a gypsy caravan

Poetry Friday--End of Summer Poem

"Wheatstacks, End of Summer" by Claude Monet

The little songs of summer are all gone today.
The little insect instruments are all packed away:
The bumblebee's snare drum, the grasshopper's guitar,
The katydid's banjo, the cricket's violin,
The dragonfly's cello have ceased their merry din.
Oh, where is the orchestra?  From harpist down to drummer
They've all disappeared with the passing of the summer.

~ by Rowena Bennett

See the rest of the Poetry Friday lineup at Charlotte's Library.

Picking Raspberries and Petting Bumblebees

This morning I took the children to pick raspberries at a local fruit farm.  They had such fun!  We picked loads of berries and have plans to make a raspberry pie and several jars of freezer jam.  The woman who owned the farm told me that raspberry season lasted until the first hard frost, usually early November.  I think we will return again in a couple of weeks as we had such a nice time together.

Christopher sitting on the "Raspberry Throne". 

A funny note about Christopher's time at the farm...
There was a older gentleman picking berries nearby who overheard Christopher and I talking about the large number of bumblebees that were sitting on the berry bushes.  They did not seem active but just sitting on the leaves as though they were asleep.  The man mentioned that the bees were so full that they could not fly until they sat for a while.  He told Christopher that they were so docile, you could pet them.  Chris spent much of the picking time petting the fuzzy bumblebees' backs.  :)

Done and Ready to Go

We completed our end of the year assessments and will be submitting them this week to the Board of Education.  It is always a good feeling to have that completed, simple as the process may be.  Our state allows for an end of the year standardized test score or portfolio review to be submitted to the school district.  I usually opt for the portfolio review but this year we took Seton's CAT test.   

The girls were at the park on the boys testing day which allowed us to work hard without interruption.  The boys thought it was fun to take a test.  We broke up the sections with some snacks and activities to break things up a bit.   In between test sections, we had treats of lollipops and popsicles.  We took 10-15 minute breaks during which some of the while we sat (and ate) and other times we ran relay races to the back of our lot (300 feet).  Racing Christopher was fun because I pretended that I was exhausted and let him win a couple of times.  He thought that was jolly good fun and fell down laughing a few times.  A couple more times I creamed him, just to keep him humble. ;)

When it came down to Ben and I, however, there was no mercy coming from me No Siree Bob!  That boy thinks he is the fastest thing on wheels and I just couldn't let him win without a good fight.  It was fun to race him as he is becoming a fast runner as he grows older.  I did beat him fair and square three times though he beat me in the final race to the back fence.  In my defense, I had already raced Christopher in several races before attempting to race Ben so I was somewhat worn out.  Also, Chris likes to remind me that I am an "ooooold lady" so I will use that as an excuse.  :)

Anyhoo, we are starting our new school year tomorrow.  The kids are ready and I am too!  We are looking forward to a peaceful year full of interesting things to learn, handcrafts to make, and songs to sing together.   Say a prayer for our school year ahead and we will do the same for you. :)   

Fingerknitted Flowers

I think my Mary would love to make one of these sweet flowers.  I was talking with a friend recently about the purpose of fingerknitting.  I realized that I have no idea what the specific purpose is, other than to make pretty things with your hands.  :)

Fingerknitting has been a favorite of Mary's since last autumn when she learned how to do it.   She make belts, headbands, stuffed animal leashes and bracelets.  It makes her happy and keeps her peaceful so it's alright by me. :)

Embroidered Pillowcases

I am currently working on two sets of embroidered pillowcases.  Here is one pillowcase I completed for my sister in law and her new husband.  Their bedroom color scheme is earth toned with a bit of butter yellow mixed in.

A closer look...

The other set is for my friend Anne whose birthday was in, (ahem), May.  She is a very patient friend. :)  Perhaps if I could work on them more than three minutes a day, I might have had them completed by now.  Anne's are the same pattern, only darker flowers to match her bedroom. 

I bought the pillowcases and pattern in a kit at the local craft store.  It is the first embroidery project that I've completed since I was a very young girl.   I think they are pretty and cheery.   

Wordless Wednesday-What a Relief!

Before and After :)

See the rest of the Wordless Wednesday lineup here.

MODG Memory Work Files

If any of you are using Mother of Divine Grace plans for the upcoming school year, (specifically Kindergarten, Third or Sixth grades), I made files of all the memory work and have included them here if you'd like to download them for your children's binders.

Kindergarten Poetry:

Download the_cow_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download bed_in_summer_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download at_the_seaside_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download the_cow_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download my_shadow_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download the_wind_by_robert_louis_stevenson.doc

Download the_little_turtle_by_vachel_lindsay.doc

We will be learning the Kindergarten poems during Circle Time each morning.

Third grade History and Geography:
Download list_of_history_dates_for_memorization.doc
Download geography_facts_for_memorization.doc

Third grade Poetry:
Download the_flag_goes_by.doc
Download the_childrens_hour.doc
Download Preamble.doc
Download the_village_blacksmith.doc

Sixth grade Poetry:
Download the_charge_of_the_light_brigade.doc
Download the_lake_isle_of_innisfree.doc
Download the_fools_prayer.doc
Download the_destruction_of_sennacherib.doc

I put ours in plastic page protectors and then in 1/2 inch, 3 ring binders, one per child.  I have also placed the circle time lineup in the Kindergarten poetry binder so it is easily accessible each morning.  The children will memorize a stanza per week, recite the entire poem when they feel confident and then illustrate the poem for their poetry notebooks.

Just So You Know...

If you should ever decide (like maybe at midnight) that you might like to cut your own bangs (that are almost grown out) into tiny baby bangs so you can look like Halle Berry, I would suggest that you resist that temptation.

I did not end up looking like Halle Berry for three reasons:

1. I am white
2. I am overweight and thus lack the cheekbones
3. I am not a hairdresser

I mean, they are minor reasons but there they are nonetheless.

Photos will not follow.

Corners of My Garden--Perennial Blossoms

Autumn Circle Time

Last autumn,  we began having a daily Circle Time for the little ones.  My children have responded so well to this small amount of structure, movement and attention in the morning.   Here are some previous posts about Circle Time in our home.

This is our Autumn line up of songs, fingerplays and poems:

• Light candle
• All sit in a circle on the floor
• Morning prayer: "Dear Lord Jesus, I give you today, all that I think and do and say. Amen."
• Announce the day of the week and today's date

Songs:

• Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (sitting with motions)

• I've Been Working on the Railroad (sitting)

• Apples and Bananas (sitting)

• Father Abraham (large motions, standing)

• Where is Thumbkin? (fingerplay)

• There are Seven Days (sitting)

• Humpty Dumpty (Nursery Rhyme, sitting)

• Open Them Shut Them (fingerplay)

Poem to be read aloud:

• Rain (or)
• Bed in Summer (or)
• The Cow by Robert Louis Stevenson

(or any other you'd like them to learn)
We read ours from A Child's Garden of Verses by RLS, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

• Hymn: Stabat Mater from 36 Traditional Roman Catholic Hymns

• Closing Prayer: May my hands work with care,  my heart work with love and my mind work with attention. Amen.

• Have a child blow out the candle.

****************************************************

Immediately following Circle Time, the older kids work at the table on their lessons.   Prior to adopting Circle Time, the girls were disruptive and were constantly demanding attention during the boy's table lessons.  I have found the girls are happy to play quietly for an hour or so after having had the attention and interaction that Circle Time provides.  I make available a different toy each day for them to play with.  This is the schedule we used last year and it will work fine again this fall.

Monday: Brio trains
Tuesday: Dollhouse
Wednesday: Wooden blocks
Thursday: Farm and animals
Friday: Marble chase

Rotating the wooden toys keeps them from becoming "old hat" and gives the girls a pattern of play to look forward to each week.  I keep each of the different toys in a separate container that I carry up from the basement after Circle Time.   This has worked well for us thus far.

Do you do circle time in your home?  Please share your ideas in the comments.  Thanks! :)

August Smiles

August is a lazy girl--
lazy and yet sweet,
fingers stained with raspberries,
slippers off her feet.

August doesn't care for work,
doesn't care for sport,
doesn't like too serious talk,
bicker or retort,

likes to lie in grasses green,
half-asleep, beguiling.
When you wake her from her doze,
August wakens, smiling.

--Elizabeth Coatsworth

The rest of the Poetry Friday roundup is at Becky's Book Reviews.

Wordless Wednesday

See the entire Wordless Wednesday lineup here.