Nature Journals and Teetering towers!

I made the most exciting discovery yesterday! I was at my Mum and Dad's house and i was telling my Daddy about Charlotte Mason and her nature journals. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Charlotte Mason, she was an educator in the late 1800's. She wrote many books and manuals talking about home education as is still considered a *must read* for those wanting to home school today!)

Anyways, I was telling Dad about the nature journals and he jumped up, ran up the hall and came back down carrying two books.

The first one, printed in 1885,has the delightful title of, BOTANY Designed to cultivate the observing powers, (The first book of Botany.) It is a teaching book for young children, with beautiful pen drawings.

i found this wonderful quote in the front...

.....Not that more is taught at an early age, but less; that time is taken; that the wall is not run up in haste; that the bricks are set on carefully, and the mortar allowed time to dry.
LORD STANLEY.

The second little book, simply titled, Plant Life, was presented to my great-grandmother in 1908, at Sunday School in Leeds, England. It has flowers pressed by my great-nan nan still between the pages and the most wonderful chapter titles.

How plants eat
How plants drink
How plants marry (?!)
various marriage customs (??!!)
More marriage customs(???!!!)
What plants do for their young (????!!!!)

Tonight we have our first fire of the season! It wasn't quite cold enough, but it is so nice to have a fire burning and to sit under Roo's quilt hand stitching the borders!

I walked into to Roo's room tonight to tuck her in and discovered a teetering tower of toys beside her!! you can see her new Giraffe (chosen by Roo and Nana on a special birthday date) and her giant pink hippo (from Uncle Jake!)