dottyspots

Yes it's been a while

Time has a funny habit of slowing to a crawl and then speeding up and slipping away through your fingers. I know I've been quiet, I've sort of wanted to blog but couldn't quite get up the impetus to do so. My husband is moving some 2 hours away. Without the rest of us. I'm not really that sad.  To a certain extent I'm not surprised.  It's been a very difficult few years. So I haven't really wanted to blog because really, what would I say? 

In this sort of situation it doesn't really matter how you feel, because the fact remains that it is happening and I don't have the time to think much about how I feel about it because I'm so busy sorting everything out.

I also want to say something about the Badman Review into HE, but right now I don't really have the energy (although I've made some comments on the various lists and blogs). For a far more concise summary it's worth visiting Dare to Know and Three Degrees of Freedom sums up some of my initial thoughts on it.

Edit: Thought I'd add the photo as it's looking very 'texty'!  It's from a quick play with the micro zoom in the garden - tenuous relevance to post is that it is crawling ;)

Spring has sprung!

And as a result I've been rather busy.

We have a new seasonal table stand on the seasonal table. We have a very nice wooden stand, but I fancied a change.  This painted wooden one is from Erzi and injected a bit more 'spring colour' into the table.  The candle is handmade from Brighter Blessings.  I knitted some eggs, but most went to the Seven Hills Steiner Initiative Parent and Child group, I only made a couple for here, in a little knitted dish with some wooden and a marble one:

I made a purse for Ted.  I don't do very much sewing and on reflection the mouse's tail could be a little longer, but he really likes it:

 

I also made a little knitted and beaded rose for Nin, but she squirrelled it away before I could take a photo and now can't find it *sigh*.  Doubtless it will turn up and some point.

We've done some cooking - Erk making a salad for lunch).  Yes he lives in Clash t-shirts (he's wearing a different Clash one in the photo further down - it's becoming a bit of a standing joke here):

Some digging.  We now have 2 blackcurrant and 2 redcurrant bushes in, plus broccolli, radishes, lettuce, carrots, spring onions and various flowers.  I've been given a rhubarb plant by some friends, so I really need to get that in soon too.  All I'd like now are some raspberries and gooseberries and I'll be set (give me bowlfuls of raspberries over chocolate any day!)

 

We continued making papier mache shields - these aren't happening fast, but one day they will be done.  Erk has been busy making a papier mache model of a geyser (he's been learning quite a bit about volcanoes and geysers I now know more than I was ever really that interested in knowing ;)

Attended the Easter egg hunt and various crafts at Longshaw (my youngest children are now convinced that they could possibly find a chocolate egg *anywhere* if they look hard enough).  Erk peeled one of the eggs before dye-ing it blue, then tried to eat it (yuck) and very quickly spat it out (but not before having dyed his teeth blue).  I think I might suggest a more natural approach to dye-ing next time around!

Below Ted has a peeled dyed egg (just the shell dyed on this one) with complementary bit of egg stuck to his lip. Erk is doing a 'bored teen' pose whilst helping Nin and the other little boy isn't one of mine (hence the back shot).

 

And Ted found out what happens when you go upstairs to play with your sister: she insists you are a princess and must wear a dress (whether you want to or not...)  Note the blue ink stamp on his forehead as well.  He was not impressed and ran downstairs to escape the attention. I've also finished the lace scarf (it needs blocking) and have nearly finished the knitted and crocheted top (was going to be a dress, but will now be a tunic) for Nin - it seems to have taken forever with the various other projects I've done inbetween.  I also felted a few bowls ready for the new kindergarten and have also worked on a shaped knitted head for the little bendy dollshouse dolls I make. I also had a birthday (yesterday), I'm not a big birthday person, so enjoyed a quiet day finishing the aforementioned scarf. When this cold has subsided I will record a few more songs that we have been using in our April story time. One about Spring and one about rabbits.

The other fairly big news I have is that I have now officially applied to do the Foundation Degree in Steiner Early Years Education at Plymouth University.  I should hopefully hear sometime in July whether I have been accepted or not.  So, in two years time I could be a qualified Steiner Kindergarten teacher, with the option of doing a third year and either doing Steiner teacher training or going for Early Years Professional Status.  I am really excited about starting the degree (especially the craft and music side, plus the opportunity to learn something about Eurythmy). With Spring it seems quite a lot of change is in the air and life seems pregnant with possibilities :)

March Circle Time

Please note this photo isn't one of mine - far too good ;)

Now I have a spare minute (before I go off to bed), I thought I'd type up the Circle Time we are currently using.  I know it would probably help to have the melodies, so I might have a fiddle with the PC and see if I can record the melodies I've now started adding some recordings - erm, I have to lean over my PC to sing (I don't have a separate microphone) so they sound a bit strained ;) You'll need to save the file to your PC and then open to hear it (sorry, at some point I'll try and work out a player for on here, there must be some way of doing it).

Come to the circle where dreams are found,
Take my hand and we'll dance around,
Round and round and round we go,
Hello, hello, hello and hello.

Come the the circle, we'll dance in a ring,
Jumping like lambs to welcome the Spring,
Round and round and round we go,
Hello, hello, hello and hello.

come-to-the-circle

There piped a piper in the wood
Strange music - soft and sweet
And all the little wild things
Came hurrying to his feet.
They sat around him on the grass,
Enchanted, unafraid,
And listened, as with shining eyes,
Sweet melodies he made.
The wood grew green and flowers sprang up
The birds began to to sing;
For the music it was magic
the piper's name was Spring!

the-piper

Five little mice, fast asleep
One by one, out they creep
Five little mice, wide awake now
One-by-one they take a bow

(to the melody of "Frere Jacques")

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Little bulbs. Little bulbs.
Springtime is a-coming. Springtime is a-coming.
Time to wake. Time to wake.

("Flowers Growing" by Jean Warren - sung to melody of "Here we go round the mulberry bush")

This is the way we sprout our roots,
Sprout our roots, sprout our roots.
This is the way we sprout our roots,
When spring time is here.

This is the way we stretch and grow. [etc]
This is the way we open our buds. [etc]
This is the way we bend in the breeze. [etc]
This is the way we smile at the sun. [etc]

Two little feet go tap, tap, tap.
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap.
One little body, twirls around.
One quiet body sits back down.

I then tell the story of The Three Billikin Whiskers (or Three Billy Goats Gruff)

Splurge!

Because it's been a while since I last blogged.  I don't know what's happened recently, but life seems to have gotten a little bonkers on the busy front and by the time I have a minute to blog I'm too tired to actually do it.

So, a short recap of what's been going on: Nin has been back to hospital.  She has been having some blood tests which have shown anaemia, but also high allergy antibodies.  She will be having further allergy tests to try to pinpoint what's causing this.

We've been attending the Steiner Initiative in Sheffield once a week, but things are rather up-in-the-air atm (regarding location, number of children attending, etc.) Myself and a couple of others in the local area are working towards a Woodland Parent and Child Group and Steiner-inspired co-op. We are looking to gather a minimum of 6 6-8 year olds for this, at which point we might be able to bring in a teacher to lead a Class 1. 

At present I'm going to be leading the simple co-op (unless any other parent would also like to be involved, which would be more ideal), but my preference would be for it to be teacher-led to enable me to have more input into a Kindy/Parent & Child thing.

I do have quite a bit more to say on this, but need to have a think about it. I attended an interesting talk by Dot Male about Setting Up a Steiner Initiative last night in Sheffield, although it covered more, the setting up of a Steiner Kindergarten, but it was lovely to finally meet her (I've been trying to get to her "First Three Years" course for around 3 years now ;) and to also meet other people involved in the Steiner Initiative in Sheffield (or just interested in Steiner Ed.)

Erm, aside from that the days have sort've blurred into one and we've been doing the 'usual stuff', including some felting of hearts and Ted finding a tiny, tiny snail in the playhouse (which he went on to carry around the house for the majority of the day - the snail survived and was later released back into the garden ;) ):

 

Resurfacing, slowly

I'm getting there.  The funeral went well, after rather a comedy of errors getting down to Birmingham on public transport with two small children (dh joined us on the day of the funeral with the two older boys).  Nin became ill and I followed her on Saturday and have been rather bogged down with a bad cough and fever, but steadily I'm coming out of that. It still hurts.  I imagine it will for a while. But there are still everyday things to be done. We've done some crafting.

Erk's done some sewing.

 

Nin and Ted have painted some beads.

And everyone has been making some bobbles.

This required quite some concentration from Ted, he's not quite 3 but really wanted to do what everyone else was doing.  There aren't any photos of the resultant bobbles as they haven't been finished yet :)

So, I'm getting there (and will probably feel a damn sight better when this bloody cough has gone!)

More knitting, crochet and brrrrr

Along with the felted hobby horse and dollshouse cowboy I'm working on, I'm plodding along with a knitted and crocheted dress for Nin.

It's going very slowly because there's just so much of it to *do*!  At this rate it may stay as a long knitted top.  I still need to add a band and tie at the back as it's made loose to easily go over Nin's head.  I'll be adding some sort of purple picot edge to the sleeves, hem and also edging for the band.

A pic of poorly Ted (although he's much better now).  Poor little mite curled up on the living room floor on a small cot mattress.  He was really so ill!

I've also finished a cardi for Nin's doll and am now working on a cabled version for Ted's doll. In addition I've just finished crocheting a cover for an old plastic head band which I'm now going to embroider with a vine, leaves and some flowers. So much to do, so little time if I want to get them finished as presents.

 

We also had a trip to Sandall Beat Woods for the HEDG (Home Education Doncaster Group) meet yesterday.  I met a couple of families from Sheffield at the bus station to show them the way, which was a nice addition to our small group.

 

Again I took the camera, but shortly after arriving it began to rain, then hail, sleet and finally snow, so we all retreated inside the Visitor's Centre for warmth, shelter and ashared meal of home-made cheese scones, jam sandwiches, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, carrot sticks, raspberries, bananas and satsumas, washed down with either water, herbal tea or traditional lemonade). No chance of a circle time in the slight chaos of a change of routine and the craft activities I brought (saws and a drill for the older ones to cut up fallen branches to either make buttons or for later whittling) and weaving on twigs (gods-eyes) went by the wayside as the weather wasn't conducive to collecting what was needed.

Martinmas and a surprise birthday present

I'm getting a bit wobbly at how fast time seems to be passing, less than 6 weeks to Yule/Christmas and I'm working away at getting various things made for then.

We made some jam jar lanterns for Martinmas (made at a friend's house):

Nin is still enjoying lighting a candle in the evening and just watching it flickering away in her lantern.  She's continuing to copy Erk's geometry with her own attempts ("Look Mum, I'm doing geometry too!)

Nin also had a surprise package through.  My mother has been in Egypt with my brother and hadn't had time to send a present through to Nin, so when she got back, she sent this:

A Moulin Roty Handcraft Set. It's beautiful, I'd rather like one for myself! It also came with some needles and a sampler pattern for cross-stitch (which doubtless she will also try sometime soon). She's been busy trying to crochet and loves to pull out HER yarn and stroke it (clearly a yarnie in the making). She is making (with quite a bit of help) crocheted squares for a doll's blanket.

Baking, Geometry and Handwork (but not necessarily in that order)

For her birthday we bought Nin a Portmerion baking set, complete with apron, chef's hat, mini rolling pin, biscuit cutters and stoneware jug and basin. Of course she's wanted to use it every day!

Erk has moved on to Geometry:

The big challenge for him is to keep the lines smooth and not 'sketch' (you can see a bit of that has already happened - oh and that's the remainder of black nail varnish on his nails, not dirt ;) ), but the good thing is that he is really enjoying it!  He's also continuing to learn Norwegian.

Nin also had a go at colouring patterns I drew for her with compasses (to keep her occupied whilst Erk was working because naturally she wants to be working right along side him *sigh*)

 

Nin also has a new project: a needle book.  She is making it from felt.  It will be light pink on the outside, dark pink on the inside with a light pink needle leaf.  She is sewing a flower onto the front of the needle book and has finished running stitch around the outer edge of the flower and is now filling in the petals (below).

I know the photos are a tad fuzzy (I'm not a fantastic photographer, although I have a feeling I need to read the manual for this camera and possibly change some settings) but her stitches are so neat!  I'm so proud of how well she is doing!

Once she's finished she will have her own little set of needles and some pins to go into the book (although at some point we will make a pincushion too).  She wants to make clothes for her dolls, but first things first :)

Today we went over to a friends and made jam jar lanterns.  I did take my camera, but was so stickily caught up with it that I forgot to take any photos till we'd finished (so instead I'll take some when they're lit and glowing).

Some fudge, a dog and playing in the woods

It's been a busy week and naturally I have some pics, although less than I might've done as my camera ran out of batteries whilst we were in the woods.

Erk has gone off on an outwards bounds trip in the Peak District with a group of home-educated teens and R. is back from boarding school for half term (having turned 14 in the interim). We had a bash at making some fudge:

Whilst we do quite a bit of baking here, I'm not a natural-born cook, it's something I have to work on. 

Erk and his friend B have recently discovered caramel hot chocolate (courtesy of one of the cafes in town - I was rather surprised to hear that at 12 they choose to visit a cafe, but I'm rather pleased that they choose to do that than some of the other possible choices for refreshment in town, but it does seem rather sophisticated in comparison to myself at the same age).

They wanted to make caramel, but I wasn't so sure, so we ended up making fudge. Erm, the first lot was burnt beyond repair and there aren't any photos as we rushed to salvage the pan. We did successfully make fudge on the second attempt, but they ate it before I could take a photo ;)

We've been to Sandall Beat Woods, twice.  Home-educators in Doncaster seem to be a rather disparate bunch.  According to the local authority HE advisor there are some 200 children being home-educated in and around Doncaster (although I think they include children being tutored by the LA at home and Roma and Traveller families in this number). I've no idea where they all are, I've come across a small fraction of that number.

Still, a few of us have finally got together and organised a regular meet-up in Sandall Beat for some chat, a play, crafts, singing and a shared picnic.  Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries after a couple of photos, but a good time was had by all!

A pic before other families turned up (we arrived first).

Ted having a climb.

It really is a fantastic location for a home-ed meet up, lots of space, fresh air, places to explore (yesterday a group of children were busy building with stacked branches whilst parents had a discussion with the park ranger, who told us that the pile of branches were always moving from tree to tree as various groups of children leant them up against trees to make shelters). 

We've been organising a monthly meeting led by the park ranger for the older children (7+) to start in March (they're pretty booked up until then).  For more information please visit the relevant entry on the South Yorkshire Home Education Communication (SYHEC) site.

I'm going to be running a circle time there which I'm really looking forward to doing again, lots of reading through my books and getting ideas for dancing songs to do, plus memorising of more verses and stories.

Erk has been busy doing a project on the Vikings.  Whilst I have a passing interest in the Vikings (obligatory perhaps for someone with Scandinavian heritage) I never realised that the Vikings also moved East to trade, I've been learning so much whilst working on this with Erk.

Whilst playing with the Brio trains Nin asked, "Why don't the magnets like each other?" and of course she's been busy painting (this time some beads for making more jewellery, although where we're going to keep all of her creations I'm not too sure, perhaps I should make a chest like Elfie and Me, however I have a feeling mine wouldn't look as beautiful.)

Aside from that I finished Ted's mittens (I will take a pic eventually), started some mittens for Nin and frogged them twice. The beautiful Natural Dye Studio yarn she picked to have them made in just wasn't looking 'right' as mittens.  So I cast-on again to make her a floppy, lacy beret a la "Spin Me Right Round" by Solveig Engevold (Ravelry is such a wonderful resource - if you're a knitter or crocheter and haven't joined up yet, DO, you won't regret it!  I'm dottyspots so do seek me out and add me as a friend.  OK, maybe you will regret joining, but only because it'll eat away at your knitting time as you browse through all the lovely creations on there...)  The yarn is looking beautiful as a beret, if I hadn't've been so busy I would've finished it by now (a really simple knit).

I haven't finished Nin's dress as a little while ago I carefully rolled it up before going off to bed and when I picked it up again the next day the crochet hook had disappeared.  I can't find it anywhere and it looks like I need to order another one.

I've also taken a couple of daft dog photos:

Every so often he heaved a very heavy sigh...

I've known Irish Setters, so was fairly prepared for owning a Setter (Monty is a Tricolour English Setter), but didn't realise just how much Setters are lacking in the brain cells department (I don't know about last in the queue when the brains were being doled out, Monty wasn't even in it!)  Still, despite his abundant dippiness, he really is the most lovely, cuddly dog (even if he is still convinced that he's a tiny puppy that will fit on my lap *sigh*)

So, hopefully I will remember to get some more batteries for my camera, but in the meantime I know I can enjoy looking at other lovely blogs :)

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

Well worth listening to and also rather funny (from 2006):