Seasonal Ponderings: Some Thoughts on August

We certainly have not had much of a summer so far. I am still holding out hope for August :o), but with the arrival of a new month and being in the throws of planning our upcoming year, I thought that I would write down a few themes and plans for August. I had started doing this last year and then got quite side-tracked due to a move.  My seasonal themes and plans are tweaked annually, somethings taken away, some added, all depending on what life is throwing at us or what is going on around us. So here we go, a few plans for the month.

August:

Folk law: (Farmers Almanac and Local Observances)

Full moon this month - Sturgeon Moon

Sayings: - As August, so February

- If the first week of Aug is unusually warm. The winter will be long and white

cultural observances: 

Lammas Day (1st) - {bake a harvest loaf of bread in the same of a wheat sheath}

Well Dressing

Plague Sunday Service in Eyam, Derbyshire (last Sunday in Aug)

Birthstone: Peridot

Birth Flower: Gladiolus or Poppy

Late Summer Bank Holiday (26th)

Tasha Tudors Birthday (28th) - read some of her books and have a lovely country cream tea together.

London 2012 Olympics

London 2012 Paralympic Games (29th)

Nature: (things that come to mind when I think of the month and what I see around me)

late Summer
busy insects
long warm days
ripening Hedgerows
very active pond life
Perseid's Meteor Shower {This year August 11,12 and 13 early morning is best for this viewing}
Plants seeding and shooting out runners

Some Ideas for Nature Study This Month:

English Hedgerows - art of hedging, traditional hedging plants, animals and insects of the hedgerows, history of hedgerows, fruits of the hedgerows. Wishlist Books: Hedgerow , Hedgerows: Wild Habitats of the British Isles,
Pond Study - pond weed/plants, pond insects, frogs and toads, pond water under the microscope etc

Home: (seasonal 'must do's')

summer holidays
Clear out schoolroom for next academic year
Plan out next academic year
order curriculum and other resources
refresh stationary supplies
begin Christmas gift making (start Christmas planning notebook perhaps?)
Begin making jams and marmalade's
Clothing clear-out (make a list of Autumn and Winter clothing needed and look out for what we need)
Garden - Keep on top of the lawn mowing (DH) weeding and keeping beds neat and tidy (me) Pest control!!
 - Pot the strawberry runners for lots of strawberry plants for next season.

Food: (seasonal and what we enjoy eating this time of year)

BBQ's (while we can)

Salads

Picnics

Berries of all kinds - off the bush & collect and freeze for winter

Ice-cream

Frozen fruit 

Crafts and Activities: (related to this months seasonal themes and observances)

Make our own ice-cream Edwardian style

Make our own Strawberry jam and scones for our Tasha Tudor Tea

Make our own 'wheat sheath' shaped bread for Lammas Day

Make our own corn dolly

Beach Days! - visit Morcambe Bay and watch the rapid tides phenomena. Take a guided walk across the bay.

Collect shells and other beach treasures. Make a shell wind chime.

Make seed packets and start collecting seed from the garden.

Well that's what I've got so far for August. Lots of ideas to celebrate the month and the season. We won't get around to doing all of these activities, but it's good to have some sort of plan don't you think? ;o) These notes will be printed out and popped into my Home Management Binder. From there I will use them to plot out my August Calendar and hopefully get to do most of what is noted down!