harvest time

Fruits of the land and their little hands

Last spring we planted corn, squash, potatoes, and beans on a little plot of land a short walk from the school. Yesterday the children harvested the early corn, called elote. Did you realize that what we know as yellow "corn on the cob" is simply the early harvest? All corn is yellow at this stage. If you leave it on the stalk until October, all corn hardens into colorful Indian corn, known here as maiz. I never knew, even though my family planted corn when I was a child. We must have harvested it all early, given the fact that we didn't make corn tortillas from scratch.

Here in Mexico the maiz is essential, as it doesn't spoil and can be stored through the winter. It is a major food source for the indigenous Tarahumara people, who live as subsistence farmers on a diet consisting mainly of corn tortillas and beans.

On my plate (literally and figuratively) this weekend is a recipe I've had since I was in Montessori school. We affectionately refer to it as "Meggie's Montessori Harvest Loaf Cake." I hope you love it as much as I do!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 cup cooked (or canned) pumpkin
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and add sugar gradually. Cream at high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Beat well. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin, beginning and ending with pumpkin. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into a loaf pan that has been greased on the bottom. Bake 1 - 1:15 at 350F. Cool completely.

Happy harvest,
Meg

P.S. If you haven't added your comment yet to the previous post, head on over and do so! Check back tomorrow morning to see if you are a winner of one of my sewing patterns!

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Caring for Plants in the Classroom

I couldn't wait until Easter break to make a rick-rack apron for Tie One On. The rick-rack itself is understated, but the overall effect of the hand-appliqué and three dimensional flowers is awesome in person. Et voila! Thus was born the most nifty "watering flowers" apron this side of the Sierra Madre.
You can make your own similar apron of any style. (This one is a bit complicated with the lining, pleats and all ... I can't even tell you how I did it ... it was pure luck.) All you will need is a bit of Pellon's Wonder Under (found at any fabric store) and this great tutorial for making the flowers, or "yo-yo's."

Iron the Wonder Under to the back side of the fabric you want to appliqué, wait for it to cool, then draw the design for the watering can/pot/leaves. Cut out design, peel off the backing, and iron directly onto the main fabric. Then comes the time consuming part - hand stitch all around each appliqué, using a coordinating thread. I also added some french knots to mimic dripping water. The rick-rack was machine stitched after the rest of the embroidery was completed.
This is (one of) the best parts about this apron - its loop to hold the watering indicators. In my classroom, we use two types of markers ... one that identifies a plant that needs watering (here it is the green with the blue embroidered drop,) and another (here the red flower) that tells the children that this plant has already been watered today. You need to have one of each for each plant in the environment. For example, if you have 10 plants, you would need 10 greens and 10 reds. The indicators that are not in use remain in a pretty vase on the practical life shelf next to the apron and watering can.
In the morning, the guide checks the humidity of the soil in each plant and (most likely) places a green, "water me" indicator in the pot. During the day, the child that chooses to water plants puts on the apron and inserts several red "I've been watered" indicators in the apron loop. The child's hands are then free to carry the watering can.
The child removes the green indicator, wipes off the soil with a small towel, (I'll explain this later) and places it in the loop before watering the plant. After the plant has been watered, she places the red indicator in the soil. She continues in this manner until she has used up her stash of red indicators, at which time she can place the green indicators from her apron loop in the pretty vase. If there are more red indicators left in the vase, she can repeat the process. If not, work for that day is complete, as all of the plants have been watered.
During the presentation, I would show the child that the small (3inx3in) towel that is placed under the watering can spout to prevent dripping is also used to wipe off any soil from the indicator before placing it in the apron loop.

Here are a few more ideas concerning plants in the environment:

1.) Why not label the classroom and garden plants and have this as a classified reading exercise? This could also be done at home in the garden and with potted plants.
2.) Have another material for dusting plant leaves. This might use the same apron as the watering exercise, with a tiny spray bottle/mister (why not use an antique perfume bottle?) and a 3cm x 3cm piece of felt. The presentation is simple - mist a leaf, gently wipe off the dust with the felt.
3.) Another plant care extension is a presentation on how to remove and compost dry, dead plant leaves. The only material required is a small basket in which to place the leaves to transport them to the compost.
4.) Check out the North American Montessori Teacher's Association's (NAMTA) video on the Child in Nature - I have not had the opportunity to see it, but it is highly recommended by my colleague, who says it is an incredible look at how one can set up the outdoor component to the Montessori classroom.
5.) Try to find artistic representations of every plant you have in the environment (e.g. post cards of paintings, collage, pencil drawings, tapestries, fiber art,) and have the children match the art with the real plant.
6.) And an idea from Maria Montessori herself, as found in the Clio series of "The Discovery of the Child," page 75:
"Little pots of fragrant plants can also have a practical interest. A child's activity then consists in searching for, distinguishing, and gathering the plants with different scents. An exercise in distinguishing things that look alike and in seeking out a scent rather than a flower is exacting and affords the satisfaction of discovery."
(Think of having mints and herbs in the environment!)

I'll close this post with some more of Montessori's own words, again from that same chapter in The Discovery of the Child:

"The children never forgot to water the plants with a little watering can. One morning I found them all seated in a circle on the floor around a magnificent red rose that had opened up during the night. They were silent and peaceful, completely absorbed in contemplation."

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Reading Classification Card Duvets

I recently added Amy Butler's sewing pattern book "In Stitches" to my craft book collection. What I found inside was well worth the $17 I spent for it at amazon. Pictured below is the photo of the "photo duvet" aka "reading classification card duvets!" The photo duvet pattern is also sold separately here. Here is my version of the set:


These are really great for their purpose - protecting and attractively storing reading classification card sets. Each pouch features a cardboard/matboard square that is hidden within two layers of fabric which are then sewn closed. This serves two purposes - it allows the children to more easily insert the cards after they have finished, and it protects them from the bumps and nicks of daily classroom usage.

One duvet is made following the pattern exactly. The second I modified to hold the labels.

This set was made using 3 Fandex Tree sets, available at Michael Olaf. (Two for the set, and one for my reference.) These are beautiful die-cut photos of 47 tree leaves in North America. The set also shows the bark and the seeds and/or flowers of the tree. Here is one example of the card sets:
I used the font "Chopin," which I downloaded for free from this German site. Click on "search" and type in Chopin. Download the file, extract it from (I believe) zip form, and save it in your Window's font folder. I like this font because it remains pretty true to the sandpaper letters, with a few easily decipherable exceptions.

The cards were then laminated with the best gift I've ever received from my thoughtful husband, the Xyron 900. This machine is a wonder, as it allows you to laminate without having to leave an ugly edge of laminate around the card. The results look super professional. The Xyron has many other functions as well, but I have yet to try them. It's available for about $80 from amazon. You will have buy a two-sided lamination cartridge as well.

As for the nifty leaf fabric, it is one of many I have found at online at Craft Connection. You can search fabric by theme. For any given set of two reading classification card duvets, you will need either a "fat quarter" or half a yard, plus a half yard of coordinating fabric for the "inside" of the duvet.

Materials:
fat quarter or 1/2 yard of theme fabric
1/2 yard coordinating fabric
set of 4 grommets with tool (available at Joann's Fabrics)
1/4 yard of heavyweight fusible interfacing (Joann's)
coordinating thread
scissors
sewing machine
hand sewing needle
iron/ironing board
Amy's pattern
straight pins
matboard or cardboard

Here's my modification for the reading classification control cards and labels duvet:

Cut the coordinating fabric to 5 1/2" x 2 3/4."
Fold all edges in 1/4 inch and iron. Then fold three of the edges over again, another 1/4 of an inch, and fold the right short edge over about 3/4 of an inch. Iron.
Pin to the front panel and topstitch close to the edge around all but the right edge (with the bigger fold.) Continue with the pattern as written.

*Note*
If you are making folders for Audubon field guide cards, make sure you measure the finished control card and label. My guess is that you will have to make the modified duvet about 1 inch longer than Amy's pattern dictates. To do this, simply extend the length of the front and back pattern pieces by an inch when you are cutting them out. Then follow the instructions as before.

To make the label pouch on the front of the duvet for Audubon cards, extend the dimensions of the coordinating fabric to 7" by 2 3/4 " instead of 5 1/2" by 2 1/2."

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