Little Owl gazed sadly at her reflection in the mirror this morning. “I don’t look like myself,” she pronounced. Today is the first day of school after half term. I’ve scraped her curly blonde locks back into two plaits because nits are doing the rounds and I don’t want them here. Her insightful comment is poignant because it’s not just about her hair. We’ve had a lovely half term full of wellingtons, muddy walks, gold and copper autumn leaves, squelchy bike rides, hearty stews, steaming hot chocolate, and lantern making. She’s built a bivouac in the woods and stroked an owl. She’s made bark rubbings and hunted for bugs. Now it’s back to spellings, bells, and writing on a line. Ah, but Bonfire Night is just around the corner, always a perfect opportunity for some outdoors chaos!
PS. If you’d like to have a go at making tin can lanterns (like the ones we made above), here’s what to do. Clean and take the labels off some empty tin cans. Fill them with water and put them in the freezer. Once frozen you can use a hammer and a pointy screw driver to punch holey patterns in them. Remember to punch some holes for a wire handle. We then painted ours with white Hammerite paint. Little Owl loved being in charge of the hammer and she didn’t hit my thumbs too often (!) when I held the screwdriver for her. I’d say it’s a suitable activity for 7 year olds and up.
