Happy Martinmas!

I walk with my little lantern,
my lantern walks with me.
Above the stars are shining
on earth are shining we.

Oh lantern light
you shine so bright.
Oh hear the angels sing.
Oh hear the angels sing.

Remembrance Day ~ November 11th

They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condem
At the going down of the sun, & in the morning we will remember them.


John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.


Remebrance Sunday is always the Sunday nearest to November 11th. This is because the Armistice which sealed the end of the First World War was signed at 11 am on November 1th, 1918 ~ the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The First World War was a very terrible conflict which “put out the lights all over Europe”, saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of young men, toppled monarchies, ushered in the modern era. People in our country & in the commonwealth who had lost sons & husbands & friends wanted a national commemoration & mourning ~ & so the idea came about of observing two minutes silence annually at the 11th hour on november 11th. The two minutes silence has become part of our national calender, although now it is not observed on the 11th, but on the Sunday nearest to that date.
Some of the bloodiest fighting of World War One took place in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France. The poppy was the only thing which grew in the aftermath of the complete devastation.John McCrae, a doctor serving there with the Canadian Armed Forces, deeply inspired and moved by what he saw, wrote these verses:


In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders fields.


Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.
‘Flanders Poppies’ are worn ~ replicas of those that bloomed on the terrible muddy battlefields in that war. When we wear a poppy it should be to remind us to pray for those who have died in the two World Wars & other conflicts. We need to remember their great sacrifice & thank God for the freedom we have in our country.

Preparing For Martinmas

Martinmas ~ November 11th

Saint Martin, the soldier who became bishop
Martin was a native of Pannonia -- in modern-day Hungary -- and his father was very anxious that he should go into the Army. This was in the days of the Roman Empire, and to be an officer in the Imperial Army was a very fine opportunity for any young man.
As a junior officer, he was sent to Gaul -- that wild land of northwest Europe inhabited by the mostly pagan Frankish people. There were some Christian cities where bishops were established and a Christian civilization was beginning to emerge.
Martin was interested in Christianity and tried to find out about it. Its message attracted him, and he started to obey some of its precepts. He earned himself some notoriety by refusing to join in some of the bawdier songs and more outlandish activities of military life. He gave freely to the poor, was kind to his servants, and liked to pray. But he postponed the actual step of Christian baptism.
His first posting was to Rheims, and from there he was sent to Amiens. One bitterly cold night, as he was striding along in uniform, a shivering beggar cried out to him for alms. Martin was warmly dressed in the standard-issue thick purple-and-white cloak that was the hallmark of the Imperial officer. Looking at the beggar, Martin knew what he ought to do. He took off his warm cloak and, using his gleaming sword, sliced it in two. He gave half to the beggar and retained the other half so that he would still be in regulation uniform.
The night, the beggar appeared to Martin in a dream: but as a figure surrounded with shining glory -- Christ Himself, still wearing the half of Martin's cloak. Our Lord reminded Martin of His words in the Gospel: "I was naked and you clothed me ... in as much as you did it to the least of the little ones, you did it to Me".
Martin got himself baptized as a Christian, and when his term of duty was up, he left the army and decided to become a priest. He lived for many years the life of a hermit, and, attracting others to the rule of prayer and meditation that he followed, founded a small monastic community that grew steadily.
In due course, Martin's holiness led him to be chosen as Bishop of Tours, although he didn't want the job. As Bishop, his influence was immense -- he won many from the Druid religion to Christianity, and was a central figure in laying the foundations of Christian France.


Matthew 25:31-40:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.



In former times, especially in the North of England & in Scotland, Martinmas was an occasion for a great feast, because it was the date when beasts were slaughtered so that the meat could be stored for the long winter months ahead. Whole oxen would be roasted & enjoyed & there was much communal merriment.
"Martinmas is an obvious day for some act of charity which will benefit the cold and poor this coming winter."

"A quick spell of warm weather around his feast day is known as "St. Martin's Little Summer" in Europe." (Indian Summer)

Some nice things to do for Martinmas:

Start a family collection for charity.
Begin knitting something warm for someone who needs it.
Bag up clothing to give to the needy.
Change your beds from cotton to flannel.
Surprise your children with new winter pajamas.
Read aloud or re-tell the story of Saint Martin of Tours.
Make lanterns from watercolour paintings & oil, or glass jars & tissue paper...
Invite friends on a lantern walk at dusk.
Enjoy a special supper for Martinmas with a hot casserole of beef to commemorate the old feasting traditions, served with jacket potatoes & butter.

Winter Spiced Beef Stew
Taken from Dawn's Blog
(Adapted from a recipe found in The fix it & forget it cookbook)
• 2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 2 parsnips, cut in chunks
• 1 1/2 cans diced tomatoes, plain
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves (yes, cloves!)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a slowcooker. Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours. Serves 4-5. Absolutely delicious and nice served over rice.

Bake St.Martin's horseshoe cookies

Although St. Martin's life was austere and sober, his day was always celebrated in the Old World manner, with feasting, merriment, and thanksgiving for harvest foods. In Poland rich cookies shaped like horseshoes were baked for St. Martin's snow-white horse, on which he "comes riding through the snow" when one least expects him.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, uncooked

DIRECTIONS
Cream butter or margarine; add sugar gradually while continuing to cream; beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt. Blend in rolled oats. Roll out about 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut in strips 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. On ungreased cookie sheets shape strips to resemble horseshoes. Bake at 325° for 20 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove carefully, as cookies are very rich and break easily.

Our Advent Book Basket

For those thinking ahead to advent, I thought I would share the books we have in our advent book basket.
I would love to hear of the books & stories you share with your children at this time of year, so please do leave a comment to let me know.

The Very First Christmas

great Christmas read aloud

The First Christmas

We have had this for years - I think it was the first Christmas book I bought when Elianna was a tiny baby

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore; illustrated by Tasha Tudor

If you know Tasha Tudor, you know this will be stunning!

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham

another great read aloud

Mary did you know?

Lyrics to the beautiful song - comes with a CD

Favorite Christmas Carols

A gorgeous book, with favorite carols.

The Cobweb Curtain

oh, I love this lovely re-telling of the legend! Do take a look at Dawn's wonderful blog for ideas on how to enjoy this story with your own children.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Board Book by Jan Brett

beautifuly illustrated by Jan Brett

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery

For fans of Green Gables!

My First Story of Christmas

Given to my very own Rebekah Rose on her Christmas Eve dedication : )

The Tailor of Gloucester (The World of Beatrix Potter) by Beatrix Potter

A Christmas Classic!

Jesus' Christmas Party

My girls love the repetition of this book

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Just beautiful


Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola

a great story for the littlies

Merry the Lamb Finds Baby Jesus

Another very old book from our collection


This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar

stunning illustrations, gentle, rhythmic narrative.

The Legend of the Candy Cane

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

These are my three new books for this year : )

Bonfire Night

Thursday is painting day, so following circle time, we set up for wet on wet.

I told a story about the the blue sky being gentle & shy & the wee stars wanting to shine out (we used dry brushed to 'lift' areas of the blue wash)
Then came the colour fairies, who danced & played with the stars - here we added our colour.
Elianna shouted "I know! I'ts fireworks!" Hurray! she got it : )
Lastly, we experimented with sprinkling our work with salt. This 'lifts' the colour & gave the appearance of tiny stars.









At lunchtime, we jumped into the car & headed off to the girls riding lessons, enjoying a 'car picnic' along the way.
We returned home cold & wet -(myself included, as I managed to fall into a puddle - flat on my face!)

The girls had a hot bath & daddy built our very own bonfire -







The girls roasted marshmallows & I got on with some special knitting.

Dinner was super - mashed potatoes, salmon & delicious young leeks from a neighbours garden.

The sound of distant fireworks lured my girls outside (dressing gowns & all!) & we watched the fine colours in the night sky. Soon followed by our long - held tradition of sparklers - in - the - garden! Accompanied, of course, by home made treacle toffee.





We had a lovely day. I had low expectations of today; I have been ill recently & have become tired & run down. But this afternoon was a good tonic for me- easy, comfortable family time. Just what the doctor ordered : )

Guy Fawkes Night ~ November 5th

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was given the job to keep watch over the barrels of gunpowder & to light the fuse. On the morning of November 5th 1605, soldiers discovered Guy hidden in the cellar & arrested him. The trail of gunpowder would never be lit.On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Bonfire night activities:

Read about Guy Fawkes
make treacle toffee & toffee apples
Make firework pictures with black cardstock, tempera paint & straws
Watch fireworks
visit a bonfire
Take special care of our pets

Treacle Toffee

1lb Soft Brown Sugar 

8oz Black Treacle

4oz Unsalted Butter 

2 tbsp Water 

1 tbsp White Vinegar

Place the butter, water and vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat gently until the butter has melted. 
Add the sugar and black treacle, allow to fully dissolve, this takes about 20 minutes. 
Boil the mixture to a temperature of 138°C (280°F). 
Remove from the heat, allow the bubble to decrease. 
Pour the mixture into a well oiled 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tin. 
When the mixture has cooled a little mark the surface into squares with a knife. 
When cold break into squares, wrap in cellophane and store in an airtight container.

Toffee Apples

For 6 toffee apples;

Red apples work best-Granny Smiths etc too hard beneath crisp toffee shell

8 oz demerara sugar

110mls cold water

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 oz butter

Method
 
1. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a moderate heat. When it has dissolved, stir in the vinegar, syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until it reaches hard-crack stage (138C) or hardens into a ball when dropped in a jug of cold water. This should take around 10 minutes boiling time.
2. While the syrup is cooking, pierce each apple with a wooden stick. Once the toffee is ready, dip each apple into the hot toffee, turning it around in the syrup so that each one is fully coated.
3. Leave to harden on a lightly oiled tray before serving. If you're planning to keep them for a day or two, wrap the apples in cellophane.

our Circle Time poem;

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catch'd
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

November Circle Time

November Circle Time

Hymn -

Holy Holy Holy

Scripture -

Philippians 4:6-7:
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Alphabet beanbag toss

Verse -

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)
Wrinkle up your little nose (mime)
Hold a nut between your toes (run on the spot)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)

Autumn - Wynstones

Finger Play -

A Farmer rose at the break of day, (stretch arms)
He got on his horse & galloped away. (gallop!)
He galloped away, he galloped away,
He got on his horse & galloped away. (gallop!)
Oh, come all my men, oh come, said he, (beckon finger)
Our carrots & turnips for to see. (put out hands)
In the warm brown earth they have grown so big
We must bring out our spades & dig dig dig. (mime)
So fetch your spades & come along
To dig up the roots with your arms so strong, (mime)
To lay them out in the sun to dry,
And then in the cart pile them up on high (mime)

Autumn - Wynstones

Song -

Autumn goodbye, Autumn goodbye,
You may no longer stay, Winter is on its way.
Autumn goodbye, Autumn goodbye,

Autumn - Wynstones

Clapping Rhyme -

Remember, remember the fifth of November (clap rhythmically , show 5 fingers)

Gunpowder, treason and plot. (clap rhythmically)

I see no reason, why gunpowder treason (clap rhythmically ( shake head)

Should ever be forgot. (clap rhythmically)

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent (clap rhythmically)

To blow up king and parliament. (hands ‘burst’)

Three score barrels were laid below (3 fingers)

To prove old England's overthrow. (clap rhythmically)



By God's mercy he was catch'd (clap rhythmically)

With a darkened lantern and burning match. (clap rhythmically)

So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring. (shout!)

Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king. (shout!)

Math Facts -
Counting 1-100 / 100-1 beanbag games

(bean bag toss. Whisper numbers, shout the skip count numbers)

There was a family strange indeed;
Each member had a peculiar speed
They could walk for half a day
Counting footsteps all the way.
Here they come,
Number One

I am proper, neat & prim
My walk is straight, my clothes are trim
That every one’s the same for me.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 (up to 24)

But my two steps are not the same.
For I must lean upon my cane
Although I’m bent & weak & old
I can still count with numbers bold
2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24

Im a lad, light & gay
And I’d much rather play
I can run with my ball
While the numbers I call
3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36

My step is strong
I’ll not go wrong
With all my might
Ill guard what is right
I’ll always know
How far to go
4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48

Like a mouse I go
Fearfully tip toe
Looking to the left
Looking to the right
Watching to & fro
Danger’s not in sight
Lightly I arrive
I an number five.
5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55,60

Our French Song -

Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?


Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?
In the fashion, in the fashion
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?
In the fashion of our place
We plant them with the finger
In the fashion, in the fashion
We plant them with the finger
In the fashion of our place
We plant them with the foot
In the fashion, in the fashion
We plant them with the foot
In the fashion of our place
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...
We plant them with the knee ...
We plant them with the elbow ...
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...
We plant them with the nose ...
We plant them with the head ...
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...

Savez-vous planter les choux?


Savez-vous planter les choux?
À la mode, à la mode
Savez-vous planter les choux?
À la mode de chez nous
On les plante avec le doigt
À la mode, à la mode
On les plante avec le doigt
À la mode de chez nous
On les plante avec le pied
À la mode, à la mode
On les plante avec le pied
À la mode de chez nous
Savez-vous planter les choux?...
On les plante avec le genou ...
On les plante avec le coude ...

Savez-vous planter les choux?...
On les plante avec le nez ...
On les plante avec le tête ...
Savez-vous planter les choux?...

(I copied this from the internet & now cannot find the source. Please leave a comment for me if you know the writer - I would like to credit Him & link to his website. Thank you)

Rosie’s Story - (preschooler)
Autumn Story -
pg 66 Autumn - wynstones