Our week was filled with all the busyness of Spring that one can ask for on beautiful April days. Some bean seeds were planted around our bean teepee and the basil and peppers we had started in our nursery window were finally put into their garden homes. There was some excitement when the children discovered that a few of the radishes they had planted in early March were ready to be harvested. Already the children have been enjoying picking come lemon balm, mint, or chives to have for a little nibble while they're playing. A few butterflies and ladybugs have also made their homes in the play yard, so hopefully they'll be helping us with the garden as well.

During our morning times inside, it's been so delightful to see the stories unfold that the children create. Many times they play all in one big group, the youngest children often just watching and following along. Or, they may find a little spot and begin telling a little story on their own.

Our circle time lately has been about a caterpillar creeping and crawling on "leaves and stems and old stone walls" who then after eating and eating, spins a "little house that has no door". The children pretend to sleep and while their eyes are closed, I put a silk around their shoulders, tucking the ends into their hands to be "wings". And then they "waken as a butterfly" and we fly around the nursery. 

Because we have a group with a number of older children, we've been practicing a fairly challenging clapping game called "Bim Bum". They don't have it down quite yet, but hopefully with practice, they'll get it soon. Hand claps and rhymes are wonderful exercises for the developing brain as they combine rhythm, hand coordination, singing and memorization all at the same time. 

I had some help in our new garden area this week. The children helped me dig our swale pathway around the beds and then shovel some pea gravel into the ditch and spread it around. There were many busy watering cans watering our new plants as well. We will plant nasturtiums, borage, and climbing beans in the upcoming weeks. The children also were busy designing boats with our blocks, crates, ropes, and tubes. A bit of rain this week also provided opportunities for puddle splashing and malleable wet sand. 
Inside, the children have been working on a little paper weaving using some watercolor paintings. They folded one painting in half lengthwise and cut slits about an inch apart. This was an excellent exercise in control, because they had to stop cutting before they reached the edge. There were a few lessons learned, but those mistakes were fixed with tape. Next, they cut strips from another painting. Lastly, they wove the strips. It took concentration to weave them first under and then over, and to remember to start the next strip in the opposite way! Primarily, this was a craft for my older 4's and 5's. Our younger children enjoyed painting and just cutting strips of paper into little pieces while they watched the older children. 

We've been playing some circle and ring games which the children love. One is called "My Lady Spring" and is based off of an old Springtime poem. A child, who is Lady Spring, weaves in and out under the arms of children holding hands in a circle while we sing "My Lady Spring is dressed in green, she wears a primrose crown, the sun shines if she laughs at all, my lady spring, my lady spring." Then the "lady spring" comes to the middle and leads us all as he/she twirls in the middle singing "And little baby buds and twigs are clinging to her gown, and if she weeps, the raindrops fall, my lady spring, my lady spring". We also have a little poem about flower elfins and their bulbs, and the children take turns being the flower elfin (who wears a colorful cape) and flower bulbs. The flower elfin pushes down the flowers roots and pulls up their shoots, then paints their petals. When father sun says it's time for bed, the bulb curls up again and the elfin covers it and protects it from winter cold. Lastly, by popular demand, we play some farmer in the dell, which is always a favorite. 

I've also been reading some carefully chosen fairy tales to the children at lunch time. These fairy tales are usually lighthearted in nature and also there are no pictures (which helps deal with the "I can't see!" issue at lunch). Last week we read about a tiny little boy named Pimpernall who accidentally got carried out of his chimney by some steam, but through his wit and help from a friendly giant, made his way home again. Prior to Pimpernall, we read The Queen Bee, about three brothers, the youngest of whom helps some ants, some ducks, and some bees. When he later must fulfill 3 tasks, the animals help him. I often hear some of the themes of these fairy tales repeated in the children's play later on!

Our playground recently received a facelift over the spring break. The sandbox was enlarged to make room for so many busy workers. I added some greenery and silk flowers along with some animals to create stories and scenes or decorate "cakes", or whatever the children came up with!
Where our old sandbox was is now a new garden incorporating our apple trees. We'll have a pair of neighboring bean teepees, goumi berry bushes, cone flowers, chives, batchelors buttons and tall artichokes and cardoons. Or so I hope. 

Play both inside and out has been expanding and evolving. A racecar pretend game initially was tricky to start the other because some children couldn't agree on whether there could be more than one driver. In time they agreed that a mechanic or engineer was just as crucial to the game as a driver, and they rode along with their "driver" enjoying the task of checking the tires and engine. A restaurant was opened near our "race track" and the driver and mechanic enjoyed taking a break in their racing day to have some lunch. Later, some mamas decided to come for a ride in the racecars along with their babies. I love watching how children's play can expand and grow if just given the uninterrupted time to unfold. 

We celebrated Spring's Birthday before our break, making a little spring "garden" with the wool caterpillar, egg, and butterfly that the children made. But the real treat was the Italian Easter Bread that we all love so much. The children dyed their eggs in red cabbage juice and then placed them in a little "nest" made of an especially rich dough. Delicious!