Weekend Wonders - Sewing and sowing

Weekends seem to go very quickly...

 This one was much more quieter than last weekend. I have completed another doll (her body at least) and I will introduce 'Leah' to you tomorrow. Doll making is quickly becoming a favourite craft of mine and I have a special little dress and hair do in mind for Leah. I love how I can make each doll different.

A couple of our garden helpers

I also enjoyed spending time out in the garden. It was cloudy and cool, which made it perfect weather to get into the garden beds and dig! Cooler weather also means the end of Summer vegetables and the beginning of cool weather vegies. Today I sowed broccoli, spinach, kale, pak choy and carrot seeds. I love eating vegetables seasonally. It ensures that the vegies are fresh and full of flavour and vitamins. We have just gone through the tomato,corn and zucchini season and I am now looking forward to these green vegies (besides the carrots). We will also leave some space for peas in the garden.

 The last of our carrots out of the garden bed

Whatever you did this weekend, I hope that you had a lovely one!

Friday thoughts - A growing idea!

Growth is amazing! It is amazing how a seed, in the right conditions, can turn into a plant, which in turn provides flowers and fruit/vegetables. The family of Tupsy Turvy enjoy home grown fruits and vegetables. It is very rewarding when after time and effort spent in the garden, a crop of delicious, organic, healthy, freshly picked produce occurs. Of course, it doesn't happen overnight, but rather, plant growth is slow and purposeful, taking weeks or months.

The children that I have been working with this week have enjoyed how plant growth occurs. They looked at the difference between dried beans and soaked beans. They opened up these soaked bean seeds to find out what is inside. They thought about how a pea seed turns into a plant and then planted some seeds to find out what happens, in clear cups so that they can clearly see. They also placed seeds in different places, in different conditions to see which seeds grow the best. A helper came into the class to make 'seed heads', which the children thoroughly enjoyed. So much planting and growth!

Children are fascinated by seeds and how they turn into plants. Cress, alfalfa and mustard sprout seeds grow very quickly and can be placed on a plastic plate on cotton wool, sprayed with water, to germinate.

 'Seed heads' are also a fun, growing activity:
In a 'toe' of a stocking, sprinkle lawn seeds. Add some potting mix and tie a knot. Cut the stocking below the knot, leaving around 10cms of stocking. Stand the 'head' in a cup, knot side down. Eyes, nose and mouth can be glued on the 'head'. Spray regularly with water and after a few days, grassy 'hair' should appear.

Have a lovely weekend and happy sprouting!