The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Week 1 | FI♥AR with Bo


"Once upon a time there were four little rabbits and their names were --
                                                                   Flopsy,
                                                                                Mopsy,
                                                                                            Cotton-tail,
                                                                   and Peter."

Our bucket list of fun things to do:


row The Tale of Peter Rabbit for a fortnight
"His mother was busy cooking ; she wondered what he had sone with his clothes. It was the second little jacket and a pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!" 
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit

read the story on a drizzly day


It rained everyday this week. One morning, we woke up to a very foggy drizzly day. The morning sun was alread risen and we could barely see it. We all loved the rare grab-a-throw-blanket and sip-a-cup -of-tea weather!

watch The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny

Both tales are in one 30 minute length video, and we watched together.

read about balsam fir trees and how the tree stands firm in a sandy bank where cottontail rabbits abide
"They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree."
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit

go on a nature hike 
"Now run along, and don't get into mischief." 
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit

identify a balsam fir 


furry pinecones and short soft needles

and familiar smell.

If you rub the soft needles between your fingers, you can smell the woodsy fresh scent of the balsam fir.

explore, climb rocks, discover, and enjoy God's creation

We went on a two hour nature hike up the South Piney creek that flows through the beautiful limestone walled canyon. We usually take our time, explore, take photos, and enjoy nature, but this time we did both and hiked to the end of the trail for the first time.



make discoveries

I challenged the kids to each make a new discovery along the way and we were pleased with our findings. Such as a...

a plant with curled leaves

and a fir tree dripping sticky sap.

study the cottontail rabbit


compare the cottontail to the hare and other rabbit cousins


compare the English sparrow to North American sparrows
"Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears ; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself." - The Tale of Peter Rabbit
We looked up the sparrow in our field guide, but didn't find the English sparrow - of course, our guide was for North American birds, but we did find a picture of one in an old nature book.



look at pictures of nasturtiums and geraniums



visit a nursery to find a geranium
"Mr. McGregor was after him in no time. And tried to put his foot upon Peter who jumped out a window, upsetting three plants."
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit
One plant was a nasturtium, and two plants were geraniums.


grow "rabbit tobacco"
"Old Mrs. Rabbit was a widow ; she earned her living by knitting rabbit-wool mittens and muffetees... She also sold herbs, and rosemary, tea, and rabbit-tobacco (which is what we call lavender)." - The Tale of Benjamin Bunny 
we planted Lavender...


and lettuce and chives in terra cotta flower pots for a little indoor garden. It rained everyday this week so we haven't been able to get outside to plant anything yet !

become a naturalist and set up a nature display/Peter Rabbit table and change it everyday


I'm diffusing the essential oil from the same type of tree that Peter Rabbit lived under in the woods down the lane from Mr. McGregor's garden - a balsam fir. The oil is Idaho Balsam Fir - it basically smells like a Christmas tree, for it is a balsam fir. 

have a tea party with camomile tea
"I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.
His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter!
'One tablespoon to be taken at bed-time.'"

- The Tale of Peter Rabbit 

Except my good little bunny got a soft, delicious, chewy, carrot cookie with cream cheese frosting from the Red Velvet Bakery downtown. 




We got a box of organic chamomile tea from the health food store and it was the best cup of chamomile tea I've had - with fresh raw cream and a spoon of honey!

make blackberry bread pudding
"Then old Mrs. rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. 
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit
"Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper."
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit
with chamomile tea, of course!

This is the recipe from the Five in a Row cookbook. I bought the bread at the bakery where I got the carrot cookies while out running errands the other day. It was day old bread by the time we made the bread pudding which was perfect.

-Bo is 6 years old-
We shall row The Tale of Peter Rabbit for a fortnight! See you next week for week 2 of our row!

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a Five in a Row selection from Volume 2.


7 comments

  1. I still love reading all these rowing posts, Michelle! I'd love to know what the books you photographed are: the hardcover one with the color plates of flowers and the rabbits, and the one that shows two fir trees side by side. That blackberry bread pudding looks scrumptious!

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  2. Hi Julie! ♥ The books are from The Nature Library collection, a 6 Vol. Collection from 1926 on Animals, Garden Flowers, and Trees (the books pictured), and Birds, Butterflies, and Wildflowers. Each book has 48 full color illustrations - aren't they pretty?! Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. Can you please homeschool my children? Or maybe teach me to be even 1/2 as wonderful as you are? Beautiful post Michelle!

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  4. Crystal, only if you teach me to be even 1/2 as wonderful as you are. ♥ Your finished quilts are awesome! I love the detailed appliqués and how each quilt is unique and designed for each boy. It makes me want to hurry and finish school so I can dig out our squares and start sewing!

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  5. I'm always in love with these sweet moments and memories that you share. I Love FIAR :)

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