The Merry Month of May

This last month we've done lots of things. We did the Jamboree on the Trail (a walk with the beavers and cubs), visited Ikea as a family for the first time (we love lingonberries), Springy and our puppy took part in a dog show (Springy wants to be a dog groomer and dog trainer when she grows up now), I took my First Aid Appointed Persons course again (just a 1-day one), went to the Mind/Body/Spirit event in London (had an amazing Indian Head Massage) and enjoyed the lovely weather outside. We've been going on lots of walks with our lovely dog.

I'm now planning for the next stage in Springy's education - we're slowly integrating animal stories in as per the indications of Rudolf Steiner. We have 3 new paints which we are going to be working with (not because of developmental reasons but because I never could afford 3 new paints before). I feel that we have achieved a lot (with support from friends who have encouraged me to be positive) in our education this year. We've been working on our times tables and so on but we're past Aries and Taurus and into Gemini now so the Zodiac is whizzing by and I like to work my year from Aries to Pisces.

It's already June and we need some rainy weather to stay inside a bit more and do some more academics. Springy and I have been discussing how to use question marks, exclamation marks and periods (full stops).

We're still doing swimming lessons - we got a new teacher this term and he's been great so far. the last few terms were a writeoff but he has made up for it and Springy is now able to dive underwater to collect objects off the bottom (she's better than me).

Tongue Twisters

Red lorry, yellow lorry.

Red leather, yellow leather.

Twice times three, thrice times two...

Spitting and spewing,
Splitting and splattering,
Spilling and spoiling,
spellbound: the sprite.

A cup of coffee in a copper coffee pot.

Into the Merry Month of May

Springy can manage 2 times, 1 times, 10 times and 5 times tables in a basic to intermediate way. Soon we'll be doing 3 times and 4 times.

I want her to get some more knitting done in May and also more wet-on-wet painting. I think we're going to give up on swimming lessons. I've not been happy with them in recent months - they're expensive but also the tutor has been handing us to students who are not qualified swim teachers which at a lot of money per session is an insult.

Instead, we have ballet, modern dance, Beavers and Brownies for our outside the family activities. I'd love to have more music but lessons are so expensive.

St George's Day

We took part in a St George's Day parade at the weekend. It was good fun - I mostly followed Springy around with the camera.

Our puppy is gorgeous. She's getting dog "eyebrows" now which gives her lots of expression. Today she had a fantastic time playing with another dog and they rough and tumbled on the green.

Springy and I did a form drawing session today. We also read Pico the Gnome which is a sweet story. Springy is having trouble finding the ground and the sky in terms of balancing her form drawing but is still doing very well. She made a spell book the other day - we stayed off writing for months and now she keeps writing under her own volition. She decorated the front in the Stockmar crayons and has written some spell-like poems inside. They're copied from My Secret Unicorn, a series of books she has been reading. She also sometimes writes her own poems and is forever telling me ones she has made up, on a verbal basis.

I'm reading a book on painting in the Steiner schools. It's really interesting and has given me a new insight into the colours and the way painting is covered. Rather than using nouns to describe the way the paint colours relate (which is the incorrect emphasis of many of the "waldorf" styled consultants) they say the correct way is on using adverbs and adjectives - the colours are the entities themselves. Having recently taken a workshop on Goethean and Steiner's thoughts on colour this is starting to make more sense to me. The colours themselves are the spiritual elements and essences.

The opposite of the painting is the form drawing which relies on outlines and can be done in bold colours.

'School as a Journey' by Torin Finser

Found this e-book to read:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S_-oI4v5X3kC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=waldorf+blackboard+drawing+course&source=bl&ots=O1NhyiGgYW&sig=pmlK3DeGK8xo-ypb8-be4VZ5_uA&hl=en&ei=RfboSenYJc6rjAfxuPSeCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA12,M1

and:

http://www.angelfire.com/or/cmcquoid/VersesandSongs.htm with lots of verses and songs including this one:

Little dwarfs so short and strong,
Heavy-footed march along;
Every head is straight and proud,
Every step is firm and loud.

The Teacher's Desk

http://www.theteachersdesk.info/freeworksheets.htm

This looks really useful. Springy did a little game (actually a comprehension sheet) on her Magic Tree House book Mummies in the Morning this evening. I printed the preview PDF off and said she could do it or not and she wanted to.

I just purchased the MTH unit studies because Springy enjoys the books and enjoyed the quiz.

Three Cakes for Easter

We're enjoying the weather, although some of my potted plants have wilted slightly in the heat. We have potatoes growing (we hope) and also a few bean plants. The strawberry patch needs a bit of a tidy up.

All the birds are singing their dawn chorus each morning which is just wonderful. Our hens have been laying quite a few eggs. This morning Springy and I had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Our weaving project needs to be continued but Springy did a spring-themed crossword and wrote in the most beautiful neat writing. We haven't done much writing recently because Springy didn't want to and I was forcing workbooks on her before Christmas due to a lack of confidence - we both hated doing them. It's much nicer when writing comes from a more natural interest and the crossword was just that.


Banana Gingerbread
Ei


Cherry Crumble Cake

175g (6oz) SR flour
100g (3.5oz) soft butter
75g (3oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) almond flour (ground)
1 egg
2 tbsps milk
1/2 tsp almond essence
1 can black cherries
25g (1oz) almond flakes

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
2. Rub butter into flour to make crumble mix.
3. Add sugar and ground almonds and mix in.
4. Remove 75g (3oz) of the crumble mix (to use as a topping later).
5. Add the milk, egg and almond essence to the remaining crumble mix and blend until smooth.
6. Pour into baking tray.
7. Pour off syrup from the cherries and put drained cherries on top of cake mix in baking tray.
8. Sprinkle on crumble mix that was set aside.
9. Sprinkle on almond flakes.
10. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, at 180 deg C.

Sultana Soda Bread

150g (5oz) wholemeal plain flour
175g (6oz) plain flour
2 tsps cream of Tartar
pinch of salt
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
50g (2oz) brown sugar
125g (4oz) sultanas
25g (1oz) butter
175ml warmed milk

1. Mix flours, salt, cream of tartar, bicarb, sugar and sultanas together.
2. Melt butter in saucepan and heat milk.
3. Pour in gradually to dry mix until dough is formed.
4. Knead dough on surface (use a sprinkle of flour to help prevent sticking).
5. Roll out dough to form a circle and place on baking sheet.
6. Bake in oven at 200 deg C (180 deg C fan oven) for 25 minutes - the soda bread should sound hollow when tapped.
7. For crusty top wrap in tea towel or leave to cool without one for soft top.