Goodbye to Summer and Hello to Fall

Here are some of the last projects we did this summer and a few of the first things we did for "school".

Planet soaps! Fynn had a lot of fun- they are milled soaps, so I stayed up late the night before grating them with a cheese grater so they would be ready to mold into planet shapes in the morning.  I used those colored glycerin soaps so we wouldn't have to worry about adding colors (and Fynn LOVES colors) but they were artificially scented, and by the time I finished grating the last bar I was almost sick! (Don't tell Fynn that) Next time we will use natural soaps for sure. (Don't worry, they're not so bad now that they're just sitting on the bathroom sink :))

 This is another one of the first "official" planned school projects we did this year- it's a "balloon slide" made from cardboard. Balloon slides (aka inflatable slides) are one of Fynn's favorite things. We colored this slide with markers together, complete with the "ladder-in-the-middle" and taped it to another box so it made a functional slide!

It was awesome to see Fynn and Rowan both climbing up and sliding down (sharing happily!) but the most magic of moments was when we were creating it.  Rowan was napping and it was just Fynn and me coloring together and I just had this sense that here was this special little boy with all these wonderful magical things that he loves flying all around him-  balloon slides, planets, stars, whales, numbers, all at his service, if you will, and I felt so blessed and humbled to be a part of it.  This phenomenon occurs to me every once in a while. I believe it has something to do with his strong sensitivities to what is around him, and that the things he loves are more than just hobbies to him, but they are important things that maybe symbolize who he is and who he will become in the future, and I think when I help to nurture his creativity, it opens the door for his little spirit to soar!

And here is another balloon slide we made together- a smaller model :)

And here's some pics of the kids at the New West Fest balloon slide- the highlight of summer for Fynn:

And now, Rowan will play us a proper farewell song to Summer...

Happy Fall everyone!
-b