelled long and far and they watched the little plants.  They noticed that one of the plants was growing bigger than the others.  They gathered around and had a look and they noticed that the leaves on this baby plant were so big.  "Aha" said the swallows, "You must be an elephant plant - you have a trunk and two big ears."  The birds laughed.  The baby plant felt sad because he didn't want to feel different from the other plants in the nursery but the birds kept calling him an elephant plant.  The birds said to the other little plants growing in the nursery that they shouldn't talk to the elephant plant anymore.  The little plants at first said "Oh no we're all plants" but the birds said that if any of them kept talking to the elephant plant that they wouldn't be friends with them.  The elephant plant felt very sad.  He was all alone and so he turned his head up to the sun and asked the sun to make him like the sun.  "Please make me like you Sun."  And he grew and he grew as he held his head to the sun.  The birds had flown away for a while and when they came back they noticed the elephant plant.  "Ooh, you've changed, you're just like the Sun," they said.  They started to make a fuss and told all the other birds and the other plants in the nursery that the elephant plant looked like the sun.  The birds said "How did you stop being an elephant and turn into the sun?  We know what you are, you're a sunflower," but the plant didn't want to talk to them.  He started to turn away and as he did his heart went cold.  He didn't want to know the birds or the other plants in the nursery.  They'd been so mean to him and his only friend had been the sun.  But as his heart turned cold he started to change again.  His golden sunshine flower darkened.  The birds tried to talk to him again.  "We're sorry," they said.  "We're sorry we were mean to you but we didn't know that you were a flower of the sun."  The other plants said sorry too.  "We're sorry too, we're sorry we listened to the birds when they said not to talk to you.  It doesn't matter that you were different."  But the sunflower was still hurt and his heart went even colder until all the light went from him.  And then he felt so sad.  He missed the birds and the other plants and he began to cry little grey tears.  His tears fell to the ground and the birds gathered about and they picked them.  "Ooh, these taste delicious. Thank you," they said to the sunflower.  And the sunflower didn't hurt anymore.  The birds took some of the seeds and they planted them.  "Next time we see an elephant plant we'll remember to be kind."

Mr Smith tells story after story throughout the Main Lesson.  He doesn't just do one.  He links them to the next day and the previous and so on, adding on.  It's nothing like most of the curriculum emphasise where there's only one story per day.  He had such a quiet voice but it seemed to resonate all around the room.  We were leaning in to listen.  He held a picture of a Cicely Baker tree picture - a beech tree.  This is not verbatim but is the gist of what he was doing:

 "Do you remember I was telling you about the trees and at this time of year the leaves start to change colour and they fall off.  Well there's a tree called the Copper Beech and they're all one tree.  What colour do think it is?  It's a brownish red colour.  Now the squirrels ran off with some of the beech mast (and he had some to show because they go out gathering up stuff from nature before or having a look about and he links his stories in that way).  They buried it in the ground and it grew and grew.  And do you know what colour the leaves were?  Green!  Not copper because copper beeches are all one tree.  No, to grow a copper beech you have to take a branch off a copper beech and plant that, not the seed.  It's called grafting.  Apple and pear trees are grafted.  Can you remember the tree that the King of Spain's daughter had?  I had a little nut tree, nothing would it bear but a silver nutmeg and a golden pear...  Later in the year we'll do some grafting.  Some pear trees can have 10 different pears on them or apple trees can have different branches each with a different type of apple...but we'll do that in the garden later on."

He also had some plastic worms, yes plastic, to show the different lifecycles of a worm because he says bringing animals to the classroom often results in accidental death.  He also has a briefcase of plastic insects including a preying mantis.  He asked whether it was a praying mantis or a preying mantis (good way to discuss spellings).

He said that Grade 3 is when you introduce rules.  The Old Testament is rule introduction.  Then you start with grammar, spelling and so on.  I was amazed by how much writing there was for Class 3 in their Main Lesson Books.  The writing was small and cursive already.

Music:

Nice idea on how to introduce musical staves - once there was a little gnome playing his recorder but all the notes kept floating away on the breeze and he couldn't remember how to play them again. Fortunately there was an angel sitting in a nearby tree and her hair caught the notes....

 

 

Fables block

We finished up our Fables block with a re-enactment using models of The Mouse and The Lion. Springy made them using Fimo modelling clay which we baked. It's not the same as using beeswax, as in Steiner style education, because you can stick bits together rather than form from a whole piece but she really enjoyed it and they look really good.  We also recited the poem from Sigi De Francesca's Fables book.

 we also had some harmonica time and our dog joined in (hilarious when she howls along ).

I was reading www.patchofpuddles.co.uk today.  The lady who runs it, Merry, is a home education hero of mine.  She lost her son in the spring and it's sad to read through her experience of his loss.  I remember how long it took for me to be able to go near a baby again.  When you lose a pregnancy or a child, I think it's quite common to develop an aversion to holding babies or toddlers.  I held a 13-month old the other week and it was such a lovely experience but I got very broody and inside, although it's much easier now, I felt that deep longing for little ones lost.

OT and Waldorf

I've been making gapped paragraphs for Springy.  The idea is say you are working on a Fable, you tell the story, but a very expanded version (Sigi De Francesca has a brilliant book on the Fables) and then I wrote a simpler version out of the story but left spaces in the text and a list of words my daughter had to use to fill it in.  That way she got to do some spelling, copywork and so on but tied it into the Fables.   Then after she had done quite a few of these gapped summaries (so she's not having to write out the whole summary herself) she then copied them out into her main lesson book and illustrated them.

I think one of the points of Grade 3 thinking in Waldorf is that the child is going through the 9-year change.  They're coming out of their dependency on you as parent but not yet independent.  The OT stories are to do with authority - the Garden of Eden, Noah having to build an Ark - big boss parent authoritarian figure saying "Do as I say...or else you will pay consequences." I've done a few of the OT stories but I have to say that spiritually (I'm an atheist) I was concerned and morally I had concerns too because God in OT stories from an outside perspective comes over as a complete and utter bully.  However, I have a few books by Margaret Mayo and Usbourne bible stories that have made me review my relation to the stories, not spiritually, but as a parent I have an understanding of how our role as passive or authoritative or authoritarian person changes depending on context etc e.g. safety issues.  There is a certain wisdom in them as stories (although I still don't understand why anyone would want to be in a religion that had such an aggressive, mean, authoritarian, death-loving deity). I've used the stories without putting them into a religious context, other than mentioning they are from the Jewish, Islamic and Christian traditions of religion so she can place them amongst her friends who believe in those faiths. 

My daughter has said quite a few times things like, "Oh he's so mean, why did he have to flood the Earth?"  However, she's also picked up on how mean the other people were.   However, she's also picked up on how mean the other people were and asked "Why couldn't he have saved all the nice things and not just some?".  I haven't answered as such but she's been left with some big questions and it is these big questions that work on us through our lives.  As a parent I often find myself questioning how I parent.  In the children's versions of the Old Testament the deity is diluted somewhat so I can relate to him as a "parent".  He created his children and he's trying to look after them, even though they go astray.  If he created them does he have the right to destroy them if they disobey?  It's not going in like that to Springy now but it locks into the synapses for a later date.

October Nature Walks

Springy and I had a lovely nature walk. We saw a grey heron, looking very primeval, in the harbour mud flats. We also saw a sparrowhawk overhead. The swallows seem to have disappeared over the past few days.
In the past few week I've also bought a sewing machine (managed to thread it up easily but still can't sew straight!).

1st october 2010

Today we managed to do the Fable of The Hare and the Crocodile and we have two pages in the main lesson book. Springy has also decorated the living room with Halloween pictures of cats, bats and pumpkins. I wondered why she needed a sewing kit and a hole puncher and it was because they are hang-up pictures.

Tomato tulips

Springy and I have been creating some tomato tulips, radish lotuses and we made some milk jelly with pears.

Music in September

We've been doing quite a bit of music.

I've also found this resource which I have ordered:
http://homemusicmaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-product-is-here-waldorf-autumn.html


We've been playing and singing the sample song together with Springy doing the singing, learning the words off by heart and me playing the guitar to accompany her.  We left a message on her grandparents' answering machine the other afternoon as a surprise for them to come back to.

Here are the words (which are found in quite a few Waldorf resources - don't know who to credit with authorship):

"Yellow the bracken, golden the sheaves, rosy the apples, crimson the leaves, mist on the hillside, clouds grey and white, Autumn good morning, Summer good night."

September and what we've been doing

We've been utilising the Christopherus Second grade curriculum as our scaffolding.  Although Springy would be in Third Grade I feel that because we deviated from the traditional Waldorf curriculum last year that I want to back track a bit and go over things until January. 

We've started with a mini maths block and have been using Four in a Row maths games.  Springy has done some lovely pictures in her Main Lesson book so far including squirrels for maths (as outlined in Christopherus). 

The Christopherus package is quite pricey but the plus side is I enjoy the way Donna Simmons writes.  She's like a warm cup of cocoa with her words - comforting and friendly.  The downside is there is still quite a lot of working out to do at times and I wish the material were all together, rather in separate books at times as there is quite a bit of fiddling back and forth.  That said, I'm beginning to understand more on Waldorf again to the Class/Grades approach.

Flying the kite - Autumn 2010

Springy has done some maths in her Magic Book (main lesson type thing), and flown her Indonesian owl kite whilst we were walking L this morning. She is now outside having fun flying her kite on the dog lead as we have some gusty south-westerly wind today.

 

Embroidery

 Springy and some of her friends went to the Embroidery Guild last week. I can't believe how well their work turned out. It started off as bits of thread and material and ended up as a book cover with gold thread, crushed velvet and so on.

Genealogy

 C and I are doing family genealogy research with help from my dad (over the phone) because Springy likes history and we thought it would be interesting to know her ancestry (as far as we can take it to).

End of August

Since I last posted Springy has had another maths lesson with a private tutor.  Sometimes it's hard to be objective when you're are home educating so C and I decided that a series of three lessons over three weeks would be a good idea.  We certainly found a great tutor and Springy has progressed in a positive way.  It also helped that the tutor had a puppy at home.

Today we went out in our little rowing boat which was great fun.  We saw 3 egrets and a very big black-backed gull.  We had to be careful not to get in the way of some of the yachts that were about and their wakes.

I've got several books lined up on Native American buildings for reading (as usual here, one has gone missing in the collage of chaos).  We also have Farmer Boy and Schoolhouse in the Parlour by Rebecca Caudhill as read alouds.

Springy finished her Magic Book so it's time to move onto a new one.  I'm feeling a little more confident and have been reading various educational materials to keep inspired.  We never stop for summer holidays so we're not really about to start a new year as such.  I feel we're still in the Class Two zone for some things developmentally but that also Springy responded well over the summer to many of the Class Three elements that were introduced.

This morning in her maths lesson she was asked about solving a puzzle.  She had to get four people across to an island by a boat.  There were 2 men and 2 women.  The rules were that the boat could only carry up to two women or one man so she had to work out the sequence.

Cheesemaking

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/6-Recipes.html

We made some cheese about a month back.  It was fun to do - we used lemon juice to curdle the milk.  It took several days before the "cheese" tasted of cheese.  The above has more recipes but we just used the basic method of adding an acid to milk.  We get our milk delivered and it's organic, in glass bottles, pasteurised but non-homogenised so it's good stuff for the most part (could be better if it was from pasture-fed cows!). 

It tied in to our gentle step into Class Three/Third Grade developmental territory.

Sachertorte - sort of...

We made a sort of Sachertorte with Springy today. It's a bit too bitter for her taste so next time I will use a lower percentage dark chocolate for the ganache. I reckon it would be nice to add grated orange rind and use marmalade instead of raspberry in it too (it would be lovely with Cointreau or such but I'd probably fall over after one slice then).

We spent the morning doing our lessons - Springy did some paper weaving because we've been discussing baskets and tried to do some form drawing type exercises with the up and down of that. We stuck it into her Main Lesson book.


We've had 2 walks with our dog today so far, cleaned out R, our guineapig and played a very intense game of Ludo this afternoon.

We also played a tune on the recorder together. The words involved weaving sweetly, weaving neatly, up and down, down and up...

Recipe needs modifying to larger quantities too (although it was probably enough to make 12 Sachertorte type fairy cakes) as it was a bit thin in the cake pan.  The current one is as follows:

4 oz caster sugar
4 oz butter
2 oz almond flour
4 eggs - separated
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate
+ chocolate ganache and raspberry jam

Prepare a round cake tin - brush with butter to prevent sticking
In a bowl:
Cream butter and sugar together with almond flour.
Add 4 egg yolks.  Gently fold in the dark chocolate (melted in a bain marie) and add vanilla essence.
Sieve Self Raising flour into mix and gently mix it in.
Beat the egg white until forming stiff peaks and fold it into the rest of the mixture.
Pour into cake tin and even out top with spatula.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes
Turn out onto cake rack and cool for 5 minutes.
Cut cake top off and spread a layer of raspberry jam in the middle.

To make ganache - 50g of dark chocolate, 20ml double cream and a dash of rum or brandy (if you wish)
Melt chocolate in bain marie, add double cream and mix in and then add dash of rum/brandy (you could subsitute with a dash of fruit juice)
Spread ganache over Sachertorte.
Serve your torte with a coffee or whatever drink you feel fits.

Beautiful blogs

http://downinthemeadow.blogspot.com/2010/08/holiday-bliss-blossoms-and-my-raw.html

http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/search/label/Grade1

http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/

No Resources

Another factor that has made this past year more daunting is the lack of resources.  This year just gone was so dire on a financial level at various points that there was no way I could have spent money on resources.  We have had to make do with what we had but it's not been easy.  I am learning about Steiner Waldorf as I go along.  Kindergarten I understood really well, perhaps because of my previous knowledge and experience of working with this age group.  First Grade didn't seem too bad either - fairy tales and a child who could already read and write with ease because of their own intuition.  Second Grade seemed incredibly disordered because I had a) a lack of time to read around Waldorf stuff and b) I had no curriculum materials that I could make sense of.  Instead we used non-Waldorf educational materials such as workbooks which Springy didn't always resonate with.  Also, my husband, though well-meaning, allowed Springy to watch pop videos and other media forms which I disagreed with but because I was not there to supervise it went unchecked as part of her "education".

We're now in a position to get some resources so I'm putting together lessons.

It's all a bit of a mess but we had a good morning this morning.  Last night we read a Bonnie Scheckie book on House of Wood which relates to Native American Indians and also shelter building.  Springy did a couple of pages in her Main Lesson book with a picture of things made from wood and also we did a page based on a story from a Live Education Class 2 resource about Grandfather Corn which a friend kindly let me look at.  I want to save up and get both the Live Education and Christopherus materials because I realise I can't do Waldorf on my own.

I'm going to read this http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/klocekchores.pdf because I feel like Springy could do with contributing a bit more to the home.

Home education or school

Also, these past few days have been quite startling.  My husband called the Local education authority up to get Springy into school.  He hasn't understood that my pleas for more  help were not me saying I want to give up on home education.  Rather, because of all the studying and working that has entailed plus having my own business I feel stretched out and don't feel as if I am doing a good job.  That's not the same as really not doing a good job - Springy is lovely, polite for the most part and enjoys home education for the most part.  We've struggled financially which has made getting to home ed meet-ups and so on difficult and we've maybe been hanging about too much with schoolers without a balance of home educators.  That can make you feel like you're on your own in the middle of the ocean and it's easy to lose sight of why you home educated in the first place.

Anyway, he has said that if I can prove that home education is working for Springy then he may not proceed but it's still a huge cloud hanging over (love proverbs) our heads.

Springy doesn't want to go to school.  That said she doesn't know school so how can she make an informed choice but no one pressures children at school into home educating - the pressure we get to put her into school is so great.  Everyone has a view from my mother to the checkout people at the supermarket.  Sometimes it gets too much.

August 2010

Wow - it's been a very hard year.  I spent a lot of that time in college and it was hard going.  However, back to home education. 

Springy saw a maths tutor the other day who said she's not a natural mathematician but meant it nicely.  I've known for a while that Springy often does things really well one day and then seems to have forgotten it all a day or even an hour later.  It can be quite frustrating but I guess that is part of education and learning - it's not a linear path.

I nearly moved forward with class Three stuff  - farming and Old Testament stuff.  In fact we have done a few bits from these areas because we can easily watch arable farming around us and also we've been growing quite a few things as per usual so we have our own "crops".  Springy also made a tipi in the garden using bamboo poles and a sheet and we've done a bit on Native American First Peoples stories.  From the Old Testament we have heard the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood and Joseph and His Coat.  However, I've been aware that maybe we need to do some revisiting of Second Grade/Class Two Steiner Waldorf stuff because last year, although we home educated, we did little in the way of Main Lesson fun.

Bicycling at last

Springy rode her bicycle properly for the first time today - hooray. :) She's been so determined and has had all the pedal bashes on her ankles etc and yet she persevered. We now need to get her bicycle fixed so it has brakes (rather than feet).

Seven

We have been working on the 7 times table with Springy who seems to have memorised it really well so far. We've been discussing the seven days of the week and the seven colours of the rainbow (visible light spectrum). We've been sat outside in the garden reading a book called Schoolhouse in the Woods as well.

 

We also dug up our potato crop from the potato bag.  It wasn't very big but will be enough for one meal with potatoes. 

 

Our current read at night is The Borrowers by Mary Norton.

11th June 2010

  Springy and I went on 2 small bicycle rides today, 2 walks with our lovely dog Lily and we also did some wet felting for a small project we are making. I also did some needle felting and did not jab my fingers once - hooray. :)

Springy had a great day at the Weald and Downland by helping out the gundog display people from Reedland Retrievers.

Cheese making

Springy and I made cheese today using a pint of organic whole milk which we curdled with lemon juice. We then squeezed out the whey by having the solids in a teatowel and added some herbs - homemade cheese tomorrow.

 To me it's got the texture of a medium cheese - if I was to improve it I would add a bit of salt next time and not just ... herbs. It would have been nice to have gone and milked a cow or goats too but we don't have access to any lactating mammals at the moment. I've also been lazy and not baked any bread because a rustic foccacia bread with olives would go well with it but I don't have time today.