Geographical awareness

Springy likes to draw maps and following on some reading from other wonderful home educators I reckon it would be nice for Springy to draw a map of our home and where we live.

The weather is something we're discussing and the autumn is the perfect time to discuss leaves changing colour (not in detail). We've been picking blackberries and I'm hoping to make some Hedgerow Crumble soon with the elderberries, sloes and blackberries from around the hedges here.

Springy keeps reversing letters at the moment so I need to work on some lemniscates with her - off to the right and back to the middle (8 on its side). Her favourite toy at the moment is her little wooden road set and she's getting better and better at building it herself. We're now down to the last 3 pieces that she needs help on (rather than about 10).

EYFS

Here is a link to how to get an exemption for the EYFS:

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/resources/downloads/guidanceexemptions.doc

First Grade from Linden Waldorf school

I liked this summary of Class 1 (age 6/7 years) from the Linden Waldorf school:

"The first grade curriculum provides a context out of which language arts and math learning grow. It awakens capacities of memory and thinking. At this time in the first grade students’ lives, retaining content is less important than what content and form of presentation do to the children in terms of body growth, physical health and moral development.
History: Fairy tales, folk tales and nature stories cultivate imagination and awareness of environment and world.
Literature: Language is expressive in vocabulary, poems with strong rhythms. Fairy tales imagery gives way to reality of ideas and relationships.Geography: Wonders through observations of nature.
English and Grammar: Writing and reading evolve out of oral tradition. Instead of abstract symbols, the introduction of letters is as actual characters with which the children have a real relationship. Fairy tales and stories introduce each letter. In addition,straight and curved lines are observed in body, classroom, and world and practice through walking and drawing in air, sand, blackboard, and paper. Form drawings train motor skills, awaken powers of observation, and create a foundation for letters. Speech exercises, short plays, and class play are included each year.
Science: Stories from nature build awareness of and sensitivity to their surroundings and they are introduced to the kingdoms of nature through storytelling. Also, the children go outside twice a day to maintain a close connection to seasons and environment.
Mathematics: The children are introduced to whole numbers to 100. They learn qualities of numbers before learning addition or subtraction. What is oneness? What is there only one of in the world? Stones, acorns, and other natural objects are used to introduce counting. Considerable practical experience in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing is expected before written symbols are introduced. This qualitative approach stresses the natural experience of the numbers realm. Rhythms, mental arithmetic, Roman numerals, and number riddles reinforce skills.
Music: The children learn the pentatonic scale, in which all notes have a harmonious sound in any order they are played. Songs are based on seasonal themes. Playing the pentatonic flute develops finger coordination, concentration and breath control.
Artistic work: When painting, the children experience working with color, not creating formed pictures. Children imitate teacher’s work, drawing whole shapes, not filling in outlines. Feeling for form is encouraged through beeswax modeling and crayon illustrations. Form drawing, painting, beeswax modeling, knitting are also practiced."
Ref: http://www.lindenwaldorf.org/curriculum/grades/grade_1.html


In terms of handwork we have done Springy has started with knitting and has also done some weaving (for her dollshouse rugs). Her first knitting project was a plain knit rectangle which has been used in her dollshouse.

Saint Lucia Day

I've been looking up recipes for December called Lussekatter which are saffron buns for St Lucia's Day and/or the Winter Solstice.

It seems you need:

saffron
milk
yeast
butter
flour
salt
sugar
eggs
raisins

I've yet to find a recipe in full though, that I know is guaranteed to work (since I don't trust recipes unless someone has approved them).

Breastfeeding anniversary

It's been over a year since we last breastfed. Springy has changed so much in that time. Her molars are coming through, she lost her 2 lower teeth and she lost her right top front incisor on 5th August and her top left front incisor on 2nd August 2008 so she's looking a bit gappy at the moment. It's also made her speech hard to understand at times (at least for me).

Thank you to Breastfeeding Network most of all but thank you to La Leche League and Association of Breastfeeding Mothers.

Springy has been swimming twice over the holidays for about an hour each time, which has been nice. She's really coming along. She's still a bit lacking in stamina and will put her feet down but the best thing is she is confident and happy in the water and doesn't mind going underwater either (which I still cannot do). She's been learning front crawl, backstroke and has picked up doggy paddle (from her uncle) and breaststroke (which apart from backstroke is my only swimming stroke). I still cannot go under the water so I am so pleased that she can because it opens up so many possibilities and looks like great fun too.

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.

Chickens

We've embarked on a new experience today by purchasing 2 chickens - one is a Frizzle and the other is a Serama. They're very gorgeous and little at the moment and it will be nice to have our own little egg-layers around our home.