Sensory Play Friday: Shaving Foam

Today I sprayed shaving foam on a large flat tray.  Lyla started off cautiously with only her finger tips in the foam.

Slowly she started exploring with how smooth the foam feels.

A perfect activity for today as she is still not well. This activity was calming and therapeutic for her. 

She relaxed totally as she spread the foam on the tray, totally engaged in the activity.

After a week of grumpiness, she had a few minutes of peace and a smile on her face. For me, that's what made this activity extra special.

Have a lovely weekend.

Sensory Play Friday: Water Beads

Today Lyla is not feeling her best. A few days of fever on and off have left her less smiley than usual.  She still wants to play for short periods and water beads are an old favourite with my children.  (These are found in florist's supplies.)

She enjoys exploring with a range of different utensils... great for fine motor control too.

The water beads are so colourful and attractive! The best thing about these beads though, is how they feel. I am sure everyone in your home will want to touch them and play with them.

Enjoy!!!

Felted Easter Eggs

Needle felting is a very popular craft in our home. My children love it and so do I.  This craft was particularly easy because we bought the felted eggs from Blooming Felt .  All you need are some scraps of wool roving, a felting needle and pad.

The ideas are endless and I found this activity to be very relaxing.

Enjoy x

Sensory Play Friday

Today's ingredients in our Sensory Play were cornflour and paint.  Lyla was part of the entire process including adding the paint and mixing from a powder form.  

She was mesmerised from the beginning to the end.  The way that the ingredients changed in texture were amazing for her.

We added more paint until the mixture became like play dough.

She loved this and played with this unusual play dough for a while. However, when she started losing interest we added some water and turned it to gloop.

This was a great activity. Her sensory exploration was wonderful to watch and be a part of.

Life and Health

A friend recently described me as having a 'sprinter's mentality'. It's true.  When I was young, I was an athlete. I excelled at the 100m and 200m sprint. Later in life, I discovered distance running. It's how I lost weight after my first two children. Then I had two more children years later.  I have not yet lost any of the huge amount of weight I gained.  I tried, I went running. After each run I suffered with severe back pain. I finally went for an x-ray.  The chiropractor met me with the words: "it's amazing that you are not in a wheel chair"!

It seems my sprinter's body was not designed to carry so much weight nor to have four children.  It has been permanently damaged and I am so lucky to be standing on my own two feet.  However, I am no longer allowed to run or cycle and no high impact exercise. This was a shock to me. 

So what now?  It has taken me months to come to terms with this situation as it required me to re-train my brain.  Today I decided to make an effort to take exercise that will help me lose weight without damaging the delicate balance that keeps me standing on my own two feet.  I have decided to try walking and swimming. Both of these are low impact. To reduce the feeling of boredom, I walked through the woods rather than on the road.

We live in the hills and the walk has many climbing sections!!!!!All I could think of was water ...

Thankfully the walk back home is down hill. It was lovely, and definitely something I can persevere at.  It will not result in instant weight-loss, but I need to be patient. It is a start...

Sensory Play Friday

Friday is Sensory Play Day in our home.  Although we do have sensory play resources available all the time, on a Friday I introduce something new or a new element into something that is already familiar.  This activity is primarily for my two year old but by the end of the day all four children have had an opportunity to explore it.  The morning is her time.  She has uninterrupted time to explore and to discuss her findings with me.

Today we tried Kinetic Sand.  We love it.  It is not sticky, it can be moulded into shape and it 'flows'.  It is similar to gloop, but without the 'dirty'.  This is really something that will appeal to children that do not like getting their hands dirty. 

Another appealing factor is that it still retains its natural colour.  Presenting sensory play in an aesthetically appealing way makes it more enticing I find.

Our Decision to Home Educate

Many people have asked me about our decision to home-school and as promised, I am sharing it here. 

I have 4 children. Two go to school and one is a toddler. The fourth one once went to school, but when we found out she was dyslexic we realised that school is not the ideal learning environment for her. We made the decision, after discussing it with her, to learn at home. It is truly wonderful. I have seen my child grow in confidence and understanding. She has blossomed.  

In the beginning we tried a routine akin to the school day. I am a true believer in following the child's interests, but I also believe that I can offer guidance and scaffolding to her learning.  Needless to say, the strict rigid routine of school did not suit my creative daughter's mind.  Now we have a vague routine somewhere in our minds, but we tend to be more flexible. We do cover the topics covered in school, but we appropriate time according to her interests.

She loves learning and she knows her mind. 

Sometimes we wonder whether school is the way forward. An example of that is this past week.  We considered a Steiner school and visited it with an open mind.  However, we came away with the certainty that nothing compares to the amazing environment we have created at home.  Here there are no time limits and no restrictions. We learn together and we explore the environment and the arts and literature and everything that takes our interest. She learns skills and theories and practicalities.

She will be equipped with an amazing knowledge and a variety of skills at the end. Quite literally a world of opportunities will be within her grasp. We are definitely lucky to have this opportunity.

Home Made Romany Creams

When I lived in South Africa, life was so different.  We would always play outdoors in large groups of friends. We were never bored. The only rules our parents enforced was to stay in a group (safety in numbers) and to come in before it became dark.  We never had time to stop, food was grabbed from the kitchen of which ever of our homes we were closest to, and there were ALWAYS home made biscuits.  One of my favourites were Romany Creams. Delicious chocolatey biscuits with coconut... yum.  A hand full of biscuits and a glass of milk  kept the games from ending in quarrels.

My children do not eat biscuits... strangely.  It's not that I limit the sweet things they eat, in fact I do not mind if they eat chocolates or cakes. They just have not really developed a sweet tooth... definitely not something I instilled in them.  Yesterday I felt a little nostalgic and thought these biscuits would be great to bake with my children as a holiday snack.

Here is the recipe if you would like to try them:

Ingredients:

1/2 LB butter

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups of dessicated coconut

Cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Sieve dry ingredients and add to the butter, add coconut. Mix into a soft dough. Roll out on a floured board. (approximately 5mm thick, too thin and it will crumble) Roughen the surface with a fork by making crossed lines. Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven on 180 degrees. When they are cold, sandwich with melted chocolate of choice. I recommend something not too sweet as it makes the biscuit sweeter.  

In case you are wondering... my children enjoyed baking them. However only my 13 year old ate some.  They are stood in a tin and will probably be offered to guests on the weekend. Enjoy...

Woodland Pixie Hat: Part 3

Are you all getting on well with your hats? I have crocheted three of these hats in the past couple of weeks and my girls are delighted that they are ready so fast.

Here is the final part of the pattern:  ( Please do not forget: the US terms are on Miri's lovely blog Here We are Together )

Row 1:  Chain 1, skip first space. DC to the end, decreasing 1 stitch at the beginning and at the end of the row, turn.

Row 2-6:  For the next 5 rows: Chain 1, skip first space, DC , decreasing 2 stitches at the beginning and end of each row.

Cast off, by threading yarn through the remaining stitch.  

Join from the top of the hat to midway on the 'bend'.

Border: DC from one end to the other end along the bottom edge of the hat.  Add tassels on the two front corners. Sew in the loose ends.

 Thank you Miri for encouraging me and joining me.

Thank you all for joining in.

Woodland Pixie Hat CAL part 2

Good morning everyone.  Please accept my apologies for part 2 being a day late. Sometimes life just does not go to plan. Today I am in Wales, about to go on a course called ' Kitchen Garden Through the Year". I am pretty excited to see how much it helps me improve our kitchen garden at home.  But, that is a story for another day.

How are you all finding this pattern? I do hope it is fun and easy. Please share pictures of your hats on IG, FB or here for us to see.  This second part is much easier, and anyway it's a very forgiving pattern so you can 'fix' mistakes easily without it being noticed.

Part 2 of the pattern:

I changed colour for this part of the pattern, but it is up to you what you prefer.  The length of the section depends on the age of the person you are making the hat for, but please end on an uneven numbered row.

Row 1: Chain 1, skip first stitch. SC in next stitch

           Then DC, DC, TBC, DC, DC  (this fills in the valley from the previous row)

            SC, SC, SC, SC  (these stitches make up the peak of the previous row)

These two sets need to be repeated until the end of the row, turn. ( see picture 1)

Row 1, as described above, is in pink.

Row 2: Chain 1 and skip the first stitch, DC to the end. Repeat this for approximately 5 rows.

Rows 2-6 , as described above, is in the plum colour.

That brings us to the end of part 2.  Thank you so much for joining Miri, from Here We Are Together, and I in this fun CAL. Remember if you would like to see the pattern in US terms, Miri has them on her blog. 

Have a lovely day.

Sensory Play

On a Friday my toddler and I get to spend  'alone' time together. It's funny because she knows when we get back from school that today's routine is different. Today I was cutting some flowers that were beginning to wilt, with the intention of drying them. She was fascinated, so I thought I would give her a few to explore.

She loved it. Her concentration was intense.  It really was lovely to watch her interest in the colour, texture and smell.

There is so much learning in this simple exploration. I am glad that we took this moment in time together.

Woodland Pixie Hat - Crochet Along

Have you all chosen your DK yarn? The time has come to share Part 1 of The Woodland Pixie Hat  pattern.   Please keep in mind that I am not a pattern writer.  I have tried my best to put this pattern into writing with so much of help from the very patient Miri from  Here We Are Together .  (Miri will have the pattern in US terms).

I have tested it a number of times and so has Miri.  However, if you do have a problem, please contact myself or Miri and we will be happy to help.

Pattern part 1:

You will need 200g of DK yarn and a 4mm crochet hook.

Chain 92, turn

Row 1:  Chain 1, skip first space , TR in each space to the end, turn.

Row 2:  Chain 4, skip 1 space, DTR x 3 in the next stitch, *skip 4, DC in next stitch, skip 4,  DTR x 8 in next stitch*.  Repeat between the * until the second last stitch.  In the last stitch DTR x 4, turn.

Row 3:  Chain 1, * skip 4, then DTR x 8 into the 'valley' between the previous row's shells, skip 3, DC at the top of the previous row's shells*. repeat the pattern between the *.  Continue to the second last stitch. DC in last stitch, turn.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3, until the hat measures to about half of the persons head (to just past the ears).

That is all for this week.  The second instalment will be out next week Monday.  Please share pictures of your hat in progress using the #woodlandpixiehat on Instagram or Facebook or on the blogs.  We would love to see your progress.

The Woodland Pixie Hat -A Crochet-Along

I am most definitely an introvert, and making friends is something that takes time.  However, I have found some amazingly kind, warm and friendly people through social media. One of those people is the talented Miri from Here We Are Together.  Miri and I have been friends for a very long time indeed.  We were chatting one day about crocheting something together, sort of a virtual crochet club and thus the idea for the Woodland Pixie Hat was born.

It is a quick, easy make and great for beginners (and people who find they do not have much time).  I am not a pattern writer, but I had an idea and Miri helped me put it down in writing so that others could also join in our crochet-along.  I know it is time to start dreaming about Spring, but the fact is that it is still cold outside and will be  for a while. This hat is fun and my children absolutely love it. (Also we are always hunting for a hat in this house of 4 children).  It  does not require a large investment of time...so I am definitely making a couple. 

Miri and I will be sharing the pattern from tomorrow in three parts, for the next three Mondays.  We will also be here to help you and talk you through it if you are a beginner.  I will have the pattern in UK terms while the US version will be on Here We Are Together.  So find some double knit yarn from your stash and a size 4 crochet hook and join us tomorrow.

I am sure we will have so much fun and perhaps forge a few friendships along the way.

Waste not ...

I am not an experienced, nor a very knowledgeable gardener. However, I do know that I need to cut back my shrubs and bushes because otherwise the new shoots grow only at the top of the plant.  This leaves the bottom looking bare and unattractive.  I have not done it yet because I can not throw away the gorgeous coloured shoots and fragrant lavender.

I had to think of an idea that would allow me to use all this beauty, waste not.....

Here is what I came up with.  I took the lavender and wrapped it with florists wire into a wreath shape which  I sized to fit perfectly around my planting bowl. It needs to be a snug fit as it's not tied on .  Then I took the coloured shoots and added them in by gently securing them in the wire or between lavender.  

I planted Grape Hyacinth in my planter. Now I feel that I am ready to welcome Spring.

Bringing the Seasons Indoors...

Today started out as cold, foggy and damp. Whilst I do love foggy weather, I was so happy to see the sun come out to warm up the day.  We grabbed our cameras , my daughter and I , and headed outdoors.  We wanted to see whether there was more to winter than just the colour grey. We were delighted to see the garden still full of beautiful colours, textures and smells.

This got us thinking about how we could bring some of this splendour inside as a reminder on the really grey days.  We gathered bits of shrubs, bushes and moss... lovely!

Once inside, we considered a number of options, but finally settled on making a wreath. It is fairly easy to put together.  All you need is a wire frame and some florists wire (or string).  We placed moss onto the frame and wrapped it into place with the wire.  

Next we added our 'gatherings' including some lavender for fragrance.  For the finishing touch, we added some dried flowers.  It is the first wreath we made on our own and we are pleased with the outcome.

Taking a Moment in Time...

We all get so busy with the things that NEED to be done. Everyday just passes in a blur of tasks that had to be done. I decided that as time was flying by, I needed to pause and take a moment in each day to enjoy the things that make me smile, the things I do not want to forget. A smile on the faces of my children, a bad joke from my husband...saved all day to share with me in the evening, nature's beauty, handmade creations, fresh baked bread and a chance to knit. Just a moment in the midst of all the busy...to pause, to look, to listen and appreciate my life.

These are my moments... thank you for stopping by.  I would love to see your moments too, so please share on Instagram using #takingamomentintime. There are no rules, just that you post on a Monday some happy 'moment' from your week.