the Brothers Grimm

Summer School 2023

Time for a look back at this year’s Fairytale-themed summer school!

I came up with four crafts to go with all of the stories we read, and I’m actually pretty proud of how creative I was to come up with them. My favorite might have been “Rumpelstiltskin’s straw-into-gold ornaments.” We made traditional Scandinavian straw stars, and then spray-painted them gold…they’re really pretty, and we have the materials and tools to make more at Christmas!

If that wasn’t my favorite craft, our Lego enchanted rose was. The idea was mine, and I bought all the necessary parts, but the execution was evasive to me…Ladybug, however, sat down with all of the materials and figured out how to make a beautiful centerpiece in no time!

I bought some gingerbread houses last Christmas and put them away for this summer…that’s always a fun craft, and it never turns out the same way twice!

And we also put together a fairy garden…we couldn’t believe how quickly the sprouts started coming up, and we’re looking forward to continuing to care for it!

We didn’t do as much cooking and baking as I had hoped (mainly because we were so busy making recipes from Lilo and Stitch: The Official Cookbook), but we did have a few fairytale dinners:

  • Fennel and Red Cabbage Slaw (The Brothers Grimm Cookbook)
  • Rapunzel…Angel-hair Pasta (The Brothers Grimm Cookbook)
  • Apple Punch (The Brothers Grimm Cookbook)
  • Mini Marbled Kugelhopfs (Fairytale Baking)
  • Golden Mountain Paella (The Brothers Grimm Cookbook)
  • Chocolate Ring (Fairytale Baking)

The only thing truly missing from this year’s summer school was a field trip…try as I might, I just couldn’t make that kind of connection. But it was a pretty fun, relaxed way to learn this summer, and that was really nice!

What We’re Reading–Fairy Tales

The theme for this year’s summer school is “Fairy Tales,” which I think follows last year’s Disney theme nicely. Our reading list is a little shorter than normal, but we’re going to be doing lots of cooking and crafts, too (right now, I’m planning on a fairy garden, a gingerbread house, “straw to gold” ornaments, and an enchanted rose centerpiece)! Here’s a look a the books I’ve assembled:

  • An Illustrated Treasury of Grimm’s Fairy Tales
  • The Blue Fairy Book
  • Who Were the Brothers Grimm?
  • The Irresistible Fairy Tale
  • The Fairy Tellers
  • The Brothers Grimm Cookbook
  • Fairytale Baking

I don’t know if I can come up with any field trips that fit the theme, but even if I don’t, it should be fun!