Waldorf Wanderings

The day began with the usual routine of maths followed by an activity of your choice and Pip chose to work on Scratch computer coding.  She worked well with Dave whilst I was being prodded and needled at my acupuncture session!

After a quick outside recess and an apple snack, Pip and I settled down to another main lesson fable entitled "The Wind and The Sun."  We read the story from the Waldorf Teachers Website and once more Aunty Mable came up trumps!

The Windy Day.

We both enjoyed watching the programme and then we discussed the moral behind the story. Pip did a great job explaining that the wind seemed to be quite proud and boastful and the sun was soft and gentle.  The sun won the challenge and so the lesson learned was first impressions can be deceptive and that nobody likes a boastful person!

We had rain first thing this morning but by late morning the wind had successfully blown the clouds away and so a windsock craft was the order of the day!  I found a really useful idea that also linked in with pre first communion preparation and so it was a win-win situation all round.

 Sharing is caring ~ we share with others just like Jesus shares His love with us and Himself in the Eucharist.

 A waving wind sock.

 Paper fronds fluttering in the breeze.

It was then time for another weather story, this time it was, "Katie Morag and The Tiresome Ted."  Since the stories are actually based around the Isle of Coll in the Outer Hebrides, there are plenty of geography links dotted around the internet. So whilst I was gathering resources, Pip went on a rabbit trial of her own:

 Working Hard.

 Pirate Pip, complete with the latest fashion accessory that every self respecting pirate needs ... a telescope attached to your hat!  No more last minute hunting around for that lost telescope!

Two fun filled Monday's in a row, totally pleased :-) 

 

Water

Our day began with the fable "The crow and the pitcher."  I used the guidelines provided by the Waldorf Teachers' website as a starting point for our discussion and the re-telling of the story.  It was interesting to see Pip reach her own conclusion about the importance of water and the message behind the fable.  She had great fun re-enacting her own version of the story and learning about Archimedes principle of displacement.

 Water in the glass.

 

 Add the stones and the water level rises, clever old crow!

 Water Play.

Pip's interpretation of the lesson and the story.

 A water colour and pencil drawing of "The Crow and The Pitcher."

Whilst we were working hard the heavens opened and the rain came tipping down!  It bounced off the driveway, dirt spattered on the front door and the back garden lawn was awash!  

 

 The front drive.

 The back garden lawn and conservatory steps.

 Water for washing up.

Water for cooking lunch.

She also enjoyed watching two episodes of the long standing children's programme, " Come Outside" with Aunty Mable and Pippin the dog.  Sara used to watch this programme when she was five and she'll be twenty seven this year!  Pip's alter ego is Pippin the dog :-)

Come Outside ~ Water.

Come Outside ~ A Rainy Day.

Pip also helped make celery and sweet potato soup for lunch, followed by Singapore Maths and subtraction and addition number cards.  Her well earned reward was some time on the computer playing Minecraft.

 

Shelters

Benedict is minecraft crazy and just loves building houses and villages.  So far he has built me a castle complete with sewing room, a garden balcony and a huge library complete with comfy chairs and a roaring fire!  With this in mind I decided to resurrect the uncompleted Waldorf curriculum from last year and today at his choosing we watched a you tube documentary from 1949 on the Innuit Tribe and afterwards he wrote about what he had learnt and decorated the front cover of his book:

We have shifted our learning zone into the front room which also doubles as a playroom.  I borrowed the fold down table from the caravan and it sits neatly under the bay window.  Benedict sits on a dining room chair and I use the nursing chair nearby!  This chair no longer rocks as it is in a permanent fixed position.  It is a very comfortable chair and for that I am grateful as I have injured my back, I have know idea how, but moving around is rather challenging at the moment.

  Thanks to Eva and her post and links to a chore chart site, Benedict has his own pack of activities: Morning, Lunchtime and Evening.  He has been such a great help these past few days and even undertook some extra chores today to help ease the burden on both Dave and myself.

How Time Flies and Other Stories

Thanks to the skills of this mama at:Our Little Nature Nest  we gleaned her kindly shared information and worked on our life skill project for the Summer Holidays, that of telling the time.  We played a telling the time matching pairs game and looked at the clock story courtesy of the above link:

Mr and Mrs Time.

And when it all became too much, a mid afternoon siesta on the loft room floor!
Our weekly rhythm is working well and we have managed outdoor time most days - the other days have been pouring down wet weather, I wonder has Autumn arrived suddenly days!  Here are some pictures from a recent park visit:

Note the wellies!

Benedict lending a helping hand on the raised walk way.
Since we learn as we go we have not taken an official summer break and as a result we continue to plod along little by little.  Little and often works well for us, it keeps boredom levels at bay and current interests alive.  The weather therefore does not play a pivotal role in our plans and unlike those on a six week break we have the good fortune of grabbing sunnier days throughout the early autumn.  This is the first year where we will not be back to school in the September.  No school uniform or regulation shoes to purchase and no sitting in a hot class room for Benedict when the summer decides to put in a second appearance, as it so often does at that time of year.  For now however lunch time warming soups and bed time hot water bottles are the order of the day!

Rainbow Rhythm

Inspired by this blog,  Mummy's Learning Too , I made one of these:

Our weekly rhythm
This colourful yet simple chart has revolutionised our working week and stopped Benedict from saying every day " what are we going to do tomorrow!"  Our market /field trip day meant a trip to a local farm shop followed by a soup lunch with Auntie Maureen and Uncle Bryan and then a nature walk in the back lane.  We saw Hawes, Elderberries, Purple Sloes, a rabbit trail and listened to the sound of baby birds high in their nests.  We managed to make it home before the heavens opened and it has rained none stop ever since!!
Today is baking day and Pizza Scones with Salad were on the lunch menu.  Once the breakfast dishes had been cleared we set too and using a child friendly recipe with only a modicum of help from me Benedict made our lunch!

This recipe was from the "Energy Balance Pack" supplied by the Flour and Grain Education Programme. It is a Key Stage 2 teaching pack relating to nutrition and health.

Weighing with an old fashioned weighing scale since our Rosemary Connolly Ener- gi scales are kaput!  A pretty good maths lesson and  balancing act!

Rubbing in the flour and butter.

Spreading pesto sauce on the base.

Topping of onion, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese.
The pizza was then rolled into a sausage shape and sliced into rounds.  The pizzas were a lovely pin wheel formation such a shame that I forgot to take a picture of them, doh!!  Whilst the pizzas were cooking Benedict cleared the pots, washed up, wiped the surfaces and made the salad for lunch:

Plenty of pots to wash!

Super Salad!
A very enjoyable lesson and lunch all done despite having had a  super bad hypo less than one our after breakfast!  Our diabetic nurse was visiting at the time and as usual, was speechless as to what was going on with the diabetes.  Typically since lunch he has had rebound blood sugars and been running amazingly high, ah well at least the sun is shining!!