Our Rhythm and Routine

Don't forget to check out the Amazing Giveaway for a Handfelted Wool Spring Basket ....Ends March 14th!!!

INDOORS


Creative Play
Circle Time & Games
Hand Work & Crafts
Childrens Yoga
Cooking & Bread Baking
Festivals and Celebrations
Daily snacks
Watercolor Painting
Storytelling (including puppetry and plays)

OUTDOORS
Organic Gardening
Outdoor Play

 CREATIVE PLAY

I always provide a beautiful array of handmade toys.My little ones love picking through the hand dyed silks of rainbow colors, fine hand-carved and painted animals, natural wooden tree blocks, wool crowns & more. Their play is limitless. Sometimes the kiddos decide to put on their gnome hats, divide the “magic stones” amongst themselves and go treasure hunting with their tool sacks; in the next moment I may find them building “Ireland” with their toys and cloths and everyone is excited as they add to the towns and land in hopes of catching a leprechaun.

CIRCLE TIME & GAMES

We love circle time; it is a highlight of our morning. Most of our circles include the unfolding of a story, told through songs involving a great deal of movement. We incorporate puppetry and various games. We create our circles with the intention of using the whole body through movement and exploring the space around us, building body/space awareness. Children learn to move with cadence as they hop, skip, stomp and clap. They learn the beginnings of counting, adding and subtracting in a joyful manner through games, songs, finger plays and dividing up silks and other items used during circle time or play. It is one of the silliest and best ways to start the day....

 HAND WORK & CRAFTS

Our handwork activities involve practicing fine motor skills and developing newly discovered abilities. Handwork activities may include finger knitting, beeswax modeling, clay work, stitching (and repairing), making homemade play dough, and learning dry or wet felting. We enjoy making crafts in celebration of seasonal changes, such as the harvest and making cornhusk dolls or making autumn gnomes for the nature table. We may make things for one another as gifts and some are pieces of work created together to use in our program (such as puppet making, making beeswax figures for our nature table or making clothing for the dolls).

 YOGA

Using our bodies and imaginations, we integrate and weave together storytelling, music and language in a way that engages the whole child. My children are excited at the chance to become a butterfly on a great adventure changing into opening flowers, standing as a strong tall tree and stretching like a dog or becoming other animals along the way. Yoga helps develop childrens concentration, coordination, body awareness, flexibility and balance. While doing Yoga, children become more connected with their inner self as they deepen their relationship with the natural world around them. They truly feel what it might be like if they were a snake moving about without arms or legs. When children imitate the sounds and movements of nature, they have the opportunity to take on the qualities and become another being. They learn, through becoming another being, a deeper understanding that we are all connected. For example, when a child assumes the pose of the lion, they relate to the lion by experiencing the power and behavior of the animal all while experiencing their own inner power. The children experience the strength and force associated with aggression, and then withdraw to an inner state of calm. Yoga has many benefits and is a great gift to give to our young children. It is a noncompetitive physical activity fostering self-esteem and body awareness while encouraging cooperation.

 COOKING & BAKING

Through cooking, baking and food preparation, children begin learning Practical life skills, such as pouring, stirring, chopping and measuring (learning the beginnings of number recognition). Children find great joy and satisfaction in preparing their own foods. We prepare different types of nutritious foods with the children. Through this experience, the children learn to love and appreciate new and healthy foods.

 WATERCOLOR PAINTING


EXPRESSION, PAINTING AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

One must surround their children with beauty. Watercolors naturally create very beautiful works without technical talent. Watercolor paints remind me of the silk scarves that parents are encouraged to use as drapes over their babies’ cradles. When children are small, their perception of the physical world is still veiled. Most young children are not able to perceive strict realism. They are still emerging from their spiritual womb. This emergence will continue until the child is well into adulthood.


 ORGANIC GARDENING

Gardening furthers the child’s ability to follow the rhythms in nature. Plants have the power to change our lives. They provide simple and therapeutic pleasure. Caring for our garden allows the child to observe the changes and cycles in plants from the beginning stages of planting through the harvesting and eating. Vegetables, fruits, flowers & trees, butterflies, birds and insects all participate in raising the child’s awareness of the processes of life. Through careful care, children begin to understand the importance of the earth’s elements & the effects of the sun, wind, rain and soil on our tender plants. We express appreciation for all who take part in farming and providing foods for our table.

 OUTDOOR PLAY

We make it a priority to spend part of each day outdoors, regardless of the weather. All weather is good weather if we are properly dressed. Children need the fresh air and some require the ability to play loud. Outdoor play offers children new challenges for growth and development. Children climb, run, jump and balance. They can shovel snow and build structures with large, wooden building blocks in the warmer months. We work together raking, digging, and moving objects. Children live by their will, their action. They learn by watching the teachers do their work and are carried along in the activity through their desire to imitate. Children love playing love playing outdoor games together. Other fun activities may include hula hooping, jump rope, chalk & balls. Children also have lots of fun running and playing. When it is raining the children love to splash in the rain and jump in puddles. Only on the coldest/very rainy days do we stay inside....

Don't forget to check out the Amazing Giveaway for a Handfelted Wool Spring Basket ....Ends March 14th!!!

The Boy with No Toys

I recently saw this posted on facebook and I wanted to share it with you all. While we do have toys in our home, they are all very simple , natural and mostly handmade.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did.

Namaste ,
Kelly

P.S. Don't Forget to enter into the Hand felted Wool Spring Basket Giveaway




The Boy with No Toys....

Before he was born, his mother decided her son would have no toys. Abandoned by the father, she was already a single parent. She made a living cleaning for other people. Most days she took the bus to affluent streets where children never seemed to play outside. As she vacuumed and scrubbed beautiful homes overfilled with possessions she paid close attention to what children did all day. Often they were gone at lessons, after school programs, or playdates. When they were home they usually sat staring at screens. Toys in their carefully decorated rooms appeared to be tossed around as if the small owners had no idea how to play, only how to root restlessly for entertainment.......

Read the rest of the post here http://lauragraceweldon.com/2012/02/20/the-boy-with-no-toys/

Learning how to Finger knit

Save Money on Waldorf items , Make your own .

Most people don't have a wood working shop where they can turn out items, A lot of items I have seen for sale on etsy can be purchased through Casey's wood products in Maine. They are a wonderful company.

Steiner talked about having simple toys , that were made from natural items mostly found in nature. All toys were handmade either as a gift for the child or with the child. This helps inspire children and bring out their creativity.

Sadly our world has turned into a place were people are always looking for profit. Look around online especially at the numerous places to buy Natural Waldorf items and most cost a lot even places like Etsy.

Save money , Have fun with your kiddos and make your own toys and inspire your child's mind  ;)

Wooden people

Wooden Acorns 

Make your own wooden mushrooms

Wooden eggs

Teething rings/Doll sling rings ( just add a coat of beeswax )

Wooden doll house items

Local News on Guess what?? Finger Knitting!!

It's wacky Wednesday at Monkton Elementary School-- a day to be weird and celebrate the last week of school. But it's not just about dressing up; it's also about stepping up. Students are trying to roll out a Guinness World Record.
"At my house with Emily we were finger knitting and we got the idea of breaking the world record," said Sierra Petrocelli, a second-grader.
"We thought it would be fun," said Emily Larock, a second-grader.
But Sierra and Emily needed help to make it in the record books, so they brought their finger knitting effort to school.
"It started with maybe five or six kids and next thing you know everyone wants to finger knit," Teacher Barbara Yerrick said.
It's knitting that pays off and adds up-- the first- and second-graders made a 45-pound yarn ball.
"You wrap it around your fingers and keep flipping it over them," Emily explained. "Just your fingers."
"There were some naysayers in the beginning but I said wow, these are little kids with big dreams and why shouldn't we support them and encourage them? And here we are!" Yerrick said.
It all led up to this-- as students unraveled their goal of beating the record of 3.85 miles from Austria. Monkton students planned to beat that with over 5 miles.
"In math class we figured out how much we'd need to finger knit to beat the world record and how much we'd have to knit each week," Yerrick explained.
The kids knit all year to put their school on the map, keeping busy hands during read aloud and choice time in the school day.
Reporter Gina Bullard: Did you ever think it would be this big?
Emily Larock: No! (laughs)
"One of our students said it best; she said we're a tiny, little town in a tiny, little state and we're doing this really big thing and it's exciting," Yerrick said.
A big dream built on little strings as students push their way into the record books.
The kids did beat the record with a 5.6 mile finger-knitted chain. The ball is rolled back up now and will be put on display at the Bristol farmers market. And after that the kids want to turn the yarn into blankets for charity.

Gina Bullard - WCAX News VERMONT
http://www.wcax.com/story/14870996/monkton-students-try-for-a-finger-knitting-title?redirected=true

Dear Parents, Friends and Family ...Can you help us?

Recently I had a friend ask me. "How do you find all these cool supplies to make things with?" You must spend a fortune on craft paper etc." Then I told her "Actually a lot of the materials I use are recycled or recycled items  from friends and family." "Really?", was the response I got "All of this is recycled?"

Yes, you can make some of the most beautiful thngs from recycled materials. No need to spend a fortune on expensive craft paper, you don't even need to waste ink printing pictures ! You can start yourself by recycling boxes, magazines, scrap paper, you can create a post on craigslist looking for recycled items , or even check out your local Freecycle and make a post there asking for specific items.

If you are looking for a prefect craft especially with Earth day coming up why not try this. Get some scrap paper together and glue some recycled items on it or have your child draw some cool recycled items on the paper. Then write a letter to friends and family asking them to help you out by collecting recycled items for you .

Here is a Sample letter:

Dear Friends,

Could you please help me? I would love to have a collection of recycled materials to use to make collages and sculptures. Do you think you could save me the following items so I could make crafts with them?
Thanks so much!

Pie tins
paper bags
pine cones
buttons
sandpaper
ribbon
newspapers
sponges
seashells
yarn
wood scraps
eggshells
crayon pieces
coffee cans
computer paper
cornhusks
clothespins
egg cartons
material scraps
candles


You can basically add whatever you like to the list. This is also a lot of fun to do with preschoolers. You can create a special box at home and before throwing things out see if it is something that can be reused first and have them start adding things to the box. You will be surprised at how fast you can fill the box!

Here is a Sculpture we made out of some stones and an old pie tin:

The Breath of Spring -- Recycled paper baskets

Have you felt the Breath of Spring enter your home today like the smell of laundry fresh from the line or a beautiful breeze hinted with the scent of lilac?

The breath of Spring is in the air,
The Daffodils a bloom,
With Crimson tulips bright and fair
It's Springtime's sweet perfume.

The rolling fields of verdant green,
Full rich with promise lie
Caressed by sunlight's golden sheen
Beneath a sapphire sky.

The fairy wand upon the trees
has opened to the sun
The wee brown buds, kissed by the breeze,
A miracle each one.

The little birds that joyfully sing
Their hymn until the dawn
Are bidding welcome to the spring...
And lo, the winters gone.

By Mary M. Forman


Today we made recycled paper baskets to decorate our home for Spring. The kids love filling them with many things. Here is a simple tutorial on how to make them. Enjoy!

Step 1: Make sure you have a square piece of paper. Fold your paper in half like this. Then open it up and fold it in half the other way.

Step 2: Open up your paper and fold all the corners so they meet at the center point. Unfold the paper.

Step 3:

 Fold each corner to the crease lines made by the folds in step 2. Then unfold the paper.

Step 4: One by one, fold the corners so they meet the crease lines on the opposite side of the square like so. Unfold the paper.

Step 5: Your paper should look the following pictures with all squares on it.

Step 6: Now cut along the thick lines , two squares in like the following pictures.

Step 7: Fold the sides down , the two opposite sides of the ones cut and a box will form. Then fold over the two cut sides into the middle of the box.  Tape or glue to secure your box. You can cut a strip of paper for a handle if you wish....

Here are some pictures of our boxes we made today:

 What are some ways you decorate your home for Spring?  Do you have any favorite tutorials you use ?

Easter Fantasy and Natural Dyed Eggs

I saw the Easter Bunny as he quickly hopped along,
His heart all bubbling over with a happy Easter song.
He gathered eggs from here and there,
prepared his colored dyes
and in a most efficient way he
proved to be quite wise.

Down the lane to pixie land where elves and fairies play,
Where kitten fluff was happily at work with doggy tray,
so many chores that must be done before that Easter dawn
when children searched for colored eggs just when the night is gone.

Carefully he checked his list of every girl and boy,
some colored eggs for everyone,
perhaps a sparkling toy.
How happily he did his work,
each basket quickly done
and he was off upon his way for lots of Easter fun.

Mister Bunny wined his eye and scurried on his way
for everything must be just right for children Easter day.
Their Easter dreams must all come true,
Each basket filled so grand
and Mister Bunny planned it all
in Easter Fairyland.

By Garnett Ann Schultz

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!

Lazy days Around the House -- Wordless Wednesday

 

How was your Wednesday? 

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?