I think the thing about knitting is that you have to be able to knit first yourself. This does not mean you have to be a brilliant knitter (I'm not) but knit around your child so that he or she will notice knitting.
I've been learning to knit for a few years now because...that's how long it has taken me and I still cannot knit a jumper or do anything fancy, or read a proper pattern. I've struggled but now my daughter is finally interested in knitting herself.
The book that has given me the most hope (for myself) is The First Book of Knitting for Children by Bonnie Gosse and this is our "book" to learn from. First off Springy has managed to finger crochet for a good while now and also managed to use a lucette (knitting fork) which we got from Myriad (it's a nice big chunky size, perfect to see what is going on with the wool for small people.
Today we did some more knitting. I find that big needles are working best along with thick yarn. This way it is easy to see the pattern the stitches make and easier to work out how to undo any dropped stitches and so on (won't call them mistakes as it is great to learn how to pick up stitches this way). Springy sits on my lap so we work together with the knitting - she can see what to do from her and my perspective and I can see from her and my persective too - we're working with the same view and the same hand positions etc. We talk about the stitches as sheep (based on the First Book of Knitting...) and every few rows we've been counting the stitches, as sheep, to check that they all got herded up.
I've let Springy set the length of duration - she loves knitting so she's happy to do 6-8 rows at a time (with 6 stitches on the row). I've used a wool which is very cheerful - it's 100% wool and is slightly tie-dye in appearance - purple, pink and so on. I think you've got to get them to think about what to make (not too many choices though because I didn't want to baffle her) - so we said either a blanket for the dollshouse or a scarf for a small doll - and because it will be the same either way it will work out in terms of its practical use.
The hand-eye co-ordination is great and she has to count stitches, use her memory (both kinetic and auditory - for the knitting rhyme) and so on. She's noticeably ready to learn knitting and that for me is great because it's not as if I'm having to "teach" her - she's observing, absorbing and learning it that way.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Sunday, 22 June 2008
Strawberry jam
Our strawberry jam is so delicious. Yesterday we had it with croissants for our breakfast and today we had it on our toast. another favourite breakfast of ours is mackerel - Springy is partial to mackerel and we find that one fish is enough between us (not C) girls.
C used:
1kg strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
250g fructose sugar
You boil up the strawberries after mashing them (and hulling them - which was Springy's job), in a big pot.
Today I was working for most of the time. I've just finished editing a book. Springy and C went for a bicycle ride - Springy didn't want to go on her bike so she just ran alongside C! At the moment they are at the playground (which one I'm not sure) because Springy said she needed to run and play outside. It's a very windy day but it is sunny. My washing is outside on the line (and I hope it doesn't blow away).
Our potatoes were delicious but we could only make 1 meal out of them. I think I hadn't watered the potatoes at the bottom enough and so the dry soil meant they didn't grow very big. Next year I will know better. We ate one of our courgettes - Springy was fascinated by the large, orange flowers - it was delicious. We've got strawberries, tomatoes and blueberries yet to come (and the chives are continuing well).
I've made a knitted horse, a knitted pig and am in the process of stuffing and stitching a lamb. I'm really pleased at the progress with my own knitting because it will make it much easier for me to teach Springy.
We're going to my parents in a few weeks and I cannot wait because my Oma will be there too.
The day after the Solstice always feels a little sad for me because I think, oh the days will be starting to grow shorter again. I love the long days and I like waking up to the light.
C used:
1kg strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
250g fructose sugar
You boil up the strawberries after mashing them (and hulling them - which was Springy's job), in a big pot.
Today I was working for most of the time. I've just finished editing a book. Springy and C went for a bicycle ride - Springy didn't want to go on her bike so she just ran alongside C! At the moment they are at the playground (which one I'm not sure) because Springy said she needed to run and play outside. It's a very windy day but it is sunny. My washing is outside on the line (and I hope it doesn't blow away).
Our potatoes were delicious but we could only make 1 meal out of them. I think I hadn't watered the potatoes at the bottom enough and so the dry soil meant they didn't grow very big. Next year I will know better. We ate one of our courgettes - Springy was fascinated by the large, orange flowers - it was delicious. We've got strawberries, tomatoes and blueberries yet to come (and the chives are continuing well).
I've made a knitted horse, a knitted pig and am in the process of stuffing and stitching a lamb. I'm really pleased at the progress with my own knitting because it will make it much easier for me to teach Springy.
We're going to my parents in a few weeks and I cannot wait because my Oma will be there too.
The day after the Solstice always feels a little sad for me because I think, oh the days will be starting to grow shorter again. I love the long days and I like waking up to the light.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Gnome sums
This morning was, erm, interesting. I got one of the very dry workbooks out that my mum keeps sending to us. This one was Phonics Handwriting! Anyway, I thought Springy may like to have a short go at it. Needless to say she hated it - it was like trying to draw blood from a stone and she wasn't making any effort and kept sliding under the table. We had a nice day yesterday with strawberry picking at the fruit farm and in the afternoon C and Springy made strawberry jam together whilst I did some editorial work.
Back to today, we got the mini chalkboard out this afternoon and did some Gnome Sums. Springy loves doing this and the difference in attitude and energy to the dreadful handwriting workbook was very noticeable. She had 12 sums, along with the stones and the gnomes to help. Penny Plus helped her do the addition sums, Daddy Divide helped with sharing, Minnie Minus didn't exactly help because she's so little she drops stones and Maria Multiply whizzed about making groups of whatever.
I wrote the process sign in the corresponding colours and Springy had both the written equation and the stones as manipulatives (plus the little voices that the gnomes have). She managed every sum and thoroughly enjoyed doing them. She asked for more this evening.
I know that if the gnomes start to write letters then Springy will join in with that, no rush on writing though.
Back to today, we got the mini chalkboard out this afternoon and did some Gnome Sums. Springy loves doing this and the difference in attitude and energy to the dreadful handwriting workbook was very noticeable. She had 12 sums, along with the stones and the gnomes to help. Penny Plus helped her do the addition sums, Daddy Divide helped with sharing, Minnie Minus didn't exactly help because she's so little she drops stones and Maria Multiply whizzed about making groups of whatever.
I wrote the process sign in the corresponding colours and Springy had both the written equation and the stones as manipulatives (plus the little voices that the gnomes have). She managed every sum and thoroughly enjoyed doing them. She asked for more this evening.
I know that if the gnomes start to write letters then Springy will join in with that, no rush on writing though.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Re: Playing in the garden
We had a lovely morning playing in the garden. Springy and I played kicking the ball with the swing as a goal. We each had ten kicks and Springy got five (with a little help) "goals" in whereas I got three. We then played bounce the ball and catch which was great fun. Springy decided that if we missed we had to sit on the ball and cluck like a chicken.
This afternoon Springy went swimming and she is doing so well, as is her friend C. C swims like a mermaid in that she can swim really well but best of all under the water, rather than on top. They did star floats, mushroom floats, swam on their backs and on their fronts, had to turn over in the water and so on and they worked so hard at everything.
Yesterday, Springy did a bit of fingerknitting and managed to use a whole ball of wool. Her daddy and I were so amazed. Next of all will be needle knitting.
I'm knitting a number of gifts at the moment. I made Springy a little blue horse and a friend of mine who has twin daughters will be receiving a pig and a lamb in the post for their first birthday. I'm using the patterns from The First Book of Knitting by Bonnie Gosse. It's brilliant and I finally understand knitting. I've noticed that since my awareness of Waldorf education has increased and since I've been putting into practice some of the elements of it, it has acted in a good way on me too. I went on a bicycle at the weekend which is very brave considering it must be almost 15 years since I last had a go and I'm very clumsy. I've noticed my motor control has been improving - I've always been good at fiddly, small things but it's the medium and gross areas that I have often had difficulty with.
This afternoon Springy went swimming and she is doing so well, as is her friend C. C swims like a mermaid in that she can swim really well but best of all under the water, rather than on top. They did star floats, mushroom floats, swam on their backs and on their fronts, had to turn over in the water and so on and they worked so hard at everything.
Yesterday, Springy did a bit of fingerknitting and managed to use a whole ball of wool. Her daddy and I were so amazed. Next of all will be needle knitting.
I'm knitting a number of gifts at the moment. I made Springy a little blue horse and a friend of mine who has twin daughters will be receiving a pig and a lamb in the post for their first birthday. I'm using the patterns from The First Book of Knitting by Bonnie Gosse. It's brilliant and I finally understand knitting. I've noticed that since my awareness of Waldorf education has increased and since I've been putting into practice some of the elements of it, it has acted in a good way on me too. I went on a bicycle at the weekend which is very brave considering it must be almost 15 years since I last had a go and I'm very clumsy. I've noticed my motor control has been improving - I've always been good at fiddly, small things but it's the medium and gross areas that I have often had difficulty with.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
2nd Grade tips
I've not even got myself fully into 1st Grade thinking but here is a useful tip I found:
"For our Arithmetic, we practice the four processes. The key to 2nd grade is repetition,
repetition, repetition. The children know that ‘Practice makes perfect’ is one of my favorite sayings. Last year we had the story of the gnomes who had gone to the ocean to count shells. This year their wise, wise King noticed that the gnomes were becoming confused by counting all those shells. He built a lovely wooden shelf with three sections to help them. The children put the single shells in the first section. When they have counted ten shells, they put them in a pouch in
the second section. When there were 10 pouches, they put the pouches in a basket in the third section. In this way we introduce place value. We’re still really living into that: we are learning and practicing how a number such as 324, can be 3 baskets, 2 pouches, and 4 individual shells. We are also taking the 324 shells and separating them into two different numbers: always starting with the whole and going to the part."
http://www.emersonwaldorf.org/wp-content/themes/ews/pdfs/Insights_Spring06.pdf
There are also a couple of recipes on there:
Gingerbread Cookies
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine wet ingredients and add dry ingredients to wet. Refrigerate dough until firm. Roll out dough and cut into shapes. Bake on oiled/buttered pan for 8 minutes.
and:
Festival Cake
A recipe for celebration at the Morning Song Nursery
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1-2/3 cups vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
4 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients in a second bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, or serve with fresh whipped cream and Celebrate.
Ingredients for 6 apricot dumplings:
2 large floury potatoes (almost a kilo in weight)
1 egg
Cup at least of SR flour (but you add this very gradually)
6 apricots
6 sugar lumps
Breadcrumbs to coat dumplings
Butter (used for frying breadcrumbs and to help them stick onto the dumplings)
First off, remove the pits from the apricots but do not open them entirely. You want to leave a pocket to insert the sugar in place of the pit.
Boil your potatoes (cut them small) until they are soft.
Sieve potatoes (which mashes them).
Add egg.
Add flour gradually to dough mix. It should form to a consistency that means it no longer sticks to the bowl and that is doughy but not sticky (not too dry and not crumbly).
When this is ready pull off pieces and wrap them around the apricots.
Add Marillenknodel to a pan of boiling water (do this slowly as if you drop them in they will displace the scalding water).
When they have risen they are ready.
Roll them in the lightly fried breadcrumb mix and serve hot with a dusting of icing sugar.
They are quite heavy on the digestive system and in Austria they are served following a course of soup, as a main dish.
You can use the potato/egg/flour mix and roll in your hand to form gnocchi. Pop them in boiling water and wait for them to rise, serve with some kind of pasta style sauce.
"For our Arithmetic, we practice the four processes. The key to 2nd grade is repetition,
repetition, repetition. The children know that ‘Practice makes perfect’ is one of my favorite sayings. Last year we had the story of the gnomes who had gone to the ocean to count shells. This year their wise, wise King noticed that the gnomes were becoming confused by counting all those shells. He built a lovely wooden shelf with three sections to help them. The children put the single shells in the first section. When they have counted ten shells, they put them in a pouch in
the second section. When there were 10 pouches, they put the pouches in a basket in the third section. In this way we introduce place value. We’re still really living into that: we are learning and practicing how a number such as 324, can be 3 baskets, 2 pouches, and 4 individual shells. We are also taking the 324 shells and separating them into two different numbers: always starting with the whole and going to the part."
http://www.emersonwaldorf.org/wp-content/themes/ews/pdfs/Insights_Spring06.pdf
There are also a couple of recipes on there:
Gingerbread Cookies
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine wet ingredients and add dry ingredients to wet. Refrigerate dough until firm. Roll out dough and cut into shapes. Bake on oiled/buttered pan for 8 minutes.
and:
Festival Cake
A recipe for celebration at the Morning Song Nursery
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1-2/3 cups vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
4 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients in a second bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, or serve with fresh whipped cream and Celebrate.
And this one is from the Spring 2006 newsletter of Emerson Waldorf:
Swedish Lenten Buns
Ingredients for buns:
1 oz yeast
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
Melt butter in a saucepan. Pour in milk and heat until tepid, about 98o F. Pour over yeast in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Blend in salt, sugar, egg and most of the flour. Knead until the dough is
smooth and pliable. Cover and leave to rise for about 30 min.
Turn out dough and knead on a floured board until springy and elastic. Cut dough in 2 pieces. Form each into a sausage and cut into 6 pieces. Form each piece into a smooth round roll. Place on a buttered, parchment lined baking sheet. Cover until light and puffy, 30 - 40 min.
Bun Wash:
Beat one egg, and brush each bun with egg wash.
Bake 480o F for 8-10 min. Put buns on wire rack, cover with a cloth, and allow to cool.
Cut the top of each bun off and scoop out some of the inside of the bun. (You want to leave sturdy outer walls.) Place the crumbs in a bowl, and mash with a fork.
Filling:
Crumb from the buns
2 3/4 oz almond paste
1/4 cup milk or cream
Grate the almond paste into the bowl with the crumbs from the buns. Add the milk or cream. Mix well.
Fill the buns with the almond mixture.
Whip another 3/4 cup cream. Put some cream on top of each bun, and then place top of bun back on. Dust with confectioners sugar.
Eat plain or with warm milk poured over them.
---
The last recipe here is for Marillen Knodeln (Apricot Dumplings) and this is my own recipe writing adapted from my own Oma's. I made them tonight and they were delicious:Ingredients for 6 apricot dumplings:
2 large floury potatoes (almost a kilo in weight)
1 egg
Cup at least of SR flour (but you add this very gradually)
6 apricots
6 sugar lumps
Breadcrumbs to coat dumplings
Butter (used for frying breadcrumbs and to help them stick onto the dumplings)
First off, remove the pits from the apricots but do not open them entirely. You want to leave a pocket to insert the sugar in place of the pit.
Boil your potatoes (cut them small) until they are soft.
Sieve potatoes (which mashes them).
Add egg.
Add flour gradually to dough mix. It should form to a consistency that means it no longer sticks to the bowl and that is doughy but not sticky (not too dry and not crumbly).
When this is ready pull off pieces and wrap them around the apricots.
Add Marillenknodel to a pan of boiling water (do this slowly as if you drop them in they will displace the scalding water).
When they have risen they are ready.
Roll them in the lightly fried breadcrumb mix and serve hot with a dusting of icing sugar.
They are quite heavy on the digestive system and in Austria they are served following a course of soup, as a main dish.
You can use the potato/egg/flour mix and roll in your hand to form gnocchi. Pop them in boiling water and wait for them to rise, serve with some kind of pasta style sauce.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Where Springy is at...
We've been in a kind of transition stage between Kindergarten and what would be called the Classes/Grades for a few months now. Our year in terms of officialdom is January to January. However, in terms of our feel of the year we start in April - Aries to Pisces. In terms of Steiner, Springy would be starting in September in Class 1 as she is 7 in that "term" but home education allows for breaking of rules created by Government policy.
Springy is now swimming well, she can pedal and I reckon if we could just find the device to get the stabilisers off she would be not far off riding her bicycle herself. Yesterday we visited the seaside and Springy has a body board - she was so happy in the sea (she had on her wetsuit and swimming hat to protect her from salt and sun!). The tide was coming in so I felt much safer as she went off with her daddy a good 10 metres out.
She lost her 2 lower incisors and her top 2 incisors have been very wobbly for ages. Her rear molars have come in. Her baby dimples have transformed into knuckles and she has started to skip rope with both legs together.
She can read really well. Her spelling and writing is another matter, although she can write very small and beautifully if I write out things for her to copy.
She can work out some basic maths - divide, addition and subtraction with numbers under 20. She can count in tens to 100 and count up to 100 backwards and forwards. She understands odds and evens and has enjoyed our Quality of Numbers stories (Marsha Johnson inspired, along with some Alan Whitehead reading et al).
We recently acquired the Waldorf Alphabet book. It has different styles of the letter (lower case/upper case and variants on font for the lower case) on one side and a picture on the other side showing a number of different things that all start with the same letter. Springy likes looking at it in bed. She also loves the Usborne 1001 things to spot... books.
We did some nice paintings with colour based on the Earthschooling May block (e.g. the Rainbow Cat) and I can see she has much more brush control than last year.
Her singing is lovely - she sings songs all around the house and is happy to sing Happy Birthday to relatives and friends without being self-conscious about it.
We've not done much in terms of setting things down on paper so far. I wanted to start this newer phase in her education in a very gentle and oral/aural way, rather than displaying stuff (I think a lot of stuff that is done in schools is for the benefit of the teachers to prove to the parent that a child is doing something - so this is something I feel we can relax on as home educators).
In terms of reading - we have some delightful seasonal readers from Michael Hall school:
http://www.michael-hall.co.uk/files/uplink/sample_story.pdf
Springy likes reading picture books (we get lots out from the library) and we've been quite fortunate to find some French picture books with fairytales such as Puss in Boots that she seems to be looking at (our place is full of books - we have more books than shelving so books tend to be left around, against walls etc).
Springy is now swimming well, she can pedal and I reckon if we could just find the device to get the stabilisers off she would be not far off riding her bicycle herself. Yesterday we visited the seaside and Springy has a body board - she was so happy in the sea (she had on her wetsuit and swimming hat to protect her from salt and sun!). The tide was coming in so I felt much safer as she went off with her daddy a good 10 metres out.
She lost her 2 lower incisors and her top 2 incisors have been very wobbly for ages. Her rear molars have come in. Her baby dimples have transformed into knuckles and she has started to skip rope with both legs together.
She can read really well. Her spelling and writing is another matter, although she can write very small and beautifully if I write out things for her to copy.
She can work out some basic maths - divide, addition and subtraction with numbers under 20. She can count in tens to 100 and count up to 100 backwards and forwards. She understands odds and evens and has enjoyed our Quality of Numbers stories (Marsha Johnson inspired, along with some Alan Whitehead reading et al).
We recently acquired the Waldorf Alphabet book. It has different styles of the letter (lower case/upper case and variants on font for the lower case) on one side and a picture on the other side showing a number of different things that all start with the same letter. Springy likes looking at it in bed. She also loves the Usborne 1001 things to spot... books.
We did some nice paintings with colour based on the Earthschooling May block (e.g. the Rainbow Cat) and I can see she has much more brush control than last year.
Her singing is lovely - she sings songs all around the house and is happy to sing Happy Birthday to relatives and friends without being self-conscious about it.
We've not done much in terms of setting things down on paper so far. I wanted to start this newer phase in her education in a very gentle and oral/aural way, rather than displaying stuff (I think a lot of stuff that is done in schools is for the benefit of the teachers to prove to the parent that a child is doing something - so this is something I feel we can relax on as home educators).
In terms of reading - we have some delightful seasonal readers from Michael Hall school:
http://www.michael-hall.co.uk/files/uplink/sample_story.pdf
Springy likes reading picture books (we get lots out from the library) and we've been quite fortunate to find some French picture books with fairytales such as Puss in Boots that she seems to be looking at (our place is full of books - we have more books than shelving so books tend to be left around, against walls etc).
Monday, 2 June 2008
Faery Tales and RPGs
I am ever so happy tonight. Springy played her first RPG and it is a really sweet and gentle game. D&D is very much combat based and does have a level of violence which is not so easy to avoid without a lot of tweaking. However, Faery Tale Deluxe has been designed with children and non-violence in mind and is available from Green Ronin publishers:
http://www.greenronin.com
We played Jack and The Beanstalk whereby Springy played the part of a Brownie, along with her squirrel companion and they headed up the beanstalk to rescue Jack. The game is non-violent and is ever so simple. The attributes of each faery character are Mind, Body and Spirit and then each type of faery has different gifts. For instance, Brownies have Invisibility and Household Tasks (so they can churn butter, sweep the hearth etc with ease). Springy loved this and it was a great way to have fun and learn. The feats are based on getting even numbers on the dice (or you could do it without dice). What was so good was getting it as an e-book PDF which meant not having to wait for it to ship.
http://www.greenronin.com
We played Jack and The Beanstalk whereby Springy played the part of a Brownie, along with her squirrel companion and they headed up the beanstalk to rescue Jack. The game is non-violent and is ever so simple. The attributes of each faery character are Mind, Body and Spirit and then each type of faery has different gifts. For instance, Brownies have Invisibility and Household Tasks (so they can churn butter, sweep the hearth etc with ease). Springy loved this and it was a great way to have fun and learn. The feats are based on getting even numbers on the dice (or you could do it without dice). What was so good was getting it as an e-book PDF which meant not having to wait for it to ship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)