{This and That} :: Holy Week

Hi there, friends!  I hope you had a great Palm Sunday -- Lent is almost finished, and Easter is on its way.  Just popping in with some updates...

~~~

If you're wondering about how we observe Holy Week and Easter, I have all the details here: Welcoming Holy Week (from way back in 2013!). Our practice looks a bit different year to year, but this is the backbone of our celebration.

I think we'll have the chance to take the older kids to all the Triduum services this year and perhaps Easter Vigil as well. I'm excited about that possibility because those liturgies are literally the most beautiful thing this side of heaven. Praying everyone can stay well (we have been dealing with one cold after another this winter/spring) and our plans work out!

~~~

Last year I shared a simple tutorial to make your own Easter candle: check it out here!

~~~

I'm on the Schole Sisters' podcast this week talking about elevating teacher prep to schole through notebooks!  Go have a listen if you'd like to hear more about keeping, my weekly school prep session, and my pre-reading journal.

Next week I'll be sharing a mid-year peek inside my journal -- I have added and learned so much since my first post about this notebook!

~~~

We're in the midst of yet another cold -- this has been a looong winter. One of the sad parts about being sick so often is we have been cooped up inside, missing the start of wildflower season here. BUT we did get out on Friday with our group, and reveled in the blue skies and green hills. A joy!

~~~

Special news from my other online home, Instagram: our @charlottemasonirl account celebrated its one year anniversary last week!  I shared my reflection on the year, as did the other seven curators. I am so thankful for this group of mamas.

If you haven't joined in the fun yet, please do! It's a public account, so you don't have to be an Instagram user to follow along. Just add the @charlottemasonirl page to your toolbar and you can click over and check what we're up to.

I'm hosting again next week -- I think we're going to talk about GROWTH in the Mason homeschool. Just in time for spring!

~~~

Last but not least, I'm sharing something from the archives! If you're still looking for some fun ideas for Easter baskets, I did a little round-up of favorite odds and ends last year...

Let's chat about Easter baskets!  We don't do much candy and I really try to avoid the little odds and ends that accumulate when gifting baskety items for eight young kids.  Over the years, I have come up with more ideas than I could ever use! So I figured I'd pull together some ideas off the top of my head.  And if you order in the next couple days and have Prime shipping, it will all arrive with time to spare. ;)

:: We love our growing collection of Schleich animals!

:: I like to include replacement outdoor "toys" like sidewalk chalk and bubbles.  We got a couple nice quality jump ropes last year.  We also do gardening supplies like pots, spades, and seeds or baby plants to watch and tend.  (I have a black thumb, so whatever the kids grow is pretty much all we attempt.)  Also, new beach toys are always welcome!  We have particularly liked the Ikea shovels.

:: Nature study supplies are always a hit.  Binoculars are a bit pricey for a basket (but make a great birthday gift for middle-aged kids through adults!), but loupes are perfect.  Insect growing kits for a butterfly or praying mantis are great heading into summertime, or you could just get a habitat and do some critter collecting of your own!  (We're planning a snailery thanks to the Handbook of Nature Studyand Pets in a Jar.)  Watercolor postcards, pocket watercolors, and waterbrushes make a simple portable art kit. You could even tuck them into a little zipped pouch.

:: Handicrafts are my favorite category for Easter baskets.  We give craft kits pretty much every year: we have done kits for embroidery, sewing, paper crafts, woodburning, and more.  My older boys are getting these Maker Kits that I picked up cheaply -- we'll see how well they work!  I like the look of these string art kits but haven't tried them yet. Older kids who already have developed some skills get extra supplies for the projects they love, like stacks of wool felt, more kite paper for suncatchers. peg people, roving for felting, or a new project book that's a bit above the beginner level.

:: Fun school supplies work also.  Gianna and Cate have been experimenting with lettering -- gelly rolls come in every color and can be a nice addition to schoolwork.  We go through a lot of post-its here!  I buy a multi-colored package and give one color to each child to use for bookmarks.  And have you jumped on the Frixion bandwagon yet?  Erasable pens that actually work!  We use these for almost all of our lessons.

:: Small (or travel-sized) games make fun additions and tuck into a basket nicely: Set, a miniature chess set, Uno, Skip-Bo, Spot It, Phase Ten. Quirkle, Tangoes, Dutch Blitz, Sleeping Queens.  Mad Libs and Doodle Books fall in this same category and are nice to have in the car.

:: My kids love miniature books and they are so perfect for baskets!  A few favorites:  Elsa Beskow has lovely miniature hardbacks and we enjoy Sendak's Nutshell Library.  Another option is to get a bigger set, like the Brambly Hedge collection (or even a boxed Beatrix Potter collection!) and break them up to put one in each basket or give to the same child but over a few years.

(Links are affiliate links -- happy shopping!  Thanks for your support.)

~~~

That's it for now. I'll be quiet here during Holy Week and back after Easter. Wishing you a blessed time.