Paper Owls

Paper owls made from tear drop shaped paper pre-cut.

Big Seed had to glue them in rows like real feathers.

Little Seed just stuck them randomly... I love the fact that he turned the beak into a mouth.

These characters are hanging from the ends of our fireplace.

Cheers us up in the morning.

x

If you miss the festival - don't miss the fun!

This post comes from a mum who struggles to balance

Steiner in the home with going to normal school and working part-time.

Last year's Martinmas celebration was peaceful and focussed.

This year I missed it with a hectic work schedule.

Instead of beating myself up about it : we celebrated on a different day.

Luckily my two seeds have no concept of time.

Better to encourage some awe and wonder 

than nothing at all.

So we went for our walk in the garden with our tin lanterns.

Special occasions remind us of the need for these rituals, to do something out of the ordinary,

to make us focus on nature, simplicity, important moments;

but they need not be confined to certain dates of the year.

Make up another celebration...

the end of Autumn, the start of Winter, the start of December, etc

but do go for that walk in the dark by candlelight.

x

Autumn Storytelling

After the gnomes' fire party we were all the right mood for a fire story.

I saved a few Autumn treasures; leaves, old flower heads, acorns, etc and scattered 

them on the silk floor.

" Two Autumn gnomes said that they felt very cold with the

frosts coming so they wanted to build a fire.

They gathered some twigs and put some leaves in a pile for the fire.

It took them so long to make it that they were tired and had to go to bed.

Along came a hedgehog and thought that pile of leaves would make a lovely 

place to hibernate so he snuggled up under the pile and went to sleep.

The next evening the gnomes were ready to light the fire and invited King Autumn

along to celebrate. He asked the 2 little gnomes if they had checked under the fire first.

They said they had not and when they checked there they found a hedgehog!

He wandered off to find a safer place to sleep.

They all helped to add a few things to the fire but it wouldn't light.

So King Autumn summoned the dragon to fly down and breathe on the fire.

Out of his mouth came hot flames ( orange fairy wool) and the fire started to burn.

They all stood around the fire and threw seed pods and acorns and conkers into the fire.

Each one made a spark and an exciting noise. They were splattering like mini

fireworks.

They all stood around the fire and thought about how tired they were

beginning to feel because soon it would be time for them to sleep too."

My Two Seeds were so enthralled by a fire story that Big Seed wanted to re-enact it

straight away. Then Little Seed had his first go at storytelling.

It was so sweet!

x

Gnome Fire Party : First Fire Of The Year

The first frost came this morning so I wanted to celebrate with a fire.

Little Seed is too poorly to go outside for a real fire so 

we brought some warmth inside for him.

Big Seed helped to gather some Autumn treasures from outside in our garden

to add to those he has collected and played with earlier this year.

Twigs, dead stems, seed heads, leaves, old dried lavender, acorns, etc

We made our first fire and all threw the Autumn treasures into it,

turned off the lights and listened to the noises and watched it burn.

All the gnomes were also here to watch and share in the first fire party.

Soon it will be time for the Autumn gnomes to go to sleep, it's getting very cold.

This inspired some storytelling about fires which I will post tomorrow.

x

Autumn Sensory Activity

Cornflour and lentils in a plastic tub:

They played for 40 minutes together...

We added teacups and spoons and things from their play kitchen,

made "ice creams" and drinks...

They really enjoyed exploring together.

x

Easy Peasy Stained Glass Windows

We love the colours on these...

.

Trapped air bubbles, and a rainbow of colour.

It's just a large sandwich bag ( plastic bag) with 3 blobs of paint: primary colours.

Squish and squash together and attach to window with Blu-tak.

They can play with it all day on the window as it takes a day or so to dry...

Blending and merging. Looks so beautiful!

Lovely autumnal colours.

x

Autumn Gnome Necklaces

One oak leaf and one birch leaf,

providing sleeping bag pouches for 2 little gnomes.

Go for a wander around the garden looking for signs of Autumn and ripening pumpkins...

and they helped the Two Little Seeds to turn over some soil.

Thank you gnomes for your company today !

x

Linking to Beneath The Rowan Tree

Fimo Autumn Vegetables for Sorting and Counting

Apples, carrots, grapes and beetroots.

Make number games so much more interesting and tactile!

x

Go from Autumn Sensory Box to Autumn Sensory Play Table

Take last year's Autumn Sensory Box and make one simple change...

Put everything on a small table for a semi-permanent fixture for a few weeks.

Re-ignite their play and let them take complete ownership.

Make an apple tree from tree blocks and fairy wool...

Let them choose other props from the Seasonal Table...

and mix with natural treasures from an Autumnal walk in the woods.

From Montessori Sensorial Box to Steiner Free Play

Enjoy

x

Autumn Applique T-Shirts

The majority of mums seem to buy their children's clothes from 2 main stores.

Also as a mum of boys I seem to have the narrow choice of trucks, trains, monsters, or cheeky monkeys!

I would like more natural images which are so rare unless they are uber-designer...

So I made my own set for Autumn.

I bought a set of 4 plain long-sleeved t-shirts from Marks and Spencer

and lovingly browsed around Spoonflower fabric designs for lovely samples.

They arrive in the post and I await inspiration over the week.

This one is called "Splat".

The fabric is a lovely watercolour paint print.

Tree with branches back-stitched in place.

Squirrel...my favourite for Little Seed...

and Big Seed.

Why not rebel against the masses and make some sweet designs for your little ones?

x

 Have you entered our book giveaway while you are here?

Frosty Pictures - Discovering Ice

Today was one of those days when I was so glad to be homeschooling.

Sometimes it just comes together...

Today was a frosty morning and I asked Big Seed if he wanted to make a frosty picture.

I had in mind a drawing with pastels smudged all over as frost...but he already had his own idea. Great!

He went outside and asked for the chalks.

He drew some coloured swirls and said, "That's my frosty picture."

Then he went for a walk around the garden to inspect the frost.

He came back with huge panes of ice and threw them on his drawing.

He was really investigating ice...by himself.

He found them on his toy trucks.

They were thin but he could pick them up...

Some were huge!

He could see his picture through them and it would melt.

It would crack and you could smash them into tiny pieces like glass.

He learnt to share the tiny pieces with his little brother,

to feel how cold they are and how they melt in the hand.

You can slip and slide on them and pretend to wear ice skates.

See what it's like to use chalk on a wet surface.

Mix and melt colours.

Wow, what a science lesson, completely initiated and directed by himself.

I wish everyday was as good as today.

2 Squash Candles For 1

This gives your candle an organic shape,

and it's small and cute.

Big Seed could help with this too.

We bought a small squash from the supermarket for 40p.

 He scooped out the flesh,

 and then I melted some old beeswax candles that were finished.

Big Seed broke the apple and star into little pieces, then I melted them in the microwave.

Poured it into the squash and he held the wick in place.

Slice the sides of the skin in 4 places (like cutting an orange) but don't cut all the way down.

Then the candle will slide out.

Big Seed has placed the frogs for artistic effect.

Can you see where he poked the top with his finger?

A seed got caught in the bottom. Great!

It has a lovely rough feel from the flesh strings of the squash.

Poke the sides of the skin with a fork...

put a tea light in..

A squash candle holder too!

My Autumn Swaps Have Arrived!

This is the first time I have ever done something like this.

It was really exciting!

I got these AMAZING pumpkin hats from Cheryl at Time To Craft.

In exchange for these red apple tree applique tops, with apple buttons, and hair bands to match.

Her packages arrived with this beautiful wrapping.
Check out the lovely tree and toadstool printed paper. Luscious.

I swapped these 3 green tree applique tops for..

These GORGEOUS knitted gnomes...

and this FANTASTIC knitted doll from the fabulous
Wild Faerie Caps mama.
This photo is poor quality as Big Seed played with it all evening...he gave birth to them within 2 minutes!
He treated them all like his babies...so sweet.

Here they are in a sling!

Thank you lovely ladies...such beautiful crafts!
The boys and I love them all!

x