This week in homeschool, the children and I learned many new and exciting things.
Two things were most notable—Saint Clements and Tigers.
What’s that you say?
Let me rewind a little here…there is an old English nursery rhyme, that my English husband, remembers singing as a young child. It begins with the line, “Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s.”
As a nod to this nursery rhyme, I decided to make a delightfully refreshing, nonalcoholic, pub drink- called a St. Clements.
And seeing as orange was the color, I also decided to make a favorite bread of mine, that I bought frequently from English grocery stores, called tiger bread.
Come join me, and my homeschool crew, for a fun week of “Lemons, and Tigers, and Bread, Oh My” -and don’t forget to keep your eyes “peeled” (see what I did there?) for orange-inspired, thrift finds throughout.
~English Nursery Rhymes~
England is famous for many nursery rhymes: “London Bridges Falling Down,” “Humpy Dumpty,” “Baa, Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool,”- to name but a few. Often these rhymes were based off historical happenings.
The same is true for “Oranges and Lemons.” The nursery rhyme is not really about citrus fruits, but instead, about the many churches surrounding London, England. The melody and rhyme were meant to sound like the different rings and dinga–dings of the local church bells.
The “Oranges and Lemons” nursery rhyme has been put to music, and the children and I have enjoyed singing the song all week.
~An English, Pub-Inspired Drink~
As I have written before, pubs in England are an important historical aspect of village and town life. English Pubs are often family-friendly, obviously offering drinks and food, but also- lovely gardens and welcoming, open fires.
I am not one to normally have a drink, so while living in England, when my husband and I went into English pubs- my Englishman- would order a pint, and I would choose a cappuccino, juice, or elderflower soda. Many pubs offer fresh orange juice and a St Clement’s, which is a drink named after the “Oranges and Lemons” nursery rhyme.
As we read and sang the nursery rhyme as part of our school this week, I decided it would be fitting to make a St Clement’s drink for my family to enjoy.
~Tiger Bread~
To go with our St. Clement’s pub drink, we also made tiger bread. While living in England, tiger bread was a new delicacy to me. I remember seeing it in the baked good’s section of our local Morrison’s grocery store. I initially thought it was bread with a cheese topping- but I since learned that this was not the case- as you will soon see.
It is my understanding, that tiger bread actually came from the Netherlands, where it is fittingly called, Dutch Crunch. It is a soft and pillowy yeast bread- that has a lovely crunchy, outer crust- and a unique marked top.
The crunchy top comes from a paste of rice flour, and other ingredients, that is added to the top of the bread just before baking. The paste does not have gluten, but the bread does. Therefore, the bread stretches (gluten)- but the paste- which has no gluten, does not. This stretching- and not stretching- is what gives the bread its cracked, stretched top, but keeps its interior soft and pillowy.
This bread is a real treat and best eaten straight out of the oven after cooling just a bit. It goes well with a pat of butter. After the first day, any leftovers (if you have any) can be re-toasted and buttered- if you prefer- as it does soften when stored.
The children enjoyed being creative in the kitchen with this recipe, as you will see in the photographs below.
In fact, we decided to make a double batch so we could make the dough into a tiger’s paw- for the amusement of the children- of course!
~Painted, Tiger Rocks~
My children are always up for a craft of any kind! So, we also decided to make painted, tiger-striped rocks for a fun, easy homeschool craft. We used gold leaf paper, Modge Podge, paint, and some golden glitter- that I purchased from a thrift store, of course!
It does not take much to create a meaningful craft, tied to a school lesson, that allows everyone to enjoy a bit of creative, art time together.
~Thrift and Antique Finds in an Orange Fashion~
While we have been on the subject of oranges, lemons, and tiger bread- I decided to share some of my color-coordinated thrift and antique finds with you all.
You see, orange is not my favorite color-no, no- pink is!
Because of this fact, I was not sure I would like the outcome of my collections- but in the end, I was glad I branched out of my normal, favorite, pretty things, and explored a new color palette.
A little tip here, If you like to shop secondhand for hardback books, you can use a bit of your leftover morning coffee and a cotton ball to create an aged appearance on the book’s pages. Just a little coffee applied to the pages, not enough to saturate, will do the trick. I then like to put the book under some weight as the pages dry. I was happy with the end result.
~It's in the Details~
For me, it is all about the details when purchasing vintage items. I was initially drawn to this trinket box because of the elegant, brass hinges on the back and the tiny, delicate feet. Then, I observed the paper machete floral top, and I knew it was a good find.
Trinket boxes often come in handy to store pretty little things, or to hide not so pretty things, like television remotes on a coffee table.
This box was very clean inside, and it is lined in red felt- adding a bit of depth and interest.
~Homemade Beeswax Candle~
Lastly, I made a homemade beeswax candle- with wooden wicks- to go with my orange, and brown, and honey-yellow collection.
Ahh, the warm smell of beeswax and honey-mixed with lemons and oranges and bread-oh my!
Beeswax candles are a fun activity that older kids can be a part of.
This particular candle is made from a baking ramekin that I thought would make for an interesting candle in the kitchen.
~So Long Tiger, Hello Frog!~
In conclusion to this week’s post, I thought I would end with a photograph of a frog…
A frog?
Yes, a frog.
A frog…for a blog…
You know, a “blog frog!”
This little fella just happened to grace our porch one morning this week. He stayed long enough for my homeschool crew to view him and snap a few pictures of him on their cameras. Another perfect learning opportunity.
And you know, I never thought I would have a blog that featured tigers-or certainly frogs for that matter- but then, God made me a mom of two boys– and how thankful I am! Orange tigers, green frogs, and all.
I hope you enjoyed the read, and that you too, are inspired to branch out- and try new things- in your kitchen and for your home.
Happy baking…until next time!
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