IN THE CLOUDS

I know what you must be thinking. . . cool effects from photoshop or a similar program. 

Wrong!.  He said he had the urge to go up on the roof. . . literally. . . and he did.

His older sister took the pictures.

                                                
                                            texting on the roof

And this is the kid who doesn't like his picture taken. . . 

most of the time, that is.

 I am linking this to Life. On Mondays over at Ordinary Magic (Too).

"That one can step away from the same-old, same-old mindset at any time.

That regular life doesn’t have to be drudgery.

That the absurd and backwards should maybe be appreciated."

CATCH ME

"Catch me!" is what the Painted Lady said to the children. . .

                                      and with all their might, they tried

They came quite close but she flitted off again . . . 

and so did they!

It's often not about the prize, or the goal, at the end, but the whole journey. 
The boys were still filled to the brim with JOY.


Do you play the Outdoor Challenge too?

WORDS

my weekly posting of a poem, a quote and a passage from literature.

Sleeping in the Forest
I thought the earth remembered me, she 
took me back so tenderly, arranging 
her dark skirts, her pockets 
full of lichens and seeds. I slept 
as never before, a stone 
on the riverbed, nothing 
between me and the white fire of the stars 
but my thoughts, and they floated 
light as moths among the branches 
of the perfect trees. All night 
I heard the small kingdoms breathing 
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night 
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling 
with a luminous doom. By morning 
I had vanished at least a dozen times 
into something better. 
~Mary Oliver




All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither; deep roots are not reached by frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken; a light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be a blade that was broken; the crownless again shall be king" - JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"In I got bodily into the apple barrel, and found there was scarce an

apple left; but sitting down there in the dark, what with the sound of
the waters and the rocking movement of the ship, I had either fallen
asleep or was on the point of doing so when a heavy man sat down with
rather a clash close by. The barrel shook as he leaned his shoulders
against it, and I was just about to jump up when the man began to speak.
It was Silver's voice, and before I had heard a dozen words, I would
not have shown myself for all the world, but lay there, trembling and
listening, in the extreme of fear and curiosity, for from these dozen
words I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended
upon me alone."

           ~from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

SUNDAY STROLL - Animals

 The day is cloudy, and the ground is damp with rain. My mood mimics the weather today, a bit somber and  in slow motion, as I still nurse my cold.  It is really a do nothing day, nothing really productive that is,  but obviously the kind of day I need. We all need to take advantage of those days now and then.


The only Stroll that was happening today for me was one to check on the animals. Of course, a brisk walk around the property would have probably been the most beneficial, but I was pulling out the lazy card today.

I think my partner was wondering what was taking me so long.

The horses greeted with their usual nickers and neighs and were probably wondering where I have been all day.

The ducks were pacing the fence, getting ready to fly over, but I was not in the mood to be bitten by male ducks, so I hurried on.

I need not fear though, as my *protector* was at the ready to herd those ducks away should the need arise.

The rabbits were vying for position as they heard my footsteps, always dreaming of the luscious dandelion greens I often pick for them. Today was no exception.

Some of the hens were resting under the pines . . . 

while others were looking for snacks in the grass.

I was finished outdoors and noticed some cool mushrooms on the way to the house.

Inside,the kittens were just waking from a nap.

The rabbit was fine and was just hanging out

 .

And most of the chicks were resting.

 REST? Sounds like a perfect idea :)

 happy day!

Check out who else is strolling today at Aisling's The Quiet Country House !

FRIDAYS FLOWERS

Close your eyes and think of sunshine. . . the laughter of children . . . the cozy warmth of blankets on a cold day. . .  a friend just beaming with joy .
What color do you see?


I see yellow. 
I walked the garden in search of  yellow flowers today for Friday's Flowers hosted by Renee at Fimby.

YELLOW makes me happy and so do fresh flowers :)

What color makes YOU happy?

"When at last I took the time to look into the heart of a flower, it opened up a whole new world...as if a window had been opened to let in the sun."
                                          ~ Princess Grace of Monaco

DRAWING NATURE

What? You want me to draw?
Have you ever felt that way, intmidated by that blank page and not feeling quite capable, and certainly not much like an artist? 

Some of the children in my Earth school have felt that way in the beginning when we explored, discovered and then started to draw in our nature journals. 


But drawing in nature has nothing to do with being an artist. It's not about art and perfection and skill, but more about *being* in the natural world and *observing* and *seeing* and the recording of those details. It's being in a state of openness and awareness. And each child *sees* differently. 


Drawing what you see allows oneself to focus in. It's different than taking a walk and exploring and discovering. It's getting in close, a quiet contemplation between the child and their subject in which all their senses come into focus to put on paper. Over time, especially if one enjoys being in nature, one will find their nature drawings becoming more intricate. 


The more they draw nature, the more they see, and the more they connect.

Children need time, that ongoing journey, of being in the natural world.

Drawing nature sharpens observational skills and awareness which  transfers to other parts of their lives. 

"As children observe, reflect, record, and share nature’s patterns and rhythms, they are participating in a process that promotes scientific and ecological awareness, problem solving, and creativity." 

                      ~Deb Matthews Hensley

{this moment}

Following SouleMama's inspiration :
"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

ROCKS AND WIRE AND PICTURES

The children and I got a head start on a gift for the dads today using rocks and wire. It is a very simple craft, although not as easy for the younger children as I thought it might be, so I helped. . . a great deal :) 

First, you find rocks that stand up well. The children chose their own rock.

Then you gather wire. I used what we had on hand. I wanted to use colorful telephone wire that we have but it's hiding somewhere in a box. So I settled for regular silver wire that bends fairly easily. And perhaps the silver wire was a better choice anyway.

Next, cut off a good amount of wire and start to wrap it like you would ribbon on a package, pulling it as taut as you can . . .

and bringing it up to the top side, twisting it tight together all the way up. Make some adjustments, if you have to, so it will be somewhat centered and stand straight.

Then you bend some of the twisted wire down into a spiral, that's the part that will hold the picture, note, recipe, etc.

The children chose the pictures they wanted and glued them onto heavier paper. We used watercolor paper. They wrote a note to dad on other colorful paper and glued it onto the back of the picture.

I think some dads are going to be very happy. What do you think?


You can experiment with different rocks as well as different wire and different methods of wrapping it.. I want to use some of the rocks I have collected already and make a whole display area for pictures. I just love decorating with nature. I got my inspiration here.

WHERE ARE THE PAINTS

 We did some moving things around before the grad party we had over the weekend and she was asking where the paints were now. I remembered about an hour ago she said "I feel like making something."

 It wasn't long before she walked past with a long board, some newspapers, brushes and paints and when I walked through the room I did a double take to see all her supplies spread out on the wood floor as she painted, chatted with family and watched a movie. It is so great we have a kid-friendly, creative-friendly house. But that's how we live so I guess of course it would be that way.

 It is just another *creative spark* that I always mention. .. probably because it always happens here ...and it is so awesome.  And it's the whole process that is of the greatest importance not necessarily the product. She learned what she would have done differently the next time.

  I feel it is so important for all children to have a myriad of supplies, the time to choose, experiment and create exactly what they want, and the support from others that their choices, as well as their art, hence themselves, are valued.