Here’s a Little Hare is one of the games that most delights the children at Rose Rock. We play it as part of a circle this time of year and the children repeatedly beg for us to keep playing as the game comes to an end.
Here’s a little Hare,
(S)he’s fast asleep, fast asleep.
Little Hare, oh are you ill?
That you lie so quiet and still?
Hop little hare! Hop little Hare!
Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop everywhere!
We love the gesture this game brings to the children, one of finding peace in stillness and vitality in movement. A “hare” begins sleeping in the middle of the circle. When we sing “hop little hare, hope little hare”, the hare wakes up, hops about, and taps the feet of the next hare. The previous hare rejoins the singing circle. We hope you find the same joy in sharing this game with your children at home.
Today we are dyeing eggs with the children. We have chosen to use beets, cabbage, turmeric, and onion skins to create an array of natural dye colors. The red of the beets is especially vibrant and we would like to share this recipe with you.
6 medium purple beets, skinned and chopped
4 -5 cups of water
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Bring the water and beets to boil in a large pot. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Strain the liquid and set aside the beets. You can dip and soak your eggs for as little as 20-30 minutes but brighter eggs will be achieved with an overnight soak. Allow your eggs to dry in the carton without a rinsing (that would remove some of your dye).
We added some whimsical variation to our eggs by wrapping some with rubber bands to create a stripped effect, or packing them with cabbage to create a “tie-dye” effect. Also, pressing leaf clippings or flower petals from the yard onto the eggs before wrapping them with pantyhose will give them a beautiful ethereal quality.
We used our cooked beets from the dye to prepare a delicious side dish, too. Simply toss your beets with salt, pepper and a little balsamic vinaigrette and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple hours before eating.
For the vinaigrette, combine 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup honey, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, and a dash of salt and pepper. You can blend them with a food processor while streaming in the oil to make it a little creamy. More simply, you can combine them all in a jar, close the lid and shake!.
š lovely