Fairies, Blackberries and a Celebration
The fairy story Ham wrote the other day got 3-hole-punched and put into his nature journal. Perhaps he will feel inspired to complete his book next week. Instead, he worked more on the fairy home we are building together. He said “I hope this is done by summer. The fairies are going to need it.” We work on it from time to time and most of the ideas are his. Today he made this wall decoration for the inside of the fairy house. We used a low iron to set the beads together. Last night we added curtains and Lego “crib” for the fairy babies. He is so sweet when he is not fighting off squirrels to protect the tiny, defenseless fairies. He plans to make a very small entryway for this fairy home so no mice or squirrels can get in and harm the fairies. The roof and exterior walls will be camouflaged with bark and moss. Since a very young age, Ham often talks about growing up and building houses for a living. It runs in the family.
Our other big project is ridding our yard of blackberries. Blackberry thorns are the bane of my existence! I have tiny, painful reminders of them in my hands and forearms. The good news is the boys are much easier to supervise this year. They either help me with yard work or play nearby. New tools make a big difference also. I love my new fiskars pruners and light-weight shrub rake. I could not find blackberries in the Handbook of Nature Study and that disappoints me but here is a nice little poem about blackberries by Cicely Mary Barker.
The Song of The Blackberry Fairy
My berries cluster black and thick
For rich and poor alike to pick.
I’ll tear your dress, and cling, and tease,
And scratch your hands and arms and knees.
I’ll stain your fingers and your face,
And then I’ll laugh at your disgrace.
But when the bramble-jelly’s made,
You’ll find your trouble well repaid.
The boys also played in the mud for a couple of hours making rivers and dams. Endless fun. We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine that we do not see very often in the winter.
Tonight we are celebrating with Ham. He now has all the skills needed to do First Grade level studies. In Charlotte Mason circles, First Grade is “Year 1.” We may continue our relaxed approach until next September but he is *capable* of doing it now. He is very excited about it too which is the best part. I am not sure how often to ask him to practice his new reading skills? Perhaps this celebration will encourage him to keep going and *officially* start his academic education. Or in true Tidal Learning fashion, we will enjoy low tide for a while. For now, we celebrate!
