Spacemen and Imbolc

Just before Christmas, Olly drew a great picture of a space rocket and all the children in the nursery were so interested in it that the teachers decided to do space as their topic this term.  So on Wednesday they were all asked to dress up as something spacey.  They varied from Darth Vader and Stormtroopers, to a little girl who came in every sparkly piece of clothing she could find and asserted that she was the North Star!

This was our attempt at a spaceman astronaut!

Saturday was Imbolc, the pagan festival that celebrates the first small appearances of spring and the Celtic goddess Brigid.  It is traditional to bake bread....

....and to make a Brigid's Cross...

...they are usually made of straw, but pipe cleaners are easier and tidier for smaller fingers!  It is also traditional to make a Brigid doll from straw and a bed for her to sleep in...

Oliver decorated the bed and the doll was a combined effort from me and Harry!

Then, of course, as Imbolc is also a festival of lights, there needs to be a lot of candles, namely on candle crowns...

We made a beautiful Imbolc altar....

...and finished off with a little party tea!

It was a lovely day all round!  I even managed to get a bit of washing and ironing done in between!