The elderflower is in blossom and we collected the flowers last week.After counting and washing them,I explained to the children how we were going to make a refreshing summer drink.It is wonderful to have the opportunity

to show the children how one can use  the plants that are growing in the hedgerow as part of our diet..not everything comes from a shop!We followed the recipe  and each child will bring home his own bottle of cordial.I had intended to gather blackcurrants and make jam also but the fruit is late and wont have ripened by the end of term. Meanwhile we are rehearsing for our final show.

Time is just flying and still so much that I d like to do with these busy little people. Every day, unfolds more and more delights and especially the miracles of nature, The garden is alive with birdsong and as we are still feeding the birds and watch whole families arrive at the feeders. On Thursday last we were confined indoors because of the rain and so I introduced our chaffinch,robin,sparrow, blue tit and thrush soft singing birds and great fun was had by all listening and recognising the songs. I then opened the door so we could hear the birds outside and see if we could hear the same songs…no problem!Every day, the children water the plants and they have such respect for all living things. There was great excitement on Tuesday as Bettina(Phoebe s Mum) kindly visited the school and introduced the children to working with clay.It was definitely a day they will all remember and much fun was had making their own creations and then painting them.Bettina is going to fire them and they will all have a little keepsake.As Mella was going on holidays on Friday, I decided we would have 2 end of year concerts,one last Friday and another this Thursday. Unfortunately,torrential rain again so concert was indoors. However,the children were fantastic, they recited their poems ,sang their songs and entertained mums,dads,granny s and grandad s with a super rendition of Snow White And 7 Dwarfs. This year Leah,Mella and Vivienne were the Snow White triplets,Aimee and Phoebe were twin queens and Conor starred as a huntsman,prince and Happy! Odhran also was a prince and Doc,Sean doubled as Bashful and a prince while Lugh was Grumpy,KEELYN was a rabbit and also was Sleepy and Sheena played a rabbit and Sneezy. Asher and Zav were missing so we hope they can join us this Thursday. I sat back and Phoebe directed and I think we need to watch the space!!

The long hot sunny days finally arrived last week. We have really taken advantage of it and brought the classroom to life in the garden.Our veg garden is thriving and plants are growing as we watch. There are  valuable lessons to be learned all around us.

We watch bees and butterflies carrying pollen from plant to plant and then when the insects work is done and flowers turn to seeds,the children can see for themselves  how interdependent insects and plants are.We collect flowers  just before they die to press and will later make cards and pictures from them.I am so happy to see the respect that these little children have for all forms of life and I can safely say that they wouldn t hurt a fly!

On friday we had our annual trip to the zoo. Dads, Mums ,Baby Brothers and Baby Sisters joined us. We took the 9am train to Dublin. The day was magical..clear blue sky and sunshine  and the children were so excited. For many it was a first train journey and the Irish countryside was at its most splendid.Taxis brought us to the zoo when we arrived and from the moment we entered the zoo gates the children were on a high.The reptile house was a big hit and then we watched the sea lions perform tricks. However, the african plains were amazing and each year  this area improves.. much praise must be given to the zoological society for the tremendous work they are doing in trying to recreate the natural habitat of the animals. A wonderful , memorable day!

It seemed as if winter returned  for much of May but the children didn t notice and longed to be outside again.We planted out the peas,beans and lettuces which had germinated. At this stage it is amazing to see the different interest areas of the children.Aimee is fascinated with snails and worms and so in following the interest of the child ,we went out and dug up worms(Aimee knew the spot) to make a wormery.We are now able to observe the worm”doing his work” ,making compost.Aimee s love of little creatures has spread throughout the classroom and now there  is great excitement when anyone spots a snail. In fact, the children have done a wonderful job of clearing the snails from the hostas and bringing them to juicier food in the compost.Mella ,Conor and Odhran are the chief “waterers” and weeders in the veg patch and I will miss them so much when school ends.Zav and Leah are acrobats and cannot resist climbing the apple trees while Phoebe,Vivienne  and Keelyn are always planning new games or joining Aimee in snail hunts.Lugh,Sean and Sheena are happy to join whichever activity takes their fancy. The children love the days we go down the field and it was wonderful to see the arrival of the swallows in late April.They have returned to nest in the stables and we can now hear the chicks chirping and watch the parents flying into feed them insects.Races in the field are much fun now and everyone s a winner.

The children returned to school after Easter full of their usual joy and enthusiasm.The class room is a hive of activity and they are all eager for new work. In fact, there is a wonderful sense of calm in the room and the children are completely absorbed in whatever they are doing…I introduced setting the table(for dinner and for tea), using a knife and fork and as always this has proved to be a big hit.Sensorial work has been taken to a new dimension as we can relate the smelling jars to garden herbs .The tasting jars are a firm favourite and each child must practise patiance as he awaits his turn.Both Leah and Vivienne have turned 5 so after seperate school parties they did their walk on planet earth around the sun 5 times as I related the story of all that had happened since their birth.. On Friday,we listened to a cd on bird song and then opened the school door to see if we could recognise the songs..very quickly the children could recognise great tit,robin, blackbird and chaffinch.We have continued with our rainforest project,(we are now looking at forest floor)The children are fascinated at all the little creatures that live here especially as we have been looking at matching cards on invertebrates. I am amazed and delighted at their enthusiasm as at times I feel that I may be overloading these little ones with my own  love of nature and conservation..However,my fears are in vain as they listen earnestly as I tell them about each animals role and the work he does in conserving our planet.To  my great joy Sean arrived the next day with a fabulous tarantula project and Leah with an equelly fascinating project on strawberry poison arrow frog.Through work like this I hope to show them how each little creature has a special role to play and how important his work is to keep harmony and balance in the forest ecosystem.Thus,I hope the child will see his own role and the future  of our fragile world which lies  in his hands. Maria Montessori referred to this as his “cosmic task”.

The clocks changed last weekend and Spring is officially here. However,Summer pushed its way in front of Spring and so for last  the week of March we enjoyed clear blue skies and sunny days. The children were so excited to be outdoors again.. wet, grey days drag on for far too long in this part of the world and so a blue sky is a rarity which is much appreciated when it shows its face.Little things,like finding the first daisies in the lawn thrill these little children who never fail to make me stand back and marvel at the simple miracles that Spring unfolds.The pear trees are in blossom and we watched the bees going from flower to flower doing their job of pollination.I delight in telling the children all about pollination and how insects and plants depend on each other and there is nothing better than being able to show them the real thing.