Building Structures with the Children

Today we had a craft time with some marshmallows and spaghetti! We've been studying the London Bridge is Falling Down nursery Rhyme this week and thought that we could build a bridge. Turns out that's pretty tricky and so some (not so) stable structures were made instead! Of course there were lots of other things that the children made also.... well mostly Esther actually, she was on a HUGE ROLL of imagination and thinking up many things with her few marshmallows and spaghetti! Check it out....

1) Funny glasses!!

 2) A flag being flown in the air

 

 

3) Puppets-this is Dad and sister (so Esther said!)

 

 4) a Baton, madly been waved by the conductor! After stuffing the marshy in her mouth!

(note the children have had some fun with water colour pencils for face painting, 

today Sophia wrote "love you" on Esther's check! 

Oh and she was dressing up, a very "normal" thing for our little girl!)

also Zeke in background building his Lego car....

 

 Sophia had very sticky hands after her bridge 

(top photo across the Tupperware containers)

Even the pasta was still sticking to her!

 

 Hannah made a rocket!

 

 

 

 Zeke made two things, this pyramid....

 

 

 Sapphire is never too far away... she loves to look out the front door 

and smile for Mummy when she's being talked to! CUTE!

 

 

This is Ezekiel's other creation, the square structure for his Lego car....

it proved it wasn't very stable AT ALL!!

It was certainly loads of fun watching them all and seeing where their mind and imagination was taking them!

Smiles The Torrents'

Sapphire {now 4 1/2 months old}

I really can't say enough just how much I love babies! Of course when they are your own, it's a whole 'nother level of oozeyness! Our precious Jewel Sapphire Elizabeth is now just over 4 months old and growing into a very alert, happy, squealey, hugable, kiss-a-lot little baby girl.
She can roll over a bit, loves to be on her tummy, loves to squeal and chatter in a very LOUD voice (can't possibly imagine where she got that from..... hee hee!) Have by herself time, look in delight and wonder at the hearts that hang from our doorway (since Valentine's day) be tickled, having her nappy changed is fun, likes to nore on her fingers, wakes with a smile EVERY TIME and (I'm sure) loves to be in our family being kissed, hugged, carried, played with and loved HEAPS!!!

 

Smiles The Torrents'

Blackberry picking & Sunday morning pancakes

Once our raspberries finish we look forward to the next berry to munch on.... Blackberries!
We have an amazing bush of them growing out the back of our house and we look after it each year, so we may enjoy all it offers once February comes!

 

This year I didn't even know they were ready until one day on the phone I was looking out the window and saw a blackbird flying off with a berry in it's mouth!! Aaaa arhhh, they're ready!!!
We love to pick them, though the prickles do get a bit much for my treasures so really I guess it's mostly me picking them with lots of supervision!!!
One of the other things the children do love to watch out for is what we affectionately call
"the blackberry bugs"
We only ever see them on the blackberries so hence the name! Do you know what they are???
This particular day we also saw a busy bee with pollen on his legs and a grasshopper! What a great science lesson in the making!
Esther has to have her own container which she completely devourers in a matter of minutes, Hannah and I take it in turns on who will find, pick and then eat the biggest berry. Zeke and Sophia like to enjoy them in cooking and on pancakes on a Sunday morning!

 

 

 

 

I'll be off to pick some more this morning just for that, our regular Sunday pancakes, Yummmmm blackberries, nectarines and honey!!! It's making my mouth water just thinking about it!
Smiles The Torrents'

Wednesday and Garden journals

 

With the new term I decided that I wanted to keep some of last years subjects as I found them to be really something the children enjoyed. If you have subjects like them then they need to be keepers!!!
We started a Garden Journal (instead of our Nature study which in reality is really the same thing!) where the children choose something from the garden, usually making note of the things relevant to the season and sketching it and then writing some info about it.
Hannah hates to draw so she takes a picture, which she does really well and Zeke & Sophia happily do a sketch. Zeke grabs all the relevant pencils that might be the EXACT one and then colour matches it to the selected subject! I love that! 

 

 

This year of course they have an audience with precious Sapphire watching all the activity. Esther was just wondering around. Today she was naked due to lots of dress-up changes but the photo I took of that got deleted when Sophia started taking photo's of Sapphire with a flower behind her ear. It did look cute what she did but so did Esther, Umm next time Soph's needs to get her own camera!!

  

Hannah likes to find out her info on the computer, she chose the Agapanthus today. Zeke works from a book I got from my Dad called The Colour Dictionary of Garden Plants. I really love that we use something my Dad was passionate about, he was a horticulturalist and this was one of the books he used when studying. It has everything! Well at least so far I've found every flower or plant that I've wanted in it!

I ended up getting some weeding done which was certainly a feel good as the weeds are most definitely taking over our small vegie patch this year. I've been quite disappointed about our vegie patch and lack there of yummy things to eat from it but I guess that's what happens when you have a 4 month old..... I keep telling myself "there's always next year!"
Smiles The Torrents'

Nursery Rhyme study week # one Baa Baa black Sheep

Last week we kicked off the new school year with our Nursery Rhyme study. Our first day was wonderful (which I thought was amazing considering I usually don't like Monday's and it was the first day back for the year!!) The rest of the week however wasn't as wonderful as we all got into the groove of routine and work again! Oh bother!!
So for our first week we began with Baa Baa Black sheep or any rhyme with sheep in it, Mary had a little lamb, Little Bo Peep etc.
I had lots of activities planned and the children had fun learning about sheep breeds, wool classing, where in the world wool production is, cost of bale's of wool and music.
I also found THIS cute snack but you'll notice ours didn't turn out anything like it...... we did however have LOTS of fun making them!! Ezekiel especially had me laughing so much with comments like.....
"Hey don't eat the sheep heads!!!" (when Sophia kept eating the red grapes)
"Look Mum a BEE!" when he had stuck the eyes one the grape..... and my favourite
" Oh well we'll just have Bugs and Bushes!!"

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah thought that perhaps it looked like the sheep were lying down! I did try and get a photo of a completed sheep standing but by the time i found my camera it had fallen to a squat!!
This week we are doing Sing a Song of Sixpence - Happy schooling,
Smiles The Torrents'

Happy Valentine's Day

Found this great word Bulletin HERE

Sending lots of love, hugs & smiles

to you on this Valentine's day!

Smiles The Torrents'