Some Crochet!!

As well as our outdoor adventures I have also managed to fit in a small amount of hook time. I always have a few projects on the go at once but my most recent FO is this baby blanket....

I made it small, car seat sized really. I find this size handy for little ones and they make a nice doll blanket later on.

The yarn is Scheepjes Colour Crafter and I LOVE it!! It is so soft and yummy, lovely for an acrylic yarn. The shades are Weert, Ameland and Heerenveen.

We are visiting soon and I can't wait to pass it on. I love those scrummy little ripples. I haven't checked but I think it follows the Attic 24 pattern as I have used that in the past.

I found out recently that we will be having another niece in October so I have another one to make this summer. I am undecided on the pattern and colours yet so more exciting plans to come!
Until next time. x

Dinos and Ice

Today we had an adventure with ice and dinosaurs. We looked at the water melting, we used salty water and put the ice in the sunshine. Pickle and Penguin watched the dinos emerge and the colours drip down in channels through an ice block.

The dinos were really easy to set up. I squeezed some small dinosaur toys we bought at a charity shop into a balloon, filled with water, tied them off and stuck them in the freezer.

We also put some food colouring on the surface of a large block of ice and watched how it melted. Pickle and Penguin watched the channels running through the middle of the block.

This is definitely an activity we will be repeating during the hot weather. We spoke about the salty water changing the freezing point of the water, the kids felt the ice melting and how the surface was smoothed over.

An Ending

So we are now into our first week of the summer holidays here in England. Last week Pickle left his preschool. It was an emotional day as not only were the children moving on from a much loved setting but the preschool was closing its doors for the last time.

I have no idea of the schools motivation for asking the Ofsted Outsanding in all areas preschool to leave right as the 30 hour provision is about to kick in but these things happen.

Pickle has only attended the preschool for 7 months but it had a big impact on us as a family. It was the first time Pickle had been left anywhere that wasn't with my Mum and Dad. The staff were amazing and the whole ethos and practice of the place was wonderful. They took his interests and passions and ran with them, introducing them into their activities and topics extending the learning he did at home into preschool and extending their own knowledge in order to provide stimulus and excitement to his experiences there.

Pickle has loved it show much that he insisted that we now have our own kindness tree at home and has asked to make a learning journey for home now too 😆

They inspired me to try more activities at home with Pickle and Penguin which has led to a lot of FUN! Pickle has developed so much in his confidence and interactions with other kids and we will always be thankful for the experiences he gained.

I was very thankful for the work they did with Pickle and for their kindness and conversation so when they were talking about organising cakes for the final day I offered to make some for cost price. I made one large cake and 60 cupcakes. It was a lot of fun and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. The cake was sooooo tasty. (who doesn't love chocolate cake after all!!)

I hope that it shows how thankful we all are. We have a lot of fun things planned for the summer so come back soon to hear all about our adventures.

Until next time. x

30 Days Wild - Day 30

So!! We made it. Today was a great day. We had a full morning out going wild. We went to a field nearby and were catching grasshoppers. Pickle even managed to catch one himself! We collected a few natural materials while we were out and then Pickle and Penguin both made clay butterflies with what they found.

What beautiful art, showcasing the world around us and a perfect end to our month of wild!

30 Days Wild - Day 29

Today Pickle was playing in the garden with a water squirter. He loves to spray the plants, his play house, anything really. Today he sprayed some water droplets on these wonderful leaves.

These leaves always catch and keep the most wonderful water droplets on their surface. They are beautiful. We watched them form and join and little fingers poke.

Until next time! x

30 Days Wild - Day 28

Today we watched a brand new ladybird emerge from its pupa stage. It was great to see and Pickle and Penguin were really happy to watch, they love checking our plants for ladybirds, their pupa and the larvae.