Mama Earth has begun to rouse her little children. There are signs all about ~ finally! ~ that they are returning with Spring's arrival today. Yesterday, we saw our very first snowdrop, peeking out from her cozy green cloak...
And inside, Spring is blooming, too.
And we had wee little visitors this morning...Mama Earth's babies decided to stay with us. They delighted the children, promising little flowers outside...soon, we hope!
Happy Spring, dear friends!
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Hello, friends. Today I am honoured to be guest blogging over at the Homespun Waldorf Winter Faire. I've never before blogged anywhere else, so I am a wee nervous, but I do think this is so worthwhile. Homespun Waldorf is a forum for Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers to get inspiration, ideas, and support. I am a recent member, and really do enjoy the conversations.
Stop by, if you like...there will be guest bloggers all month long!
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King Winter isn't being shy this year. He has given us a magically sunny and snowy winter so far...encouraging lots of sledding, skating, and skiing. My children believe that the Snowflake Fairy has been kind and generous in helping King Winter, and they regularly ask her for more snow.
She stays with us inside, hanging beside our homeschool hutch. I like to change the seasonal fairies regularly as the children seem delighted by them. Forrest, with his keen eyes, is usually the first to notice their arrival, and Sunshine seems to gaze at them for long, long moments, quietly watching...I wonder what she is thinking.
Our nature table is also continually changing, depending on the nearest festival, the latest adventure outdoors.
I really appreciate the magic and wonder the seasonal nature table brings to my family's life. Many times a day, I will find one of the three little people peering over this little table's edge, quietly drinking in the beauty. Every season, every year, the scene changes, evolves, grows. Usually we have a bouquet of flowers or greenery, too. Little creations by the children will appear for a few days, only to be taken away again for play. But, aside from regularly changing the postcards, this is mostly a "look only" nature table as my littlest is one year old and he often picks everything up and throws it, with a delighted squeal. Because the older two know to "touch only with their eyes", Huckley is learning that reverence and care is needed here. Also, Forrest is often quick to remind him, "No, buddy..."! If the temptation is too great, nearby is a seasonal playscape that everyone can touch and play with, often with similar items as seen here.
I so appreciate the mindfulness of the moment my children bring to my life. A pause, a ponder, a pleasure for the beauty before them is a great teaching that I can easily overlook. This whole trip of homeschooling ~ I wonder, who is really the teacher?
Next week, I am excited to be a guest blogger at the Homespun Waldorf Winter Carnival! There will be many Waldorf inspired homeschoolers sharing ideas and inspiration over the course of four weeks...come and check it out!
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*I was inspired by my friend, Taisa, who did a post in November about her Homeschool Happenings. I loved hearing about her adventures in learning with her children.
Here we are, immersing ourselves once again in our regular rhythm and routine ~ ah, how I love it! I really thrive on rhythm, (which also helps wonderfully when trying to manage a three year old's Type 1 Diabetes). We are back into homeschooling ~ and because Forrest is in Kindergarten, it really is pretty mellow. It is a wonderful way to step into the world of homeschooling, sampling here and there, trying on bits of this, discarding some of that.
We are using the Christopherus curriculum, and for Kindergarten, Donna is pretty loose about it all. Truly, learning at this age is merely play-based, structured by the rhythms of the family and the festivals of the season. We do a morning circle three times a week, and while I have heard it is a challenge for many homeschoolers, the circle works most of the time for us. Perhaps because my children are so young and any excuse to sing loudly and do verses with actions is always great fun!
handwork on Mondays
During the circle, we also discuss a virtue of the week (actually, we talk about the virtue for two weeks). I used this in the classroom when I was a teacher at a local alternative school and it was wonderful. I use only the most basic virtues suggested, like patience, respect, truthfulness, generosity. I briefly introduce the word and we talk about what it would look like to practice this virtue, and then we use that word throughout the day/week as a reminder of how we can treat each other better.
We also read a fairy tale, often from the Brother's Grimm collection. I spent a good deal of time in the summer reading most of them, deciding which ones were appropriate for Forrest. We read this tale three times (or more) during the week.
So far, we have enjoyed...
my Kindergarten resource pile...most of which I acquired when I was a teacher
My ongoing dilemma with our homeschool year has been the question of Forrest's readiness for Grade 1. He is a November baby, and he turned six last fall. I wrestled with this for so long, flip-flopping back and forth several times, and then some more. I consulted various forums, friends, and our local Waldorf Kindergarten teacher friend. Almost all of them suggested waiting to begin formal schooling until Forrest is as close to the age of seven as possible. There are many reasons for this, but my favourite explanation was simply, "Once you've awakened Sleeping Beauty, you can't get her to sleep again." So, we chose to keep it simple this year.
There were a few moments when I clearly saw this was the right decision, despite his body showing the classic Waldorf signs for intellectual readiness. I attempted to add a few Grade 1 activities such as the Weather Tree to our circles. He lost interest in that after a few weeks. He also has a Main Lesson Book called the Mother Goose Book. We recite a nursery rhyme every circle, one per week. On the second day, he illustrates the rhyme in the Mother Goose Book. He was so enthusiastic about it and readily set to work for ten minutes, putting his best intentions into his drawings. After a few months, he announced he didn't want to do this anymore, and I happily obliged. (I could just picture him in a school setting, where Kindergarten children go all day, five days a week, and my boy would be getting bored and mischievous, being sent to the principal's office for disruptive behaviour). However, the following week he asked to do the illustrations again, and has been into it ever since.
Forrest's Mother Goose Book ~ illustrating "Snow, Snow Faster"
Towards the end of December, I noticed Forrest seemed bored ~ a word my children don't really use. I talked to him a bit and asked him how he was feeling, and he told me he wanted to do more school work. Oh dear, I panicked and worried tremendously about our homeschooling path. He is, afterall, a very gregarious boy who interacts so well with others. However, after a lot of reflecting, we decided Forrest needed more challenges, not public school. So then I pondered beginning to teach the letters to him. But I kept thinking about Sleeping Beauty. Instead, I came up with a second Main Lesson Book for him to illustrate, the Sounds Like Main Lesson Book. With a new sound each week, Forrest (and Sunshine, if she likes) draws everything he can think of that starts with that sound. Last week was "B" when we read the story of Babushka. This week it is "S" because we are singing a lot about snowflakes and snowmen. Forrest loves this!
Forrest's Sounds Like Main Lesson Book ~ illustrating the sound "B"
We also are beginning to visit the library twice a month...and that is a very special treat in my little one's eyes. It is very exciting to go to town with the express intention of loading up on some new stories. As Forrest said recently, "Mama, I just love the Books."
Forrest's first knitting project on wool he dyed himself ~ a blanket for his doll, Erla
Art continues to be a central activity for my children and me. We handcraft on Mondays, setting up the week for handcrafting whenever they feel like it. Today the children sewed their own gnomes. We plan on doing some weaving, knitting, and more sewing as well. We also paint, model, draw, create, often based on the seasonal festivals.
Can you guess who made the pink and purple gnome and who made the blue and green one?
Finally, I recently discovered the Homespun Waldorf forum...it is wonderful! There are a lot of familiar mamas on there, and it is such a treat to engage in conversations with them about learning at home.
This homeschool year is an ongoing journey of learning for all of us. I so treasure the time with Forrest, when all is so fresh and exciting, when his enthusiasm is contagious.
I would love to hear how other people are experiencing their homeschool year so far.
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I always seem to have Big Plans for holiday making...and this year, especially, my follow-through is a little less than impressive. Perhaps because there seems to be a lot of "help" of the most innocent, wide-eyed kind...
So while little Huckley got involved with this fabric pile, I got busy sewing...napkins. I admit, I have a little napkin fetish going on this year, and the seasonal variety are oh so festive! I have lots of fabric ends from making stockings and gift bags and pajamas, and with a simple snip here and there, many squares were cut. The children had a fun time matching front and back squares for me to sew together.
We made enough to host my family's Boxing Day Dinner for twelve...though, there will surely be some more made for gift giving this season.
And while these little hands were kept busy...
...a little Christmas Fairy came alive...
She has her place beside our homeschool hutch, overseeing all the busy-ness of our daily activities. I also heard Sunshine mention to her brothers that she is making sure they are behaving...hmmm, works for me!
Happy (handmade) Holiday making, to all my crafty friends!
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'Tis a most wonderful time of the year...I just love the Festive Season, beginning today with Advent. It wasn't always this way, I assure you. In fact, I went through a phase of self-righteous disdain for anything to do with Christian holidays. That is, until I became pregnant for the first time. And then, while I had been dipping my toes into Anthroposophy and Steiner indications a wee bit as a teacher, it really came together for me when I became a mama. Isn't that just so for many, many parents...our children inexplicably change the course of our belief systems all with one effortless in-breath.
Needless to say, our family's traditions have grown and merged, embracing the beauty of the Waldorf festivals. My children are now able to remember special moments from Christmas' past, and it is so very endearing to hear questions about when these moments will occur.
This afternoon, as the light was beginning to fade, it was our intention to gather with some other homeschooling families to celebrate Advent with a candle-lit spiral. Unfortunately, my friend who I was planning the event with had fevering children, so we cancelled. My children were ok with the change of plans ~ thank goodness! However, after dinner, Forrest took it upon himself to declare that the Advent spiral would be happening momentarily!?! Within a few minutes, cedar boughs were brought in, log rounds were uprighted, and candles stuck in apples. After singing a few songs, I strummed on the kinder-harp while each of my children walked the spiral in the darkened room. With the soft glow of three shining flames, my husband quietly took the three of them upstairs while I tidied up.
What an impromptu, special moment, filled with magic and reverence...even with the end-of-the-day clutter pushed off to the sides and a sink full of dinner dishes. A humbling reminder that these little ones don't need pageantry and excessive details to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary...they do that all by themselves, every single day.
May you find your own spark within and let it shine for all the world to behold!
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Sometimes, the camera card reminds me of the week we've had...the photos ~ and moments ~ that slip by my memory, only to show up on my screen days later. This was such a week, and here I am mystified that I barely captured any "moments" this week. I'm trying to think of why...and I suppose it's because we are in a good rhythm right now and time is seamlessly unfolding, without a moment to pause and grab for the camera.
It has been a good week...of rain then snow with a lot of wind weaving the two together. We've been mostly nestled inside, carrying on with homeschooling and playing and crafting and all those mundane sounding things that actually make up the rich fabric of our days. I am thankful for being here right now, nestled with my favourite people, weaving together one day with the next.
Forrest moved quickly from fingerknitting into "real true" knitting...in a matter of hours! I had thought to wait until grade 1 next year, but he told me he was longing to knit, so of course, we began. And he took off with it...he loves it so much, he sat and knit for two hours that first day. That night, and a few more after that, he even took his handwork basket to his bedroom so he could wake up and knit in the morning ~ a dream come true for this mama!
We moved the doghouse last weekend, hoping one of our two girls would put it to use if we positioned it so they might see our front door from their front door. Worked like a charm...for Nyla ~ who refuses to share with the young Cocoa Marshmallow Puff Puff. I suppose she'll just have to come inside more often! (That's a secret hooray for me)!
Today we gathered heaps of rosehips to decorate our home. I love this time of year, awaiting Advent...on Sunday my friend and I will be creating a special Advent Spiral for a few Waldorf Homeschooling families in the Valley. We are both really wanting to celebrate the seasonal festivals with meaning and beauty, in a home-grown, home-schooling way. If any of you has any suggestions, I would be so grateful for advice on how to make simple celebrations in community.
Almost 17 months old!!! Already.
First snowman of the season...and it's only beginning...
Happy Advent weekend to all of you, my friends!
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I have a new project on my needles so I am joining Ginny for her weekly yarn-along today.
My older son's cardigan was finished in the nick of time for his birthday last Friday. Tomorrow I plan to share how it turned out, as well as some mama-made pants, too. But I'm rather excited to get back to the Knitted Farmyard project which I hope to have finished for the holidays in something like six or seven weeks! Yikes!
Like the sheep and the pigs, these little chickens (called cluck clucks around here) were such fun to knit up ~ and being so small they are a snap to whip up in an afternoon or two. I had to play around with the comb and the dangly thing beneath the beak (what is that called?), but I think they are working out well. The children certainly approve. They watch me knit them up, sometimes offering their opinions (ahem!). But then I stash them away so that when the whole farmyard is revealed, it ought to be a bit of a surprise...even a wee little one!
I'm cheating a little with the book this week. What with a bedroom reno stalled out upstairs and many boxes of books and treasures stored away, there are not a lot of books lying about. So I grabbed the first thing I could find, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, which I have already read and I think I remember vaguely that it was an engaging, fast read. What I really hoped to have found was my beloved Kirsten Lavransdatter, but that will have to wait until the reno is complete.
Besides, if this book doesn't read as swiftly as the first time through, there is always a few more cluck clucks to whip up!
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We're in the midst of a festive season over here. Halloween may have just ended but in a few days we are celebrating a birthday and then a lantern festival. Despite the rapid succession of activities, I am soaking up the excitement my children are emanating. It really is such a fun time for them! They love to dress up, to try on a costume, an idea, a personality. We have a few "tickle trunks" that are really overflowing baskets that I keep meaning to clean up. But then out comes the Mexican poncho or the Viking helmet and I throw my hands up! Let them dress up...it really is so much fun! This Halloween, Sunshine wanted to be a gnome, Huckley declared himself a mushroom (!), and then...
...with Forrest's obsession with a bow and arrow, he really wanted to be Robin Hood for Halloween. I made the hat (adult size so it was pinned to fit his head with a wool hat underneath it) and the tunic. The rest of the costume was from the tickle trunk or borrowed from friends.
I tried to find an age appropriate version of the Robin Hood story but it seems that the best version is straight from our mouths. The true legends are so intertwined with the history of various kings, it loses a lot of the magic for a not quite six year old. And magic is definately what Halloween is about!
Halloween for our family is not about the trick-or-treat thing. We have a five year tradition of going to the local Waldorf school for an Enchanted Journey. It is a beauitul, magical walk through the grounds of the school, stopping to visit various "scenes" along the way. A few favourites are the pirate who doesn't realize he is sitting on his treasure, Jack Frost painting frost flowers in the gardens, the Fisher King hooking wishing stars upon the roof of the school, and a scarecrow who jumps alive after the children chant the magical verse. There is very little candy involved, perhaps a lollipop at the end, but the children collect seed pods, feathers, acorns, hunks of "gold", little crystals, an apple.
This year, my personal favourite was in the Eurythmy room at the school with a silent dance by some older students dressed in silks as the four elements. Quietly, they stopped at each child to give a different coloured magic bead. The look of wonder on my children's small faces was breathtaking!
Driving home from town, there were some slash burnings going on up on the mountain tops. Forrest wondered if they were the fires of gnomes visiting from underground on this magical night. For just a moment, it was clear to me what he meant. A little magic leaped from his heart into mine, and I believed he was right.
Wishing you all the magic of the season!
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It is the season for unusual happenings and uninvited guests. We have had a special little visitor these last few days...
Trip trap, trip trap...we could hear his tiny little hammer if we were really very still...
He is such a shy little gnome, really!
When Sunshine came across this photo, she was determined to be a "little gnome with a long white beard" for Halloween.
I was so happy to make this very simple costume for my girl...for a long while I was crossing my fingers someone wanted to be a gnome!
Once she gets a bee in her bonnet, there's simply no changing this one's mind!
I also made a Halloween bag for each of them, to collect the various gold dust, gnome's crystals, shooting stars, and rosy red apples that they find on the Enchanted Walk at the local Waldorf School. It is a magical night and has become a tradition in our family for the last five years.
And my little gnome who has come to visit...well, she's absolutely tickled with her costume. So is her big brother so I made him a gnome hat, too! The more, the merrier I do believe!
And so this mama will be fairly busy in the meantime, finishing two other costumes for Halloween night! There is indeed excitement in the air...we're carving Jack o'Lanterns tonight! I love how the festive atmosphere is contagious from the littles to the not-so-littles! I'll be back later to share more costumes and fun...
Happy weekending!!!
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My oldest son is pretty much obsessed with knights, and anything knight-related ~ swords, chainmail, dragons, castles, and rescuing princesses (his sister fills in for this part quite happily)! He is already planning his November birthday to be knight-themed, again...for the third time.
And today, well today is the day for knights. Today, there were dragons to be slain. Today, there were fires to be stoked. And today, my little boy knight revelled in all his dressed-up glory.
There was his sturdy horse, of course...
And slaying of dragons hiding amidst the bracken...
And this was all before breakfast! We had a quieter day of modeling beeswax dragons onto candles, crafting with pressed leaves and flowers, and a puppet show based on our fairytale of the week. I've searched for a dragon story in which the dragon has a happier ending, and I found it with Suzanne Down's Little Boy Knight in her Autumn Tales. It is a sweet story that is gentler for the under 7 age group.
When Papa returned home, our little boy knight led us over the bridge to light a campfire in the meadow. Wishes of courage were written on paper and tossed into the flames while we sang songs. We ate dinner and there was even some blacksmithing going on...
When darkness fell, these three little ones trudged back into their castle where they fell asleep pretty quickly. It was a very simple celebration this year, and just exactly what we needed. We had had plans for a larger get-together with some homeschooling friends across the river, but it didn't work out. Instead, some neighbours strolled over to visit a while, bringing good tidings and easy laughter.
And our little boy knight? Well, you can be sure he'll be dressed up again tomorrow morning, scouting for dragons in the bracken.
Maybe with this littlest boy knight by his side.
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Little leaves falling down
Red and yellow orange and brown,
Whirling twirling round and round.
Falling softly to the ground.
-Suzanne Down's Autumn Tales
Outdoors, some of our trees still look like this sugar maple, while others are a wee more sassy...
And indoors, these leaves are whirling twirling with the Autumn Fairy...
Happy Equinox, friends!
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You know that saying, about people living a colourful life? Well, I'd like to think that they live a life that's vibrant and beautiful and exciting. I'd also like to think this is how my children feel. It's kind of a universal right of all children to live exactly that way...embracing each moment with all their being, seeing the fragility of life with a rainbow of intensity.
A long while back, just after returning home from the hospital, I did a post on using our daily rhythm and routine to lend structure to our lives as we navigated a new path for our family. It's true that I personally thrive on rhythm and routine, and I see my children are most definately like their mama that way. Thankfully, too, as diabetes seems to be a condition which requires structure and regularity. To the extreme.
Many years ago, I happened upon some reading about colours and their effect on children's psyche. Joan Salter gets into it a bit in The Incarnating Child, mentioning that we "see red", or "feel blue" or are "green with envy". Steiner's colour theories are based on the law of complements where if you surround yourself, in say, purple (a more melancholy colour), it will help induce an inner feeling of sunny yellow.
While our lives are not so rigid that we adhere to all aspects of this theory of colours, we most definately have a colourful home. My children know the days of the week by their colour name (Monday is Purple Day, Tuesday is Red Day, etc.) which gives them a better frame of reference. They live colours. They feel colours. We loosely have different activities for those colour days, Green Day is Painting Day, Blue Day is Games Night. Sometimes, we try and wear something in that colour for the day. Usually, we use placemats and candles for each day of the week. Then I had fun and made some napkins. These were so easy to sew up, and sooooo quick. Mindless, I tell you. Some days, that's exactly what I need to do!
Then I got a little silly and made this Purple Day apron. I really really love it!
Maybe there will be more rainbow-hued aprons to follow, but then again, maybe it's just the kick-start to the week that Purple Day (Monday) calls for! I definately feel sunnier wearing it...and my little girl beamed with delight when she saw me in it!
It helps make for a colourful life!
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My three year old daughter is not much of a dolly girl. Oh, I've tried, believe me. She shows some interest for a few moments, and then moves on to more action type play...like trucks and motorbikes and see-how-I-throw-the-dolly. I have to admit, I'm a little sad about this. I know, I know, honour who she is and what she likes and don't force her into a mould. But, really now, I am a dolly girl.
As her third birthday approached, one of her most requested stories at bedtime was my recollection of dolly play when I was a girl. The old-fashioned school set up in my basement, the high chair I got from St. Nicholas that my sister thought was meant for her, the doll I painstakingly made walk every step to Kindergarten a whole two blocks away. She especially loves the high chair story and so that is why we gave her a dolly high chair for her birthday ten days ago. She loves it.
And the hand-made presents we made for her grew out of those stories.
Josh made her a cedar treasure box that I filled with dolly clothes.
Sunshine has a very special doll made by my dear friend who owns maplerose. I have been saving the doll for a few years, until Sunshine was old enough to care for her properly, or until she ever became smitten with dolls. Both of those reasons went out the window when Sunshine was diagnosed with diabetes in January. Josh went home on our second day at the hospital to gather clothing for our family and I asked him to find the doll at the back of my closet.
She was great comfort to Sunshine in the hospital, but soon after settling back at home, she was rejected. I think Sunshine associates that really horrible time in her life with this doll. So...Maya (as she came to be known) was given a wardrobe change...a whole new look to hopefully spark renewed interest.
I had such fun sewing these little (pink!) outfits from scraps of Sunshine's own clothes.
Maya's sweater is a pattern by Shelly (waldorfmama) found here. It was such fun designing and making Maya's wardrobe...it sure came together a lot faster than sewing for bigger babies! And all three children were pretty excited by the box of treasures...
There's been a lot of dolly play since Sunshine's birthday. And even if my daughter never becomes a dolly girl like I was, I know in my heart that is just fine. The comfort she provided my girl in the hospital is beyond priceless...and for that, Maya, I will always cherish you!
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We have a secret to share...shhhh...it's a magical secret! We have fairies living right here, outside our front door! A few years ago, the morning after Midsummer's Eve, the children awoke and discovered a trail of flower petals winding through the garden, across the yard to our beloved oak tree.
Their door is magic for if anyone tries open it (and it has been done!), suddenly the home becomes a mere tree trunk again. What wonder and delight all of us had to wake up that morning!
Last year, I was awaiting the iminent arrival of Huckley and Midsummer's Eve sadly passed by without a whisper of fairy music to be heard. However, this year, oh this year was different! Forrest and Sunshine tidied up the Oak Tree Fairy House and made it festive with flowers from the garden. Upon waking the next morning, there was some dressing up to do...
And some brothers to organize...
Once everyone was sufficiently adorned, the children tromped through the garden to see if there was any evidence of the fairie's party from the night before.
Would you believe that now the Oak Tree Fairies have some neighbours...the Brambly Fairies!?! How exciting!
We called on our fairy friends from last year...
We asked them to tell our new neighbours that we are happy they moved in. Though, things might get a little noisy around here in the evening!
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It's raining...lots. I love the rain and the Life it brings forth...birthing vibrancy and blossoms and ohh, that good earthy smell! Indoors, rainy day spring play can be a little more boisterous than at other times. Our Spring playscape is a good way to (usually) help bring that energy down a little. I've shown our playscapes before, in Autumn and again in Winter. The children really love the stories and games they create with simple, handmade toys and I love to watch their imaginations soar.
We were rather inspired to see this family across the neighbour's field when I brought out their new toys.
Seasonal playscapes are such a simple way to bring nature indoors or to make a special story come to life. With a few silks, some rocks and branches, and a few handmade felted toys, suddenly a little world emerges.
These trees are such fun to create! A simple toilet roll inserted into a knitted brown tube and topped with a pom-pom makes easy trees...though, I learned not to make the trunks too tall or they topple. By creating new pom-pom tops for each season, the trees can change their foliage just like outside. I especially love the soft colours of our blossoming fruit trees.
And now that my littlest one is mobile, he is so tickled to join in the big children's play...even if it's for a brief moment before he tastes the toys!
While the rain nourishes the garden and brings all the Life forth, these little ones have a few moments of quiet play with a very simple Spring playscape.
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I thought I'd join in this week with Ginny's yarn-along. The sweater I'm making for wee Huckley is slowly coming along...and not so wee, either! It seems I might be waiting until the cold weather in the fall, or even Christmas, to give him this sweater.
It's a straightforward knit and it's the second sweater that Melanie and I are knitting together, for our littlest boys, born a week apart. I might have to undo the bottom ribbing and shorten it somewhat because it looks a little ridiculously long on Huckley.
I'm so enjoying my book right now, and it's a whopper of an anthology! It's The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Josef Scharl and published by Pantheon. Years ago I searched for a long while before buying this edition. There are over 200 tales presented, including the well-known ones like Little Red Cap (Red Riding Hood) and Rumpelstiltskin, and lesser known ones that are true gems. It is so enchanting reading, and re-reading, some of these tales which exemplify the honourable qualities of human nature, while reminding us that good always triumphs over evil.
Years ago, as a teacher at an alternative school, I was asked not to read any fairy tales to the children. There was concern over the depiction of the princess always needing to be rescued, always having golden hair, while the villain was often depicted with dark hair, and usually a stepmother. Since then, I have come to appreciate the wisdom of fairy tales and that each character represents an archetype of our own personalities. We all have a part of us that is the King who rules kindly and justly, that is the stepmother who is selfish and mean-spirited, that is the princess who needs help and direction. And these fairy tales allow the message of the good conquering the bad to settle into our sub-conscious through these extraordinary stories where animals talk and magic abounds.
My oldest son will be six this fall and we will be homeschooling Kindergarten more intensively this year, combined with some Class 1 material. I am having so much fun right now, planning for the fairy tales that will carry us through the year. Yesterday, Renee posted about Kindergarten materials and included this very edition of the Grimm's Fairy Tales, too. She also makes notes about the appropriate tales...for there are indeed some rather grim ones included in the anthology! I also love that there are tales for the young child, like Sweet Porridge, and others that are for a much older child. I am even getting so much out of them!
Thank you to Ginny once again for inspiring such a worthwhile posting...I'm really enjoying seeing what other people recommend...in knitting and in books!
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A few years ago, I came across a lovely little book with patterns for knitted animals at my favourite store, maplerose. Not only was it on sale, but in addition to the farmyard critters, there were patterns for a family of farmers, a farmhouse, a barn and various outbuildings, and a knitted / hooked rug of gardens, crops, and a stream. Absolutely charming!
The Knitted Farmyard by Hannelore Wernhard
I originally intended to make just an assortment of animals, but how could I resist the whole play scene? I bought the rug base which measures two feet by three feet, though the recommended measurements are really three feet by four feet! I began the cobblestone driveway two years ago...and, well, I stalled out.
But realizing my oldest will be six towards the end of the year, I decided to try again. I know that Forrest will love this! I figure I've got a little less than eight months before Christmas and if I work on one animal family a month plus some of the rug, I can do it! Right? (Please nod your head vigorously for moral support, thanks!)
I just finished my first family...five little sheep. Oh, so sweet!
I used Sublime's Glorious Wooly Merino on size 4 and 6 needles. The pattern was super straightforward and quick, and with a slight change in proportions, a few lambs joined the flock. They feel so soft and cuddly!
My children have watched me knit these up, enjoying to pause in their play to lean against my legs or hang over my shoulder while the wee little sheep take form. I intend to put them aside until the entire farmyard is completed, but we'll see if that actually happens. I'm certain some little hands might go wandering to let these critters run free...afterall, isn't that what often happens to sheep?
I feel a little self-conscious to let you all see that I'm neurotic enough to begin my holiday gift-making in May (actually in April)! But, before you know it, Life will have led us through the dance of the seasons and I really hope to have this big, ambitious gift ready to give to my little loves. I don't want to lose any sleep over it...though, I suppose I now have some sheep to count if that should happen!
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I was only planning to join Ginny's yarn along once in a while, like once a month. But I so enjoyed connecting with all the knitters out there, and seeing I'm completely addicted to knitting (and reading), here I am again:)
The hat I'm needing to finish is a Stella Pixie hat for my littlest boy. I used Indigo Moon "bluejeans" merino in fingerling weight. Unfortunately, it was meant for my 9 month old a little while ago and I discovered his head is a little, ahem, larger than I thought. So I have made my very first Christmas/Solstice gift of 2011 (yes, that's another 8 months away)! I have no idea who it will be for, in fact, it could be for a baby who is not even conceived yet! That's a strange thought!
The book is one of my treasured favourites, "Lifeways ~ Working With Family Questions" by Gudrun Davy and Bons Voors from 1983. It has wonderful little essays about all sorts of family issues...mothering, meals, festivals, temperaments, creative discipline, illness, and making clothing ~ to name a few. I find that there is always something pertinent to where I am at as a mama between these covers and that is why I come back to this book, again and again. Some of my favourite parenting books are like this...I cannot even count how many times I have read "Over the Rainbow Bridge" or "You Are Your Child's First Teacher". True literary gems on parenting, in my humble opinion.
And a quick update on last week's book, "Guardian Angels" by Rudolf Steiner. I have read the first few lectures and they are much more readable than other Steiner lectures I have read. It is quite interesting to read his thoughts on guardian angels, which he believes can be good and bad. He differentiates between the work of clairvoyants and true guardian angels, providing fascinating real-life anecdotes. This is definately a slow read for me, his lectures always are. But it is a good read while I lay down with my napping nursling and envision who his guardian angel might be. I really believe we all have one, and Steiner's lectures really make a believer out of the most science-minded person!
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We are the little men
The dwarfs and the gnomes,
We live in the caves,
In the roots and the stones.
We want light like the stars,
Yes, the stars in our homes.
So we polish and shine
The crystals and stones.
(Winter Wynstones)
As the midpoint of winter passes, the snow lays thick and deep. It seems as if all is quietly still and asleep. But, beneath the cold earth, little gnomes are busily working...
A rainbow of little fellas made from scraps of wool felt and roving, crudely carved alder branches, and a bit of embroidery floss. Even my five year old son is able to create a well-crafted gnome. Simple and sturdy, they are wonderful additions to our winter playscape that allows the children's imagination to soar.
With a few silks in wintry colours, some crystals, and a wool roving river, these gnomes seem quite at home.
I really love these pom pom trees! I made a few for our Autumn playscape in gold, crimson, and orange wool, and now these have been replaced by snowy tree tops. Come springtime, I am certain there will also be some treetops full of blossoms.
While big brother was at the ski hill with Papa today, Miss Sunshine played for a long time with our winter playscape. I love how her imagination is really blossoming, seen in her creative, "pretend" play. When Forrest returned, he needed some soothing and quiet play after a long day of exertion, and this playscape was where he gravitated while dinner was prepared. I never would have guessed, but this space in our home truly is one of the more used areas for our children, and their friends.
The magic of childhood is a wonderful thing! Everything comes so alive to little people...it's really rather humbling. Sitting on the daybed beside this playscape, nursing the baby who keeps leaning forward, trying to grasp a hold of the pom pom trees, I am amazed at how simple this was to offer my 2 and 5 year olds. A true gift for me to be included in their space, to partake by simply being present...enjoying this fleeting moment of their childhood.
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