Give & Take

Today Linus and I made our first superhero.  He picked Batman.  He's a little disappointed it isn't made out of plastic, but I told him I do not want to have a factory in order to make a plastic one; we will use what we have.  He said it's "mostly great."  I will take that.

Good Morning, Fall

When the house has that lovely fall chill in the morning, cook a pumpkin & plan some baking.

(Cut in half, scoop out seeds & fibers, brush the cut surface with butter or oil, 375 oven for about 30 minutes or until it looks wrinkled and soft.)

Drink your morning cuppa, pad around in slippers.

Read, draw, play trains.  Savor.

(Grandpa's Barn is Open!)

         

                                                     
  Market Square

    I had a penny,
    A bright new penny,
    I took my penny  
         To the market square.
    I wanted a rabbit, 
    A little brown rabbit,
    And I looked for a rabbit
        'Most everywhere.

For I went to the stall where they sold sweet lavender
("Only a penny for a bunch of lavender!").
"Have you got a rabbit, 'cos I don't want lavender?"
     But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

    I had a penny,
    And I had another penny,
    I took my pennies 
        To the market square.
    I did want a rabbit,
    A little baby rabbit,
    And I looked for rabbits
         'Most everywhere.

And I went to the stall where they sold fresh mackerel
("Now then!  Tuppence for a fresh-caught mackerel!")
"Have you got a rabbit, 'cos I don't like mackerel?"
     But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

    I found a sixpence,
    A little white sixpence.
    I took it in my hand
        To the market square.
    I was buying my rabbit
    (I do like rabbits),
    And I looked for my rabbit
         'Most everywhere.

So I went to the stall where they sold fine saucepans
("Walk up, walk up, sixpence for a saucepan!").
"Could I have a rabbit, 'cos we've got two saucepans?"
     But they hadn't got a rabbit, not anywhere there.

    I had nuffin',
    No, I hadn't got nuffin',
    So I didn't go down 
         To the market square;
    But I walked on the common,
    he old-gold common...
    And I saw little rabbits
        'most everywhere!

So I'm sorry for the people who sell fine saucepans,
I'm sorry for the people who sell fresh mackerel,
I'm sorry for the people who sell sweet lavender,
     'Cos they haven't a rabbit, not anywhere there!

from When We Were Very Young, A.A. Milne

Fences

We've had this section of fence that's been falling down for years.  (I really wish I was kidding about that.  But I'm not.)  So, I fixed it.

Fences make such rich metaphors, and we use them in all sorts of ways.   

My body and mind worked together on this metaphor of fence building -- as in: strong fences make good neighbors.  You know, boundaries.

I deconstructed the old fence and removed the wide variety of screws, nails, and various fasteners used over the years to try to hold it up. 

I assessed what I had to work with and moved forward.

I got out my shovel and made level ground on which to put my fence.

I used what I had available.  I didn't have any work gloves, so I used my gardening gloves to keep out the splinters.

The boards were weathered, but still sturdy. I replaced the supports.

I took it bit by bit, letting each step guide me to the next, based on intuition and common sense. What would make sense here?  What is needed?  What can I do today?

I asked for help finding the right hardware even though I didn't know what things were called.  Whether I looked foolish could not be considered.

I put it all together with a sturdy tool I borrowed from a friend.

Is it perfect?  Nope.
Could someone else have done a better job?  Maybe.
Could someone else have done it faster?  Probably.
Is it sturdy?  Yes.

It's what was needed, and I did it.

Tiny Toys to Make & Use

Fairy gardens (and trucks, and doll houses, and race cars, and dinosaurs) need people.  We made these three summers ago from acrylic paints and wooden pegs we bought at Michael's.  I'm happy to see that they've resurfaced -- they're lots of fun!  

The guy on the left was lovingly named Oliver by one-year-old Linus.  Come to think of it, everything was named Oliver that year!

 The trick is to use a toothpick to paint thin lines and small hearts & flowers.

What else have we transformed for dollhouses and gardens with a little paint?  Drawer pulls have become toadstools.  Wooden plugs (screw hole buttons) have become tiny cupcakes and tiny toadstools.

It's getting to be that time of year when we spend more time indoors.  These are the bitty treasures that show up in lots of our fall and winter activities.  Fun for play, but also for storytelling, drawing, math.  And they're great in a "take along pouch" -- where I toss in a handful of surprises to play with while waiting.  Because there is always some waiting.

Need to Get Away?

Made by friends, this beautiful origami ornament inspired us to share it with our book club.  We fancied it looked like a whimsical hot air balloon, transporting us over oceans and continents, just as it did Professor William Waterman Sherman and his fellow Krakatoans in The Twenty-One Balloons.

 Follow the simple directions for a waterbomb base.

Then complete your balloon.

(This site has clear and easy directions for so many kid friendly projects.)

 Thread your needle with embroidery floss.  

Be sure the eye of the needle will pass through the beads you'll be using.

Tie a bell onto the end of the floss (where you would normally knot it).

 String beads.

   Add your balloon by inserting the needle through the blowing hole 

and pushing it through to the other side.

  String more beads.

Tie it off by creating a loop, for hanging.

Bon Voyage!

Leaping Game Spotlight!

Happy to have on our shelf a game with a name that says it all: Leaping Frogs.  No need to sit still!  Funny frog bean bags to bounce off a lily pad trampoline - perfect for us all.  

(Feeling mathy?  Make up your own rules about what to do with the numbers.  Feeling crafty?  Make your own frogs.  And lily pads.  What would you build as a trampoline?)

We must have frogs on our minds.  We're listening to The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker and yesterday Book! Book! Book! by Bruss & Beeke was excavated from our book stacks.

Wonder what else will pop up?