Friday
Morning
Activities: Chopping Veggies for Soup
Any meal we cook in a space where are children are present is a lesson in the strengthening of the sensory system and process. If the children are invited into the process, many other capacities will be enlisted and called upon, such as fine motor processings, visual and auditory skills as well as a sense of belonging and community.
If a child has the opportunity to help create a meal, a sense of self-esteem, independence, and agency is elicited. This contributes to a willingness and desire to eat and be nourished by the food that is served.
Truth: It takes more time and a giant dose of patience to involve your child in food prep. Their willingness to eat and be nourished will be worth every effort!
Chopping
Create the space. Set out cutting boards, knives, peelers, and match-stick sized veggies for your child to chop.
Easy veggies to chop: green and yellow zucchini, potatoes, greens (which are fun to tear with fingers....more fine-motor work!). Root veggies are really nourishing for young children. Pre-pre carrots, celery, beets, turnips, parsnips, yams, in match-stick sizes. You can do this days beforehand.
Peeling is fun too!! I'm a fan of veggie skins, so if you peel carrots, beets, parsnips or potatoes, considering saving the peels for later. You could chop the peels up finely and add them to the soup or save them for future veggie stock.
Buttercup Soup Prep Songs
Peel, peel, peel and chop, chop, chop.
Peel, peel, peel and chop, chop, chop.
This is how we make our soup.
This is how we make our soup.
Cut off the bottoms and cut off the tops,
What’s left in the middle we’ll put in the pot!
Snack: Soup Day
Line the bottom of the pot with millet and some cooking oil. Toast millet and add an onion. Sauteé until onion is translucent. Add as much minced garlic as you prefer.
Add some red lentils. Sauteé a few moments longer, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Add water and a bay leaf.
Add veggies chopped into itty bitty fairy-sized bites. Root veggies like carrots, parsnips, yams/sweet potatoes and beets are especially good for children.
Add rice noodles.
Add bouillon cubes (we use Rapunzel brand).
Simmer until veggies and noodles are cooked.
Season with Tamari, nutritional yeast (golden sprinkles), herbs of your choice, and butter.
Cleaning our Space
This work is a daily need. What are the chores the members of your family collective are responsible EVERY day of the week?
Some ideas of daily chores could be:
making beds
getting dressed
putting away jammies
tending to bodily needs: brushing teeth, washing hands, and faces, etc.
feeding pets
clearing plates and dishes from the table
What can be set aside for special cleaning on Fridays? Here are some ideas.
Make this day your own! What does your family need? Cleaning can also be set aside for a weekend day. Maybe your family needs to take a break and play games, eat popcorn, and watch movies on Friday.
dusting and vacuuming
cleaning the bathroom
attending to laundry
cleaning out litter boxes or chicken coops
raking leaves
sorting recycling and compost
sweeping and mopping
putting dried goods into jars for the pantry
raking and shoveling in the yard
gardening
deep cleaning
Story Time
Afternoon
Evening Wind
Adapted from Wilma Ellersiek
Blow the evening wind so mild
Rest my little flower child
Lu lu lu lu lu, lu lu lu lu lu
Flowers Grow
Words by Monica Stone
This verse can be accompanied by gentle therapeutic touch to help your child come to a state of rest and wellbeing.
The flowers, they grow on your ten little toes
With forefinger and thumb, gently caress and massage each toe
All the way up to your little nose
Gently draw finger down the length of child’s nose
The petals, they softly brush your cheek
Gently brush each cheek with back of your hand
As you lay down and fall fast asleep
Gently run fingers along child’s brow
My Big Blue Boat
I love to ride in my big blue boat, my big blue boat, my big blue boat.
I love to ride in my big blue boat, over the deep blue sea.
My big blue boat has two red sails, two red sails, two red sails.
My big blue boat has two red sails.
Come ride along with me.
My big blue boat goes splish and splash, splish and splash, splish and slash
My big blue boat goes splish and splash, over the deep blue sea.
Fairy Dough Activity
Sculpt with your hands and have fun with this wonderful tactile and sensory experience.
Make anything that you please! Perhaps a wiggly worm or snail? Include treasures from nature like acorns or leaves to press into the dough and make prints!
Find our favorite recipe for fairy dough here.