Nature Study

This was one of my favorite blocks this year. I told nature stories involving Nehemiah the Gnome. I had so much fun making up these stories containing tales about farming, nature in Virginia & also some pedagogical stories. Nehemiah lived up in the mountains of western Virginia & one day he dropped his hat into the lil' Cowpasture stream. He decided to follow the stream to find his cap. His adventures are many and eventually lead him to the James River & on to the Atlantic Ocean! I would love to have the time to publish the stories in a wee lil' book!

While I told these stories to my students, our daily review often involved them reading the story I had written & drawing a picture. - Yes, a bit unusual. ;-) Below are the book covers my students created!

Blooms Brigtening My Day

School's winding down, but the students are wound up. Eight more days. I'm exhausted & counting. (No, I don't think that makes me a bad teacher, just human.) I've hit a bit of a "bump" with this whole grief thing, but I don't want to go into details as I really dislike hearing that I must be mentally ill, 'cause I'm "still" not really "over it." The packing continues, packing to move to - who knows where, just gotta be out by May 31st. In the midst of it all my day was brightened with bloomsies from nature. It's a tradition at our school for the children to bring in a stem of flowers for the teachers and staff during "Faculty Appreciation Days." Voila. Beautiful bouquets are created.

Moi bouquet from the 2nd graders.

One of my students brought me a whole pot.

Nathan and I found this nest last week. It came down in a storm. It will be a highlight on our nature table.

Sunday Morning In October

I needed to get away for a bit this morning. Away from work and the seemingly never-ending household chores that need to be done on the weekends. Away from the constant reminder of how broke we are. Away from the heartache this weekend has brought. So, I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood.

The pretty autumn colors are everywhere. The trees look so amazing in yellows, red & browns. The sun was shining, but there was a pleasant breeze.

The yellows and greens on this tree in the park across the street were so gorgeous. Couldn't quite capture it on camera. Then I remembered I was standing in a field that brought memories of laying together in the grass under the spring sun & as the tears started flowing down my cheeks, I decided to journey on.

Two squirrels were playing tag up & down the tree. So funny. Hard to snap a picture of a squirrel in motion, though.

Lovely red roses still in bloom.

I have always loved stained glass art. I remember being captivated as a child with the gorgeous stained glass art of the old European churches & cathedrals. Just so pretty. How beautiful the light falling through such a window must be inside the home. Just around the corner from us is a house with beautiful stained glass art. As I drove by one evening, I noticed the workshop in the basement. So much colorful glass. I have been wondering if I should knock and ask if I could learn.

My fascination with the white picket fence continues. My own version that is, which has nothing to do with middle-class life in suburbia. My head tells me it's a stupid ideal from a fairy tale world. My heart tells me, it must be possible.

Funny enough the house with the white picket fence is right across the street from a haunted house. Coincidence?

How idyllic - overgrown with ivy, the symbol of determination, strength & renewal to the Druids of olden times. I mean, it's virtually indestructible and grows just about anywhere. - A nudge to carry on, maybe.

Or maybe not?

Back at home. Our marigolds are still blooming. It's a lovely day out. Now back to reality. To work. To chores. To dealing with the now. To figuring out how to go on from here. Where to go. What to do. How to make the half-empty glass half-full again. What bread to bake. What undies to wear...

Acorns

I just love acorn time! There are three different oak trees on our street. The boys collected these & we baked them a bit in order to eliminate critters. So nice of a bowl on our nature table.

They also collected acorn caps for crafting wee lil' fairies and such. Nathan planted an acorn that had a teensy sprout already in a lil' pot wanting to grow an oak tree. We'll see how that goes.

Frog Love

I can't stop going "Awwww." - Aren't these so adorable? Brought to me by the awesome Lizz at ZooLooNaturals. I think I'm going to want some tadpoles & eggs to go with the froggie family. ;-)

Nature

I decided that I will be doing a kind of "Spring Nature" block with my class after the current math block. A lot of students in my class are totally into frogs. I thought it would be a good opportunity to consciously tell nature stories and to solidify 1st grade writing skills. Creating beautiful drawings isn't my strength in teaching. Nevertheless - I am striving. I have been working on creating the book my students will create with this block. Here are some of my art attempts. All using beeswax block & stick crayons. We will write simple sentences along with the pictures:

The turtles break out of their egg-shells.

Caterpillars eat leaves and spin cocoons.

They fall asleep and awaken as butterflies.

Birds build nests in trees.

Meltdown

It almost looks like a Hershey's kiss - a weird, twisted one, but it's not. It's the pretty snowman... melting away. Sniff. "Transforming." :-) The freezing temperatures from this past weekend are supposed to turn into sunshine in the 70s by this weekend. Pretty whacky, huh?

Snow

Oh, I can't tell you the excitement when *real* snowflakes started falling Sunday afternoon! Just a few at first, but it was a steady thing, and by the evening the ground was covered in a nice blanket of snow.

It was a cold night & so nice to have candles on the window sills and the view out into Winter Wonderland.

This morning the boys couldn't wait to go out.

Here's Noah doing the snow-angel thing. :-)

I love seeing the snow on the trees.

Last night the snow packed nicely, but by the time we made a snowman this morning it wouldn't stick, so we made a mini-version for our porch post.

Our front porch covered in snow.

Now that we have had snow, it finally feels like we've had a "real" winter. I'm off to enjoy some reading & then sleeping in for snowday #2 in the morning.

Sunday Summer Memories

Skipping from rock to rock, sometimes falling in.

So much fun, though.

Then to Crossroads for something yummy.

Sweet yummies.

Savory yummies.
Always, though, Americano plus 3 extra shots for Mom. :-)

Birdie Mama

At my Mom's Nate found this bird nest in the tree. Very low, actually. The birdie inside looked dead to him, so he wanted to bury it. Turns out it was a bird mama, quite alive & well, keeping three eggs warm and cozy, waiting for babies to hatch. I tried to get some pictures, but that didn't make the bird a happy mama-to-be at all... Anyhoo. Isn't this sweet?! Awwww. :-)

P.S. I'm doing the insomnia thing again. I drove 998 miles in the last 18 hours & I'm too tired to sleep. Weird, huh?!

Ladybug Spa

The boys created this ladybug spa on the balcony. It's for ladybugs who need a break from the wild world. Yup. Two guests already. Sweet mango-peels for dinner. Sunshine. Oh, I want a vacation, too!

My Childhood Swing

Today, for some reason, I remembered my childhood swing.

I grew up in a small village in Bavaria. Our property was located on a steep slope. At the top of the slope there was a tree. It was a tall, broad tree. Its bark was a pale grey. Its branches were wide. I don't remember it having acorns, but maybe it was an oak? I don't know.

Well, on that tree my father had mounted a wooden swing hung from sisal ropes. The swing was long, very long.

I remember trying to swing high, wanting the tip of my toes to reach the clouds. The sky seemed bluer, brighter then, but maybe it is just so with the sky of childhood? It seems the air was always filled with the smell of manure. "Country air" is what my parents called it. Cows moo-ing. Birds chirping.

I loved swinging. I still do when I get a chance.

I remember the feeling of butterflies in my tummy when I went too high. I loved that feeling. I'm longing for my childhood swing.