Gnomes

R has been needing some new additions to his play items as he grows. Its seems he has been drawn into the super hero and action figure relm of play by some of his friends. Of course as a child that doesn't connect the media aspect of these figures with the play it is always interesting to see the play unfolds. This past weekend we visited a local children's museum and I was amamzed to see that they had set up tools for the children to make gnome homes, including hand made gnomes! R set right to work and got his 'fix' of the play he has been trying out with his friends. Why had I not thought of this sooner? Our current gnomes are all hand knitted and stuffed with wool perfect for the toddler but harder for the preschooler to pose in his building creations. This week we worked on some new gnome toys with some felt, yarn, buttons, and wool we had around the house and wooden pegs found out the craft store. So far we have 4 traditional gnomes and what I am calling 2 gnome 'scouts' without the beard and wearing a backpack. They have all been on numerous adventures of R's imagination. I'm sure we will be making many more!

Who Will Help Me Make the Bread?

"I will", said R! It was so much fun baking bread today with R, and his friend, after experiencing the "Little Red Hen" story for so many days. We all took turns telling parts of the story and it made the kneading process go so much faster. With just 3 of us home during the week we will have rolls to enjoy for a few days to come.

Our Garden Grows

Nothing as fun as getting your hands dirty and planting some seeds. After eating all of our sugar snap peas in family garden it was time to plant some new ones. R has he very own 2x4 plot of dirt joyfully named the 'kid garden' that he is learning to work all on his own. So far he has grown started a pumpkin vine, cherry tomatos, and unknown purple flowers all from seed. Our oral story the past 2 weeks has been "The Little Red Hen" and we have been talking a lot about the rewards of helping out. Today he enlisted the help of his friend to plant and water the new seeds with a promise of a great snack to share in a few weeks.

First Finger Knit

Such a proud moment for a mom that loves all things yarn! My little guy created his first chain just before turing 5. I didn't know if it was the right time, but he has been asking and asking lately so I gave it a go. A few days before I took him to the yarn shop to choose his yarn. I have to laugh because I was thinking of all these really great pastel and rainbow ones we could get but he obviously had other ideas and went with his favorite color red. We used a knitting story about a Shepard and his sheep to help him remember what to do. What a success! His chain will keep growing daily and has plans to make it a leash for his stuffed cat.

New Beginnings

The year of teaching in my public school classroom is complete. I am happy to see how my students have grown and also sad to be ending this chapter for now. But a new beginning it is. R will be turning 5 soon and starting to homeschool with me this year. Also my homebased preschool officially opened its doors in July. What a summer it will be!

A peek out our preschool room.