Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Walnut Hull and Black Tea Dye Bath

Last night, I left the wool in the walnut hull and black tea dye bath and today I found a richer brown with some chestnut tones and wondered just what sort of brown is a "bulb child" anyway...


I brought some in and compared. It works for me.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Beautiful Easter Eggs!




For beautiful Easter Eggs and a surprising and unusual technique, go over to Laura Pauli's blog Cucina Testa Rossa:
This is how they came out.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Daffodils



I wander'd lonely as a cloud 
That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host, of golden daffodils; 
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 

Continuous as the stars that shine 
And twinkle on the Milky Way, 
They stretch'd in never-ending line 
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

The waves beside them danced; but they 
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: 
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company: 
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought 
What wealth the show to me had brought: 

For oft, when on my couch I lie 
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye 
Which is the bliss of solitude; 
And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the daffodils. 

William Wordsworth. 1770–1850 

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Dog


Yes, I added the word dog to the name of the blog for we have one woolly love named Moochi who is very much a part of the rhythm of our life from eating and sleeping to adventures and circle, he is there.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Peace Be in the Home ~ Simplicity Parenting


I promised more on Kim John Payne's Simplicity Parenting talk and here I deliver.

Kim Payne spoke of each child's quirk, that each child has a quirk and when cumulative stress is added to the child's life, the quirk + cumulative stress = disorder. When stress is removed, it looks like:

Quirk - Cumulative stress = Genius, the child's genius

Rudolf Steiner often said that the task of teachers is not to bring information but to remove hindrances in the child's life. The hindrances of our time are often small stress inducing acts that become cumulative and make for disorders in children.
Payne spoke of four pathways to support a healthy childhood, remove stress and make parenting simple:

1. Environment ~ T.M.S: short for Trash More Stuff
Kim John Payne spoke of stuff as a materialistic replacement of human relationships. His remedy is to pack it up in thick green trash bags, half of the toys, half of the books and half of the clothes in the house. Then go back and pack up half again. Start with our own stuff, then do the children's.

2. Rhythm, Predictability and Boundaries
Self regulation is built on rhythm. With a strong rhythm comes strength. Rhythm makes a predictable life. Knowing what to expect creates security for a child. Choices make a child feel unsafe. Children need their parents to be in charge, to form their world and keep it dependable. When a parent upholds a rule, the child knows she can count on the parent to mean what the parent says, that the parent is trustworthy and true. This creates a feeling of safety for the child. The child can let go of worrying about what will come next and play like a child, give up all their very being to play, when the child knows the parent is in charge. (I am expounding here with my own words and emphasis)

Kim Payne used the phrase, " We do this" as an example of how to bring it to the child, "We have lunch now" "We wash our hands before lunch" Simple. Clear. Predictable. No excess verbiage, no explanations. This is how it is. We do this. This is consistent with what I've learned, observed and used with Waldorf early childhood - to gently guide the child to what we do want and to be the model, worthy of imitation. 

From this secure, "We do this" develops the ability to self-regulate, resiliency and the "I am."

3. Scheduling
Kim Payne asked parents if we see childhood as an enrichment opportunity or an unfolding? He said we are super-phosphating our children. And anyone who knows about farming knows that super phosphates destroy the breeding ground. He said that boredom is good. Children need to be bored, really bored. And we need to be present with them when they need us. Through play, children digest the sensory world. Children need deep creative play to digest their world. And with good digestion of their world comes good, restful sleep at night.

4. Filter Out the Adult World ~ the media, screens, radio, television, movies, videos and conversations
With conversation, Payne says to ask ourselves three questions before speaking in the presence of children. Are the words we are about to use:
  • Kind? 
  • True? 
  • Necessary?
If they are not all three: kind, true, and necessary, not to speak them.


Payne described home as a place of peace, of decompression, a sanctuary from the world. He encouraged adults to avoid looping news reports through out the day, to minimize our exposure. He referred to nature as Soul Arnica. He emphasized telling a story over reading a story. Yet reading a story too, as part of a weekly rhythm. With the older child, he suggests discussing the reading and making time for the child to digest it by talking about it. The younger child will digest stories through play.

Kim Payne said that even for the most stressed children, it is art and play that provides a soothing balm: singing, clay, puppets, drawing and[painting.

Kim Payne said do what is real for you, start small, sweat the small stuff. Let peace be here, in the home.

May Lady Spring Smile on You!

For more on Simplicity Parenting, including articles and videos of Kim John Payne and more on Kim John Payne including some really good articles.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Kim John Payne

Kim John Payne spoke in City Hall last night. Today he is doing a workshop at the Waldorf School. What an engaging speaker he is! He described Cumulative Stress in children as a malaise akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He recommends four steps to take to reduce stress for children. Can you guess what one of them is? That's right, to bring Rhythm, Predictability and Boundaries to the child's life so the child feels secure in the world and has room for play, for boredom, for the great out breath. He discussed his research and how he found that this and the other three steps to foster simplicity (more on them after the workshop) foster brain growth and learning and eliminate so many of the hindrances for the "D" generation (A.D.D., A.D.H.D., O.C.D., O.D.D.)

I'm riding my bike there and that means mud.

Better be off in case I get stuck in the mud!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Onion Skins and Coffee Drips


I am saving the drips from the espresso machine and pouring them into a jar.


They look pretty dark.



I went into the basement and brought out my old onion skin collection.



Lots of them waiting to make a dye bath..........


Do you have wool for the bulb child, are you going to dye it?


Friday, March 5, 2010

March

March roars in like a lion so fierce,
the wind so cold, it seems to pierce.
The month rolls on and Spring draws near,
and March goes out like a lamb so dear


Let's hope the poet, Lorie Hill is right!

Monday, February 22, 2010

A Chubby Little Snowman

I've awakened to find the earth blanketed in snow three times this week. And each time it has melted by noon. We've had only one or maybe two storms that have left enough snow to make a snowman. To bring snowmen into our lives, here's a little verse that I have adapted/conflated to make a bit of a story. It is lovely done with finger puppets or figures, one for the snowman, one for the bunny. A silk over the hands makes it even better. It can be done as a finger play as well.

A chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny was looking for some lunch
He saw that snowman's carrot nose
And went nibble, nibble, crunch!

That chubby little bunny hopped into the woods.
He wiggled his ears as a good bunny should.

He hopped by a squirrel, he hopped by a tree.
He hopped by a bird and he hopped by me.

He stared at the squirrel. He stared at the tree.
He stared at the bird and he made faces at me.

Enjoy!

Be sure to put your thumbs to your ear lobes and encourage some fun face making with this one.

Rhythm


This word is used quite often with Waldorf education.

What is rhythm? What is the rhythm of life?

Rhythm is movement, flow, pattern, form, pulse, cadence. Rhythm is a place between polarities, that of being stuck and rigid on one end and that of flowing wildly in every direction without form or the ability to pull in, complete expansion at one end, contraction at the other.

Rhythm is the place of healthy movement between the poles. Like breathing, if we contract too much we are gasping and quickly exhausted; this can be very stressful with no out breath. If we are in one long out flow of breath for too long, we may not be able to rouse ourselves to action when necessary.

Children thrive in a place of healthy rhythm. Rhythm provides balance, ease, strength, reassurance and predictability, a feeling of safety and calm, much needed in this hectic world. To find the harmonious rhythm is a process in this busy life, a process of striving to find the rhythm that best serves children and family life.

The young child incorporates the rhythms of life into his or her very being by internalizing the experiences of the external world into his or her very being. The experience of harmonious rhythm that surrounds the child is taken in deeply by the child. A healthy relationship to rhythm nourishes the sense of balance, the feeling of calm and the ability to rouse to action and then withdraw and flow into the next activity. Rhythm helps form good habits. To find and provide a healthy rhythm is a form of discipline rooted in guidance through deeds not words.

Nature provides external rhythm with the cosmic flow, the natural rhythm of the movement of the planets and the stars , the rising and setting of the sun, the waxing and waning of the moon and the turning of the seasons.

Rhythm is also internal with the rhythm of the body which includes breathing, with inspiration and exhalation, the rhythm of the heartbeat, the pulse, the rhythm of the menstrual cycle and the rhythm of the unfolding soul.

Before birth, the fetus knows the rhythm of the mother's body, of her heartbeat and breathing, of her sleeping and waking, of her active time and quietude and of the light of night and day. The mother often knows her child's pattern of movement and sleep in utero.

The newborn child develops a rhythm of heartbeat and breathing, of eating and sleeping, of active observation, exploration, and movement, as well as quiet dreaminess. Rhythm that we provide for the infant includes breastfeeding, the sucking and mother's heartbeat provide strong rhythm and warmth, rocking, cradle and lullabies.

The toddler's rhythms expand from those of eating and sleeping and play to joining in activities of the household which might include the rhythm of the day, the week, the month and the year. Nursery rhymes, rhythmic songs, rhythmic ring games, finger plays and the telling of simple rhythmic stories are ways to bring rhythm to the toddler.

Activities of the daily rhythm include laundry: washing, drying, folding, putting away, meals: preparing, serving, enjoying and clearing , washing dishes, sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, bringing out the compost, feeding the turtle, rabbit, dog, cat or hens, making the beds, turning down the bed covers, taking a bath, hearing a story and going to sleep.

Weekly rhythm might include soup stock day, soup day, baking day, craft day, ironing day, shopping day, cleaning day, trash day and family day.

Seasonal rhythms for us in New England include the harvest, apple picking, applesauce, apple crisp and apple pie making, leaf raking, scarecrow building, pumpkin picking and carving, seed toasting, salve making from the garden's calendula and lavender, gingerbread men baking, snow shoveling, sledding, skiing, bird feeding, seed planting, garden tending, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry picking, preserving and cooking, pesto making, beach going, swimming, kayaking and harvesting the garden through out summer and fall. The food we eat reflects the season with warm comforting soups, stews and roasts in winter, baby greens, peas, lettuce and rhubarb in spring, summer's bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs and the harvest of fruits, grain and vegetables in autumn.

Festivals that we celebrate include Michaelmas, Halloween, All Soul's Day, Martinmas Lantern Walk, Thanksgiving, St, Nicholas Day, Advent and the Spiral Garden , Christmas, New Year's Eve, Epiphany, Valentines, Mardi Gras, Easter and the summer solstice. The stories, songs, finger plays, food and decorations, often from nature, return each year like the seasons, the familiar forces of nature take hold of the earth in a breathing sort of way, a predicable assuring way with a past we can look to and a future to anticipate, with balance and ease.

And so dear reader this ends my first real post. I will continue with more specific elements of how we celebrate the year in future posts, as well as make some musings and meanderings as to the why.




Sunday, February 21, 2010

Welcome to Celebrating the Rhythm of Life with Children

I've created Celebrating the Rhythm of Life with Children as a place to connect and to share reflections on our path of Waldorf education, the wonder of childhood, family life and some of the ways we move through the rhythm of the year with songs, stories, finger plays, food and crafts. I hope you will find some inspiration here and exhale some of your thoughts as well.









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