Tuesday

Morning

Activity: Modeling Beeswax or Playdough

Modeling wax or playdough helps to develop a healthy tactile sense and helps to foster fine motor development in the hand, contributing to future fine motor required skills, including handwriting.  

A Beeswax Story
Shared by Louise deForest

The wind sweeps all throughout the world, over deserts and mountains, jungles and oceans.  As it travels, it gathers stories from all the different lands.  The leaves of the trees catch these stories as the wind rustles through the leaves and drops them down to the flowers, who save those stories for the bees because bees love stories.  

When the bees come to gather the pollen, they also gather up the stories brought by the wind, held by the leaves of the trees and dropped into the flowers' open cups.  As the bees make the walls of their babies' rooms out of beeswax, they put the stories into the walls, as well so their babies will know something about the world.  The bees know that all human beings like stories too.  So in your beeswax, you will find a story that has been put there just for you.  But you will only find the story if you let the good sun shine through.  

Don’t have modeling beeswax at home? Check out Palumba or Nova Natural!

If you want to utilize playdough rather than modeling beeswax, but still want to establish a relationship with honeybees, there is good news! You can do both!

The next time you are on a walk around the block, in the backyard, or looking out from a window, see if you can identify the honeybees visiting the leaves, blossoms, and buds in your area.  Have a little taste of honey on a spoon, and thank the bees for sharing their nectar. If you have a beeswax candle at home, light it before your meals, thank the bees for sharing their wax and light and bless your food, much of which grew because of the bees doing their good work of pollination.

Snack: Oatmeal Day

Prepare the amount of oatmeal that you desire according to the number of bellies you will feed.  Feel free to use the variety of oatmeal your family likes best.  Bob's Redmill has a nice, gluten-free option.   We use a 3:1 ratio.  Add a pinch of salt to the water.  Add a vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste.  

We add a can of full-fat Coconut Milk at the end.

Toppings:
Honey or maple syrup, raisins, dried coconut flakes

Sides:
Any variety of nuts you prefer and sliced apples

The Adventures of Ms. Stephanie

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

The Windmill
If I could have a windmill, a windmill, a windmill
If I could have a windmill, I know what I would do.  
I'd have it pump some water, some water, some water
I'd have it pump some water, up from the river below.  
And then I'd have a duck pond, a duck pond, a duck pond
And then I'd have a duck pond, for ducks and geese to swim.
The ducks would make their wings flap, their wings flap, their wings flap
The ducks would make their wings flap, and they would say "Quack! Quack!"  
The geese would stretch their long necks, their long necks, their long necks
The geese would stretch their long necks, and they would answer  "S-S-S-S-S!"  
If I could have a windmill, a windmill, a windmill
If I could have a windmill, I know what I would do

Nature Craft Activity

Go on a little nature walk in your backyard or neighborhood and collect three small sticks.

At home, bind the ends of the sticks together with yarn to form a triangle frame. Using your favorite color yarn, wrap and weave around the triangle frame (like a spider web).

When finished, tie a piece of string at the top and find a special place to hang your beautiful decoration!