A new school year has begun and and the children have settled in very well. It was great to welcome Tom,Nixie,Kingston,Lorenzo and Luke back as my chief helpers.!We are taking full advantage of the magnificent Indian Summer and spending much time outdoors. Last week we picked damsons in the garden and on Friday we weighed and prepared the fruit for jam.We shall put it in pots to bring home so all the family can savour a tasty ,old fashioned jam.The apple trees in the orchard are laden with fruit.We juiced some apples and all enjoyed the drink..The children just love the orchard especially as the trees are so low that they can climb them and have such fun!The vegetables are thriving and we gathered beans,peas,tomatoes,kale,lettuce,beetroot and spinach..a great way to introduce vegetables and talk about healthy food. All were eager to bring them home to cook for dinner.!!The highlight of last week were picnics down the field and the discovery of newly cut hay!!We made old fashioned hay cocks,played hide and seek.and took turns being “LITTLE BOY BLUE” as everyone circled around and sang the nursery rhyme! What fun! Hay in September is a rarity and very, very special!It really makes one stop and cherish the moment!We watched the swallows circle overhead and just enjoyed these special days of blue skies and sunshine.

Happy memories of June 2014…picnics, planting seeds, examining snails and little lady birds. helping each other and enjoying every minute of each precious day!

The elder flower is in full blossom and last week we gathered the elder-flowers and made cordial. The children tasted it in school and then brought in small bottles to fill and bring home.The weather is beautiful,perfect summer days and we are now using the outdoor environment as the classroom. There is so much to discover! I have never seen a group so enchanted and mesmerized by all the little creatures. Their eyes can see what we,adults, miss and I get such joy from experiencing and sharing in their wonder!!

Delightful summer weather has arrived  and we are spending more and more time outdoors. The girls have adopted the snails and now their little squabbles are over” who has my snail”?The boys are happy kicking a ball!  We water the tomatoes every day and are amazed at how fast our beans and peas are growing.The blossom on the apple trees have formed small apples and black and red currents bushes are laden down with fruit. After our perfect Spring, it looks like a bumper crop of every kind of fruit. The great thing is that the children have seen the blossoms turn to fruit!The elderflowers are also appearing so we shall collect and make elderflower cordial next week.

Tadhg,who started “big school” last September comes in each  day with little brother Liam  to say “Good Morning”.Before he arrives at the door he checks to see if there are any snails hiding behind the hostas! Sadly, for Tadhg,there were no snails all Winter .Then one morning a few weeks ago,his face lit up with joy when he   discovered the snails were back!Now, the children have found this same excitement at finding the hiding place of the snails.Once again,it has given me the opportunity to look at the “parts of”the snail.We examined his  eyes on the tips of his tentacles with the magnifying glass and watched him move with his long foot across my arm.We marvelled at this simple mollusc and looked at his habitat.We talked about how he could protect himself  from birds by going into his shell.  I n their own little way, each child seems to have taken on a snail as their best friend!