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Kelly

Winter nature table

Winter Nature Table

We have had every cold going around this Winter.

I normally really love Winter ~ I enjoy making us all cosy, drinking hot chocolate, snuggling under blankets reading, the crisp bracing air… but Winter and I have not been friends this year. It has just been too hard having someone sick nearly every week, let alone more than one.

It is with gladness in my heart that I am noticing the very early signs of Spring… jonquil’s flowering in my garden, early blossom on the occasional tree and the lengthening of the days.

Winter nature table

So it seems funny to be sharing our Winter Nature Table now. But I do like to capture and share our changing nature table in this space. I like to be able to look back over the years and see how it has changed.

My Winter fairy door still has pride of place… And our gorgeous majestic King Winter is well at home, next to our sweet little Winter gnome (from a gnome craft swap).

We have a special new picture of the lantern walk as our backdrop from a lovely friend… And on the end, that cheeky Jack Frost sits after playing through the night leaving frost in his wake.

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We have been singing a fun little song about Jack Frost at playgroup ~

Little Jacky Frost he nips at our nose (touching our nose)

Little Jacky Frost he nips at our toes (touching our toes)

We go inside and we shut the door (bringing our arms together)

Little Jacky Frost can nip me no more (shaking our index finger)

I hope your Winter has been kinder, Kelly

August 24, 2015 by

Audio stories for long car trips

The Story Tree and other nature tales with storyteller Jenni Cargill-Strong

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We recently drove for 8 hours to visit family. Such a long drive for our little people – let alone my husband and me. And the way we stayed sane was with audio stories.

A few hours whizzed by as we listened to The Story Tree. And as Jenni Cargill-Strong spun her tales the stories came to life in my minds’ eye. I pictured the children sneaking into Lily’s garden to help themselves to some delicious strawberries in ‘Lily and the Fig Tree’. A lovely story about learning to do the right thing, the importance of friendship and the rewards of caring for nature.

Reaching for the Moon and other wisdom tales with storyteller Jenni Cargill-Strong

While my son loved the aboriginal story of ‘Kondili the Whale’ about the gift of fire. Really my boy seems drawn to any stories about fire! But he also really enjoyed learning about green tree frogs in ‘Froko and Lettuce’. About a little frog who became part of a human family, and how he nearly met a not so happy end!

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The romantic whimsy of The Mermaid’s Shoes captured my daughter’s fancy. I could see her imagining herself as a mermaid in the deep blue sea, drawn to the human world by the call of music and dance.

I also really enjoyed the story of the ‘Treasure on the Bridge’, a traditional Japanese story about searching for something that you find was near you all along, but that cannot be found without the journey you take in order to find it. I’m always drawn to stories like this one!

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And we all laughed along to The Troo Adventures of Salty Pete the Pirate! Although my lad most certainly had the most fun with these, they did bring a smile to us all *grin*

On the trip home he even wanted to listen to them all again. It’s amazing how kids love to hear the same story over and over. And normally I am very happy to oblige them, but this time in the car we had lots of options so we just kept mixing it up.

Do you use audio stories? What are your favourites?

Happy listening, Kelly

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August 17, 2015 by