Easy daffodil garland

Pinterest is awesome but some of the crafts on there go rather beyond the capability of my three year old and I.  We attempted handprint daffodils the other day and got something more like a daffodil coloured massacre in paint.  Maybe we should submit it to the Tate Modern as some kind of abstract masterpiece.  Or maybe not.  Anyhow, I decided of late that it would be nice if we could decorate for Spring/Easter and that some kind of daffodil bunting or garland would be just the ticket.  Joey is really the only one of my boys who is terribly enthusiastic about crafts (TERRIBLY enthusiastic if you know what I mean) so with our joint limitations in mind I decided to design my own based on the resources we had available.  And should any of you internet lovelies be quite as challenged as we are when it comes to the cutting and sticking business, I have uploaded our step by step photos below. Enjoy! 

I drew a vague daffodil shape on yellow felt.

I cut it out.  This could have been done by an older child but Joey's scissor skills aren't quite that 

developed just yet. 

 I drew daffodil leaves on green foam and cut them out too.

 I tore up lots of orange tissue paper which Joey scrunched up and stuck in the centre of the 

daffodil to represent its trumpet 

He also stuck the leaves to the back of each daffodil.

I threaded each one onto green wool, using an embroidery needle.

I hung up our lovely garland and basked in the joys of spring.

Happy Crafting.

Jo x

Unschooling Rhythm

I love unschooling.  I love that the children are free to learn what they choose, when they choose to learn it.  And it happens most unexpectedly.  One minute you'll be overseeing a game of Lego and the next you'll be reading a book about threatened species and discussing climate change.  It's fascinating.  I do find, however, that I need a little routine in my life, and that I crave to move with the rhythm of the earth,... with it's days and months and seasons.   I've always loved the Waldorf approach to seasonal and natural living, though for a while had abandoned it because all my boys wanted was Lego and Horrible Histories with a good serving of Minecraft on the side.  Life got a bit chaotic, though, and felt rather aimless and a little housebound.  As a result of this I decided to make changes to our routine.  To add more focus upon the rhythm of days and seasons.  To get out into the outdoors a little more and leave technology behind us for a while.  And so, whilst we are still unschooling, we are doing it alongside, and sometimes within, a loose framework of celebrating the earth's movement through time.  This week that has included lots of time in the outdoors, looking at how the earth is changing in our new season, being thankful to God for the bounteous plenty we have in this part of the world, considering those who have less, and using that bounty in our cooking and artwork.  Here are some pictures from our Autumn journey so far.  I hope you enjoy them.

Celebrate Life: Passover 2013

In a new series, Celebrate Life, I want to look at why celebration and ritual are so enriching to our lives, and how we can incorporate them in ways which are meaningful but manageable.  This post is about how our family celebrates Passover.

In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Romans 9:8

Because we are Abraham's children we remember the slavery of God's people, and how He led them from Egypt into freedom.  In Easter week we remembered passover, setting the scene for the biggest 'pass over' of all, when the ultimate sacrificial lamb was given so that our sins might be 'passed over' and we too might be free from slavery.  I love the Passover Seder; the symbols, the candlelight, the readings.  It feels meaningful and important and exciting.  It puts us in touch with our need for a saviour, identifying with a people in slavery.  But how do we do it?  Isn't it just a massive hassle?  Where is the time to plan and prepare?

I'll let you into a secret; it wasn't as fancy as it sounds.  Our meal was roast lamb and salad followed by healthy chocolate brownies.  Not that different than we might ordinarily have.  And the seder is a very short one that is written with especially wiggly children in mind.  You can find it in the book, Homespun Memories for the Heart by Karen Ehman.  It only lasts about twenty minutes but does not leave out the most significant symbolism.  The most problematic aspect of the whole affair is sending  dh out to buy Matzoh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you celebrate Passover?  Did you blog about it?  I'd love you to share your links via the comments section if you did. 

God bless

Jo x