Birthdays and Homeschooling

As your child grows and matures especially from age 9 to 10 they begin to see themselves as separate beings. As we celebrated the day together of her glorious birth I could see the beginning of independence and wisdom growing within her.

Did you know today is ?

 Dictionary Day

 

Do you know what a Lexicographer is? Noah Webster was one and you can find out the meaning of the word by looking it up in his dictionary. Webster's first major dictionary was published on this date in 1828!

Play Dictionary Game:

This game needs at least  four players, a dictionary, a pencil and slips of paper for each player. The more the better grown-ups too! This is game is also great for new spelling words, writing practice and lots of laughs.

1. Choose an "It" by the Eeny, Meeny, miny, mo method. It finds a word in the dictionary of which he or she is quite sure nobody will know the meaning. It reads and spells the word out loud.
2. On a slip of paper each player writes the word and whatever he/she thinks the word means. It writes down the real definition.
3. All the player hand their slips to It. 
4. It numbers the definitions (including the real one) then reads them out loud.
5. Each player than says which definition he/she thinks is the real one.
6. After everyone guesses, It gives one point to all the correct players. Play again a few times. The player with the most points then becomes It. The player who reaches 15 points first wins!

Hop into Easter and Spring with these beautiful Eggshell Tulips

I have seen so many lovely Easter and Spring crafts online recently. That I was inspired to make some of my own to share with you all. You can make this craft work well for any age group.

Here are the following items you will need to create these lovely little flowers:

Pipe cleaners (Depending on how many flowers you want to make)
Green paper
yellow or orange paper
Blown eggs/hard boiled eggs cracked in half
Green wool roving
food coloring

 So first you need to dye your eggs. We choose a beautiful golden yellow. If you are working with young children it is best to make hard boiled eggs and dye the eggs first then crack them in half yourself after.

After the eggs have dried a bit you are all ready to begin.If you started with hard boiled eggs this point you need to take a nail and poke a whole into the bottom of the egg .  Take your yellow or orange paper and cut it with a fringe like your making grass. Now you'll have everything all set. You can lay out your items like I have for easy assembly.

 Next you will take a small amount of your green roving and wrap it around your pipe cleaner like so....

Then gently rub it between your hands to secure all roving together. You can do this a few times until it is nice and tight.

 Like this picture below....

Then take your yellow or orange paper and roll it up like the following pictures....

Then start to fan it out a bit ...

You should have something similar to this...you can secure it with tape...

Now take your eggshell half and pick up your pipe cleaner and poke it up through the bottom then bend it over so it doesn't fall out.

Get your glue gun and squirt some glue into the egg ( you can use elmers glue if working with younger children or even tacky glue)

and add your yellow or orange piece to the center like this...

Glue on your leave to the stem....

And that is it!! You can place your flowers into a vase or flower pot . They make a perfect homemade gift for Easter,Mother's Day,Grandparents,Aunts or make a bouquet to give to a friend.

Ours are growing out of this flower pot :)

HOPPY SPRING !!!

Do you have any special crafts you make for Spring or Easter?

Inner work and creativity

I believe that inner work is very necessary and that we are continuously growing. We are faced with challenges and hurdles to overcome because that is what makes us better ourselves. I feel as much a "student" as my children are and I am eager to wake each new day to see what information and experiences it holds.

As a parent-teacher, we must seek the balance and interweaving of thinking, feeling and willing in ourselves.

In the Heart - the loom of Feeling,
In the Head - the light of Thinking,
In the Limbs - the strength of Will
Weaving of radiant Light,
Strength of the Weaving,
Light of the surging Strength;
Lo, this is Man!

~ Rudolf Steiner, Ecce Homo

Take note of how you are sitting at the computer right now... are you sitting up straight or are you hunched over. Stay comfortable but raise your shoulders, elongate your neck to hold your hear high instead of allowing it to just sit upon your shoulders. Raise your chest as well. This immediately opens your breathing and allows you to take in more air. Breathe....

Take a moment to think about the people you love. Did you let them know today how important they are in your life? Did you tell them that you LOVE them? You should. Right now...

Think about each and every thing you are thankful for. Hold the thought in your mind. Remember it when you lay in bed tonight and go over your "list" a few times. Aren't you so blessed? There are so many things to be thankful for! Going to be with this though will bring a better sleep and dreams and you will awaken feeling refreshed and revitalized.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, stand and walk tall. Look at yourself in the mirror and see the person you WANT to be. Spend the day walking around with the belief that you are this person! Watch your posture. Is your head held high? Are you breathing properly? Feel the power of this posture and how well you feel at the end of the day. Include this feeling as one of the things you are grateful for!

Take a break. The dishes, the laundry, even the lessons can wait for a day. Take your children outside and wonder at the beauty of nature. Walk barefoot. Climb a tree with them. Swing, don't just push them... Be a child for a day. Be their friend for a day. Make a picnic and spend the afternoon laying on the grass watching the clouds slowly drift by. Squat down or sit so you are at your child's level and look deep into their eyes. Tell them how blessed you feel that they chose you to be the Mommy! Hug and kiss and tickle and play with your child. Your child needs physical affection and thrives on it. Remember, that is what attachment parenting is all about - no matter if your child is a teen. Hug and hold your child! In the evening take stock of the beautiful day and think about how grateful you are for the moment.

Be less serious. Laugh a little... no, laugh a LOT. Remember that laughter is the best medicine. Be silly, be funny, allow your child to be silly! Your child needs to see you laugh and play too, and you'll feel better!

In Reiki, we are taught that all of us have the ability to tap into the universal life flow. When you become attuned to Reiki, you open up channels to allow this life force energy to flow THROUGH you. It is constant and ever present, it is all around us at all times, when you channel this energy, and it flows through you you can do wonderful things. It deals with opening your Chakras, understanding the flow of energy, etc. but the bottom line is that in a way you are "detached" because you are using the energy which is flowing through the world and NOT using the energy which is in you.

You do not go away feeling depleted, but rather refreshed and invigorated.

Let me share something that I strongly believe: Next to the power of the universe and it's life flow, the power of thought is the most powerful "tool" we humans have been given. We need to keep our thoughts positive and focused on what we HOPE to become. You become what you think about. Everything in the world is THOUGHT MANIFESTED.

The mindset you have is what will cause you to feel drained or to feel refreshed. When I get burned out - and it almost always coincides with the times they get all wound up and "trouble making" (lots of energy flowing without an outlet) we go outside and talk to the earth.

This ALWAYS seems to center and bring them back into balance. I feel myself getting agitated because they are no longer playing creatively and they just get into that too much energy but unfocused play where they will end up being destructive, too rough, negative, etc... I stand up and say something like "oh, I feel some strange energy in the house right now" then I look at the clock and say "have we been inside all of this time?" I start to quickly clean up whatever I am doing and I head outside... They model and follow. Outside I begin to talk to the earth, the trees, the birds, the flowers...

"Oh little flowers, I could feel you calling me outside. It's much to dark in the house and the air is not as fresh as it is out here. Thank you for reminding me to come and look at your beauty. What a lovely shade of violet you have become. Have many butterflies and bees come calling today? What's that? The tree needs a hug? My goodness, I will hug the tree! I like to hug all of the trees because they help my body to breathe! I feel better when I hug the tree too because I know that the tree is my brother. In spirit, all of my great great grandmothers and fathers who have passed away, and who were buried in the earth became a part of this wise old tree... This tree holds the secrets of the generations and I am blessed that I have strong arms to give the tree a great big hug. Oooohhh. can you smell the moss today? It smells like it's growing, the heavy rain last night must have really saturated the moss. (kneeling) Oh my goodness, look at this little rollie-pollie worm - pick it up gently, this is its new home...."

Each and every time I do this my children do a complete turn around from the afternoon energy and come straight into balance.

In Reiki, we work to become grounded and I think what happens in the afternoon is that we tend to come apart and "float" our energies. All we really need is to ground ourselves again. Walking barefoot on the grass and or hugging a tree really does the trick in my family. It's quick, it's simple and it brings us back into a calm center, always. As a matter of fact, I cannot recall a time when this didn't work.

10 New Year's Resolutions for a Waldorf Inspired Homeschooling Mom!

I know it is early but I ponder that I won't be on the computer much till after the New Year so.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

The New Year, no matter when people have celebrated it, has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, looking forward to the coming year. It is time to reflect on the changes we want, or often need, if we're to have the motivation to grow and move forward. Resolutions are a reflection of the Babylonians' belief (over 4000 years ago) that what a person does on the first day of the New Year will have an effect throughout the entire year....

Rudolf Steiner reminds us: "On New Year's Eve it is always fitting to remember how past and future are linked together in life and in the existence of the world, how past and future are linked in the whole life of the Cosmos of which man is a part, how past and future are linked in every fraction of that life with which our own individual existence is connected, is interwoven through all that we were able to do and to think during the past year, and through all that we are able to plan for the coming year."

Rudolf Steiner, Thoughts on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1919

Here are my resolutions for the upcoming year....

1) I will be aware of and teach the three fundamental human virtues to my children: Gratitude, Love and Duty.

Traditional Waldorf Teachers consider the Moral education of children to be one of their primary tasks. Gratitude, Love and Duty: Steiner asks that we sow the seeds and cultivate these three fundamental human virtues. Children should say grace before each meal to express their reverence for the earth and her gifts.... Gratitude is the basis for love. When children deepen their appreciation for the natural world, they deepen their love for all of creation. To be grateful, we shall say 5 blessings/verses each day. (morning blessings, three meals and evening blessing or prayer) To show love we shall work on the relationships we have the greatest struggles with. To practice our duty we will reach out into the community and practice kindness (mowing elderly lady's lawn - free, bringing soup to an ill friend, etc...) I will give my children daily work tasks (based on their ages & skill levels) and make sure I guide them through the rhythm of completing those tasks.

Great book reading

Everyday Blessings

2) I will embrace the diversity of my neighbors and teach my children compassion and understanding.

My goodness, ESPECIALLY in these times and with all that is in the news, on the discussions, etc. at the close of this year, is it not of the highest importance that we remember to honor the fact that while we are all different, we are all the same.

I have encountered an great deal of love, and ignorance this year during my travels. People surprised me with their prejudices and their lack of compassion. It was a great lesson for my children to have witnesses both of these extremes and to decide from themselves which path they would strive to work towards... the path of love and light. I will continue to offer them answers to their curiosities based on facts we can research together instead of quick answers based on our own ignorance.... I look forward to learning ALONGSIDE my children about the different peoples, our brothers and sisters in the world.

Additionally, all learning begins at home. Often we get the most misunderstanding from our own families. (Especially since most of us have chosen a non-conventional path and we have special gift lists, tv rules, etc... that drive grandma and grandpa crazy!) We must make PEACE with our families and love them, for they are karmically destined to be who they are. I so strongly suggest Mary Piphers book, which I read each year to remind myself to be gentle with my own.

Looking around the world, what do we see? It depends on who we are. It depends on how we look, it depends on what we are able to see. In other words, what we see is predicated by a philosophical problem: seeing and reality are not analogous.

Some great books for Children on Diversity:

Hat's Off to Hair!

All the colors of the Earth!

Peoples of the World

3) I will create a rhythm in my life and remember that all things in the universe flow through such a rhythmic process.

Rudolf Steiner said "Rhythm is the carrier of life". The Essense Gospel of Peace tells us "In between the breathing in and the breathing out lie all the mysteries of the Infinite Garden."

In 1729, French astronomer Jean Jacques d'Ortuous de Marian isolated plants that demonstrated daily leaf movements in dark rooms for several days. He found that even in the absence of sunlight, the plants continued to open their leaves during the day and close during the night. He concluded that the observed cycle was not a result of external forces (sun) but was an innate property of the plant. Here, the study of biological clocks began. The biological clock sets a daily rhythm, or cycle, which influences organisms' physiological functions and behaviors; this rhythm is called a circadian rhythm ("circa" means around and "dia" means day). All organisms have biological clocks, although they may vary greatly depending on the organism's activities.

Isn't that amazing in itself? Having a rhythm is NATURAL and what we rely on and, in fact NEED. Children naturally have a love for repetition and rhythm, drawn to it instinctively. This is why little ones want you to do the same finger play or story over and over again. I will, even amidst chaotic days, strive to keep the rhythm and allow my children to feel and experience their own rhythms this coming year.

Recommended reading:

Seven times the Sun!

4) I will not beat myself up for not doing it "right".

How can there be a "right way" if we are all different individuals who are in different stages of our own growth and learning. Stop pressuring yourself to keep up with the Jones' and relax. You know when you are giving it your all and doing your best.

But I do my best, and my personal best is what's right for me. I will congratulate myself and feel good about what I do and how I go about doing it more often. I have a great deal of common sense and that will carry me through. Steiner stands out firstly for insisting that knowledge gained from insight, instinct and experience are not only as valuable as logical reasoning, but take precedence over it. Thus, common sense is more important than even the most highly trained intellect, which is obvious to everyone but intellectuals. This, by the way, helps further to account for his absence from the ranks of our academic heroes.

Recommend reading :

Affirmations

5) I will honor simplicity and bring more of it into my home curriculum.

Why complicate things? Why create a rigid schedule that no one would be able to keep up with to fulfill someone else's idea of "supermom"? No. I will keep things simple this year. I will not take on more that I can handle and I will honor myself before I commit to extend energies to others... In the past I have taken on to much this in turn would cause me to be impatient with my own family and feel tired and cranky, ill. This is not what I am supposed to be doing. I am supposed to be a mother of three children, wife to a wonderful man and, ME. I need to feed my soul and allow myself the prioritizing of my energies.

My children need an environment where less is more and I must commit to go through at the end of each month and throw or give away the toys and games not played with, the clothes not worn, etc. Our lives slowly begin to be taken over by clutter and it not only makes a mess in the house - it makes a mess in our deepest inner beings. We create a space of chaos where we should believing in a place of sanctuary and retreat. I will do a spring cleaning regularly, no matter the time of the year and we will live with the basics.

Recommended reading:

Living a Simple life

6) I will turn off the noise and allow myself and my children to retreat into the silence.

Quieting the mind has long been championed as a means to enlightenment, balance, peace, serenity and a multitude of other wonderful states. Traditionally we have been encouraged to find a quiet place and create an environment and a routine or practice that centers us and allows the mind to become quiet. Unfortunately, many of us live in a world filled with noise, deadlines, chaos, health and emotional crisis and we are not able to create and maintain a 'silent' practice of quieting the mind.

"Practicing silence means making a commitment to take a certain amount of time to simply Be. Experiencing silence means periodically withdrawing from the activity of speech. It also means periodically withdrawing from such activities as watching television, listening to the radio, or reading a book. If you never give yourself the opportunity to experience silence, this creates turbulence in your internal dialogue. Set aside a little time every once in a while to experience silence. Or simply make a commitment to maintain silence for a certain period each day. You could do it for two hours, or if that seems a lot, do it for a one-hour period. And every once in a while experience silence for an extended period of time, such as a full day, or two days, or even a whole week.

What happens when you go into this experience of silence? Initially your internal dialogue becomes even more turbulent. You feel an intense need to say things. I've known people who go absolutely crazy the first day or two when they commit themselves to an extended period of silence. A sense of urgency and anxiety suddenly comes over them. But as they stay with the experience, their internal dialogue begins to quieten. And soon the silence becomes profound. This is because after a while the mind gives up; it realizes there is no point in going around and around if you - the Self, the spirit, the choice-maker - are not going to speak, period. Then, as the internal dialogue quietens, you begin to experience the stillness of the field of pure potentiality."

I will honor the silence and teach my children that moments of silence are the food for our inner bodies. I will actively practice silence weekly.

Recommended reading:

Silence: How to find Inner peace in a busy world

7) I will work with and not against my children's temperaments.

My children are all so different and it all has to do with their temperaments. I can't fight that! I cannot mold them into something they are not - nor do I want to. I will be conscious of their differences and individuality and most of all, their temperaments. I will re-read the works that brought me to the understanding and meditate on how I can improve my rapport during difficult times with my family members...

Recommended reading:

Children and Their Temperaments

8) I will be conscious of my body language and remember that children do as we DO more than as we SAY.

As we all know, Waldorf educators model behavior, rather than instruct it. As parents this should not be a part of our homeschooling curriculum, but rather a path we walk through out our entire lives. I will strive to be a worthy role model so that out of imitation, my children will have the opportunity to become respectful of themselves, others and their own surroundings.

Rudolf Steiner said "Everything that adults do makes an impression on the child's soul. These impressions work their way into the child's breathing, circulation and metabolism and can affect that child's health in later life."

Recommended reading:

As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap PDF File

9) I will applaud and embrace myself for having the continuing strength, determination and drive.

I like me. I like me more and more each passing day and that is a good thing from a person who suffered with major self esteem issues her whole life. I WILL applaud and embrace myself for having the continuing strength, determination and drive because I deserve to! My children need to se a self confident and happy person at the wheel and not someone who allows the judgments of others bring her down. I know in my heart of hearts that I am me in this life for a reason, and I accept me. :-) You should accept you, too! (Makes for much happier mommy-ing!)

Recommended Reading:

Eat Mangoes Naked - Finding Pleasure Everywhere (and dancing with the Pits)

10) I will focus on and look to the light and keep my THOUGHTS in the right place, knowing that everything around me - all of my current realities literally ARE thought, manifested.

Let me share a Cherokee story: One evening and old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that was going on inside of himself. He said "My son, it is between two wolves... One is evil - anger, envy, sorrow, regret, arrogance, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego... The other is good - joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked "Which one wins?"

The old Cherokee replied "The one I feed."

There is such profound beauty in that story. Are my thoughts filled with the goodness or the evil - because today's thoughts are tomorrows realities we create for ourselves. I will work to keep my thoughts purse, clean and to the light...

Recommended Reading:

Soul Weaving: How to Shape Your Destiny and Inspire Your Dreams

In closing, I will remember why I choose to be "waldorf-inspired" and I will remember the work and memory of Rudolf Steiner. I will strive for a deeper understanding of his work and remind myself that I am continually growing and evolving... I will find in books and lectures "food" to feed my own spiritual growth, for as my children see me strive to better myself, I am setting the example for them to strive to be better human beings.