Learning About the Weather

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Autumn is a wonderful time of year for learning about the weather isn't it?  There is just so much of it!  We have had strong winds, rain, sunshine and drizzle this past week so it's been an ideal time to talk with my children about different types of weather.  Of course living in England makes weather discussion a frequent occurrence, so it is a natural progression for an English-born mama to make the weather a part of our every day lives.

I have helped my children learn about the weather is all sorts of ways over the years.  I began when they were babies by making sure to take them out for walks whatever the weather.  I used a pram with my first baby and I felt like being in the little cosy cocoon under a plastic cover must be a wonderful sensory experience on a rainy day, seeing the water dribbling down and hearing the pitter-patter sound of the drops hitting the cover.  As they got older jumping in puddles was essential to every wet weather walk and a toddler clad in wellies and a puddle suits can be amused for ages by splashy puddles of all shapes and sizes. A windy day would lend itself perfectly to kite flying and many hours have been spent dragging a nylon kite on  along strong round a field in attempts to keep it in the sky.  And of course we all know the wonders of a snowy winters day, with snowman building, snow angles and tobogganing.

I love to use seasonal nature walks as part of our home education and these two books have been invaluable in linking in the seasons with my planning:

This week at a lovely little science club we go to, run by a friend, we made a wind turbine and an anemometer out of plastic cups and we will be recording the weather as the week goes on. I also love to link our activities in with Bible stories there are many which lend themselves to a weather theme for example Noah's Ark in Genesis 5:32-1-:1 and Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:23-25.

Here I have put together a selection of links to fantastic weather related activities for children of all ages and stages to take part in so you can make weather study part of your home education journey.  I have not done all the activities listed below but I have done some, hopefully they will spark your imagination as much as they have mine. 

I hope you are all able to enjoy the wild and wonderful British weather and incorporate it into your home education, and as I listen to the sound of our roof aerial banging unnervingly against it's bracket in the wind, I'll leave you with this poem by one of my favorite authors and poets, Shirley Hughes:

It's from this book by Shirley Hughes about the seasons which I absolutely love:

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Welcoming in the Autumn

I do so love this time of year, it's not so hot so as to leave you sweaty and puffing and yet there isn't quite the chill in the air to force you to grab for a coat and woolly scarf. But more so than enjoying the pleasure of going out in a cardigan is the beautiful autumn light which, on a sunny day gives you that warm feeling inside as it lights up the cobwebs and brings a glow to rose hips and elderberries.  It makes everything look warm and like a memory, like a photograph that you wish you could hold in your hand and keep forever.

We have been fully embracing the season, soaking in the fading rays of sun with beautiful Autumnal walks, seasonal food and Autumn crafts.  The river and the woods have been calling us and we've been collecting seeds and berries, opening and closing locks, pushing swing bridges, riding canal boats, picking apples and throwing sticks to knock pears from the tree! And we still have conkers and sweet chestnuts, harvest festival and Michaelmas to come.  It's bittersweet though because I know it will all too soon come to an end and we will be plunged into the depths of winter where sleet and wind will make us far more hesitant to leave the house for fresh air and exercise.  I am sure one day I will be able to enjoy cosy afternoons by the fire enjoying a puzzle with one of my sons.  But right now charging about, wrestling and generally causing mayhem with sword sticks and guns is the order of the day, sedate and genteel afternoons with three wild boys are a thing of a fantasy of my own making at the moment!

Today we enjoyed a delicious ploughman's lunch with sourdough bread purchased from Borough Market, some delicious vegan cheddar-onion cheese, Autumn chutney made by my mother-in-law and a crisp apple from our own tree.  We accompanied this with a side salad including lettuce from out garden and we really felt like we were enjoying the fruits of our labour!

So yes, we are enjoying this season of mist and mellow fruitfulness, but life goes on with the challenges of trying to raise 3 boys to become good, kind, Godly men and as I watch the leaves of the trees quickly change from green to yellow and brown before my eyes I am reminded of how quickly this season of life with little children passes. And just as I savour the sharp tang of cheese and chutney, the sweet, crispness of the apple and the delightful pleasure of being able to go out in just a cardigan, I am trying my best to savour the moments of pleasure with the little ones. Their playful imagination, their elaborate fantasy role plays, their den building and their sweet sleeping faces.  I know these things won't last forever (well maybe the sweet sleeping faces) and I can feel the time slipping away, I just want to savour it all.  Bittersweet. Autumn and childhood, just let me inhale, touch, savour and remember it all.  I'll see the Autumn again, but once these little ones are grown and fly the nest I will just have the memories and the photographs left, so I pray, let me remember and let me make the most of it.

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A New Venture on Patreon

Hi Friends,

Hoping you are all well this beautiful sunny Sunday where ever you are in the world, I am here today, and thank you so much for joining me, to share with you an exciting new venture that I am embarking on.  I have joined the Patron community! https://www.patreon.com/imperfectlynaturalmama

Now you're wondering what on earth is that? well let me tell you. Put simply Patreon is a membership platform that makes it easy for artists and creators to get paid.  This means that if you subscribe to my Patron for either $2 a month or $10 a month depending on what rewards you would like to see, you will not only be supporting me to help my family financially, to home educate my children and generally put food on the table, but you will also be enabling me to create more.  More blog posts, more vlogs, more art products, more inspiration, more of what I love. 

You can find me here:https://www.patreon.com/imperfectlynaturalmama

Every month I will be posting a subscriber newsletter which will include recent musings, ideas and thoughts on full time motherhood, life with three small boys, home education and faith amongst other things. You can subscribe to this newsletter for $2 per month which I hope will be a gift to you of inspiration and provide nuggets of wisdom, motivation, hope that will enrich your life. You will also be giving me a gift of supporting my dream, and with every person who subscribes I will do a little happy dance (you won't see it but you'll know I'll be doing it!)  Take a look here: https://www.patreon.com/imperfectlynaturalmama

For $10 a month you will not only have access to the monthly newsletter but you will also have access to a number of my downloadable products, normally only available in my Etsy shop.  

With each subscriber I will endeavour to produce more products for download.  

So I am really excited for you to join me on this journey and see where it goes, it's a blank book at the moment and you will be joining me at the very beginning to be with me every step of the way in seeing where it goes.



Thanks friends,
Helen