Now I Know My ABCs

As some of you may know, I teach my 5 1/2 year old with a mix of kindergarten and first grade curriculum.  At age four, she was an early reader and writer, and I didn't really see any point in holding her back until she was seven before introducing letter instruction.  While this goes against the typical Waldorf timeline, I made a judgement call and decided she was ready.  We took a gentle approach though, and she enjoyed her work immensely.

We began instruction after our Christmas break.  A few days before we started work in her Main Lesson Book, we started reading The Wise Enchanter: A Journey Through the Alphabet.  Here's a brief description of the book from Amazon.

  "Words are disappearing from the world. Something is lurking in the deepest waters, devouring all the words that are no longer used. No one has noticed, but the world is slowly growing darker. For many years no children have come to the Enchanted Islands in search of Wisdom, and the Wise Enchanter is growing old. Four children from the corners of the earth have been sent on a quest to rediscover each letter, unlock the treasure of language, and thereby grow wise. Time is running out; if the children do not reach the castle of the Wise Enchanter in time, Wisdom and light may vanish from the world altogether."

I should also mention that during the story, as the children rediscover each letter, they make a visual record of it in their "magic book."  These drawings are living images of the letters found in their surroundings over the course of their journey.  I'm sure you can see how this would fit in so well with creating our own "magic book" as our Main Lesson Book.  This proved to be such a great way to introduce this six week lesson block.  We read one chapter each day during story time, after lunch.  Each chapter is based around a letter of the alphabet.  Even though our lessons didn't always match up with the letter of the day in the story, it didn't seem to cause any kind of confusion at all. 

Our first lesson went as follows:

-During circle time, introduce a letter (for example here we'll say "B"; vowels come much later)

-Recite a tongue twister to go with the letter [e.g. "A big, black bee bit a big, brown bear.  The big, brown bear bled blood"]

-Read a story, usually one of Grimm's, containing an image to go with the letter [We read Snow White and Rose Red, which has a bear in it]

Day two and the following days would proceed as follows:

-During circle, review previous day's tongue twister and story.

-Introduce a new letter and corresponding tongue twister.

-Read story to go with the new letter.

-In main lesson book draw a picture for the previous day's (in this case, the letter "B" story.  We drew a big, brown bear inside a letter "B.")
-I also integrated some handwriting practice into this since S was already writing.  We also included lowercase letters, which are normally introduced much later in a true Waldorf setting.

When the book was complete, we hand bound it together.  Fortunately, I had taken a book making class in college, and was able to bind it in a reasonably proficient manner.  S was very excited to go to the art store to pick out some beautiful handmade paper for the cover and end papers.  It really made her feel so proud of her six weeks of hard work to see the book beautifully bound.  She sat in her rocking chair for quite a while reading through it and reciting all the tongue twisters again.

And here's how it turned out!



The front cover of the book.  S wanted her book to
look magical too, so she just had to go for some paper
with a little gold on it!  The end papers inside are
plain metallic gold as well.  Magical, indeed!



A big, black bee bit a big, brown bear.
The big, brown bear bled blood.
The image is also suitable for the story we
read for the letter "B", which was Snow White
and Rose Red.
This was the first picture she drew for her book.

This is the handwriting practice page which follows the picture
in the book.

Here is the "U" page.  I had a hard time coming up
with a fairy tale for this one so I told
The Pied Piper of Hamlin.  I was surprised that
I remembered the story from my own childhood!
Both kids had fun following me around the house
as I told the story and pretended to play my flute
to the children who follow him at the end of the story.

You're right, "flute" doesn't begin with "U."  But the (oo)
sound conveys the feeling and mood of the letter, as well
as capturing the musical quality of it when spoken or heard.
Like when someone plays the flute, for example.

We are currently in the midst of our introduction to numbers as a quality, and are creating a similar, although somewhat smaller, Main Lesson Book.  I'll post the results of that endeavor when it has been completed!

Easter is Coming!

Easter is coming!  Are you ready?  Time to start growing that Easter grass for your baskets, if you haven't already.  It's a great eco-friendly alternative to that awful plastic traditional "grass."  Plus, it's fun to watch it grow, and it only takes two weeks for a nice full basket!

Here's how we did ours:

Get yourself some baskets, potting soil, wheat berries,
plastic (we used garbage bags), and some kids who
like to get dirty.  Line the baskets with plastic so
you don't ruin the baskets and so they won't leak
when you water them.  Fill with soil and sprinkle a generous
amount of wheat berries in a nice layer on top.

Cover with about 1/4"  or 1 cm soil and pat done lightly. Water until soil is damp.

Trim plastic liner to about 1/2" above soil line.  You won't even
see it once the grass starts growing.

Spray with water twice a day until seeds sprout.
Here they are just four days after we planted them.
Once they've sprouted just water them enough
to keep the soil moist.

It grows fast!  Here it is at only six days!

And here we have our baskets at two weeks.  I actually had
to give the grass a trim by then!  In the bigger basket, I
stuck in some twigs from the yard to hang our egg
ornaments.

If I had had some foresight, I would have popped in a few flower seeds or crocus bulbs, too.  Maybe next year...

If growing your own grass isn't an option for whatever reason, here are still some great alternatives for filling your baskets:

-green cotton or wool yarn

-green or natural wool roving or fairy wool

-shredded green or multi-colored paper (run some construction paper through a shredder!)

Does the Easter Bunny hide eggs at your house?  He does at ours, but they're not filled with candy (who needs a sugar rush/crash at 7am?).  This year he'll be hiding eggs filled with polished crystals and stones.  And they won't be plastic eggs either.  This year they'll be in real eggs, which have been blown out, dyed, had a hole trimmed in them, filled with treats and sealed back up with tissue paper.  This is a bit of an experiment on my part, so I'll let you know how it goes.  If it goes well, I'll post a how-to.  

We have added some bunny stories to the kids' bookshelf in addition to the other spring books.  Marshmallow, The Easter Egg, and The Golden Egg are some of our favorites, and are not all specifically Easter books.  I heard a rumor that the Easter bunny will also be dropping off Reg Down's new Tiptoes book, The Starry Bird, which is an Easter story.

Have a warm, renewing, and fun Easter!

April Nature Table

We change our Nature Table pretty frequently, but not as often as I'd like during each season.  So to keep it fresh and interesting, I've decided to become a little more diligent about changing it at the beginning of every month.  This has become part of our Circle Time on the first day of each month. 

We use the circular Grimm's calendar (really the best calendar for kids, such a great visual of the circle of days/weeks/months) and light a candle on the first day of the month while we recite a little poem about that particular month.

So for April, I took a poem from a book I've had since I was a little girl, Holly Hobbie's Through the Year Book.  Here is the poem:

April

April is a rainbow month

of sudden springtime showers,

Bright with golden daffodils

and lots of pretty flowers,

Our Nature Table reflects the feeling of that poem, but was also influenced by actual events in nature, of course, like the emergence of flowering bulbs and spring grass.  We have only three little flower children right now, but we'll be adding to them over the course of the month.  The following is a picture of the table thus far.  Enjoy, and I hope this inspires you with some ideas for your own Nature Table!

Our April Nature Table
with King Sun up on his cloud up top,
rainbow and sheep in the middle with
modelling wax swans in the stream,
and flower children sprouting from the soil below.
The postcard is from a set, one for each month.

Catch Another Butterfly

The other day while I was cleaning the house, I was listening to an old John Denver CD and the song "Catch Another Butterfly" came on.  I had forgotten all about this song, but immediately recognized it from my childhood.  My father used to listen to J.D. all the time, and this song, among some of his others and songs of other artists, marked certain points in my childhood.  You know how a song can take you right back to a certain place and time?  I immediately had flashbacks of long hikes up through New England mountain ranges to admire the fall foliage or to go swimming in cold mountain streams in my cut-off jean shorts.

It's funny though, as I listened to the song again as an adult, it held even more meaning for me in respect to the childhoods of my own children.

I should back up here a minute.  The song itself is a reflection of the artist's childhood spent outdoors, looking at rocks and stars, catching butterflies, and listening to the songs of birds.  It is also a lament of those times that have passed, of innocence lost, and a dulling of those childhood senses.  It happens to all of us.  We grow up and in many senses, lose that wonder we once had.

In our day to day lives here, I strive to build upon that wonder my children-and all children-have.  The reverence for nature and its gifts, a sense of responsibility in caring for our natural world, and respect for its power and fragility are all values I want my children to carry with them.

Spring is here-finally-and the kids are rediscovering all the treasures nature has to offer.  Crocuses peeking out from the still cold soil, worms coming up to the top layer in the garden, robins subsequently eating said worms (such is life, huh?), and the first sighting of our friend the Garter Snake who lives under the back porch.  I want them to always remember those small, but significant, experiences and treasure the wonder that they bring so when they have their own children they can experience it again and again.

Catch Another Butterfly

by John Denver

Do you remember days not so very long ago
When the world was run by people twice your size?
And the days were full of laughter
And the nights were full of stars
And when you grew tired you could close your eyes

Yes the stars were there for wishing
And the wind was there for kites
And the morning sun was there for rise and shine
And even if the sniffles kept you
Home from school in bed
You couldn't hardly stay there after nine

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song
That sparkled in the sky?
Where's all the water gone
That tumbled down a stream?
Will I ever catch another butterfly?

Do you remember camp outs right in your own backyard?
Wondering how airplanes could fly
And the hours spent just playin'
With a funny rock you found
With crystal specks as blue as all the sky

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song
That sparkled in the sky?
Where's all the water gone
That tumbled down a stream?
Will I ever catch another butterfly?

Now I watch my son, he's playin' with his toys
He's happy, I give him all I can
But I can't help feelin'
Just a little tingly inside
When I hear him say he wants to be a man

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song
That sparkled in the sky?
Where's all the water gone
That tumbled down a stream?
Will I ever catch another butterfly?
Will I ever catch another butterfly?

You can watch and listen to the song here.

I have also added a music page to the blog.  It's listed as "This Is What We Listen To" under the "Pages" heading.

Spring Cleaning

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I have finished making some spring cleaning changes on the site.  All my resource links are now available on their own separate category pages under the heading of "Pages" on the right hand side. 

And on a totally unrelated topic, here are my kids sewing today.  As you can see, F was very serious about his new "sewing sock" that he got to sew up with a real metal (but somewhat dull) needle!  It's just a wool filled old sock.  Very easy for a young child to poke through with a needle and some embroidery floss. :)

My daughter did some sewing too.  Here she's making a daisy rug for her gnome home.  It's a little Spring present for them. :)

She was so excited that she wanted another project so she started a little sachet for my mom.  Here's the front piece.

Don't Panic!

I just wanted to send out a quick note to let you know that the resource lists have not disappeared from the bottom of my page.  They are getting too long to keep there, so I'm doing a little tidying up for the spring.  Each one will soon have its own page, all located under the new "Pages" heading at the bottom of my home page.  Hopefully this will make it just as easy to find what you need, and a lot easier for me to update each one.  Less clutter is always good.

In the meantime, I leave you with these pictures of some furniture I have been making for the kids' gnome home.  Yay, power tools!  I love my new scroll saw! :)

A little shelf for the kitchen.  The small items
on it were from my own childhood dollhouse!
That little clay pot is about 1/4" tall.  Seriously.



Comfy gnome beds.



And a little gnome chair.  The table is just one of the kids'
tree blocks.



I see the moon, and the moon sees me!

If you are lucky enough, you were able to catch a glimpse of tonight's "Super Moon."  The last time this phenomenon happened was approximately eighteen years ago.  The moon happens to be at its closest in orbit and it is a full moon, making it appear about thirty percent larger! 



We let the kids stay up a little late to observe this lovely sight.  And it really did look bigger than usual as it climbed up into the clear night sky.  We got the telescope out of the closet and were able to get a really close look at the craters and surface features of the moon.

When we came in for bed time stories, we read from In The Light of  the Moon, which has thirteen stories of the moon from around the world, all arranged by the moon's current state; full, waxing, waning, etc.  Some other great stories for a night like this, or any night of moon gazing, are Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, and Little Moon Dog.

So, enjoy this special night, just like the Owl and the Pussycat from the classic Edward Lear Poem.

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
    They danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.