our day (including some good links)

After spending the day with friends yesterday, today our time was spent doing-
*Math games from the “Mega-Fun Math Games and Puzzles for the Elementary Grades“ and some math exercises from the .......READ MORE.

monsters and bean bags and uglies, oh my!

Monsters, bean bags, and Uglydolls have been very popular around here lately.
The photo of the bean bag above, designed by Araina and me, was meant to be a monster, but he looks........READ MORE.

black cat superstitions and folklore

I am a sucker for superstitions. I always throw salt over my left shoulder, only pick up a penny if it’s heads up, plant rosemary by the front door, FREAK OUT if I break a mirror, won’t trim the hawthorn tree, try to exit the door I enter, and many more silly little quirks. Personally, I think it makes me more interesting, but some people think I’m just a little crazy and ridiculous (Granny;))!
Black cats, however, I embrace! I LOVE them. We have......READ MORE.

caterpillar and mushroom

The little ladies came in the other day with gifts for me. They left the last few flowers blooming in the yard to reseed and found different sorts of gifts.......READ MORE.

Shakespeare and fairy brooms

We are really enjoying the tales of Shakespeare! So far we have read The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and are so wrapped up in their enchanted worlds. In the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon tells Puck and the other fairies to clean the royal castle. Fauna’s idea of fairy cleaning is little brooms and mops made from........READ ME.

Sunflower Poems, Facts and Math

A H ! S U N – F L O W E R
Ah, Sun-flower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the Sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done.
William Blake

For sunflower goodness visit the full post HERE at the new 5 Orange Potatoes.

Shakespeare's Fairies

I'm working on a Shakespeare unit for the Little Ladies. Of course, being fairy lovers, A Midsummer Night's Dream is the perfect place to start!

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire!

I do wander everywhere,

Swifter than the moon's sphere;

And I serve the Fairy Queen,

To dew her orbs upon the green;

The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

In their gold coats spots you see;

Those be rubies, fairy favours;

In those freckles live their savours;

I must go seek some dewdrops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

-William Shakespeare

I read a wonderful article about Shakespeare and the fairies, The Fairy Mythology of Shakespeare by Alfred Nutt. The article includes a list of characteristics of Shakespeare's fairies and elves, which Shakespeare considered one and the same. I found this list very entertaining and have a lot of the same views of the fairy folk. I find it so curious that a writer of the late 1500's still influences our view of fairies today.

a. They form a community under a king and queen.

b. They are exceedingly small.

c. They move with extreme swiftness.

d. They are elemental airy spirits; their brawls incense the wind and moon, and cause tempests; they take a share in the life of nature; live on fruit; deck the cowslips with dewdrops; war with noxious insects and reptiles; overcast the sky with fog.

e. They dance upon the green.

f. They sing hymns and carols to the moon.

g. They are invisible and apparently immortal.

h. They come forth mainly at night.

i. They fall in love with mortals.

j. They steal babies and leave changelings.

k. They come to bless the best bride-bed and make the increase therefore fortunate.

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;

Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,

Come not near our fairy queen.

-William Shakespeare

Solar Eclipse

Our fascination with the moon continues this month with the solar eclipse that takes place tomorrow. I found some great sites to learn about the eclipse and some fascinating legends associated with a solar eclipse.

The Facts!
Solar Eclipses for Beginners- this is a fantastic site, with great illustrations, explaining how a solar eclipse works.

The Legends!
Something Is Eating the Moon and Sun! (From the Old Farmer's Almanac)
Before people understood the science of eclipses, myths and legends were rampant. Here are a few:

• Ancient Egyptians believed that a mythical pig swallowed the Moon.

• According to Mayan folklore, a jaguar swallowed the Moon.

• Today, in the Arctic, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Tlingits believe that an eclipse allows the Moon or Sun to leave the sky to see that things are all right on Earth.

Science-v-Superstition!

The Sun Eating Dragon and Other Ways to Think About an Eclipse-We LOVE this site, great thought provoking stories! The site quotes literature, science and legends of the solar eclipse, then leaves you this question, "What power does knowledge have over terror? Does knowing how something works diminish its beauty and mystery? Or is the beauty of the world deepened by understanding the things we see? As you watch the total solar eclipse along with us and learn more about eclipses, ask yourself how your perception of this unique event is affected by the things you're learning. "

Moon WIP

Enjoy!

Herbal Lore 2

Hens and chicks (Sempervivum). Gives protection from evil and lightning when grown in the garden. Has many folk names- Jupiter's Beard, old man and old woman, stonecrop, wall pepper, and my favorite- welcome-home-husband-though-never-so-drunk. Albertus Magnus, a 15th century German writer included it in an old charm to catch fish.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). "Fennel is for flatterers." In an earlier age it was said to restore lost vision. The symbol of success and discourage evil if hung in the home. It was used by sorcerers to conjure up evil spirits.

Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium). Carries the folk name of bridesbutton. Our fore mothers carred it in their bridal bouquets. It will cleanse the air, ward off disease, and purge a siege of melancholy. Feverfew in the garden will entice fairies to dance there.

Borage (Borago officinalis). "I Borage give Courage," this herb gives courage to those who carry it or drink it as a tea. It also encourages cheerfulness. It was traditionally used to decorate houses for weddings.

Radish (Raphanus sativus). No snake will approach if you carry a radish in your pocket. Served before a meal to clean your palate.

*Lore from the book Mugworts in May by Linda Ours Rago

Secret Between You, Me and the Bumblebee

Secret, secret! I've got a secret!

Will you keep it?

I'll keep your secret, I won't tell a soul,

I'll tuck it in my pocket and I won't let it go!

Secret, secret! I've got your secret!

I said I'd keep it, but I did tell a soul......

I told it to a bumble that was buzzing in my ear,

She said she'd hold your secret, oh so dear!

Secret, secret! The bumble's got your secret,

I'm afraid she's told MANY a soul!

The bumbles are buzzing loudly like they already know!

Written by me :p

Homemade Book of Tea-Stained Paper

The Little Ladies and I have been busy making homemade books lately. I don't see us ever buying a journal or blank book again. Book making is so much fun and we can make the books exactly how we want them. The first book we'd like to share is the ladies' field guides of magical creatures. We wanted a weathered look to these field guides so we used our tea-stained cardstock.

We punched three holes down the left side of the cardstock and added 1 inch book rings to keep the pages together.

We don't do any book making without our favorite art supplies: woodless color pencils, oil pastels and watercolors!

The watercolors do incredibly well on the tea-stained cardstock. The girls spend many afternoons under the oak tree painting in their field guides.

We made pages that open out, and stapled pockets into the books to hold feathers and other treasures.

We used a thick ribbon of ric-rac for a bookmark by tying it to the top ring.

The Little Ladies' books have legends and lore of plants that grow in our yard. We taped down the plants with wide packing tape.

The books also have notes and illustrations of sprite and fairy sightings. We see them quite often zipping in and out of the plants. "Is it a fairy or is it a bee, it is too quick to be sure what I see!"

This type of book is nice because you can move around the pages and add more if the need be. Enjoy!

The Best Gifts are Influenced by Literature (Spiderwick Field Bag)

We celebrated Natalie's (a favorite friend) 8th birthday yesterday. Fauna and Natalie really enjoy the Spiderwick Chronicles, especially "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You." The field guide tells you everything you need to know about the habits and habitats of the fantastical world.


When the ladies get together it's all about hobgoblins, pixies and gargoyles. We knew the most appropriate gift from us would be a Spiderwick field bag for Natalie to take with her everywhere. We used the book's suggestions of things you need to lure, obeserve and protect yourself from fantastical creatures; we also included some of our own ideas.

Here is the field bag full of goodies that we gave her.

A water bottle for lukewarm milk for appesing and luring faeries.

A twig each of Ash, Hawthorne, and Oak bound by red thread to protect against faerie folk.

A magnifiying glass for studying small creatures.

A bag of salt to dispell magical illusions.

*A homemade journal to record all her findings.

A flashlight for hunting nocturnal creatures and seeing into dark corners.

A bag of oatmeal to feed the house brownies.

A bag of goblin teeth (little sharp pebbles).

A small spray bottle of lavender floral water for protection.

A glass crystal to hang in her window.

*A homemade flower press.

A National Geographic Rocks and Minerals field guide and some rocks (her new hobby).

And a camera to take pictures of the creatures she sees (she saw a gargoyle on the top of a building and is hoping it shows up after the pictures are developed).

We gave her the field bag at our favorite Village Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant. The girls each got a yummy sugar cone.

Emma got chocolate chip.

Araina got mint chocolate chip.

Natalie and Fauna both got pink peppermint.

After the ice cream we went outside to hunt for the mystical creatures and gather flowers for the flower press. Fauna and Natalie each found a gargoyle hair. They said this is proof that gargoyles exist! See the hair on the magnifiying glass? I'm a little frightened now, good thing Natalie now travels with a bag of salt!

Happy 8th Birthday Natalie! I'm so proud of the lovely young lady you are and greatful for the wonderful friend you are to Fauna and Araina! I must run now because Fauna is setting a griffin trap outside (to protect the dog) and Araina is sprinkling salt all over the house and asking, "Do goblins eat turtles? Do I need to salt them?"

** Later this week I'll show you how to make the portable flower and leaf press and our homemade journals.

Aluminum Cans and the Periodic Table of Elements

Literature and Aluminum Al
We have been reading the sweetest little book, first published in 1942, called "Twig" by Elizabeth Orton Jones.

The book is about a little girl, Twig, who lives in a city apartment. All she has for a backyard is a small bit of dirt where only a single dandelion is growing. She takes an old can, a gum wrapper, a bottle cap and an old thimble, places it by the dandelion and wishes for a fairy to move into this little home. Low and behold one does, by the name of ELF. Elf shrinks her down to his size and they have many adventures which doesn't involve leaving Twig's tiny backyard, including meeting a fairy queen. The photos are just as whimisical as the story and have that old fashioned flair to them.

Aluminum Tomato Can Fairy Home
Without taking the whimsy out of this book I was able to bring the PTOE (Aluminum) into this sweet little tale. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust and is an important aspect to the story. Twig uses an aluminum tomato can, bottle cap and a gum wrapper to make a cozy place for a fairy to live. What a novel idea!
The little ladies gathered some similar aluminum items mentioned in the book and made their own tomato can fairy home.

They spent most of the afternoon playing "Twig and her little friends." There are all kinds of aluminum can fairy homes in our yard now.

Facts About Aluminum Recycling from Earth 911
1. Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth.
2. Over 50 percent of the aluminum cans produced are recycled.
3. A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days.
4. Aluminum is a durable and sustainable metal: two-thirds of the aluminum ever produced is in use today.
5. Every minute, an average of 113,204 aluminum cans are recycled.
6. Making new aluminum cans from used cans takes 95 percent less energy than using virgin materials.
7. 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one can using virgin ore.
8. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.
9. Tossing away an aluminum can waste as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline.
10. In 1972, one pound of aluminum cans was equivalent to about 22 empty cans. Due to advanced technology using less material and increasing the durability of aluminum cans, in 2002, one pound of aluminum cans is equivalent to about 34 empty cans.
11. The average employee consumes 2.5 beverages each day while at work.
12. An empty aluminum can is worth about one cent.

Visit Earth 911 to learn more about aluminum cans. Novelis has a fun site about aluminum cans with a free coloring book called My Life as a Can. For more PTOE activities visit moss terrarium, onions, decomposing ecosystem, and carbon stars.