As part of their Ancient Civilisation studies, the Discoveries have been enjoying making and eating Egyptian style bread. Using flour, milk, olive oil, salt and the convenience of the kitchen oven they made some bread to share and enjoy with dates and honey! Sounds yummy!
The whole Apple Tee joined together to celebrate May Day. The Edens hosted and invited The Orange Grove to be part of the celebrations which included May Pole dancing, music and storytelling.
The Discoveries children loved learning about the lower plant kingdom in their botany main lessons (fungi, algae, lichen and moss), so were set a project over the Easter holidays to continue using their green thumbs and find some joy with a growing project.
They were asked to plant something new and keep track of its growth and progress. It was kept very open, so that they could interpret and present it in their own way. They could plant beans, seeds, cress, veggies, or even a sapling. It could be done indoors or outdoors, with just one plant or many, or they could track the growth of an existing plant.
Ideas included:
Photograph its daily growth.
Take daily measurements of its height.
Do detailed drawings of it.
🪴Experiment with growing several plants in different places or with different conditions.
Anything else that inspired them!
After the holidays they returned with their findings and presented to the group what they did. This included posters, booklets, photo collages and of course, some plants!
Are you considering home-ed options for your child from September?
There are a couple of spaces left *for children born Sept 2017-Sept 2018 (minimum age 5years) * to join this new group.
They have recruited a fantastic tutor & have a great venue in BS16 lined up.
There is an in-person meeting coming up on Thursday 11th May 8pm if you’d like to find out more!
Please contact hawthornsappletree@gmail.com if you are interested 
The whole Apple Tree gathered together at All Saints Church on a Saturday at the end of March for a celebration of work. It was a glorious opportunity to see what all the children have been working on and to enjoy performances from each group.
Each group had an area to display a selection of their work from this year for their family and friends to see. It was incredible to see such a wide range of subjects, crafts and activities; especially as this doesn’t always get relayed at home!
The Pippins have been looking at the whole world and focusing on a country of their choice.
The Discoveries have been looking at the geology of a city of their choice and ancient civilisations.
The Edens have been learning about the Old Testament and working on numeracy.
The Oakens have been enjoying their mornings in the woods but also enjoying a range of nature based crafts including natural dyes and painting.
Within their individual groups the children also performed songs, poems, stories and dancing which were seasonal or represented what they have been learning this year. It was also an opportunity for the entire Apple Tree to join in song together.
A busy morning was completed with a very enjoyable lunch where everyone brought a dish to share. This was followed by a ceilidh in the hall with lots of happy faces.
The Oakens experimented using Avocado dye and iron water last week to produce these interesting paintings. I can see some secret messages being written using this method in the future!
The Oakens are so lucky to have all this space and a woods to explore (and call their own!) on their doorstep. They venture out every morning, no matter the weather and the snow day today was no exception! 
They were excited to see the snow and play together with friends. After some snowperson building and snowball fights they visited ‘fairy woods’ for a story and snack before returning back to base for lunch.
The Edens enjoyed celebrating Shrove Tuesday last week – making batter, gathering wood and cooking pancakes on the fire. There was great excitement in creating custom pancakes for different dietary requirements: dairy-full, gluten free, dairy free and vegan, as well as the satisfaction of eating them once they were cooked!
There is a new cohort forming, to be affiliated with the Apple Tree ready to start in September 2023 for 4 and 5 year olds. If your child/ren are born between September 2017 and March 2019 and you’d like to find out more, please contact April on april.runciman@gmail.com
The Discoveries hosted Imbolc/Candlemas celebrations this week at the Old Library with the Pippins, Edens and Orange Grove.
Candlemas is a time of year when the lengthening of daylight hours becomes noticeable. The day is celebrated because it means that winter will soon be over, and spring will come. The time of darkness and fallow earth will soon end, and new light and life-sustaining growth will come.
In Celtic lands, the winter cross-quarter day was celebrated as Imbolc, a feast honoring Brigid who, in Celtic tradition, is a goddess of the Dawn, of healing, of fertility. The feast day in her honor marks the beginning of the lambing season, a sign of the earth coming back to life after the fallow time of winter. As Celtic Christianity developed, Imbolc became Candlemas, and Brigid became a saint, and the celebrations merged. It is known as a celebration of hearth and home, of the coming warmth, of fertility and purification and new life.
People lit candles or bonfires as a sign of the warmth of the sun to come. They made “Brigid’s crosses” from rushes, and dolls of Brigid were carried from house to house to bring her blessings. People also made pilgrimages to holy wells and brought back water to bless the home.
The children spent the afternoon at The Old Library weaving traditional St Brigids crosses from rushes. Candle dipping with beeswax and storytelling around the fire in the garden.
The Discoveries and Pippins currently have the chance to learn and enjoy capoeira on a Wednesday afternoon at the Old Library so although not traditional for Imbolc, it was a great opportunity for the Edens and Orange Grove to experience it too!
