Projects All Over the House

I finally made my green healing salve. It's basically a natural polysporin. We slather ourselves with it for everything. I've been infusing my oil for a year- with comfrey, plantain, chickweed, mullein, yarrow, wild geranium, and chamomile. I have all these plants/weeds in my yard now. Thank you to my friend Jody for sending me her beeswax in the mail. Why does having a friend with bees make me feel so cool? 

Charlie sent a hug with us to Dubai for "Special Gramma"

I've been pumping these kids full of Elderberry Syrup all winter. All the kids take it willingly except Scarlet.

Charlie makes these towers, then demolishes them with a detonation.

We studied the tongue and did all kinds of taste testing. Here is my list of what we did:

-name the senses

-talk about sensory nerves

-make nerves out of pipe cleaners/beads

-tongue map of tastes- salt, sweet, bitter, sour

-discuss the new taste umami

-list foods in each category

-learn about tastebuds

-saliva

-explain how smell contributes to tasting

-taste salt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice using a q-tip dip in the foods then dab on the tongue in different areas. should be a stronger taste in specific spots.

chart the category for the foods.

-play the "fool your tongue" game by eating something, then eating it again while smelling a cotton ball soaked in vanilla. you can't taste the food as well while smelling something else.

-say tongue twisters

These polymer beads are so much fun. Way fun for a sensory bucket.

We dissected a diaper and found the polymer layer inside that does the absorbing.

We measured how much water a diaper can hold and it was AMAZING.

This is one of the best activities we've ever done. Scarlet set up a family mail system. The idea comes from this blog Family Fun. It's been great for lots of reasons- we all write each other cute notes all the time and its motivated Scarlet to learn how to write all our names and to read them too so she can sort the mail each day. We set up a writing station with a mailbox for writing the letters. Scarlet decorated labels to use as stamps for the letters too. Then each day before supper Scarlet takes the mailbox and sorts all the mail into our own boxes. She then calls "Mail Time" so we know we can gather our letters.

So darling!

Fall Festivities

This is one of the best school projects we've done this year for Jane. A nature notebook.

Here she is doing leaf rubbings whilst listening to the lap harp...

One evening while preparing the school room for the next day, I thumbed through her notebook and found these sweet pages.

 The next best school activity this year has been the writing center. I found this killer typewriter at the BB for $1.50. Check out the stack of letters ready to mail this week.

 I like this letter Jane wrote, this part in particular... "P.S. Are we nature buddy's?"

 I love it when I find pictures on my phone like this one. I later found out it was Charlie who took it. How did he get so close is what I want to know.

Feathers and Beetles

We've been finding all kinds of nature treasures so we decided to display our collection. Charlie found the  peacock feather at a pumpkin farm, and Jane found the nest and blue feather. They all found the beehive pieces and the beetle is from our next door neighbors yard.

Hiking Bear's Hump

Timmy is out of town so the kids and I spent our Saturday in Waterton. The weather has been so lovely and today it was extra lovely- especially for Waterton this time of year.  We got up early, had our pancakes and then made up our minds to hike up Bear's Hump. The kids packed all kinds of things in their backpacks. Jacob's pack was full of toys for Scarlet. Jane had a full tea party set ready for the picnic at the top and Charlie had a book to press plants, and a handkerchief tied around a handful of walnuts.

 Poor Janey got stung by a bee within minutes of our departure but besides that, things worked out pretty good. I was wondering how Scarlet would do, since she's only 2 years old  but by some miracle she walked the whole way up. Scarlet's 2 year speed and my 6 months pregnant speed actually matched up great and the other three just cruised up ahead of us slowpokes. Jacob and Charlie got to to the top and then they both ran down to Scarlet and I to report that it looks, "exactly like New Zealand" at the top. They were so excited about that. Last week we studied New Zealand for Geography so that made my day that they thought of that. Then they ran back up ahead of us again. 

On the way down Scarlet went in my baby pack so I was packing her on my back and a 2 pound fetus on the front- that wasn't my favorite part but its a short hike so we survived.

“I couldn’t live where there were no trees — 

something vital in me would starve.”

    ~L.M Montgomery 

This is the top of Bear's Hump. 

There were lady bugs everywhere so Scarlet was amused by that most of the time.

Can you see the New Zealand resemblance??

Lady bug up the shirt sleeve.

After the hike we played by the water for a long time. I am trying to maximize this good weather before we get cooped up all winter. Jane especially thrives outside. Every free moment she gets, she's out the door. When we go down to the water she walks way far off by herself and gets lost in what we call "nature-land".

 I love these next pictures of Jacob. He gathered some skipping rocks then went down to the water and found a nice little spot to himself.

 Then he realized he was actually quite tired from all that hiking...

 I like kids that can sleep anywhere- I will take credit for those genes :0)

 The real treat came at the end of our day when our friends found us down by the water. We got to have a delightful visit and it was nice to share the beauty of the day with good friends.

  When truly present in nature.

 We do use all our senses at
 the same time, which is the 
optimum state of learning.”

 ~The Nature Principle, p. 25

The Kearl Farm

The kids got to have a lovely afternoon of horse riding. One more thing

 checked off our summer to do list. 

"No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle."

~ Winston Churchill

Book Alert

These are my moms hydrangeas. Don't they make your heart swell.

 the Nature Principle By Richard Louv

The Nature Principle suggest that, in an age of rapid environmental, economic, and social transofrmation, the future will belong to the nature-smart--- those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of nature, and who balance the virtual with the real.

                                 The Rhythm of Family By Amanda Blake Soule

Introduction:

Wonderful things happen in our family when we choose to more slowly through our days. When we stop running and rushing about, we discover more time, energy, and space for the things most important in our lives. By slowing down, our connection with our children and as a family inherently become deeper, our creativity thrives, and we find meaningful ways to fill our time. By paying careful attention to the world around us, the slow and even pace can become one that we draw upon in our family lives as well. It can be the rhythm that we all need.

p. 150

It’s one of the most important lessons I think we can give our children; An appreciation and love of being still. Frequent days when there is no schedule, no plan, no rushing about from here to there.

It’s about the art of being where you are. The ability to sit at the shore= to explore, with only one’s imagination, the tools of the earth, and sometimes each other. I do believe this is the kind of lesson and gift that will continue to nurture their spirits for the rest of their lives; when they are able to find quiet in the middle of our busy lives. When they are able to sit under a tree and just think, just dream, just be for all the time that they need. These are essential lessons of childhood that will carry them into peaceful, healthy adults, able to find peace and quiet amidst the busy days and lives that we all ultimately lead. The outside world has a healing power- showing them this fact at a young age is giving them a lifelong gift of the way to a peaceful heart.

Nature By Numbers

Nature by Numbers from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~Albert Einstein

We have been learning about pressing flowers and found these out in the wild.