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Heathy Planet Playgroup's June Diary:

Wed 07 June

‘To everything there is a season ….’

Autumn fading, winter has arrived, we pack away the yellow, orange and rust cloths from the season table and replace with the burgundy's and winter tones. The leaves from the season table have been swept away and replaced with the potato sack full of fleece along with the sweet potato plant. The cloths and plants and fresh flowers are all replaced on the tables to reflect that winter has arrived. The mortar and pestle is busy working to pound the carroway for a tasty addition to the spelt dough, along with the freshly grated nutmeg and bio-dynamic dried fruit. "We mix the dough, we knead the dough, we let it rise, we punch the dough and pat the dough it grows before our eyes. Hot brown loaf from a little ball, it rises up to feed us all". Nice hot, fresh spelt bread to eat on the way home.

Along with our beautiful platter of fresh fruit for snack we have winter fresh from the garden soup (grated red onion, grated carrot, grated potato and grated beetroot simmered in a vegetable stock).

New season song sheets to take home – a new story- A Fairy Went A-Marketing (a rhyming story about a Fairy buying a little fish, coloured bird, a gentle mouse which she lets go and a winter gown that after dancing in gives to a little frog to keep him warm at night) We have made all the animals from wool felt and stuffed with wool, the stream for the fish to slip into is a beautiful silk play cloth. We alternate a rhyme and then a song to help bring that breathing quality to song time It was beautiful to hear Grace joining in singing the lullaby "Train Whistle "sung before story time, and the previous week when we were tidying up the hall to hear Grace leading the younger ones singing Lou Lou from the circle dance. Our routine and flow remains constant all year, along with the arrangement of the room and the regular tunes – hand washing song, fruit blessing, tidy-up time tune, Train Whistle, candle lighting, cooking tunes and circle dance.

Sharon and Leanne brought some beautiful citrus fruit to share and take home to enjoy.

All the organic fruit scraps have now found a new home, travelling to Mutarnee for the new additions on the farm...the Hawkins chooks.

Wed 14 June

The mortar and pestle is busy pounding the pepitas for a tasty addition to the mornings baking, freshly ground buckwheat and chick peas, zucchini and carrot cookies, to take home to share with Daddy.

A new addition for ‘free play’ – some lovely wood blocks in all shapes. Today a mouse house was created. Grace told a lovely story after story time.

Freshly picked carambolas and sapote fruit adorn the nature table and to take home.

Wed 21 June

The full house sign goes up today.

 Please if you are interested in attending, contact us, as we will consider another day as well as Wednesday, if our lovely community centre has another vacant day. 

We welcome three new families.

The mortar and pestle was kept busy again, pounding the cinnamon for our ‘surprise biscuits’. Big Grace (as our 3 ½ year old Grace has affectionately called herself, as we also have 2 year old Grace - little Grace), was the chef today, we made the dough from scratch, with everything coming straight from a calico bag. The rolled oats were poured into the mixing bowl, followed by the buckwheat flour, grated coconut, pepitas, a good mix, then the dates, sultanas and apricots (which had been softened in a small amount of orange juice) we grated apple and enough tahine to make a biscuit mixture. The other end of the table sees Leanne, juicing the beautiful oranges from her farm, little cups full of fresh juice was enjoyed by all and some juice and grated rind added to the biscuits, ready for the little hands to roll. “This is the way we juice the fruit, juice the fruit, juice the fruit. This is the way we juice the fruit, early in the morning. Push it down and turn it round, push it down and turn it round, push it down and turn it round, early in the morning”. Some enjoyed the feel of the sprouted wheat, others liked the sweet taste, after we gave the sprouts a drink, we placed it into cane plate holders to take home and enjoy. 

Leanne bought some lovely organic spelt sesame seed crispies and avocado spread on rye roll ups that were enjoyed at story time. 

Many thanks to Paul (Ella’s Dad) for repairing our old and favourite antique wooden rocking horse.  

Wed 28 June