EarthSchooling

Follower Alert - New BLOG address

2010-09-23T21:22:00.002-05:00

This BLOG will remain as an archive. All new posts will be at the new BLOG here:
http://thebearthinstitute.memberlodge.com/TheBEarthInstituteBLOG

There is a link back to this BLOG from the new BLOG so if you ever need to look up past posts you can.

Early Childhood Training Seminars FINALLY Online

2010-09-22T10:51:00.001-05:00

Dear Members,

After the past few tele-seminars that Donna has hosted we've all been bugging her about when the next series will be. I was excited to find out this morning that she has planned a new series. I've been hearing bits and pieces about it but didn't realize the scope of it until she finally unveiled the final project. All I can say is "WOW". I thought she was going to hold a few seminars that would inspire us like last time but this time she's taken on an entire "virtual conference/class". This is the first time I've seen anything near to an "Early Childhood Training" class online.

She's calling the program "Essential Elements of Early Childhood" and speakers in the series include Rahima Baldwin, Lisa Boisvert MacKenzie, Danielle Epifani and Christine Natale.

I wish this class/conference/seminar series would have been available when my kids were little. I would have jumped at the chance to study online instead of all those hours I spent driving. You can even try the first class/session for free at: http://thewaldorfconnection.com/dap/a/?a=61

The first call included:

1. What is play? - with Lisa Boisvert MacKenzie
2. The 4 Senses in Early Childhood Development - with Danielle Epifani
3. The Importance of a Mother's Voice - with Christine Natale

And that is just one call. I am eager to see what else she has in store for us if that is just the sample.

To attend the class is free but you do need to sign up. I suspect the system has a limited number of participants (I know these online seminars can only hold so many people eventually) so be sure to sign up early.

You can link directly to the sign up page at:
http://thewaldorfconnection.com/dap/a/?a=61

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

The Beauty of Creating in Waldorf Education

2010-08-13T08:02:00.003-05:00

When I was in grade school I read a story about a boy who created a computer to do his math homework. He was caught in the act of “cheating” but was not punished because the math teacher and principal of the school pointed out to him that he actually learned more by having to figure out the math enough that he could give the instructions to the computer to do it. I remember thinking how lucky he was to have enjoyed doing his work so much. I envied him for being able to create something and receive credit instead of having to do endless worksheet after worksheet. I was so tired of worksheets and found them so uninspiring! I remember telling one of my teachers, "why do I have to do another worksheet (on the topic at hand). I already know the topic." It made complete logical sense to me. The teacher, however, thought I was being "sassy" LOL ;)

Another moment in my educational history I remember is when I discovered an amazing book with pictures and illustrations about the history of numbers. I was so excited about the topic that I checked it out from the library and looked through it. I was disappointed, though. I found that it was interesting and well laid-out, but something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time. It was pretty to look at and I know they did everything possible to capture the reader's imagination but something did not connect with me completely.

Years later, after teaching and creating lesson plans using the Waldorf method I realize what it was that was missing and I connected these two stories. I was not allowed to be part of the creative process in each of these situations. Simply put, there is no number of creative worksheets (like word-finds to help you learn spelling or vocabulary), pictures, pop-up scenes, little envelopes to open and fake-letters to read that can substitute for that amazing feeling you get from creating something. And there is no better way to learn than to create while you are learning.

When I read the book I learned a bit but when I created lesson plans for my own children and had to go through each part of history and write and explore each number system and explain it to my own children using words, diagrams and my own way of looking at it – that is when it really became part to who I was. I was able to memorize countries in Europe for a test but it wasn't until I was 17 an had to figure out which train to take from one country to another that the map really sunk into my memory.

Remember this as you “teach” these lessons to your children. If you just read through the lesson plans you have they may look “boring”. If you read the lesson plans to your children they will quickly lose interest. Some ways that your child can get involved are:

1. Teaching another child or younger sibling

(see Sofi do this at www.Earthsessions.us - scroll down to the video section)

2. Creating an instruction manual or book on the topic

3. Creating their Main Lesson Book

4. Making something

(see: http://thebearthinstitute.memberlodge.com/Default.aspx?pageId=653578) for ideas.

5. Traveling somewhere

6. Interviewing someone

(see the sixth video down the page at: http://thebearthinstitute.memberlodge.com/Default.aspx?pageId=655566)

7. Creating a song or story about the topic.

8. Telling the story to the teacher or class with or without puppets.

(see: http://thebearthinstitute.memberlodge.com/Default.aspx?pageId=655566) for ideas.

9. Play acting the story or topic.

10. Building something.

(see: http://thebearthinstitute.memberlodge.com/Default.aspx?pageId=653221) for ideas.

What ways do you have of keeping your children part of the creative process? List your ideas in the comments section below...

Saving Time Tip: Dish Tag

2010-08-05T22:32:00.003-05:00

With Earthschooling, a business to run, more than ten pets, three kids and a home to keep going, I am always looking for ways to be more efficient and get things done with less stress.

"Dish Tag" has helped me so much I wanted to share it with all of you to perhaps help your homeschool days go more smoothly, too.

I wish I could take credit for this but this brilliant and fun idea came from my 15-year-old daughter who got tired of the dishes never being done on time. She thought up a game to make it fun, create good-will between us all (instead of nagging and complaining) and that is actually effective in getting the dishes done quickly on a daily basis. I was amazed at how quickly things "turned around" in our house after just three days using her idea. We were no longer upset at each other - we were actually laughing and making jokes about dishes and having fun. Doing the dishes became a game instead of a hated task and best of all, the dishes are most always DONE and I'm not the one doing them most of the time.

This is the "dishes game":

1. Post a list of the people participating on the fridge (see picture)
2. Put a marker (magnet) next to the person who's "turn" it is.
3. When that person "does the dishes" they move the marker to the next person.
4. When the next person "does the dishes" they move the marker to the person after them and so on...

The game is to see how fast you can move the marker. If you are clever you will check the fridge a few times a day to see if it is your turn and will quickly do the two cups and a bowl that are by the sink so you can move the marker to the next person. The next person may see a glass there, wash that and move it to the next person and so on. If you are clever and alert you never have more than a few dishes - even after a big meal. The funny part comes when someone gets "stuck" with more than a few. Like the time I went to bed early and said I would "do them in the morning" and ended up getting stuck with two days worth! Or the time we all quickly went through our turns and it ended up with Mosi again. She had thought she was so clever to do two cups and a fork and move the marker but it rotated back to her too quickly and she ended up with the dinner dishes.

The only rule is that you can't create one dish just so you can do it and move the marker. And if there is a dinner party or guests we usually help each other out.

Try it. We are having a lot of fun and the dishes are getting done finally without stressing me out!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Lesson Planning - A Dozen Tips

2010-07-30T09:01:00.006-05:00

This month has been all about lesson planning for us. I've been spending hours every day putting the finishing touches on the 4th, 5th and 6th grade Earthschooling curriculum for this coming year, planning our coming year and listening to everyone talk about lesson preparation and planning. With this in mind I'd like to share some tips to make your planning process easier:

1. Don't Over-plan: When planning lessons you don't need to plan out worksheets and step-by-step instructions. Lesson planning should be like storytelling or like giving a speech. In both of these cases the speaker/storyteller has an idea of what they want to convey but they let the mood and the audience carry the actual process. Have you ever heard someone read a speech directly from their notes? And then heard another public speaker share an idea while speaking and responding to you directly? Which was more inspiring and fun? In which situation did you feel more connected with the speaker and involved in the topic? Now, imagine your children feel the same way.

As a teacher you need to be responsive like that storyteller or public speaker. You need to be able to adapt your lessons to the audience mood, abilities, interests and energy. Make sure you have a general idea and outline of what you want to do, but also make sure you don't over-plan.

For example, if you are telling a story to a Kindergarten student, you simply need to get out the story, set up the characters on the table (wooden figures or stones, scarves, shells and clay or wax to represent some or all characters), highlight the main points and then tell the story in your own words. For an older child you simply need to highlight some of the main points of the story (this is done for you in many of the Earthschooling lessons) and, once again, tell the story in your own words.

2. Don't worry about getting the words exactly right in the story. Don't memorize the story. As the stories get more complex you can choose to insert passages from the original (chosen passages are highlighted in the Earthschooling lesson plans) and combine this with your telling.

You will get more skilled at this very quickly. The first few stories may take you an hour to plan. However, after some time you could simply read through the story once and tell it the next day. When you tell stories or teach the lesson put the emphasis on what questions the child has, what interests them about the story or lesson and how they relate to the story or lesson. This will help "round out" your lesson, require less planning time and allow more understanding and interest in the lesson. For example, when I told the biography of Avicenna to my children I talked about each highlighted part of his life. However, I would stop each few sentences and "ad lib" the lesson with them. For example, when it says "Avicenna was home-schooled by his father and learned math from the grocers" I talked about what it must be like for his busy father to manage his lessons and had my children imagine that I sent them down to the corner store to learn math. We talked about how this would be hard to do today because of all the cash registers.

3. Plan a 10 minute lesson for each hour of teaching. If you spend hours planning for a lesson you will often not use 80% of what you planned because children are naturally curious, want to ask questions and want to interact with you. Children also take more time to complete tasks than we imagine. If the lesson is done in a careful, interactive and creative way the ten minute lesson you planned could easily turn into an hour. Even if this seems uncomfortable in the beginning - try it for a week or two and try to get used to it. It will make your life much easier in the future if you can learn this skill. A good lesson, like a good newspaper article, should be able to distill what you want to teach in a short period of time. Remember what your High School speech and language instructor always told you - "Be concise and not verbose". An interesting lesson filled with about ten scattered minute of well-presented and explored facts is much more effective and memorable than an hour information-packed lesson.

4. Don't be afraid to look things up. Every teacher will tell you that planning is essential. However, a lot of parents and teachers create stress for themselves because they feel the need to know everything in great depth and detail before they teach it. As a homeschooling parent this is often impossible as you may not have gone through years of training as a teacher and you are most likely teaching numerous subjects to multiple grades - a task far above what any Waldorf or public school teacher is doing. You need to respect the great task you have taken on and realize that you will most likely need to look some things up and sometimes this will happen during a lesson. Doing this in front of your child teaches them: The skills of research, humility and the ability to always learn new things and not say "I already know that", a thirst for knowledge and a respect for the resources available to us in this age of information.

5. Plan more than lessons. Don't plan your week solid with lessons you are leading. This creates a stagnant feeling in "the classroom" and is very stressful for you. Even in Waldorf schools the teacher has a break and is able to hand off the class to a handiwork teacher or language teacher from time to time. Make sure you plan in plenty of time for rest, silent reading or picture books, free play, house chores (this is a fantastic learning experience which I've discussed in another article), walks, field trips and completion of old projects. Once you have allowed for all of these aspects of the day you will find that your week really has very little planning involved. Some weeks I only have three hours of actual lessons where I am teaching the child directly. We are all programmed to think we need to plan something from 8am to 3pm. However, keep in mind that even at a local school they "waste" hours taking roll, having recess, eating lunch, filling out forms, handing out work, listening to daily announcements, moving from class to class, completing worksheets and waiting for teachers to start the next lesson. Also remind yourself that the reason you are homeschooling is so you CAN be more creative and responsive. If you are like me, you may have to post this on your wall for the first few months of homeschooling.

6. Use outside resources. Make sure you plan, at least once a week, to visit a local place that relates to a lesson you are giving that week. Even if you have been there before. We visited the local Mexican grocer the week we learned some Spanish words for food items. We visited some of the bridges in town the week we studied Roman architecture and visited a friend who breeds dogs the week we started our animal science unit. We also use the local zoo, science center and Living History farms, local festivals and museums. However, often, it is the everyday places that can provide the best learning experiences. And using these everyday places helps the kids open their eyes to the wonder around them.

7. Use your children as resources. Even the youngest child can plan a lesson. Block off some time each week for each child to give a lesson of some sort. If you have multiple children this can turn out beautifully as the older ones can then teach some of the lessons to the younger ones and the younger ones feel very proud giving a "lesson" to their older siblings. Even if that lesson is telling a story with some puppets. Teaching is actually the best way to learn something so these "student teaching" moments are essential to the child's learning experience.

8. Start with one lesson. Are you intimidated into starting or don't know where to start? Choose just one thing for the week to plan and take it from there. Before you plan this first lesson you won't be able to imagine planning more. However, by the time you are done planning it you will have ten more ideas in your head.

9. Take an hour or two on Saturday or Sunday AFTERNOON. Take an hour or two on Sunday to look over the week, briefly outline your goals and what you want to teach and skim through the stories and lessons. This will make a big difference. If you have a curriculum this is probably all the planning you will need all week (this is all I need since I have my curriculum written already) but even if you don't this hour or two done at a rested time of the week when you don't have the pressure of a lesson looming so close, can equal tens of hours of planning during the week. This brief, focused time of planning is much more effective than many short sessions of "last minute" planning.

10. Honor Simplicity. Teaching in the Waldorf method is not the easiest way to teach. It involves becoming familiar with a lot of stories you may not know, handiwork you may never have been exposed to and more art in first grade than you may have done your entire school career. A lot of parents are intimidated by this process and decide not to continue with Waldorf because of this. However, what we all need to remember is that not all teachers are artists, not all the Main Lesson Books look like the ones people post online and it is the process that is most important - not the quantity or sophistication of the lesson. So, for example, if you are teaching a lesson about a Saint Francis you don't need to paint an elaborate picture of St. Francis standing with the birds. You could paint just a bird, or even just the sky where the birds fly. If you need to teach a lesson about Roman history and are not prepared you can, from time to time, READ the lesson instead of telling it. Then, after you read it, you can tell some parts again, talk about the story again or do a "story play".

11. Don't get buried in over-information. If you are using the Earthschooling curriculum keep in mind that there are a lot of extras on the website. If you are using multiple curricula or another curriculum and belong to multiple groups and lists remember that you CAN actually have too much information! Follow the simple schedule given with each Earthschooling curriculum (or create your own if you are using a different curriculum) instead of getting drawn in by the "magic" of all the options out there. You will only end up using about 20% of what you have on your shelves, in your curricula and in your in-box. That is OK. As long as you have a schedule and the goals for the year (also found in the Earthschooling curriculum) you know that you are at least getting through the basics and any extras are optional but should not be stressful. Don't stress about not completing that awesome craft you saw on the Yahoogroups or telling that amazing story from India you saw next to the story you chose for the week. You don't really need all those extras and you can always save them for the summer, the weekend or a rainy day. In fact, that's a good way to help you feel less stressed and guilty for not using "that awesome lesson". Keep a notebook especially for those "lost lessons I wished I had time for" and get out that notebook in the summer or in a pinch when you need inspiration for the day or find yourself without enough planned for the day!

12. Save money and balance your budget by purchasing curriculum.
We tend to forget how valuable our time is. How many times have you ordered out for pizza or eaten out because you were so busy planning lessons you could not cook? This cost adds up quickly. Within a month or two you could have paid for a curriculum or two. In some cases this may even effect your budget directly. An Earthschooling curriculum represents an average of 180-250 hours of planning or more. What money could you earn starting an ETSY shop, doing some part-time work or putting in more hours at your job if you didn't have those 180-250 hours lost? Probably much more than $85.00!

The first year of homeschooling I started the year thinking homeschooling would be "free" and ended the year having spent hundreds of dollars on books. The second year I was ready to purchase some supplies and books "up front" but then realized later I was missing some items and ended up spending another couple hundred as the year progressed. On top of this I spent at least ten hours a week looking for the right song, verse or lesson. I spent more hours trying to re-learn some things I had forgotten since childhood.

In a curriculum like Earthschooling you purchase a year of curriculum for only $85.00 and have everything you need to teach with all year. You do not need to purchase any additional books, stories, verses, MP3s, teaching guides or anything. The lessons and teacher's guides contain explanations about how to teach them and instructions on how things work. If you decide to purchase anything that year it is optional so it is a lot less stressful on the budget knowing that, if you have a rough spot during the year your child's education will not have to suffer.

In addition, all the planning has been done for you. There are even charts that tell you when to teach each subject, what time of day to teach it and where to find the lessons. All you need to do is take an hour or two on the weekend to fill in a few personal details, take about 15-30 minutes per day to look over the stories and lessons and then enjoy! I have heard from a lot of Earthschooling members that they are happy to finally be able to enjoy teaching instead of spending so many hours planning. I know I am!

If you've made it to the bottom of this article I have a surprise for you which I am not announcing to the group or anywhere else ;) When you purchase any curriculum from Earthschooling this week (offer ends August 7th) I will send you a $10.00 instant refund. This means you can purchase curriculum for only $75.00 this week ;)

Sofi Audition Tape One

2010-06-24T14:23:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

I think we have another singer in the family ;)

A Question is a Gem & Magpies Too

2010-04-30T11:42:00.005-05:00

One thing I have learned in 15 years of earthschooling my children is that a question is a gem. However, I didn't always feel that way. As a young mother with an incessantly questioning child I often wondered if she would ever be quiet so I could hear my own thoughts ;)

In some teachers I see that in their eagerness to teach the child they are often discarding questions as one would discard a gray pebble when looking for pretty rocks. We sometimes think the pretty rocks are all the events and lessons we have planned and although we realize the great value a question can have, "too many" questions can seem like interruptions.

Over the years, however, I have come to see that although there are pebbles among the pretty rocks of inspiring and beautiful lessons, that questions are more often the gems - something valuable beyond a pebble or a pretty rock.

It is through these questions that we connect with the world around us and learn with our heart and soul as well as our mind.

This weekend, while Sofi and I were at the Waldorf in the Home Conference we saw a charming bird near the school. It had a sense of humor and looked rather rascally. We asked what the bird was but could not find out. Later, on the train home we looked up the bird online and found out that we had seen a Magpie. Neither of us had seen one before so we pursued our curiosity about this funny creature and enjoyed learning about him. We also found a lovely story about a Magpie that I would like to share with you:

The Magpie's Nest

ONCE on a time all the birds came to the jolly magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests, for the magpie was the cleverest of all of them at building. She put them all around her and began to show them how to do it. First she took some mud and made a round cake with it.

"Oh, that's how it's done," said the thrush; and away it flew, and that is how thrushes build their nests.

Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them around in the mud.

"Now I know all about it," said the blackbird, and off he flew; and that's how the blackbirds make their nests to this very day.

Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.

"Oh, that's quite obvious," said the wise owl, and away he flew; and owls have never made better nests since.

After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them around the outside.

"The very thing!" said the sparrow, and off he went; so sparrows make rather slovenly nests to this day.

Well, then the Magpie took some feathers and stuff and lined the nest very comfortably with it.

"That suits me," cried the starling, and off he flew; and very comfortable nests have starlings.

So it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build nests, but none of them waiting to the end. Meanwhile the magpie went on working and working without looking up till the only bird that remained was the turtle-dove, and that hadn't paid any attention all along, but only kept on saying: "Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o."

At last the Magpie heard this just as she was putting a twig across. So she said: " One is enough."

But the turtle-dove kept on saying: " Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o."

Then the Magpie grew angry and said: " One is enough, I tell you."

Still the turtle-dove cried: "Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o."

At last, and at last, the Magpie looked up and saw nobody near her but the turtle-dove, and then she grew very angry and refused to teach any more.

And that is why all the birds build their nests in different ways up to this day. Each one made off, you see, as soon as he thought he had learned the magpie's secret, and each is perfectly contented with his own way.

Earthschooling on Amtrak

2010-04-23T15:02:00.003-05:00

Sofi and I are on the train from Osceola, IA to Sacramento, CA to speak at the Waldorf in the Home Conference. We are both discovering there is a lot to learn on a train!

* Many of the stations we stopped at are a bit of history. It felt like we actually stepped into the past. Osceola station is 103 years old.

* There are so many different kinds of hills and mountains! We took pictures of over 10 different kinds - all with different rock formations and structures. Amazing geography lessons.

* Counting tunnels is fun. Sofi counted 47 - the longest one being 6.3 miles long. We learned about how the tunnels were made.

* We went through every season from spring to winter as we traveled the past three days on the train.

* The nice conductor taught us a lot about how the railroad was constructed - we learned a lot of American History.

* We ate with a different couple each day. One taught us about the difficulties of farming in the mountains, another told us about how she made a hat from the fur of her dog, another told us about life in London 30 years ago.

We are almost in Sacramento now. If you are in the area and are not able to attend the conference please do come by our booth at the conference and say Hi to Sofi and I!

2010-04-13T09:34:00.004-05:00

The Temperaments and the Adult-Child Relationship
by Kristie Burns

Now available IN PRINT
(Also available as a 240 page e-book)

Available in June at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble!

Kristie's extensive knowledge and understanding of the temperaments is finally captured in a book! This is the temperament information you have been waiting to read and she delivers! Practical, informative and extremely helpful for parents, homeschoolers, and teachers. – Donna Ashton, The Waldorf Connection, www.TheWaldorfConnection.com

I have studied the temperaments before but these chapters were a real blessing to me as a phlegmatic homeschooling mom of a phlegmatic child and a sanguine child. I feel like a light just went on about certain challenges we have faced! I have already been talking about this book with some close people around me and how just reading it and starting to apply some examples you give is really supporting me in my spiritual parenting… While understanding the temperaments fully may not be the only thing we need as parents, it surely helps us by giving us a framework for dealing with challenges that may arise. – Melissa Dormoy, founder and creator of KidsMeditationCds.com

WOW wow wow ! I love the explanations, the examples of real life and story at the end. This information is very useful and will help a lot of people. My heart is very touched by your book, because I know that a lot of adults will be better equipped to parent and children will benefit very much by this. So for all the children of the world that by this book you will have helped - THANK YOU. I would also add that not only will this help parent and child relationships, but all relationships. In my reading, I saw some characteristic of adults around me and it helped me understand them better also. I only have one question after reading: When can we translate this into French? It is so good! - Jacinthe Beaudin, Canada

This is a well done section and the materials covered will be helpful to many mothers and teachers. As a mom of 6 children, 2 choleric, I especially enjoyed reading my section. As an art/ballet studio owner, I will enjoy reading the other sections as well. – Sandy Smith, Mother & Ballet Teacher/Studio Owner

I've learned about different "personal styles" a long time ago in business and to this day I think about it in my adult relationships but honestly I have never thought about it in my relationships with children before--except for my own child’s…So now you've got me thinking - a lot. - Linda Johnson, Heart of Sailing, www.HeartOfSailing.org - A nautical adventure for children with special needs

Your information about temperament is the best I've found out there and I've been sifting the Waldorf and related web on the subject for a couple of years now. I'm thrilled you're getting this into book form and hope you'll keep on with other materials.– Terrabeth Bivens

You know I haven't stopped thinking about this, it has really sparked something inside of me, can't wait to learn more. Your style is very engaging and so easy to understand – Denise Ridgway, UK

Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Training Mini-course

2010-03-22T23:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Members,

I am very excited about this new video filmed at Prairie Flower Children's Center in Ames, Iowa. Delphine Douglas, the teacher, was generous enough to show me around and supplied such wonderful and detailed information about the classroom and the teaching! This video took many hours of planning and coordinating and even more hours of editing. I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you :)

In this video you learn about the 3 R's of early childhood education (they aren't reading, writing and arithmetic:), lazuring walls, how to present a story to the class, how to encourage creativity in the classroom, the most important elements of a Waldorf classroom, how to set up a classroom, the proper way to enter the classroom, the surprising connection between how a toy is treated and how the class functions, the significance of the will forces and much much more! Delphine is a wonderful model of an Early Childhood Waldorf teacher in her speech, intonation and gestures. If you are considering opening a preschool or Waldorf early childhood center (either in your home, as a co-op or otherwise) I would recommend you watch this video first. You will be inspired, learn a lot and have a solid basis for your program. The entire session was filmed in different areas of the classroom so you actually get to see what she is talking about as she speaks.

You can see a sample of the video and download it at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/schools.html

If you are a Lifetime Member at www.Earthschooling.com you will find this video on your member website under "videos" - it is called "Waldorf Early Childhood" and has its own page.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

5 New Shows on www.WaldorfRadio.com

2010-03-16T19:39:00.000-05:00

NEW! Shows on Waldorf Radio!

We’ve just uploaded five short inspirational lecture excerpts to: www.WaldorfRadio.com. Each 7 to 15-minute sample is a self-contained gem of wisdom to inspire you when you only have a short time to listen. If you want to hear more about a certain topic you can simply visit The Waldorf Connection and download the entire lecture from Donna who has generously provided these clips. If you want to download full versions of any lectures by Kristie Burns you can simply click on the Audio Downloads or Video Downloads button to the left.

NEW! Shows

The First Seven Year Cycle with Carrie Dendtler of The Parenting Passageway

Science with Barbara Dewey of Waldorf Without Walls

Handwork with Heather Fontenot of Shivaya Naturals

Foreign Language with Jennifer Tan of Syrendell

Storytelling with Susan Perrow of Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour

And don’t forget to listen to the other free mini-lectures provided at www.WaldorfRadio.com. All lectures by Kristie Burns can be downloaded from www.TheWaldorfChannel.com.

Standard Shows

Woodworking with Kids by Kristie Burns

What is Waldorf? by Kristie Burns

Waldorf Birthdays by Kristie Burns

Storytelling Methods by Kristie Burns

Organization and the Temperaments by Kristie Burns

Herbs for Kids by Kristie Burns

Natural Gardening by Kristie Burns

Storytelling with Thea by Kristie Burns

The Rhythm of Waldorf by Kristie Burns

To listen –

* Go to www.TheWaldorfChannel.com

* Scroll down to “Waldorf Radio for Parents and Teachers”

* Click on play or click on the item you want to listen to and play only that item

Remember – all of these mini-lectures are self-contained excerpts. Even if you don’t purchase the full version of the lectures you will be inspired and gain much wisdom from these 7 – 15 minute clips. It’s like a TED talk for Waldorf Parents

Enjoy!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

www.Earthschooling.com

www.HerbnHome.com

The Rhythm of Learning

2010-02-19T08:47:00.002-06:00

"Life in its entirety is like a plant. The plant contains not only what it offers to external life; it also holds a future state within its hidden depths. One who has before him a plant only just in leaf, knows very well that after some time there will be flowers and fruit also on the leaf-bearing stem. In its hidden depths the plant already contains the flowers and fruit in embryo; yet by mere investigation of what the plant now offers to external vision, how should one ever tell what these new organs will look like? This can only be told by one who has learnt to know the very nature and being of the plant." - From The Education of the Child, Ruldolph Steiner.

In modern textbook education many subjects are taught one page or one chapter at a time. The teacher will set aside a couple hours to teach the children "how to do division" and then will assign problems and continue to assign problems with progressive difficulty. Or, a teacher may explain what the subjunctive is and then have children practice marking these in sentences. No matter what the subject, the rhythm is often standard - teach the subject, practice the problems, answer some questions, and students who don't understand get the lower grade.

What is missing in this method (and I call it a method rather than attaching it to a certain place of education or name of an educational philosophy because you can find this method in many different systems) is an understanding of the quote above. People bloom like plants. Children bloom like plants and blooming is not something that happens so instantaneously. One cannot touch a rose bud, chant a little and it will open. One must slowly coax it out into the sunlight with a little water, some gentle breeze, rays of sun and most importantly - time.

When a child is given this time to really get to know a subject and become comfortable with it the fear related to that subject will vanish and they will truly learn instead of just "learning enough" to get by and go on with the next subject. This means that as a teacher we must be patient.

The most important part of teaching is not always what the child is taught but how and when they are taught. The teacher first presents the material in a gentle way. The children are not expected to fully understand or be able to mimic the process at this point. In this stage the children are simply expected to "encounter" the material. The children are then given a day to reflect on this encounter either consciously and/or subconsciously (during sleep). This process typically takes one day but it could take more if you are teaching at home and have more freedom with time. If your child needs more than one day with this stage, consider giving them more time. Sometimes I may even go through all the stages with my child and if they still are not easily grasping the subject I will set it aside and come back to it again in a week or a month. Miracles often happen during that week or month!

From this encounter comes experience. The second day the child is asked to participate in the learning process either through verses, painting, drawing, copying from the board, movement or other tasks. However, there is still no pressure on them to actually completely understand the material or to be able to "spit it out" again onto a worksheet or during a test. This stage may last a few days. There may be stories, paintings, movement, and many other experiences related to this concept.

Finally, when it is the right time for the class (as I said before, teaching at home you have more freedom with this time-line) the experience naturally crystallizes into the concept itself. You will find that some children will "suddenly" understand the concept and will be able to explain it and complete tasks. Their "buds" in this topic have bloomed.

Other students may need more time. In this case you should give them more time. To force a bud to bloom before its time can result in the petals being ripped apart, and falling to the ground. It is often hard to recover this bud and create a whole and beautiful flower from it later. One can force the child to finish the worksheets and projects and "half-understand" the concepts but their flower will be filled with petals that are glued onto the stem, always falling off and having to be put back on...and some petals may be missing. This "flower" may hate the subject for the rest of their lives or develop a fear of performing in that subject that will prevent them from growing in other areas. Or, they may simply not feel an affinity to the subject and will find it undesirable the rest of their lives. This could be why some children grow up and don't enjoy reading books, writing letters to friends, or doing anything related to math.

Perception, feeling, idea - these are the three steps in the genuine learning process that prepares the intellect for the abstract and conceptual thinking that will become possible later in adolescence.

When I think of this in terms of rhythm I think of the first method being akin to a marching band. There is a strict drum rhythm and everyone needs to keep the beat - ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three. When I think about the rhythm of Waldorf education I think more of the rhythm of a river...flowing instead of beating, with one idea flowing into another flowing into another and so on...until it reaches the ocean of adolescence.

2010-02-15T13:28:00.001-06:00

Environmentally Responsible Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T13:38:00.002-06:00

For Valentine's Day Sofi and I "adopted" a Koala on behalf of her friends, printed out a picture of "him" hugging a tree and made thank you cards for all of her friends.

Other years we have knitted flowers from local yarn and used sticks from the backyard as "stems" or created felt mice from hearts folded in half with knitted tails. There is always something creative you can do for holidays! And here are some good reasons to be creative...

From The Organic Consumers Union

Tis that time of year when more than 20 million Americans are buying sweets and flowers for their loved ones on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, these tokens of love aren't as sweet or pure as they may appear. Over 40 percent of the world's conventional chocolate (i.e. non-organic and non-Fair Trade) comes from Africa's Ivory Coast, where the International Labor Organization and US State Department have reported widespread instances of child slavery. Meanwhile, commercial flowers, most of which are produced in countries such as Colombia, are the most toxic and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth. In order for you to deliver your bouquet to your beauty, poorly paid workers in Third World countries put in up to 18 hour work days for poverty wages during peak flower buying times such as Valentine's Day. But don't let the bad news squelch your Valentine's plans. Show your love by choosing Fair Trade and organic flowers and chocolate for your Valentine's Day gifts. Check out OCA's Buying Guide, watch an entertaining flash movie and take action against the 5 major chocolate and flower corporations: http://www.organicconsumers.org/valentines/

Perfect Book for 8th/9th Grade Waldorf

2010-02-05T10:13:00.008-06:00

I'm always on the lookout for interesting books I can use in home education. I'm pretty "picky" so new ones don't come along very often. My requirements are - they need to be interesting enough to capture the attention of a teenager (I have 13 and 15), they need to have enough information that I can justify taking my time away from something else to stop and share this book with my children, they need to fit into the natural progression of our Waldorf curriculum (see Waldorf 101 for a list of specific topics by grade) and it needs to cover more than just one topic. I am a great believer that educational topics span more than one category. You can't just study "American History" without "World History" and you can't study "Math" without art, design, architecture and so many other things. The last great book we shared was "The Physician" - it was an amazing historical fiction spanning the genres of medical history, European history and Middle Eastern and Asian history. And now I have discovered another gem - it is called "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and I can't put it down.

In this book, a science journalist, tells the story of an African-American woman who's cells became one of the most important scientific discoveries of the last century. When I purchased the book I expected to read about how the cells had been discovered and how they managed to get the cells from her and perhaps what made her different from other people. I love reading about medical history so that is what I was expecting. I would have been pleased if it was mildly interesting and a quick read.

I was not expected to be so enraptured by the story that I could not put the book down. And on top of that this book contains a hunk of history that is often hard to teach to children. To make it even more perfect - it covers so many topics that are covered in the 8th grade Waldorf year - we are going to read it together even though my eldest is in 9th grade now.

Some highlights of this book:

* The author describes how cells work in a way that makes all scientific text books on the subject appear overly verbose (what a surprise lol ;) Her descriptions could encourage most anyone to get excited about cells.

* Her descriptions of African American history are refreshing - a new story - and told from a completely different point of view that the usual "required reading". Most required reading from this genre is written from an activist point of view or with the obvious purpose of creating awareness and/or sympathy. This story is written for the simple and honest reason of telling the story of a woman whose cells changed the world. Her history is only part of that story, which makes it all the more real and compelling.

* Other topics touched upon in the book are: agriculture, American History, medical history and more. And in each genre her descriptions are entertaining as well as highly educational. She has a gift for teaching in the most natural, organic way.

* The topic of how pap smears were invented and the history of cancer research was fascinating to me.

If you plan on reading this book with your older children please let us know so we can exchange ideas, thoughts and perhaps even extra reading or lesson extensions.

Note that the book is for older children as it does mention an early marriage, performing medical tests for pap smears, the cervix, diseases like syphilis and other more adult topics. There is nothing graphic, of course, it is all very scientific, but the topics come up naturally and kids will ask questions - so be prepared.

Here is another review of the book - I find it so interesting how every review of this book is so different: Boston Globe Review

Cabin Fever and Mid-Year Blues Cure

2010-01-20T15:48:00.006-06:00

The kids and I have been getting a bit of "Cabin Fever" with all this miserable weather we've had in Iowa. Nature walks have turned into hours of watching squirrel TV , we can hardly leave the house, we miss the sunshine and greenery and we needed a change!

Sofi came up with the perfect solution! She decided that now was the perfect time to study Botany because that way we would be able to experience more greenery. We started with Herbs for Kids Two (Plant Identification) and Botany (Earthschooling G5 and G6 supplements available for year and lifetime program members).

Sofi also decided we needed to move a little bit more in the schooling process. She created a "new schedule" for us that involves working at different locations three times a week. Mondays we will have class at the Botanical Center. Tuesdays we will have class at the Art Center and Thursday we will enjoy one of the hip local cafes around town (where the college students usually hang out).

This process of schooling "out of the home" is an integral part of the Earthschooling experience so I am happy to comply with her new schedule :) Creating a rhythm in the home is so important in the early childhood years. However, as the children get older they also need to learn the skills of adaptability and the ability to work in different environments as well as how to adapt learning to different environments. The older the children get, the more their learning turns outwards and becomes more and more integrated into the community and into "real life" experiences until, by High School, some students are actually performing in part-time jobs or internships, running their own businesses, attending some college classes or running their own gardens.

In a homestead or school situation where a child moves about naturally (from barn to garden to home) this can often happen more easily. In a situation where the family lives in a suburb or apartment, situations can be created with nature walks and "study trips". Most locations have comfortable benches or tables you can work at.

Here are the essentials we bring with us:

Teacher (me)

Computer to connect to WiFi just in case I need to look up something for a question she asks or something I forgot at home.

Reference books we may need for the day - plant guide or grammar reference book or other book

Camera

Student

Notebooks (We use lesson books AND we use three-ring binders with lined paper for some lessons)

Pencils and Colored Pencil sets

Bag to carry items in comfortably

A snack & bottle of water

The more children become accustomed to learning in different places and situations the more they will naturally integrate this process into their own every day lives as children and adults and be well on the path to being "life-long" learners.

Sunday we studied at The Rieman Garden Butterfly Museum where Sofi learned more than we expected because she spent a lot of time chatting with the local staff (she is very chatty and curious) while I was taking pictures. Tuesday we did some editing of a story she wrote while sitting on a bench at the Botanical Gardens, talked about the meaning of some grammatical terms in the car on the way over (including creating sentences together), talked about plant identification over lunch and then did a "Scavenger Hunt" in the gardens.

Waldorf & Parenting Conference April in CA!

2010-01-18T17:01:00.001-06:00

Dear Members,

I will be giving two workshops at this conference and will also be attending the conference. I would love to meet anyone else who will be attending and also encourage you all to try to attend. These conferences are full of information, inspiration, instruction and so much more. You will come out of this with more education that you could get reading tens of books, taking courses, browsing online or anything else. A wonderful intense experience! I've been attending them for 10 years now. The details and links are below. Please contact me if you will be there so we can arrange to say "hi". I am also offering consulting sessions and mini-classes for groups in California while I am there (the days before and after the conference). If you are interested in arranging one of these with me please e-mail me at: herbnhome@gmail.com. Blessings & Health. Kristie

Waldorf Parenting Conference: “Mothering and Spirituality”

“Mothering and Spirituality—Resourcing Feminine Wisdom” will be the theme of the annual regional parenting conference April 24-25 at Sacramento Waldorf School. Designed t offer a weekend of inspiration and renewal, the conference brings together keynote speakers from Waldorf education with nationally-known authors/presenters to explore weaving the strands of mothering, spirituality and feminism.

Featured speakers include: Cynthia Aldinger, founder of LifeWays North America, with training for parents and childcare providers inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner; Rahima Baldwin Dancy, Waldorf early childhood specialist and author; Carol Lee Flinders, author of At the Root of This Longing: Reconciling a Spiritual Hunger and a Feminist Thirst; Nancy Jewel Poer, wise elder, Waldorf educator and author of Living into Dying; and Regina Sara Ryan, author of The Woman Awake. Feminine Wisdom for Spiritual Life.

There will also be three dozen workshops offered in breakout sessions, ranging from the practical to the sublime. A complete brochure and secure online registration are available at www.waldorfinthehome.com or by calling (303) 546-0070. The conference is organized by Rahima Baldwin Dancy at Informed Family Life.

Waldorf and Television?

2010-01-08T09:23:00.002-06:00

Do you often hear the words, "WHAT do your kids do without television?"

My reply is, "We DO have television - we have the squirrel channel (my favorite), the bunny channel and the bird channel. We even have channels that change with the seasons - in the winter there are white themes and gently falling snow, and in the spring there are bursts of color and different flowers every day."

Here is a bit of the "Bunny Channel" for you to share with your friends and family:

Woodworking - A Pet Running Pen - Easy/Moderate

2010-01-01T14:39:00.010-06:00

Free Woodworking Project - Animal Running Pen
Ages 5-16
For more projects see the e-book "Woodworking with Kids" at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/e-books.html
or the video "Woodworking with Kids" at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/videos.html

Sunii and I finally finished the bunny running pen! We plan to let the bunnies enjoy the outdoors in the spring (with supervision) and we have been letting them out together once a day since we made it. They really like it! The instructions below are complete. Be sure to read them all before you start because some steps look easier than they are but if you don't use the "tips to make it easier" some steps could take you a half hour instead of 5 minutes. Seriously - we tried it :)

We also plan on using this for our rats to run around in and we plan on expanding it to 6 panels sometime soon.

Small Animal Running Pen

1. Purchase supplies or scavenge for supplies:

16 wood strips - all the same height and width (ours were 3')
Screening for screen doors (amount depends on your project - we needed two rolls of 3' high screening)
Hinges - 6
Screws for hinges (even if they come with screws - you will see why later)
Nails (depending on how thick your wood strips are - we needed smaller nails)

2. Get out/borrow or purchase the following tools:

Staple Gun & Staples
Saw (if you need to trim wood strips - we didn't - we had the guy at Menards do it for us ;)
Drill
Small bit for drill
Large heavy hammer
Scissors (to cut screening)
Measuring Tape

3. Lay out wood in square shape. Nail them together on all four sides. TIP: Be sure to use a large heavy hammer - your work will go faster and will be more accurate. TIP#2 - Be sure to hold the hammer correctly - at the end. The trick to hammering quickly and accurately is a heavy hammer and holding it at the end. You can even talk about hammer physics with your older child: http://en.allexperts.com/e/h/ha/hammer.htm#hd3. Do this to all 16 panels - you will then have four wood squares.

5. Measure the screening to fit the square exactly

6. Lay the wood squares down and staple the screening to the squares.

7. When you are done with all the squares add the hinges to both sides of one panel.

8. Attach squares to either side of the panel by attaching the other end of the hinges to each panel. Be sure all the panels fold in the same direction as you are attaching the hinges. Use a drill to do this. TIP: Pre-drill each hole before you drill or screw the screws in - it will make the project go faster. TIP #2: Use screws for wood that you purchase separately. The screws that "come with" the hinges are never very good and take about 5 times as long to drill into the wood. Make sure you have good screws!

9. You will now have the gates attached on all but two sides. You can attach hooks to these and tie them shut with string, you can attach velcro to them or you can just put them against each other or a wall - it depends on how clever your pets are, how hard they will try to nudge their way out and/or how much supervision they will have. We used some eyelet hooks and some string (see picture).

Easy & Meaningful Last Minute Gift

2009-12-24T00:49:00.004-06:00

Native American Medicine Pouch
(With Instructions for Filling Too)

Note: If you like this idea consider checking out my E-book "Natural Crafts that Kids Can Make" at: http://waldorftv.weebly.com/e-books.html

A friend of mine gave one of these to my daughter when she was little and I was so touched I have been making them for friends ever since. This year I didn't make any, though. It took a stroll in the neighborhood to remind me about them! I wandered into the local healing and gem shop and saw some little leather Native American Medicine Pouches and I remembered! What a great idea for a last minute gift! I am not making any this year but I had to post it just in case someone else needed this idea :)

A Native American Medicine Pouch is a little bag, made from natural materials that a person uses to put special stones, herbs, gems and small objects in for the purposes of healing the spirit, mind, or physical body. These pouches can also be used for protection or to invite positive energy to a person. It is like a good luck charm, but much more.

To make someone their own special Native American Medicine Pouch you need to start with a small drawstring bag made from cotton or leather. This can be made easily with some simple hand-stitching and by using any old T-shirts, car cleaning leather cloths, old clothes, fabric scraps or any fabric you have. You can find a pattern for this classic "bag" at: http://www.craftycrafty.tv/2007/08/how_to_make_a_drawstring_bag.html

The pattern on the website above is for a larger bag. You want to make yours smaller - about 2-4 inches.

The most important part of the bag, for me, is adding the "starter" charms. I always include a special object that reminds me of the person, represents something special between us or is something that would remind them of me. I also like to include two stones or gems that I choose especially for them. I always include a small stick of cinnamon (to repel negative energy) and then leave the rest of the bag empty so they can continue to fill it with meaningful charms they may already have, or ones they will collect in the future.

If you are like me you already have a lot of stones and gems laying around the house so instead of purchasing some at the store, go into your stash and find some that you think may help the person you are making the bag for. Look up the name of the gem and read about what "powers" it has. If you cannot identify the rocks or gems you have, it also works to look up the color and identify what healing powers those colors have.

Here are some websites to help you with that research:
http://www.reiki4paws.com/reikicolortherapychart.html

or

http://www.healinghq.com/health-articles/spirituality/322-chakra-color-therapy-chart-.html

and

http://www.sobrietystones.com/resources/spiritual_healing_a.htm

or

http://www.sharonsvintagestore.com/catalog.php/web4me2day/pg16609

I enjoy making these as much as the person enjoys receiving them! They also make great group gifts if you are going to a gathering with many people and "don't know what" to bring them all ;)

Blessings & Health,
Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
www.TheWaldorfChannel.com
www.Earthschooling.com

Circle Time for Older Grades?

2009-12-18T10:31:00.004-06:00

By Kristie Burns
www.Earthschooling.com
Don't miss our before-Christmas sale - "Buy One Get One" of EVERYTHING on our websites - Ebay store, www.TheWaldorfChannel.com, www.Earthschooling.com and even www.HerbnHome.com (offer does not apply to knitted unicorns but applies to everything else). Order your first items then E-mail me at: herbnhome@gmail.com and tell me what free items you want and WHO you want them sent to (they can be given as gifts).

I have to admit that as the children grow older I miss the little finger rhymes and verses from our old circle time days, I miss the sweet puppet shows, the dress up box and playing daily with our Ostheimer figures. However, lately I've started to realize that we never did really give those things up - we just modified them and they grew into different things! Here are some examples of what has happened around here now that my kids are 11,13, and 15!

Circle Time
Circle time has now become "family meeting" time. Every Wednesday and Sunday we have a family meeting. This is a time to share a verse, a story, ideas on how to improve things around the house, a request to other members of the family and much more. I try to integrate a story, a verse, and some meditative time into the meeting. We spend some time going around the "circle" talking about what we are thankful for in each person and in each of our lives.

Dress Up Box
The dress up box has now become real-life dress-up. When we go out together my kids and I often plan our trips around an outfit or a theme. If we visit the Renaissance Festival we always dress up, if we go to the Civic Center we wear fancy clothes. If we go to Living History Farms we may dress in clothing from that era. We really enjoy being creative in the way we dress. It is not just "jeans and a T-shirt" every day :)

Puppet Shows
My kids now enjoy going to some more "adult" events with me and are now creating their own "puppet shows" and events! We saw a professional magic show a couple weeks ago, and a Native American Powwow before that. We enjoyed the Nutcracker Ballet together and attended a rock band concert that my eldest was the lead singer in. Along with attending different events, the kids are really starting to get more out of the events. When they were little I might take them to a musical and they would enjoy it and perhaps play-act after-wards. Now, they may get out their guitar and find the music for the musical, ask questions about it, write about it, create something inspired by it or even sound out some of the music on the piano. The kids are also starting to create more elaborate events instead of sitting and listening. They create their own stage shows, plays (complete with script), band concerts, magic shows, comedy skits and even storytelling shows. Both of my daughters help me with the large group cultural shows I perform in the local public school system. One of the favorite workshops I do is called "A Meal in the Middle East". Sofi's favorite part of the show is telling the story to the classrooms. She won't even let me tell the story anymore!

Play Kitchen
The play kitchen is still played with from time to time but now it is the real kitchen that I see the kids in more. They all have their own style of cooking and my son, especially, likes to explore new tastes, new techniques, and new dishes in the kitchen. Sometimes they cook breakfast or lunch for each other and they all have their own dishes they are "famous for" around the house.

Bread Baking
We don't bake bread every day or even every other day anymore however we do enjoy baking a variety of things and we still enjoy baking bread together now and then. It is hard to believe we have been baking bread together for 15 years now!

Nature Walk
I remember the days when we used to take off with a butterfly net and a bag and wander through the woods. Little legs never took us very far but we could find amazing worlds within a few blocks or few yards of forest. Now, we still walk together but now we can go farther and we talk more as we walk. It is a time, not only to connect with nature, but to connect with each other, too. We may explore more advanced concepts in our walks (like identifying specific herbs and talk about the biology of plants and their growth patterns). We enjoy walking through the wooded bike bath TO places - to the grocery store, to the library, to the cafe, and even to the stores. Sometimes the kids go on their own now, or with a friend. My eldest likes to take walks every day - she says it helps her think clearly and she likes all the good energy she gets from the plants. My son likes to ride his bike for long distances with friends. It feels good to him to get all that energy out and he likes the excitement of what he may see on the trails. A few weeks ago he saw a buck and the week before that he saw some fawns.

I would love to hear what transitions other families have made in these areas and how your early childhood experiences have merged into the older years with your children.

Wintergarten Spiral Walk - Easy & Simple Plans

2009-12-11T13:52:00.003-06:00

A child places their lantern on the spiral.

Mosi sings.

When the child arrives at the end of the spiral I light their lantern.

Planning an event for the community can seem daunting but with a little creativity it can be easy and simple. We held our Wintergarten Spiral Walk last week and really enjoyed it! I wanted to share this with everyone because so many people have asked me about planning this and I know a few of you have felt some apprehension and the prospect of planning a community event. It can be very easy, however. The one thing to remember is to keep it simple and let the community provide the energy and interest. Planning Waldorf events is like buying Waldorf toys. With a Waldorf toy you provide the child with something natural and simple and let their creativity bring the toy alive.

With Waldorf events you do the same. Create something natural and simple and let the community bring it alive. There is no need for elaborate decorations, hiring of clowns or magicians, or fancy catering. There is no need to make every lantern perfect and everything appear "magical". Keep it simple so it has room to take on a life of its own.

This is how we did it:

1. In the morning I sent my eldest daughter out to trim our pine tree that had not been trimmed in five years - she used the sled to carry branches to the back yard. If you don't have pine trees you can be creative with sticks or rocks. We used to use rocks when we lived in the desert - it took more time to set up but was just as beautiful.

2. While she was cutting branches I got out all of our old Waldorf toys (many are stored in boxes because my children are older now) and send my son upstairs to get the ones that were not stored, but were in various parts of the house. His job was to carry all the toys into the bedroom, take apart my simple bed, and move it to the storeroom for the evening.

3. Next came Sofi's job. Sofi was in charge of setting up the toys. She placed toys in baskets and set up the little wooden figures in lovely situations.

4. My job was setting out a few chairs, making sure the dishes were all set out for use, and straightening up the area we were using and the bathroom.

With cooperation we were almost done!

Next, Sofi was given some holiday decorations and decorated the area, Suni created the spiral from the branches Mosi had cut and I vacuumed the floor. Our co-planners soon arrived and helped us finish the spiral. They also brought many extra lanterns and a big pot of yummy soup!

Each guest brought a dish to share and as they arrived they placed it on the counter. By the end of the arrivals we had an amazing buffet in the kitchen - homemade corn bread, vegetarian soup, cookies, cakes, mac and cheese, and muffins!

The kids played, the parents chatted and then we all shared a meal.

After that we started the spiral walk. Rob opened with some bars of silent night on the lap harp and everyone sang. Mosi sang a song she loves to sing and one by one each child and family walked the spiral, had their candle lit at the end and walked back to place their candle or lantern along the path. We were not able to get enough live musicians so we played some harp music on a CD player.

It was a lovely simple evening!

Earthschooling FAQs

2009-12-07T13:55:00.000-06:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you to everyone who has submitted a request for more information from www.TheWaldorfChannel.com.

I am finding that I am getting some of the same questions over and over so I have complied a short list of my "top seven" and have them posted here:

http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/frequently.html

I will add to this list as needed. You can also link to this page from other pages on the website.

These are the questions so far. If you click on the question you will be linked to the answer.

1. I have toddlers that are 2.5 and 4. What materials and resources do you have for this age?
2. I have a Kindergarten Child. What materials and resources do you offer for this age?
3. I have a first grader. What materials and resources do you offer for that age?
4. You have so many offerings. Can you help me choose the right one for me? How do I choose?
5. I have a 5th grader but I see you don't have full curriculum for this grade. Do you offer any resources for this age?
6. What IS Earthschooling? How is it different from other educational methods?
7. I am just starting with Waldorf Education? How can I get started and learn more about it?

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Twas the Night Before Solstice Poem

2009-12-06T18:14:00.001-06:00

Dear Parents,

It is a yearly tradition now that I post this poem I wrote a few years ago to the list :) Enjoy once again or enjoy it for the first time. You are welcome to share it and pass it around. However, please include credit to me and my websites as you pass it on. Thanks :) Blessings & Health, Kristie

'Twas the Night Before Solstice...

Twas the Night Before Solstice
By Kristie Burns
www.Earthschooling.com
www.HerbnHome.com

'Twas the night before Solstice and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even our pet mouse

Knitted wool stockings were hung with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children were tucked in organic cotton sheets,
The air filter blocking pollution from the streets.

While mama stayed up to make handmade gifts
I co-slept with the kids and watched auras shift.

When out in the herb garden arose such a clatter
I sprung out of our futon to see what was the matter!

Away to the solar panels I flew like a flash.
They took me hours to install, I hoped they hadn't crashed.

The crystals we'd laid out to absorb the moonlight
Sparkled like fairydust and blocked my sight.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh without any reindeer.

At that moment I knew that the little old man
Had received my last letter so bold and so grand

Could you stop using reindeer? Last year I wrote him,
And enclosed with the note a PETA pin.

As he neared the house in his all-wooden sleigh
I noticed it was powered by wheatgrass and hay.

Ostheimer! Kinderkram! Stockmar! Fair Trade!
Don't bother landing if the toys aren't handmade!

"Hey Arriana," I called to my wife with chagrin,
"With that body mass do you think he's vegetarian?"

She paused only a moment from her crafting and said,
"One moment dear! I'm shaping this gol-darn Waldorf doll's head!"

On our roof I strained to hear the ole boy
But I'd recently insulated it with soy.

So I drew in my hand and was turning around,
When in through the front door came St. Nick with a bound.

The Advent wreath had caught in his hair
As I said, "Why in the world did you enter from THERE?"

The soot in your chimney contains poisons galore.
You should consider the environment more.

But he was dressed in fur from his head to his foot
So I said, "Look whose talking about my soot!"

A bundle of felt he had flung on his back.
"I hope you like handiwork," he said with a laugh.

His eyes - how they twinkled! His dimples were treats!
His cheeks reminded me of when I dye silk with beets.

He must be of the choleric type I mused.
It's a good thing with lavender the stockings I infused.

With his fur boots he slipped on the bamboo wood floor.
I offered him Arnica and then closed the front door.

After all that I'd paid to the energy company this year
I didn't want one bit of that cold air in here.

He had a broad face and a little round belly
I asked him, "Have you seen your naturopath lately?"

He was so chubby and plump I worried for his health
But I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to task,
Needle-felting dragons and weaving a mask.

He knitted a pure cotton sweater and two pairs of mittens,
Then picked up a knife and carved 2 wood kittens.

He finger-knitted an entire nativity scene.
With the most amazing skill I'd ever seen!

When he sprang from his seat on the floor and arose
I yelled, "Arianna - watch - there he goes!"

With the unfinished doll she was struggling to sew,
Arriana went to watch him out the window.

And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight!
"Arriana, my dear, the stiches are too tight!"

The Journey of Analise - 24 Days of Original Waldorf Stories

2009-11-30T00:27:00.001-06:00

Dear Parents,

Don't forget to listen to The Journey of Analise this year with your children :)

This is an original story created by me and is told in 10-15 minute
"chapters" each day for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. It was
very popular last year and had hundreds of people listening each day :)
This is also a perfect story for the New Year as it follows the
adventures of a little girl as she travels through the four seasons or
"four temperaments". So if you don't have time to listen in December
you can listen in January.

This year you can listen to the first five days for free at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/radio.html

There is an option to order CDs or download the rest of the stories on
this same page.

As part of the holiday sale you can order the CD download for yourself
and have another download sent to a friend for free.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Live Expert Crafting Inspirations/Help Online - Friday, December 4th

2009-11-29T10:57:00.001-06:00

Just in time for your holiday crafting, Jennifer Tan will be online for a live chat on December 4th, 2009. This live chat will be done in the form of an online audio lecture with a question and answer period afterwards. You will be able to listen via your computer or phone. You are sure to be inspired with a lot of ideas of crafts you can make for the holidays and Jennifer is sure to have the answer to your questions like "What yarn should I use for the socks I am making for my mom?" or "Where can I find a pattern for this toy I want to make for my niece?" or "Help! I made a mistake in this sweater - what do I do now?"

Earthschooling members and forum members can attend this chat for free. Look for the sign up box in your inbox!

If you are not a member you can sign up at:
http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/chatguests.html
or become a forum member at:
http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/forum.html

December 4th - 11am CST (USA) - Handiwork in Waldorf Education
with Jennifer Tan of Gosh Yarn It!

Jennifer Tan enjoys teaching spinning, crochet, Tunisian crochet, knitting, cro-hook, felting, natural dyeing and scrumbling. She homeschools her three children using Waldorf methods. She is an expert in many areas of handiwork and will be available during our December live chat to answer your questions about handiwork. She has been featured on DIY and HGTV's "Uncommon Threads" and runs a popular blog where she chronicles her homeschooling adventures with her husband and children. You can also visit her at: her BLOG, www.syrendell.blogspot.com and at her ETSY shop: www.syrendell.etsy.com

How Do You Celebrate Your Thanks?

2009-11-25T09:08:00.001-06:00

If your family has a story to share about how you share your
thankfulness for the earth please share - I would love to be inspired by
you all - I know so many of you and you already inspire me. I will be
reading the stories you send to my children this Thanksgiving.

One of our stories is below...

I'll share something very personal with you - in the past five years we
"almost" became homeless twice. It is amazing how quickly it can happen
to someone and how hard it can be to find help. I was fortunate enough,
in both circumstances to be saved - literally at the last moment - by a
blessing. However, these experiences, combined with living overseas for
16 years and seeing the face of poverty in different countries - have
made poverty issues one of my main concerns (along with the environment
and empowering people to heal themselves). We give thanks every day that
we have a home, good food, clothing, and even some extras like pets and
an Ipod. At the same time I am shocked by the state of people in America
- how easy it is for credit card companies and banks to "rob" hard
working Americans, how easy it is to lose a job and how hard it is to
earn enough to pay for all the family needs - and how easy it would be
for anyone to slip from the blessed ones who have a home and job into
the crowds of those who don't - it is very easy and can happen in an
instant.

I remember last year my son asked me "Mom, if they charge so much for
gas, why don't gas stations look like palaces? Why are they so small and
not very good?"

That statement says so much. WOW. It is symbolic of how so many big
businesses focus on earning rather than on being fair. Although there
has been a slight rise in worker owned businesses
(http://www.ncba.coop/abcoop_work.cfm). Every day I try to remind myself
and my children not to function like that. But it is so hard. We are
ingrained, from childhood, and trained by ads and by alluring magazines
and displays at stores to always "want more". We are trying, as a family
to think differently. We already have everything we need. Really. We
have a home, food, clothing and plenty of books and toys. Logically,
then, we should be distributing our extra instead of making Christmas
lists of "what we want". It is a hard habit to break, but I feel it is
worth the effort. If we can all try to distribute more and consume less,
I imagine that it might reduce the poverty of a great number of people -
some of these people may even be our friends and relatives. Every time I
am tempted to purchase that $5.00 "extra" at the store I think - what
could someone else do with this money?

That is why, this Thanksgiving, we will be volunteering at a homeless
shelter instead of preparing a lavish feast. Now, don't get me wrong -
if we had a large family nearby or a gathering to travel to that was
close enough to travel to - we would be there - the gathering of family
is an amazingly important event and honorable and great tradition to
hold. However, we are unable to travel this year so, it being only I and
the three children, we feel the energy and food would be better shared
with others.

A friend of mine, who is a teacher, also sent me a wonderful curriculum
plan she is using with her class. I will be adapting it to our own needs
- basically just using some ideas from it but
not all. You can find it at:
http://www.beadforlife.org/docs/BFL_CurriculumFNL_BW_72.pdf

If anyone else has resources or thoughts to share on this topic I would
love to hear them.

My children and I look forward to hearing other stories on how you all
share your thankfulness. There are so many different ways!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com
www.TheAvicennaInstitute.com
www.HerbnHome.com

Helle Heckmann: Protecting Childhood: Birth through Age 8

2009-11-24T09:19:00.000-06:00

Helle Heckman, director of the Nokken Waldorf Kindergarten in Copenhagen, spoke November 2 at the Ames Public Library on the topic, "Protecting Childhood: Birth through Age 8." Kristie Burns received permission to film this inspiring event. The following is a ten-minute excerpt from her talk. The full talk is available from Helle Heckman or to Lifetime members of www.Earthschooling.com. This video clip is exclusive to The Waldorf Channel. You can see this ten-minute clip, where she talks about one of the main issues in modern childhood, at: http://waldorftv.weebly.com/theory.html

If you would like an excerpt of one of your videos featured at The Waldorf Channel or you would like your event filmed for free please contact me, Kristie at: herbnhome@gmail.com. I work mainly in the area of the Midwest. However, in April I will be in the California area as a speaker at the 2010 Waldorf in the Home conference.

This video is also being sent to Delphine Douglas of the Prairie Flower Waldorf School in Ames and will be available for viewing for members of the Ames Waldorf Association.

Enjoy!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Education & Volunteering

2009-10-30T09:52:00.002-05:00

We have been discovering the joys of volunteering this autumn! Mosi, my 14-year-old (will be 15 in one month!) has been learning about a number of volunteer opportunities from a volunteer club in our community. This club puts out announcements about opportunities so you don't have to go search for them or wonder "Do they really need help this week or do they already have too many volunteers?". Community organizations around town contact the club so it becomes a really nice central place to request volunteers as well as find opportunities for volunteering. If you do not have a club like this in your community it would be a really great idea to start one. This is a secular club and involves the entire community. It is easy to start and only needs a few e-mails back and forth to maintain itself.

We have been thrilled with what Mosi's volunteering has brought to her and to the entire family.

1. This has been a great way for Mosi to meet new people - from all age groups. And to meet people who have similar interests as her.

2. Because I need to provide transport to these events the other two children and I have attended events we would not have attended otherwise.

3. Some of these events I never would have known about if not for the volunteer opportunity Mosi had - like the annual PowWow in November. They have not advertised for this powwow anywhere that I usually find information. I was thrilled to find out about it and Mosi is excited to be able to help them serve food on that day!

4. Mosi gets to experience some of the places she loved as a child but has "grown out of" the events for. She was a volunteer at the zoo and Living History Farms Halloween events - she is really too old to attend the events, although she would have loved to - so this is a way for her to continue to stay connected to her favorite events and places.

5. Mosi loves helping. Her favorite event so far was helping kids carve pumpkins at the local Autumn fest. She had so much fun with the little kids. She even got to be one of the judges for the "pet costume" contest.

6. Mosi gets to do new things - she has been a pet costume judge, dancing pumpkin, official marshmallow roaster, and more. It is always a surprise!

We are so thankful for this organization! It has really provided so many wonderful opportunities for Mosi and our family and I am sure they are happy having people to help out with their events as well :)

Fashion Design 101

2009-10-16T22:49:00.004-05:00

Sofi and I discovered this wonderful book on the $2.00 table at Barnes and Noble a month ago. It is called, "Sew Teen" and it shows you how to make about 20 different outfits from scratch - no patterns or anything - it tells YOU how to measure & cut (talk about amazing math practice!) your own pattern based on the measurements you take of yourself. This book was perfect for Sofi because she loves to design her own fashion. She is always cutting up old clothes to make something new and creating things for her dolls out of scraps of fabric. I didn't want to stifle her natural creativity and make sewing a chore for her by bringing in all the pre-stamped patterns and complex directions. And intuitively I was right - she LOVES this method.

So we started by making her Halloween costume - the bottom part will be a skirt - and with the leftover fabric we can easily make something to match for her doll because there is no pattern, we just follow the cutting instructions for the doll down to the doll's size and all is well.

And isn't the skirt pattern so clever? It is just two squares placed at an angle to each other and a waistband in the middle (see picture).

What Type of Script Do I Teach?

2009-10-13T12:36:00.003-05:00

Question: I was schooled in Switzerland and Italy in a Waldorf Inspired elementary school. I am homeschooling my son who is now in first grade...but I am confused about why we would introduce the manuscript style now...I remember learning a ceratin type of alphabet that looked very beautiful...it wasn't script...why are we teaching script? I am a bit confused and need help. Somebody told me you have a book for sale on how to intoduce lower case
letters:)

Answer: This is a good question! What you introduce depends on what you choose to introduce. There are many choices in today's world that were not available in Steiner's time so I tend to go outside of the traditional confines of Waldorf with this. You can read more about the different styles here:

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/fonts/p/schoolfontstyle.htm

We tend towards a Zaner-Bloser style but I let the kids develop their own style (Ok, I am a renegade mama I know) as long as it is clear and readable.

One of the other styles may be more suitable for you. The E-books I publish can be adapted to any style of handwriting. Any creative mama could modify the pictures that tiny bit.

I would definitely introduce manuscript (in whichever style) before cursive, however.

Hope this helps?

The E-books I have (I am offering both together now) are at:

http://waldorftv.weebly.com/e-books.html

October Special

2009-10-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

October special - any curriculum can be ordered in two payments - only $42.50 now and $42.50 in one month. Includes free access to new website, videos, glossary, articles, FAQs page, Forum, Live Chats., MP3s and so many extras! See: http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/curriculum.html

Introduction to the New Earthschooling Member Website

2009-10-05T20:37:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

This video is for people wanting to preview the new website or for members wanting a quick review of the website before they start using it.

All Children Are Homeschooled

2009-09-30T13:11:00.001-05:00

(well, every child with an attentive parent anyway LOL)

I found this article/editorial in the Anchorage news yesterday and found it interesting. She expresses some of what Earthschooling is all about - it is a realization that you are not powerless to educate your child no matter what system you are in. In years of doing homeschool and health consulting I have seen so many families put undue pressure on themselves trying to decide if they should "homeschool" or "not homeschool" but in today's world that question is no longer valid (in many areas of the United States at least) because everyone has so many options that they can choose any mix they want. The questi0n should be - how much percentage do I want to have my children at home? How much percentage of their education do I want to have someone else help with? How much percentage do I want to be cooperative educati0n (perhaps hosting groups in your own home)? How much of their education will they lead? How much of their education will be through nature? How much of their education will be through their connection with their religious group activities or extra curricular activities? These are the questions we need to consider. When we are managers of our child's education - when we are making decisions with them that are in their best interests - we are Earthschooling - and that brings everyone together.

I liked the examples she gave here. I hope more people write articles highlighting these similarities between "homeschoolers" and "schoolers" so we can all see how close so many of us have become. (although perhaps not in a defensive way as this journalist did) My own children have experienced a variety of situations and mixes and the interesting thing is, we are so focused on the educational center being at home that one year has not really felt much different from the next even though they have been vastly different in so many ways.

Here is the article:

Every Child is Home-schooled

By MARY KANCEWICK

Published: September 28th, 2009 07:23 PM
Last Modified: September 28th, 2009 07:23 PM

The recent Daily News article about home schooling sets up a dichotomy between "home-school advocates" and "others," or, as she later characterizes it, between "traditional bricks-and-mortar educators" and "fiercely independent home-schooling parents." This dichotomy is neither accurate nor helpful.

First of all, we are all home-schooling parents, whether or not our children also attend school outside the home. We home school our children every time we have a discussion at the dinner table, when we take them to a movie or a concert, when we help with homework, and, always, by our example.

Secondly, none of us educates in isolation. We use books written by others, television -- radio-movie programming produced by others, the Internet, etc. If a child has any contact with the world at all, the child is not only home-schooled.

Thirdly, in the Anchorage School District, families can and do pick and choose along a continuum, from ABC "traditional bricks-and-mortar" programs to wide-open home-schooling support for "fiercely independent home-schooling parents," allowing education to be tailored to suit individual needs and family styles.

ASD options at the elementary level include ABC schools; optional programs emphasizing alternative teaching styles; Spanish, Russian and Japanese immersion programs; a pull-out program for gifted students plus a magnet school for highly gifted students; special education and tutoring programs; and charter schools, including a Waldorf-style arts-based school, a school with a curriculum designed for Alaska Natives, a German school, and two home-school support schools.

Middle and high school offerings include optional language immersion, science-based, technology-centered, vocational and gifted-cluster schools; middle school gifted classes and high school honors and AP; a Credit-by-Choice program offering credit for community service, research projects, participation in special interest programs, educational travel, correspondence or college classes, on-line classes and independent study; and a gifted mentorship program.

The McBryde children featured in the article are far from being only independently home-schooled. The McBrydes are registered with one of the ASD home- school support charter schools -- which means that they accept money from the district and participate in yearly national testing -- and they participate in ASD school sports. They also take classes outside the home, such as music lessons and college classes. The family intelligently picks and chooses among the options available, to create an educational package that works for them.

My own children are far from being only public schooled, certainly in the "traditional bricks-and-mortar" sense. Each has taken advantage of the various special programs offered by the School District, including gifted programs, optional programs, online classes, credit-by-choice, independent study, and credit for college classes. And each has been schooled at home for various periods of time, for various reasons, from having exhausted program offerings, to vision difficulties, to travel opportunities, to simple personal choice.

The Daily News article gives no good evidence for tightening home-schooling laws. There are home-schooled students, just as there are public school students, who do not do well. Holland quotes school administrators complaining that when parents fail to teach their children, they end up back in the public schools where teachers are left to make up for the mess parents have made. What is not acknowledged is that public school teachers may not have done any better with that child. Home-schooled children who go on the record and take standardized tests, as a rule, perform better than public school students.

The article notes concern about isolated Bush families, who lack the multiplicity of opportunities found in urban school districts. That concern would seem to be better addressed by increasing local resources and opportunities than by tightening home-schooling regulations, which in any case would likely be difficult to enforce in isolated rural areas.

It is reasonable for State Education Commissioner Larry LeDoux to take the investigatory step of comparing Permanent Fund dividend records to school records to ascertain how many children are off the state education grid, and where, but he should keep an open mind as to how to address the results of his research.

Friday's Live Chat- Unconditional Parenting with Chis Cade

2009-09-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

Dear Members,

Our next live Earthschooling Waldorf chat is this Friday, October 2nd at 11am CST/USA. It is with Chris Cade, whom many of you know from the website www.Spiritualshortstories.com - the topic will be "Staying Inspired as a Parent" however, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you want including questions about stories.

Registration is limited. You can sign up HERE to attend this session or sign upHERE to attend more than one session.

October 2nd, 10AM PST - Inspiration for Parents - Unconditional Parenting, How to Stay Inspired and Using Stories in Parenting
with Chris Cade of http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/

Chris Cade has been inspiring millions of people daily through his website Spiritual Short Stories. Many Earthschooling and Waldorf parents subscribe to his newsletter and are already familiar with his work. I know that a number of Waldorf teachers and parents use stories from his website for their daily "inner work" meditation as well as for Main Lessons or story time. Chris will join us for an hour on October 2nd to answer questions and share wisdom about "Unconditional Parenting", stories in parenting and how he stays inspired as a parent. Chris is the visionary behind world's #1 Spiritual Story site online. In April, Chris asked to be laid off so that he could follow his dreams to empower people worldwide with his network of spiritual websites, the Inscribe Your Life program, and his upcoming printed book "Think Without the Box."
www.inscribeyourlife.com
www.spiritual-short-stories.com
www.chriscade.com

This Friday's Live Chat - Temperament and Typology in Healing, Parenting & Teaching

2009-09-23T10:21:00.001-05:00

This Friday's Live Chat
Temperament and Typology in Healing, Parenting & Teaching

I look forward to talking to you during the live chat on Friday (11am CST/USA) ! It is very easy to attend. All it takes is a sign in and password and you are "there". I am online before the meeting so if anyone loses the password I can help. We have not had any problems in the past and everyone has always found it easy to sign on and participate.

The topic will be "Temperaments, Typology, Healing and Teaching"

It is very easy to sign up and join. Just visit: http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/chatguests.html

If you are already signed up then here is how you can prepare...

Ways you can prepare for the live chat: (OPTIONAL)

1. Get a temperament evaluation for you and/or your child at www.HerbnHome.com
2. Take the temperament quiz at www.WhatisMyTemperament.com
3. View the video: organization and the temperaments at: http://waldorftv.weebly.com/tempvidho.html
Username & Password: Ask for this once you are signed up
4. Listen to the temperament and typology lecture at: http://naturopathichealing.weebly.com/typegy.html
Username: Ask for this once you are signed up

Blessings & Health,
Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND

Our Next Spring Project! A Tree Tree Tree House

2009-09-22T10:43:00.005-05:00

This fantastic little igloo-style tree-house was created by two wonderful shopkeepers at the Des Moines Renassaince Faire. When I spoke to the owner of the shop she said that they had planted the trees last year (the Faire has a permanant spot here in DM) and when they came back this year it was like this. So this picture represents a year of growth. Imagine what it would be like in 5 years! My children and I are already very excited about planning this for a project next spring. Or perhaps even now...we can't wait! It is very simple. You have to choose a tree with flexible branches and trunk. Plant it when young, but no so young that it takes "forever" to grow. I would recommend starting with 5 foot high trees at the very least. Once you plant the trees in a circle you can build up the bricks around them in a circle or you can choose just to surround the based of each one to protect it. Of course choose trees that grow quickly (your local nursery can help you with this) and notice how they planted vines around the bottom of each tree? This is to fill in the spaces that the leaves and branches don't for the tree house. Choose something appropriate for your area but not something that will grow faster and take over the tree.

Burr Oak Acorns are Here to Send to You!

2009-09-16T10:59:00.001-05:00

Dear Members,

A lot of people have asked for burr oak acorns again this year. I sent
out about 500 last year for the cost of postage only. It was quite an
overwhelming job so this year I've passed the job off the Sofi and Mosi
who are going to use this as a fundraiser for a language camp they want
to attend next summer. You may notice they are only charging a couple
dollars over cost of envelope and postage. If you are interested they
are selling them at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/earthsessions-with-sofi.html

They will be taking orders for the next month and will send orders out
on October 1st, 15th, and 23rd.

They look forward to your orders! Thank you.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

The Longevity of Waldorf Toys

2009-09-11T22:04:00.004-05:00

I have posted a few times this year about my kids (10, 12 and 14) and how they still use so many of their 'Waldorf Toys'. I am always amazed to find them playing with the wooden figures, wooden kitchen set or the silks or other things I invested so much money (or time, if I made it) into when they were little. It makes me so happy to see them still using those same toys! Last weekend I was amazed yet again when Mosi, my 14-year-old, dressed as a fairy for the Renassaince Festival and wore the silk wings that I bought her when she was 4-years old! Amazing!

Suede Fairy Shoes Part 2

2009-08-25T14:47:00.005-05:00

The second step, after you cut out the pattern is to make the markings on the fabric and then remove the pattern. Sunii and I cut out the suede and then we cut out a lining in a nice 100% cotton flannel. we marked the fabric. Then we decided to use the sewing machine for this job. Sunii has already made a number of items by hand sewing and is ready to advance to the machine. He is almost 13-years-old. Additionally, since these shoes will get a lot of heavy use we want to make sure the stiches are extra strong. The machine has a number of automatic stitches that will easily help this happen. Sunii, of course loved being able to use the machine. He loves anything that involves electricity (my theory is that this must be in the DNA because he was raised a "nature/Waldorf child"). He spent two hours trying out every stitch on the machine and has begged me every day since to do more "sewing". The next step will be doing some of the initial sewing on the shoes...he should be very happy when I share that with him!

Making Suede Fairy Shoes

2009-08-21T23:27:00.003-05:00

Sunii, Sofi and I are making shoes for Sofi's Renaissance Faire costume. It should be an adventure. We will tell you how it goes! First we chose a beatiful pattern. It is from Butterick and includes other patterns on how to make boots and other cute shoes. We chose the simple fairy shoes made of suede. We purchased some beautiful suede that was on sale and that was usually used for interior decorating. We folded it as it showed on the pattern instructions, laid out out the patterns and Sunii cut them out. Now we need to make the markings on the fabric before we take the patterns off. Once we take the patterns off we need to cut the same pattern onto some cotton fabric for the lining. We also need to purchase a leather punch and some leather cord. These are going to be such cute fairy shoes!

Tips on Printing E-books

2009-08-05T18:31:00.003-05:00

Thank you Earthschooling member Jen for these tips and for sharing your pictures. Jen writes:

Hi Kristie - I took some photos of your ebooks I had spiral bound at Staples. I didn't cross check prices with other places (like kinkos, etc) as we only have one car currently and I can walk to the Staples from my house ;)

Anyway, I think she told me that if we bring them in printed, it is between $1 and $3 for the binding, depending on how many pages to be bound (it goes by how many pages per document you have). Seems like they can do up to around 200 pages, but don't have bigger set ups than that (Kinko's should) and the protective cover is an additional dollar for a see through front and nice thick backing. It's worth it, though...The spine is also available in blue. I thought black would be nice and basic.

If they print them out at Staples, it is about 10 cents per sheet printed in b/w and $1 per sheet in color. Not sure if this is across the board at all Staples and it was just a general quote from a young girl behind the counter. Also, I wonder if it's per page of color - meaning that if there are 5 colored pages in a 50 page document, do they just charge an additional $5 versus charging even for the b/w pages. Hmmmm...didn't think to ask that question...

I am very happy with them and guess I did several. With the spiral option, I can have the book all the way open, which is nice.

I also bought for 49 cents each, these plastic 3 punch folders and I definitely don't like them nearly as much as the spiral bound. They don't stay open easily and flop shut.

I am one of those people who has to have things printed out since I type fast and well, but I can't stand reading books on computer screen - makes my eyes go batty - LOL! SO I'm attaching some shots so you can see just how nice they turned out. You should be SO proud of yourself, especially when you see what you created :) I love that I can turn to these documents again and again through the years and they will be protected by these nice covers...

Important Note About New Earthschooling Website and Price Changes

2009-08-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

We have a NEW member website that has twice as many features as the old website! Read below about price changes that will go into effect for people who sign up for Earthschooling after September 1st, 2009...

The new member website has a forum, has a very extensive FAQs section (and all previous conversation from the HerbnHomeConsulting, Waldorf Consulting Board and everything is being moved to that one page so all the FAQs are in one place) and we are having Live Chats once or twice a month. Everyone has their own Homeroom page now where they can access everything and, well...it is what I have been dreaming of for years for the website!

I'm making a few changes to go along with the new system. Because of the cost and maintenance of the new system the Live Chats, the forum and the FAQs (you can ask anything and get it answered) I am going to start charging a monthly fee for new members starting September 1st. I am "grandfathering in" old members who have purchased curriculum, year memberships or Lifetime memberships and they will never have to pay a monthly fee. I am also merging the old HerbnHomeConsulting list with this new website as it contains the same features with some extras. Anyone who becomes a member after September 1st will have only three options:

1. Curriculum or Lesson Plans Only & Membership in the members Yahoogroup for the same fees as are posted now. No access to new website.
2. Curriculum and Leson Plans and membership in the new website for only $3.00 a month extra.
3. Membership in the website only (no lesson plans) for $5.00 a month.

Anyone who signs up for a Lifetime or Year membership (even the Year payment plan membership) before September 1st will be "grandfathered" into the new system and will never pay a monthly fee.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Earthschooling Postcard Exchange Fun

2009-07-22T15:36:00.004-05:00

We had a lot of fun participating in the postcard exchange at:
http://earthschooling.ning.com/forum/topics/earthschooling-postcard

We wrote to five families last week. We purchased postcards while we were enjoying summer activities around town so choosing the postcards was part of the fun. When we went to the zoo we chose postcards of our favorite animals. There was even one postcard of a lion sleeping on a rock that looked exactly like a picture we took! When we went to Living History Farms, The Botanical Center and the airport we also found postcards we liked.

At the end of two weeks of postcard collecting I put addresses on all the cards and put the age of the child in the upper left hand corner. We then sat around the table together and the kids chose who they wanted to write to. Sofi wanted to write to everyone from the UK because she "likes English accents" LOL! Mosi (age 14) wanted to write to some of the little kids (2 and 3 year olds) as well as some of the kids her age. Sunii wanted to write to some of the boys.

It was a great learning experience for the kids. Writing letters is such a lost art and writing postcards is difficult because you can only say a few things. Without being prompted the kids got the globe and the US atlas out and started to find places on the map. They wanted to know where the postcards were going! Then they all started talking about places they had been together. It was a great time of sharing, learning and writing practice.

It looks like some new people signed up since we sent out our postcards so we are going to do this again in another week or two. It would be fun to make this a bi-weekly event. We used to sit down once or twice a month and write letters to friends and relatives - this might just be what we needed to get us inspired to start doing that again! I love that this is an ongoing postcard exchange! You never know when someone will send you something or when someone new will sign up :)

The Benefits of Herbal Wildcrafting for Kids

2009-06-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

We made the most delicious garlic bread from garlic that we wild-crafted last week! Yum! I always look forward to summer and early autumn when we do hour herbal identification walks (instructions at: http://waldorftv.weebly.com/e-books.html)

We learn so much, but my children also eat healthier food than they eat all year! It is amazing what children will eat when they get to pick it off the ground in the "wild woods"! Both my children balk when I put salad on the table (although Sofi likes tomatoes, carrots and fruits and berries and Sunii likes other veggies and orange juice) - they complain that salad is GREEN and leafy and yuck!

However, they have no problem foraging clover, mint, chives, dandelion leaves, and sorrel and eating them by the handfuls! As an added bonus we also have raspberries and mulberries on our nature trail.

Other things we learn from our herbal identification walks:

1. Botany: The basic cornerstone of every botany lesson is the shapes and kinds of leaves you find in nature, how to identify plants and how to classify them. This is also the basic cornerstone of herbal identification. However, it is a lot more fun to identify things you can eat and use, rather than drawing shapes and memorizing names on paper.

2. Observation skills: We learn how to look at nature around us in a deeper way. We often see plants and animals we would not have seen otherwise.

3. Healing skills: We have learned how to heal poison ivy with a few common herbs, what to put on a cut when you are hiking in the wild and what you can eat for a stomach ache, spider bite or bee sting.

4. Respect for Nature: We learn how useful nature really is. All that "green" around us is not just "greem stuff" anymore. It is valuable for its healing properties, taste and beauty. We learn how to wildcraft with respect.

5. Nutrition: We learn and experience the nutritional value of herbs and plants.

6. Economy: We calculate and understand how many things are "free" in life, and how we don't have to buy expensive herbal mixtures to heal or eat. They are usually in our back yard!

7. Biographies and History: We learn about some of the historical figures who wrote journals and poems about nature.

8. Storytelling: We learn stories that teach us about the herbs.

9. Verses: We learn verses that teach us about the herbs.

10. We create books with drawings that help us learn more careful drawing techniques.

This is certainly one of my favorite lessons of the year!

Join us in our adventures with our new E-book "Herbal Identification with Kids" at:
http://waldorftv.weebly.com/e-books.html)

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Storage Magic & Organization

2009-06-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

Sigh...as much as I love my wooden toys and natural fibers I also love my plastic bins for organization. They are not natural at all and a bit unsightly, but they have saved me so much money and time!

About 12 years ago a friend of mine had her basement flooded and lost most of her possessions and treasures that were stored in boxes. She told me to always store things in plastic bins. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to her. Our basement flooded twice and our storeroom leaks and has terrible humidity problems. Without those plastic bins I would have lost many treasures of my own.

The second benefit of these bins is how easy it makes it to organize things. The bins were an investment each time I purchased one for about $6 - $8.00 but they have paid for themselves over and over. I purchase clear bins so I can see through them and I organize everything I store in these bins. I also label each bin. This makes it very easy to find things I usually would have lost, forgotten about or left buried at the bottom of a pile of storage boxes.

Today was a good example. I actually have a bin for "random pet items". This bin is filled with items we have used for pets over the past 5 years. Tonight I needed some "land" for our tadpoles so I got out the bin, found some "water structures" we had used for a gecko a year ago, washed them and put them to use again. These structures had also been used for our hermit crabs a few years before that. One time we found a stray dog and I found a collar and food bowl for him in there. Without having these items organized I know I would have just lost them somewhere in a pile of things. Like I used to do - LOL!

I have bins for each season/month of the year and each time we want to set up a new nature table we get out the appropriate bin. I also have bins for seasonal clothing, memory boxes for each child (many for each), one for negatives, random cords and cables from around the house, lights and other items.

Last week I had to attach a VCR to the computer to convert some old tapes to DVD. The instructions said, "You need two cords (illustration). These are not included". I was not worried. I went straight to my "random cords" box, searched through it and found the two cords I needed. I remember paying more than $30.00 for these cords so I am glad I knew where they were! I remember when I used to just toss cords in random boxes and drawers and ended up buying the same ones twice all the time.

I am so thankful that I took the time to set up this system. I initially balked at the cost of the plastic bins and it took me a few days to label and organize them but it has been such a time and money-saver ever since.

And you don't need a lot of space to store them. I keep them in a large closet stacked on top of each other. I use them about 4-6 times a week.

Alpaca Roving and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-21T20:09:00.004-05:00

We made a visit to a local alpaca farm this weekend and had a wonderful time with the new baby alpacas. The roving was so delicious we could not resist so we got some roving from Hershey's Kiss and Snowmobile Runner (two of the alpacas) and a mixture of browns and blacks from various alpacas and had a lot of fun making different felted foods and other items from them!

You can see some of the pictures of what we made at:
http://thedreamangels.weebly.com/photosfr.html

I started a special photo page for all the local businesses we support so I have them all there in an album called "Goldwater Creek".

After you look at the photos I am sure you won't be able to resist getting out your roving and making a few things too!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Out of the Classroom

2009-06-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love Earthschooling because we spend so much time out of the "traditional classroom" .I adore books and have shelves filled with them. However, I definitely prefer a good historical fiction over a history text and a good science fiction adventure over a science text book.

What always amazes me is how easily and effortlessly we learn outside of the traditional "textbook and classroom" methods.

Today was a perfect example. Sofi is in 4th grade so we are doing some exploration of our local history and geography (part of the Waldorf curriculum for 4th grade). Sunii is in 6th grade so we are working through some geology this year. Instead of preparing two lessons and telling them about these topics I took them both to the Rockford Devonian Fossil Park today to hunt for fossils. This is one of ONLY THREE fossil collecting sites in the entire nation.

During this trip we learned that Iowa used to be under water - about 650 million years ago, we were able to "see" how the pressure of the ocean created fossils out of the dead sea creatures that inhabited the bottom floor and we were able to "go back in time" and actually see, touch and collect these fossils. I was also able to link a vacation the kids took two years ago into their earthschooling experience once again. Two years ago they went snorkeling with their father in the Red Sea. They were able to envision what this ocean floor might have looked like 650 million years ago because they had seen the modern version of coral, etc.

We came home with a wonderful collection of Devonian fossils, a new appreciation for where we live and a deeper connection with the earth. And not once did I hear a complaint about a "boring" lesson or "do we HAVE to do this work"? They actually thanked me for taking them! Although it was me that had to be dragged away after everyone else was done. I still wanted to stay for two more hours!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.Earthschooling.com

Stages in Waldorf Education

2009-05-30T13:20:00.004-05:00

Sofi is ten. She is in that age where she is exploring her individuality and her place in the world. She still sees the world as a place to create and looks at everything through this point of view. Mosi, my eldest, is 14. She is at the stage where she is asserting her view on the world and has already lived through a couple years where her logical thinking has been developing. She now sees the world through more "logical" eyes. (You can find more details about ages and stages at www.EarthSchooling.com - click on "Waldorf 101")

So, anyway, the incident that brought this to the top of my head last week was a little four leaf clover Sofi found. She was so excited about it. It was the first one she had ever found (I had never found any in my life before this). In the past she would have been excited about her fairy leaving her something magical. However, as she is exploring her own individuality her response this time was that perhaps it was SHE that had some special power to find four leaf clovers.

Sigh...my little girl is growing up!

However, the "growing up" part of little girls was even more clear when we posted a picture of the 4-leaf clover to her sister (who is living overseas until High School) and her response was, "Wow, that must have been created by a recessive gene."

Typical 14-year-old response! And it was only yesterday Mosi thought fairies were leaving flowers and that perhaps she had some special ability to talk to fairies!

(I still believe we all have that special ability...but anyway...)

So, as each stage passes and I am sad to see it go, I am also reassured by seeing the "map" laid out for me by the teachers and parents who went before me and seeing that they are following the healthy stages they should be at for each age. These guides laid out by Steiner also help me understand my children better in all the stages they are at. They helped me understand that my 2-year old was not ready to clean her own room. They helped me understand why my son is suddenly not wanting the "dream fairy" song anymore, and they helped me with so much more!

I hope you are also reassured by the ages and stages of Waldorf. I've organized them all for you at: www.EarthSchooling.com under "Waldorf 101".

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
www.EarthSchooling.com

Building Shelters in Surprising Places

2009-05-28T19:00:00.001-05:00

Building shelters is a task that children work on in grade three of the Waldorf curriculum. However, it is something that they want to do for many years after that. Ever since we started building shelters both my children seem to find some reason to build yet one more shelter and sometimes in the most unusual places. This little shelter was built by Sofi in the front of our yard within an old pine tree. I have been wanting to trim this tree for months - I think it needs to be shorter and much less bushy - so when Sofi asked, "can I cut the tree mama?" I said, "sure!"
I love what she did with it. I'm sharing some pictures. It took her two hours to trim the tree to her standard, carve out the inside shelter, and rake and prepare the ground to be a proper "floor". Then she decorated the inside and outside and added some props.

Compassion and Queen for a Day

2009-05-26T14:00:00.004-05:00

Macee helped us by eating some weeds...

It took me awhile to post this. I know Mother's Day was a couple weeks ago...but sometimes it takes me a while to post :)

Every Mother's Day and Birthday the children ask me, "What do you want?" and my answer is always the same. "All I want is a day when I can do whatever I want and nobody tells me I can't or that I should be doing something else. And on top of that I want a day where if I ask someone to help me or play with me they say yes, and they do not complain." Simply put - a day where I am the queen and it is "all about me" :)

Over the years this has become a tradition in our family. Every time someone has a birthday or special day those are the rules - you can't say no to them, you have to be nice to them, and they can do whatever they want. They are queen or king for the day.

However, it is amazing how respectful everyone can be of this position. It is in the back of everyone's minds that whatever they do on this day may come back to them later and nobody wants to hurt anyone or make them feel bad so all is done with consideration. And usually we all end up having fun. It is a different experience to live in someone else's world for a day. Usually we spend the day in our own world or in cooperating with others. To actually let go of all that and spend a day in someone else's world is fun for them (of course) but also teaches the other members of the family compasion, patience, the art of giving, insight into another's life and much more.

This Mother's Day I didn't even have to make any requests for most of the morning. I was served the traditional "special breakfast" (the kids also get this on their birthdays) and Sofi even decorated the chalk board for me. Once breakfast and hanging out was done I only had one request for the day - that we all work on the garden. It was a true joy to have everyone say "yes mama!" without arguing they had something better to do. I could see a hint of it in the back of their minds but...

As with all "tasks" we often end up loving them a lot more than we thought we would. This is part of the lesson in allowing someone else to lead you during the day. About ten minutes into our gardening Sofi said, "This is so much fun" and Sunii was happily digging. They were joyful at finding worms, they laughed at the dog "helping us" , they were exicted to plant the stawberries. Of course gardening is always fun but it is easy to forget how fun something is when it becomes a task by someone else asking us to do it :) So Mother's Day was the perfect day to ask.

Here are some photos of what we got done that morning. It was so much! It always amazes me how much can get done once a person puts their mind to it.

Sofi decided we should all garden in our bare feet!

Before....

My Mother's Day breakfast

Shearing, Carding and Knitting Day

2009-05-23T12:02:00.003-05:00

"Hey - Have you seen my coat?"

I love to visit local farms as part of the kids' education. It is a wonderful way to introduce them to the area they live in, their neighbors, another kind of life, and much more. It is also a way to teach them skills I may not have or to teach them skills I have, but do not have time to prepare for them. A good example is the process of creating yarn. We have carded wool before, we have spun wool and we have worked with wool. However, the amount of preparation I can do at home is sometimes not as much as I would have liked to do. One area I wanted to work more on was the process of how the wool gets from the sheep to the spinning loom. However, the vision of buckets of wool in my home or in my bathtub, dying pots in the garden and a day spent on this activity had not seemed to flow into our schedule yet.

Luckily I was keeping my "ear out" and a local farm had just the thing! They dedicated an entire weekend to shearing sheep and showing visitors how the wool comes from the sheep and ends up being yarn. This was a wonderful opportunity for my kids to review what they knew, learn new things and even use equipment I didn't have at home (large wooden buckets for the wool, a large loom instead of a hand-spindle). I will share some photos of our day with you below...

Luckily I was keeping my "ear out" and a local farm had just the thing! They dedicated an entire weekend to shearing sheep and showing visitors how the wool comes from the sheep and ends up being yarn. This was a wonderful opportunity for my kids to review what they knew, learn new things and even use equipment I didn't have at home (large wooden buckets for the wool, a large loom instead of a hand-spindle). I will share some photos of our day with you below...

Turning the Morning Around

2009-05-20T11:20:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a morning just looks impossible. Of course I have an ideal vision of what I want it to be - filled with smiles, gently stretching, perhaps a song and a prayer, good food and a sunny clean home. However, this morning started out to be anything but that! I had not been able to do the dishes because I was at a conference yesterday and our dishwasher was broken, we all slept in unti 11am for some reason and woke up very hungry, the kitchen table was filled with crafting supplies and I had not yet unloaded my conference props. The dog needed to go for a walk or go outside, the cats were hungry, I was aware that I was behind on a few consults and other work related items and it just all looked so impossible. Sofi wanted crepes and Sunii wanted pancakes and I didn't want either. We were all a bit grumpy. How was I going to get through the day?

When things get like this I have learned it is time to stop and focus on the present moment. So that is what I started out doing. I focused on what the immediate need was. We all needed to eat. So I went into the kitchen to clean the dishes so I could cook.

The second thing I do in such circumstances is that I look for creative solutions. The kids feel nurtured when I cook for them and they are quite independant in some ways so I love to cook breakfast for them when I can. I am reluctant to give that up but I realize I need some help so I call out to the kids "Hey - you guys want to help?" Surprisingly they are overjoyed with the idea of helping and they want to do it all themselves. Cooking WITH me in the kitchen while I am also working and cooking together as a family is aparently much more fun than making one's own sandwich for lunch all alone.

So they both enthusiastically took over cooking. Sunii made pancakes and Sofi made crepes. She was very proud that she could actually do it. Crepes are hard to make and this is the first time she did it from beginning to end. The entire time we were chatting and I was doing dishes. The time passed before I knew it and the dishes were done and breakfast was ready.

After everyone was fed they were all in a good mood, including me. So, suggesting some more tasks was not hard. Sunii happily took care of his dog and Sofi happily swept the kitchen floor.

It is amazing how little it takes to get the house in order again. It seemed so impossible and only two hours later it looks like a home again.

We play a bit and talk a bit, Sofi decided she wanted to needle-felt a doll and Sunii decided to teach the dog some new tricks and then both children got invited to visit friends. That left me with two hours to finish my consulting and other work tasks. Not everything got done but at least I don't feel so completely behind anymore. I was full, the house was clean and everyone around me was happy. This meant that I was able to be very efficient in my work time.

Now, I look at the day and think about how ideal it was and is now. I am glad I didn't spend a lot of time worrying about it and just let it take its own course!

My Trip to South Africa by Mosi

2009-05-15T12:21:00.005-05:00

Rock Climbing in South Africa

Mosi and Friends in South Africa

Zululand Dancers

Mosi took these photos of animals during the Safari

New Friends in South Africa

Hi! We have a guest Blogger today. My daughter, Mosi, recently had an amazing experience on a trip to South Africa. She went with her honor choir group. She gave me permission to share the letter she wrote and I thought some of your kids might enjoy reading it. I have edited some parts out to make it shorter for the BLOG. However, the writing is all hers. I have not edited that as I wanted to keep it authentic.

As some of you may already know, Mosi is an Earthschooler in so many senses of the term! She attended a Waldorf Kindergarten, was homeschooled for a time in the Waldorf style, helped me run a Waldorf Enrichment School for four years, was homeschooled part-time, attended a Montessori school for two years, and now attends an International School as she is living with her father until she returns to the USA for High School. Through it all the one constant in her life has been Waldorf/Earthschooling - being an citizen of the world and connected to Mother Nature.

ZuluLand

By Mosi Mandil

Age 14

First we were at White Mountain Lodge for three days with the whole group. We stayed in these really cool cabins with loads of bunk beds, a broken toilet, and our own colonies of any bug you could ever think of. Plus we could hear the guy’s in their cabin next to us singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Start and Ba Ba Black Sheep at the same time to see if they had the same melody right before we went to sleep.

The first thing our group did was white water rafting. If you didn’t know, I’m terrified of the water, so I was in a canoe with one of our guides, Donovan. We pretty much spent the whole time tipping other people over. Then I made the mistake of thinking I was immune and that Donovan wouldn’t tip his own boat. I was wrong. I lost one f my water shoes wile trying to get back into our boat then the other in a strange experiment conducted by Trent. He told me to put my other shoe in the water to see if it would float. Quite logically it didn’t after the first one sank.
Africa Falls was so strong that it tore my helmet off even though it was clipped on and everything. Then Hemel and I climbed up onto this huge rock to watch everyone else go off the falls. I had no idea how we’d gotten up in the first place so I tried to get down on this one route but slipped and ended up scraping my arm up real bad. Note to self: washing off cuts with salt water doesn’t help. For the rest of the morning I was with Raveena. Turns out it’s a lot harder to row when you actually work. At one point my arm was bleeding, my foot was having a seizure, and it was awesome! Then we sang at the top of our lungs on the bus on the way back.
That afternoon we got back together with the other group and went to the Fufi Slide which is basically a huge zip line across two cliffs. The cool thing was is that it wasn’t scary at all, just exhilarating. Well all got to take two turns then hiked back to the lodge for dinner and played cards in the common room until curfew.

When we hiked up White Mountain the next day Mr. Owens kept stopping us for what he’s call ‘hero shots’. We made it to the top in record time: and hour and seven minuets. Because we got there so fast we could each repel down twice. The first time something was wrong with my rope and I could hardly move but when I went again on the other rope it was all good.

That afternoon we went to a place called Pigeon Pools. The water was so cold that Mr. Owens made us get in first before we dove off the ledge so it wouldn’t shock our system. Raveena made me go off the high ridge even after I tried to convince her otherwise. Apart from a brain freeze I lived.

For the next three days we were at Phinda game reserve. On the way there we visited a school that we were supporting financially. The children were very open and really liked sitting on my lap and playing with my hair. I wasn’t really surprised considering they all had their hair cut as short as the boy’s. They were fascinated by Sorcha’s guitar as well, we bad brought it to play a song for them. Austin enjoyed teaching them hand signs like ‘rock on’ and ‘looser’.

The second we got of the bus on the reserve they took our iPods away. It’s like they built a camp in the middle of the bush and just left it there. We stayed in luxury tents with electricity and running water. Raveena learned how to open the zipper on the tent on the second day of our stay but never really got the hang of squashing bugs. We were practically breathing bug spray but they somehow still managed to give me thirty two bites all together. The worst were the dreaded white caterpillars that gave an itchy rash. Thankfully I never got one of those but Raveena insisted on me checking for them every time she so much as sat down.

Every day we’d get up around five ‘o’clock in the morning to go on game drives. All the animals were out when the air was cooler in the early morning. On the first day we were REALLY lucky and saw four out of what is called The Big Five. The Big Five were lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant, the animals that were most dangerous to hunt for the Zulu people. The only one we didn’t see the whole trip was a leopard because they were hunted before and very weary of the roads.

Our driver, Conrad, would randomly stop by the side of the road and teach us the names of the trees and how to tell how old an animal track was. He was British but kept teasing us by talking in a ‘Yankee accent’. He’d also let us take turns sitting in the tracker seat, which is basically a chair on the hood of the jeep. One day Trent decided to wear red and sit in the tracker seat right when we drove by some buffalo. That’s the day we gave him the nick name buffalo bait. Twice my hat flew off when we were driving and Hemal stopped the jeep so I could go back and get it. Good thing to because it came in handy when we were attacked by a wasp the size of a golf ball. By the end of our stay Hemal knew each one of the electric fences personally.

Our best game drive was when we found a herd of about fifty elephants. I was positive we had driven onto a Hollywood set. There was the lake, the towering flat crowed trees, it even had the classic orange sunset. That was all well and good until the sun completely disappeared and we were trapped between a suspicious edgy alpha elephant and the rest of the pack.

As we carefully drove through the sleeping elephants so as not to wake them I nervously kept my eyes glued on the closest one. We were almost out when the elephant closest to us stood up, threw back its trunk, and screamed at us. Conrad floored it and Trent, Hemal, and I collapsed in the back seat, we had been closest. If it’s possible we were having a heat attack and a giggle fit at the same time. Then when we’d finally calmed down we saw an elephant crossing sign and started cracking up again.

The next place we stayed was St. Lucia. After Phinda it was heaven. Civilization! Hot water for showers! Not having to intoxicate the room with bug spray before we slept every night! Well OK we still that out of habit and paranoia but still lol. Five of us shared one villa on the one street town. This was the place to shop. Raveena wasted no time telling me that I can not bargain to save my life.

When we went to the beach I tried to get away with just sitting on the shore watching our things but Mrs. Tolifson wouldn’t have it. I went from screaming every time a wave hit me, to eventually riding the waves way up with Trent and Jason. On the second day none of us dared to actually ride the waves or we could have drowned. Raveena and I actually got pulled into a ride tide. It was all I could do to keep my head above water, let alone get out of the tide. When I drifted close enough Alex grabbed me and Austin swam out to Raveena when I screamed at him to do so. I would have done it myself but Alex wouldn’t let me go (literally). When they got back I thanked Austin more than Raveena did.

Riding on the beach might have been my favorite part. Raveena spent the entire time demanding Hemal control his horse who enjoyed licking the dried salt of people’s legs. She also had near death experience number three when her horse stepped in a crab hole. When Trent asked Austin if he was having fun he was promptly told to go to hell. Pretty self explanatory, Austin hates horses. His face expressions were priceless. It’s a good thing I got the horse I did because it wanted to race everyone else’s and I was the only one in that group who knew how to ride.

We went to a cultural village next and stayed in little round thatched huts.. The best Zulu dancer was the one who could kick their leg the highest and slam it down the hardest. Some how I won the competition, which is so weird because I can not dance at all. Out of the team building games we did I liked sling shots the best. I’d never shot one in my life but hit the coke can on my first try. After that I missed every time lol. I had so much fun with it I actually bought one lol. In one of the other games I managed to get about twenty paper thorns stuck in my hand. Trust me, those are hard to get out.

Daniel and Zander kept things interesting on our hike by singing Shadow of the Day when things started getting too dull. The last part of our trip was coming up as we headed back to Durban for the last few days. Wile we were there we visited the biggest mall in the southern hemisphere. To Raveena’s dismay all I bought for myself the entire trip was a guitar chord book.

Hemal and Raveena tried to play a trick on me by telling me it was raining outside when they thought it really wasn’t. They told me the rumbling sound I was hearing was thunder and I ran into the courtyard of the mall as fast as I could and sure enough it was pouring. When I slid back into McDonalds laughing like a lunatic and soaking wet they almost fell over in surprise.

Our biggest mall adventure was sneaking into a rated R movie. We told Jason to buy us eight tickets even though he was only thirteen himself, but could pass as sixteen. When he came back smiling like that freaky cat in the movie Alice in Wonderland we knew it had worked. They didn’t even look twice at us when we were going into the theater. Turns out the only fun part was actually getting in, the movie was a wasted three hours of my life. If you’ve seen Watchemen you will understand. And some poor souls saw it in the IMAX!

Toddlers and Homeschooling

2009-05-08T10:36:00.005-05:00

I tried to find some old photos of my kids as toddlers working with the family but they are not digital yet. Although I did find this one of Sofi working with us building a "stage". We were all hammering so we gave her a plastic hammer (later I found a small wooden one at the store that really worked and of course she liked that better) and let her work with us.

A few people have posted to the WaldorfSchoolOnline@yahoogroups.com today about what to do with toddlers when we are homeschooling. I have have three children and was very happy with the method I learned from our first Waldorf parent-child teacher years ago. She taught me that toddlers want to do what we are doing. Since then I have experienced that in so many different ways.

It was an adjustment for me at first. I have always been an independent person and even traveled to Europe by myself when I was 15. So to invite another person to participate in what I was doing on a regular daily basis - many times a day - was a new concept for me. However, as is the case, our children are our teachers in life. My children taught me much about being "together". The following paragraph is taken from the Waldorf Initiative Handbook that I created for the parents at my Waldorf school years ago:

A toddler longs for rhythm, repetition and activities which feel safe. As a parent, you should continue on your daily rhythm or schedule and then slowly add a child, or two, or three within your daily activity. Contact other mothers while your toddler is napping and arrange a play date at the park, or some other place where there is freedom to move about and nature or animals to explore. They key is that this is a natural event. Being a part of regular activities which the child is used to is calming to the child. The mother doesn't need to feel stressed that she needs to make a certain appearance and that she is "locked in" to a set period of time. This makes everyone a lot more comfortable, and when you are more comfortable and stress free, you enjoy the time more. Up until about 20 years ago, most children this age spent all of their time at home with mother and siblings. Play dates and groups are a relatively new concept. The age appropriate behavior for a child this age is to observe and learn by modeling YOUR behavior. Toddlers don't want too many friends and pre-planned activities, they want to do what you do! They enjoy hanging on your hip or standing along side of you doing the dishes, the laundry, going to the market, etc. These daily activities are learning experiences and a joy for children of this age to participate in. Reassure yourself that there is plenty of time for friends and organized learning later. They will have the rest of their lives to socially interact with other children, and in a few short years, they will rather run off to play with children than to spend time at your side. Don't worry about your child getting socialized. The same way they learned to talk and walk, they will learn to play and be social.

This was so true with all three of my children. I learned to integrate them into whatever we were doing. If I was cooking I would give them some tools or a task (if old enough or if they asked). If we were doing crafting I would give them some yarn, if we were painting I would give them a brush with water (although now they have those "Buddha Board" things I think my kids would have LOVED those!), anything I was doing I would let them be part of it in some way. So it is hard to answer the question "what should I do with my toddler?" in specifics. It depends on what you are doing already. And it is hard at first, if you are not accustomed to this method of interacting (although I suspect some people who grew up in larger families have this skill naturally) but it gets easier and easier. And as you become more creative, so does your toddler. You will soon find yourself integrating them into your daily routine without even thinking about it!

One thing that did not work for me was to give them toys and expect them to play while I worked with the other child or doing the housework. They would play with the wooden cows or dolls for a minute or two and then leave them and come to see what I was doing. However, if I set up a nice play area for them and then invited them to come "work" with me, they would often tire of what I was doing and go to their own area and play for much longer. This is because the toddler needs to feel they are always welcome. When they feel you are trying to get them to do something else they will feel fearful. They are not sure why, all they know is they feel a separation and that causes anxiety. So if you let them know that the channels are always open - that they are not shut out in any way - they will make the decision to be on their own in their own time. The minute you welcome them, they will stop feeling anxiety and life will be much easier for both of you.

Of course there are so many lovely times when all you want to do is sit down with them and play with puppets or dolls or eat their "pretend food" they made for you on that wooden stove! However, they need to know that sometimes you play with them and sometimes they need to play with you. That is a concept that many adults still need to learn - LOL - so we would do well to teach our children when they are young.

I also talk a bit about this concept in the lecture "What is Waldorf: Rhythms and Stages" at:

www.TheWaldorfChannel.com

Click on "Webinars"

There is a ten-minute sample there that talks about this age of child.

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

www.EarthSchooling.com

Planning Lesson Blocks in Waldorf & EarthSchooling

2009-04-20T12:08:00.004-05:00

A member asked me last week about using lesson blocks with my program. I apologize for the delay in answering, but I wanted to write something nice and comprehensive that everyone could use as this is an important subject. Thank you for your patience. And here is a very detailed answer to your question :)

Lesson Blocks in Waldorf Education
& How the EarthSchooling Program Uses Lesson Blocks
By Kristie Burns of http://www.earthschooling.com/

Note: This article is intended to be useful for all people following a Waldorf inspired method of schooling or enrichment. Even if you do not use the Earthschooling lesson plans you will find this article very helpful in your planning.

When Rudolf Steiner started the first Waldorf school, he established the “main lesson”—a two-hour class during which all academic subjects except for foreign languages would be taught. The subjects taught in the main lesson were studied for block of time lasting from three weeks to three months. There are many activities that would fall outside of the main lesson block category, however. These include nature walks , bread making, cooking and circle time (which happen daily), some crafts and handiwork (which naturally flow into some lessons even if they are not your main lesson block focus) and review (for example, you may include some math review in your circle time even if that is not your main lesson block focus).

Teaching in main lesson blocks is one of the most successful features of Waldorf education, for it allows teachers to cover the curriculum intensively and allows the students to become immersed. I know from experience with myself and my own students and children that immersion is the most effective way to learn many things. Learning in a block allows a student to open up to a subject slowly and naturally learn or to open up to it quickly and fully experience the joy of becoming completely involved in something.

One wonderful and unique aspect of the Earthschooling program is that you can choose to use the program as a monthly enrichment or you can use it to work in blocks with your child. This article will discuss:

A. The importance of blocks and how to use them
B. How to use the Earthschooling program as a block-method
C. Some specific examples for grade one – grade eight on how to plan the day

For ages 1-7 you will not be working in blocks. Instead you will follow a schedule that balances the head, heart and hands and breathing out activities with breathing in activities. I have provided a few sample schedules for this age in The Waldorf Year Planner that comes with your EarthSchooling lessons. Note also that foreign language, eurhythmy, yoga, nature walks, movement, some academic review and some music are not usually done in blocks. A child has exposure to these each week.

If you are wanting to follow a block system with my lesson plans or any other lesson plans then you would include verses, a nature walk, foreign language, and perhaps some review or “short lessons” in various subjects every day in the afternoon. In the morning, however, you would focus on one or two blocks of lessons. Some teachers hold firm to the “one block” at a time method. However, I find that with a smaller homeschooling class that two blocks can often be done at once as long as they are complimentary subjects. For example, if we are doing a lesson block on Native American stories we could easily do a grammar and writing block at the same time as these can “go together”. Or, if we are studying Greek Mythology it is also a natural time to do the block on Greece in general and learn more about the geography and culture of the country. I have provided a sample of our plans below which include two lesson blocks at a time. However, you can easily change them if you wish so instead of doing two lesson blocks during trimester one, you could do one lesson block at the first part of the trimester and another during the second half of the trimester. I have to admit I have also done that at times when my child needed that. I have three children and sometimes I have other children over for programs so the schedule below is an outline, but even I make changes and adaptions to it from time to time. As Steiner suggested, each teacher is unique. However, I hope this sample can inspire and guide you in your planning.

There is a large variance in the way teachers across the country do it. Even Steiner varied in the length of time he suggested that blocks be done. Some lasted as long as 3 weeks and others for 3 months. He also recognized that each teacher would need to establish this time for herself and her own class so he did not set an exact “rule” for an exact number of weeks for each subject. He suggested ranges of time. Additionally, you may plan to do a block for three months but feel “finished” at two months and want to move on. That is suitable too. Part of Waldorf education is to follow the natural rhythms of the child and life in general.

So How do I Integrate this into the Earthschooling Curriculum?
How Can I Use Another Curriculum in Block Format?

Each month of Earthschooling lesson plans focuses on one handiwork block, one literature block and one science block each month, so these are already planned into the year and in “block form”. If you look at the lesson plans for each month you will notice that I provide on only one or two handiwork lessons to focus on and only one or two science subjects per month. You may choose just one of these to focus on for your science block that month.

However, if you look at the literature I have provided each month you will find that I have provided more stories than anyone could use each month. This is so you can choose the block of literature that is most appropriate for your family, culture and season for that month. All the literature provided each month is age appropriate. You do not need to go through all the stories in one month – it is intended that you choose the ones appropriate for your block each month. However, if you are not working with a pure block method it is also completely acceptable to follow the stories each month as they are provided and according to your needs and preferences.
The only blocks that are not pre-planned each month are the math, cultural and language blocks. This is because we usually spend more than one month on these blocks. If you are a year or lifetime member you are given the math and language program for the year in block format to do when you want. If you are a monthly member you can purchase the math or language block in addition to your lessons (for only $7.50). However, I do provide a sample of each of these blocks each month so no matter what month you start in and no matter what month you are using to “try out” the program, you will have everything you need for that month without making additional purchases.

Specific Instructions on How to Block Out the EarthSchooling Lessons
Important Pre-Notes and Tips in Blocking:

1. You will notice that I have provided many more stories than you will use each month. This is so you have more freedom in your language block planning. Depending on your focus for that month you can choose stories only from that genre and then, after a few months, change the stories you are choosing. For example, in first grade you could do the following in three-month blocks: fables & folktales, learning stories, science stories, and finally, fairytales So for August, September and October you may only use the Fables in the lesson plans, for the next three months you may only focus on the science stories and for the next three months you would only focus on the fairytales. You would not be using all the stories each month anyway. There is not enough time.

2. I usually focus on two blocks at a time for one trimester each. For handiwork, science and literature I work in 4 week blocks. The main lessons below are trimester blocks that we do in the morning. The 4-week blocks of handiwork, science, foreign language and music we do in the afternoon. This is just a sample of what works for us. Additionally, I may sometimes lengthen or shorten a block depending on what my child’s needs are.

3. Note also that just because you are working in blocks does not mean you will not use the skills from all areas. For example for one trimester we may focus on language, but we will still use it the entire year. We will just not focus on it. Or we may focus on math for a trimester but we won’t avoid it the rest of the year when it comes up. As much as possible we try to integrate math and language studies into all of our lesson blocks. We also try to integrate science, music, geography and many things. So don’t limit your learning possibilities by closing your mind to “tie in” opportunities or even a little “unschooling” or child-led lesson planning. The blocks are a way to focus your lessons and not limit them.

4. In the summer months my children and I do blocks of handiwork and extra lessons such as nutrition, herbal studies, woodworking, storytelling and other subjects. I offer these blocks in the form of e-books at http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/ If we have not finished a block during the year we may also work on it during the summer.

5. The lists below are an outline. For comprehensive lesson plans please visit http://www.earthschooling.com/

Here are some specific guides for each age and how I organize our lessons…

First Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (counting, the four processes)
& Form Drawing (straight & curved lines), Folk Tales
Trimester Two: Language & Cultural Studies, Fairytales – European/Americas
Trimester Three: Drama & Writing, Fairytales – Asia, Australia, etc..
Afternoon:
Nature stories, nature walk
Nature based crafts & art
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages
(Note: Choose your foreign language. It can be any language. It does not have to be German. You should base this choice on your culture and the culture around you. When we were living in the Middle East our language was Arabic. Now that we are living in the USA our language studies are more focused on Spanish. As the kids grow older they also have their own needs. Sofi is now studying Japanese.)
Knitting/painting/block crayons/beeswax modeling/etc…depending on the monthly focus Pentatonic recorder

Second Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (basics, the four processes: focus on addition) & Form Drawing (linear) - Fables
Trimester Two: Lower Case Letters & Grammar – Legends (simple, not epic like King Arthur or Gilgamesh)
Trimester Three: Saints & Heroes (we always include local heroes here and saints from other cultures. Although we traditionally think of saints as Christian, they can be found in every religion)
Afternoon:
Nature stories, nature walk
Nature based crafts & art
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages
Foreign language games, poems and verses
Knitting/crochet/painting/block crayons/beeswax modeling/etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Pentatonic recorder

Third Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (Measurements of volume, space, money and time) – Cursive writing – Form Drawing (Vertical Symmetry).
Trimester Two: Grammar & Spelling – Native American stories (for the Australians in my program I include the aboriginal stories instead).
Trimester Three: First Part: Old Testament stories and/or stories from the religious book of your religion (writings of Buddha, Koran, etc…).
Trimester Three: Second Part: We do some of our Persian block here and include a bit about the Middle East too. Some schools of Waldorf thought advocate doing these blocks earlier. I agree because of the current state of world affairs.
Afternoon:
Housebuilding & gardening
Nature based crafts & art
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Complex knitting/crochet/painting/block crayons/beeswax modeling/etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Soprano recorder & reading music

Fourth Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (Division, Long Division) & Form Drawing (Celtic Knots)
Trimester Two: Grammar, Spelling & Essays – Local History & Geography (incl. mapping)
Trimester Three: First Part: Poetry – Norse Mythology
Trimester Three: Second Part: Zoology (we incorporate a lot of “hands on” here. There are a lot of local organizations, reptile rescue, ARL, zoo, vets, local colleges, local farms, that can provide a lot of “real life” education here.
Afternoon:
Nature based crafts & art
Field trips for local geography
Practice the four math processes. Weekly review.
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Complex knitting/crochet/embroidery/sculpture/drawing/painting/block crayons/beeswax modeling/etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Soprano recorder & continue to learn to read music & start learning to do duets or work in an orchestra situation – more than one instrument.

Fifth Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (decimals, metric system) & Geometry - India & Persia
Trimester Two: Grammar, Research & Reports, Different kinds of writing, pen pals & Ancient Egypt
Trimester Three: Greek Mythology & Greece – North American Geography
Afternoon:
Nature based crafts & art
Botany/Nature walks – Vary intensity of study/science –vs- exploration and discovery
Practice the four math processes. Weekly review.
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Phrases and poems in foreign language of your choice.
Complex knitting like socks and mittens/crochet/embroidery/sculpture/drawing/painting/block crayons/beeswax modeling/carving, etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Recorder & continue to learn to read music & start learning to do duets or work in an orchestra situation – more than one instrument. Do two and three-part rounds, harmonies and music from Persia, India, Greece, and Egypt.

Sixth Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Literature (Spelling, Biographies, Composition & Poetry) & Physics
Trimester Two: First Half: Math (ratio & estimation) & Latin America
Trimester Two: Second Half: Math (geometry) & Physics
Trimester Three: First Half: Rome & The Middle Ages & Astronomy (I like to put these together because I can tie in some astrology with the astronomy too and then talk about how hundreds of years ago the two subjects were one and not two different subjects).
Trimester Three: Second Half: Geology (We include minerals and gems and studies on their effects in healing too)
Afternoon:
Nature based crafts & art
Botany Review/Nature walks – Vary intensity of study/science –vs- exploration and discovery
Practice the four math processes.
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Communication phrases in foreign language of your choice.
Knitting and sewing toys and clothing/drawing/painting/charcoal and pencil drawing/clay/carving a spoon or small toy, etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Recorder & continue to learn to read music & start learning to do duets or work in an orchestra situation – more than one instrument. Do two and three-part rounds, harmonies and music from Latin America and Rome. This is a great chance to do some of that awesome Latin music!

Seventh Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Part One: Math (pre-algebra, geometry, negative numbers, cube root)
Trimester One: Part Two: Language (Writing reports, creative writing, spelling) & History (The Renaissance)
Trimester Two: Part One: Legends (such as King Arthur or other native legends from your region)
Trimester Two: Part Two: Physics (review and part two)
Trimester Three: Part One: Chemistry
Trimester Three: Part Two: European and African Geography (If you are able it is also a great time to invest in some travel. Children at this age are eager to learn geography from experience if possible. You can also start looking for opportunities for them to join groups of students that may travel to different locations around the world. Some of these opportunities may have funding available).
Afternoon:
Nature based crafts & art
Botany Review/Nature walks – Vary intensity of study/science –vs- exploration and discovery
Practice the four math processes.
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Communication phrases in foreign language of your choice. Start studying vocabulary lists and building vocabulary.
Knitting and sewing toys & clothing/drawing/painting/advanced drawing/advanced sculpting with clay/Advanced carving, etc…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Recorder & continue to learn to read music & start learning to do duets or work in an orchestra situation – more than one instrument. Do two and three-part rounds, harmonies and music from the Renaissance. Ballads are also a good choice for this age.

Eighth Grade:
Morning:
Trimester One: Math (algebra & geometry) & Shakespeare & Other classic literature of your region or culture.
Trimester Two: Part One: Organic Chemistry
Trimester Two: Part Two: American History & Current Events
Trimester Three: Part One: Geography of Asia, Australia and Antarctica
Trimester Three: Part Two: Physics
Afternoon:
Nature based crafts & art
Nature walks – Vary intensity of study/science –vs- exploration and discovery
Circle time including songs & verse in other languages & rounds
Communication phrases in foreign language of your choice. Start studying vocabulary lists and building vocabulary. Venture into some “real life” experiences.
Sewing with machines/drawing/painting/drawing portraits and animals/advanced sculpting with clay/Advanced carving, basic woodworking skills, making simple wood items…depending on the monthly focus in the lesson plans
Recorder & continue to learn to read music & start learning to do duets or work in an orchestra situation – more than one instrument. Do two and three-part rounds, harmonies and music.

End Note: If you have questions please e-mail me at: herbnhome@gmail.com - sometimes I forget to include something important because it is "in my head" and so familiar but I forget to mention it. If you find anything missing or have questions please tell me!

Easter Spring Surprise

2009-04-17T21:12:00.004-05:00

Before Sofi "decorated".....

Sofi at work....

After Sofi decorated the "eggs"...

I should have posted this a week ago - LOL - but the week went by so quickly and was so busy! But I am thinking next year this may inspire some people for spring celebrations so I will put it up now. When the kids woke up Easter morning they found a picture of a spring chick with some plain eggs on the chalkboard. Their job was to decorate the eggs! Just a little "twist" on the tradition of decorating eggs for Easter. I already have next year planned - I'm going to make a really big basket filled with eggs :) Sofi, age-10, really loved the surprise and went right to work "decorating" without any prompting at all.

A Unique "Easter Hunt"

2009-04-12T16:21:00.007-05:00

Our "Easter Eggs"....

As a healer I always try to find that "perfect herb" that fits the needs of my client's emotions, my clients physical body and my client's spirit. As a teacher I am always trying to find that "perfect task" or "perfect lesson" that fits the needs of the day, the needs of the family and the needs of the child all at one time.

Of course that does not always happen, but when it does - I get that wonderful feeling of harmony. Sometimes I feel my attempts are like the "orchestra warming up" or sometimes they are beautiful too and they are more akin to a soloist playing a beautiful instrument. However, those moments of being able to join and balance so many things at once - we have all experienced them - they feel like the orchestra playing the song. And you get this wonderful satsifaction of having been the conductor. You didn't play all the instruments, but you lead them and the musicians all did their parts beautifully, and the universe did its part beautifully and everything fell into place.

I love those moments.

Today we had a moment like that. It was a gorgeous days so we went out into the yard to rake leaves. It is a holiday but it needs to be done because our yard is very big and with only the children and I raking, we need to do a little bit each day on every nice day we can find or the tiny little spring buds will smother under the heavy leaf cover that was not raked last year.

The task started our joyfully enough because it was a nice day and raking leaves is fun if you feel like being outside and it is a nice day. I also noted that it was a wonderful opportunity for my daughter and I to spend some time together. However, the event started to take on more meaning as we continued. Sofi started talking about our spring plans for the garden so we planned out the entire garden in our minds as we raked. Then I had the idea to tie this into Easter on the off chance that Sofi might feel it was a bit unfair to work on Easter...so I mentioned that raking leaves was like an Easter egg hunt, only this time we were finding buds and new life in the ground instead of in the eggs. We talked about how the eggs also symbolize new life so it was fitting that instead of finding eggs we were actually finding the new life.

Then we decided to take pictures of each "Easter Egg" we found. Some "eggs" were not very pleasant, others were surprises of a different nature. However, in the end the event was so wonderful and joyous. We got a chore done, planned our garden, spent some wonderful time together, and even made it into a fun Easter Egg hunt so we stayed "true" to the holiday as well. All in all - an orchestra of an event :) A definate "step up" from last week when I dragged myself and my daughter out the front door and we quickly raked a bit while complaining we were cold!

Happy Easter everyone! May all your tasks today be filled with Easter joy!

PS: Note that this Easter hunt is the most fun if you have been very lazy the previous autumn and didn't rake your lawn much at all - LOL :) So now we are adding yet another accomplishment to the day - turning something negative into something positive! A very healing experience. My guilt and anger about not raking last autumn are now gone :)

Easter Snakes

2009-04-10T15:59:00.005-05:00

One of the ways we are celebrating spring is by doing a unit study on birth and the animal kingdom in general. We visited a goat farm last weekend and learned a lot about caring for baby goats. This week we visited the Iowa Reptile Rescue and cuddled with snakes and other reptiles. It is amazing how much the kids learn when they are able to interact with animals and their caretakers. The caretakers know so many intimate details about the animals and were very patient and happy to answer all of our questions. It was such an intimate and educational experience! I think the photos do a good job of showing just how "intimate" it was - LOL!

Of course it is always fun for the kids to visit local farms, animal centers and zoos. However, to make the experience as educational as possible (without doing a lot of research or preparation) I do the following:

1. Find small groups, organizations or farms that offer programs our tours for small groups. You can learn more and get more of a hands-on experience if your group is between 4 and 10 people.

2. Find opportunities where the tour leader or host(ess) are the direct caretakers of the animals so they have not only a general knowledge of the animals, but also a more detailed knowledge that comes from daily interaction with them and so they are more comfortable showing and allowing interaction with the animals.

3. Find situations where the children will be able to hold and interact with the animals instead of being told "Ok, now, just use one finger and touch the turtle very carefully" or where they will be seeing them behind bars.

4. Use these tours as a way to support local farms and organizations. By paying for tours or classes or purchasing products at the farms, you are supporting local business and wonderful organizations like "reptile rescue" or ARL.

5. Listen to what excited the children about the visit and ask THEM questions. Usually this gives them a chance to recall some of what they learned and it may also inspire them to look up some of the answers.

I would love to hear about other trips other people have taken. I am always looking for more ideas!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.earthschooling.com/

PS: Remember - For lessons and video tutorials you can join the member's BLOG at http://www.herbnhome.com/

My Child's Music

2009-04-04T17:00:00.003-05:00

I wasn't sure where to "BLOG" this topic. I keep a number of BLOGS so that readers don't get overwhelmed with all the excitement of everything I want to share. I have a BLOG for my philosophical ramblings for people who love to share philosophies, inner work, meditations on life and explorations. That is my Dream Angels BLOG.

I have another BLOG where I share information about nutrition, healing and natural living that applies to my family and friends in general.

This BLOG is dedicated to lessons using the Earthschooling and Waldorf methods. I like to keep it focused on one topic so people who are coming here know what they are going to find. They come here looking for lesson inspiration and that is what they will find!

However, this topic...just seemed to want to go here.

So....on to the topic...or rather, just a thought to share....

As a long time lover of live music, folk music and nature music, as a Waldorf educator and someone who has led their children through circle times filled with holistic music I am set up to be the ideal parent that would say "Hey - don't listen to that loud rock music." In fact, I have to admit, I don't understand the attraction. I prefer different music, I am perplexed at why my son would want to listen to this music and why my daughter would join a band that plays this music.

Ooooh...there is this little part of me that is just dying to say, "Hey stop that right now. Go play some nice violin, acoustic guitar or harp or something" or "How about this Donovan CD?"

But instead I chose to allow each child to listen to what they wanted, when they wanted and I found out wonderful things. It became a new way for them to communicate with me.

Both of my older children, ages 12 and 14, are going through those years of their life when they become more focused on their own peer group, the world at large, a less focused on the home life. They may remain attached and loving with the family, but their inner world becomes more and more private, like that of an adult. It is a hard for many parents who are used to reading their child like an "open book" who then, all of a sudden find the book has closed.

Listening to my child's music has opened that book for me. They choose what to listen to and what their favorite songs are. And when I am very lucky they share these favorites with me. Today my son came to me and said "I want you to listen to my favorite song". It was an amazing insight into what is going on in his mind.

It was much like the art therapy that some people use on children when they are little or the color and painting therapy that anthroposophic doctors use on children. Both of these methods are based on the idea that if you can SEE what the child is producing you also have an opportunity to see into their mind. Many therapists use art therapy as a way to gain insight into small children who may be experiencing challenges or illnesses that they are not able to fully describe.

The same happens when you listen to the music your child is listening to. You gain insight into what they, as an older child, may not want to share directly. It is their way of communicating with the world and with you.

So let's celebrate listening to music we may not enjoy! Or at least, when my child asks me to listen in.

Ten Days of Spring - Day THREE

2009-03-23T14:44:00.005-05:00

This is a sample only. For day 1 & 2 and day 4 - 10 you can order the March or April lesson plans. If enough people are interested in this lesson as a download (like the other E-books at http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/) I can also post it there. Remember - you don't have to start the ten days on the first day of spring (well, unless you live in Persia...LOL). We are sharing poetry and songs and stories from Christian, Muslim, Zoastrian, Traditional and Other Persian sources during these ten days.

Day Three

On the third day we will tell a story about poetry and poetic justice. This goes well with the Samagh (sumac berries) which represent the sun and the triumph of good over evil. In this story the Caliph learns that good DOES triumph over his evil intentions. And how could we forget the traditional song for Noruz itself AND of course, no Persian lesson is ever complete without Rumi. Did you know he is actually the most popular poet in America today? Amazing! I found a wonderful poem by him that includes the sun. I also included two lovely poems at the end for the parents or your older children. The first, about crying is so beautiful. The first days of Spring always make me want to cry a bit – it is like a release of all that pent up energy from the winter and is a wonderful cleansing of the soul. The second poem about “myself” can be for you or it can also be recited with an older child and go with the NoRuz table item of the mirror.

Traditional NoRuz Song

Haji Firuz-e / Sal-i ye ruz-e حاجی فیروزه / سالی یه روزه

Hame midunan / Manam midunam همه میدونن / منم میدونم

Eyd-e Nowruz-e / Sal-i ye ruz-e عید نوروزه / سالی یه روزه

It's Haji Firuz /

only one day a year Everyone knows /

I know as wellit is Nowruz/

It's only one day a year.

Note: This is usually sung on the first day of Noruz. However, the celebrations go on for ten days. And I do have to admit, one of my favorite things about celebrating holidays from over the seas is that my kids won’t notice if I am a day or two behind – LOL J

Ruba'ie #199 – Part Two - Rumi

Behold the day!

Before the sun's resplendent ray

No candle that did ever flame

But hangs its head in shame.

Rôz âmad -ô- rôz

har cherâgî ke fûrôkht,

Dar shû'leh-e âftab jûz rûsvâ nîst.

Vocabulary
Rôz = Day

Âmad = Came, arrived

Ô = also can be written "va" means and

Har = Each, every

Cherâg = Lamp

Ke = That, which

Fûrôkht = Kindled

Dar = Before

Shû'leh = Ray, flame

Âftâb = The Sun

Jûz = Except, but

Rûsvâ = Disgrace

The Poet’s Triumph

Once upon a time in Baghdad there lived a famous caliph, well known for his love of literature and poetry. The caliph was a wise man, and he had a remarkable memory. Whenever he heard someone recite a poem, he memorized it.

Now the caliph wished to open a grand library, but he was also greedy, and so he came up with a plan to save money. You see, in the caliph's court there was a servant who also had an astonishing memory. This man could memorize anything he'd heard more than once.

With this in mind, the caliph announced to all the poets that he was seeking poetry to purchase for the library. He invited all the writers to come to court and recite their work, and for original work, he would reward the creator with a sum of money equal in weight to the material on which the work was composed.

Poets lined up at the courthouse steps, eager to read their work to the caliph.

The first man entered and bowed. "I shall read you an ode," he announced.

"And is it original?" the caliph asked.

"It is," the poet said.

"Let me warn you," the caliph said, "if anyone in this court already knows this work, I shall know you are telling a lie. Now, please begin."

And so the poet read his work aloud.

When he had finished, the caliph cleared his throat, and without a moment's hesitation, he recited every word he had just heard. When he finished he said, "You claim those are your words, and yet I have just proven to you that this poem is already known."

"But sir," the poet protested, "I swear these words are mine and mine alone."

"Very well," the caliph said, "we shall make one more test," and so he called the servant who had been listening the whole time; he, of course, had heard the poem twice.

The servant stood before the caliph and the poet, and he too recited the poem, word for word.
"Ah," the caliph said, stroking his chin, "even my servant knows this work. We cannot pay for words that are not yours."

The poet bowed his head in shame and shuffled away.

The next poet entered. Once again the caliph asked his questions, and once again, as soon as the poet finished reading his work, the caliph and then his servant recited those very words. Once again the poet departed in shame.

This went on for hours.

Now one of the caliph's friends, also a poet, was listening closely all this time, and because he knew of the caliph's fine memory, he was suspicious. He came up with a plan of his own to test the caliph's promise.

He had long before composed a piece of 10,000 difficult and complicated verses. He etched the words upon an enormous slab of marble, and when he had finished, he and his friends placed the slab upon the back of a camel. In this way they transported the work to the caliph's courtroom.
Wearing a disguise so that the caliph did not recognize him, the caliph's friend announced that he too wished to read a piece.

Once again the caliph announced his rules, and the poet began.

He read for hours, and as he read, the caliph began to sweat. The words were far too complicated even for the caliph, and as the time passed, he realized he would not be able to play his trick upon this poet.

Just as the sun began to set, the poet finished reading.

The caliph smiled. "It is a beautiful poem," he said, "and obviously it is original. Bring forward your manuscript so that I can weigh it, and we shall pay you."

His friend bowed. "I hope the caliph will forgive me, but I had no paper, so I wrote this upon a slab of marble."

The caliph stared in amazement as a group of men carried the heavy slab forward. "I see," he said, again and again, but he knew he would have to pay a great sum of money, for a caliph must never break his word. "You shall be paid," he said.

And then his friend smiled and removed his disguise. "I have done this only to teach the caliph something," he explained. "The poets are not wealthy men; their wealth is in their words. You have been unfair by using your memory to trick them. Whatever you can spare, you ought to pay them, for payment will cause you no hardship but bring some ease to their lives, and so they will create more and more works of beauty. In this way the world will be a better place."
The caliph understood, and he agreed, but he could not help himself. He still longed to test his people.

And so, the next day when a poet came to court, the caliph listened to his poem. When the poet was finished, the caliph said, "You have a choice. I will pay you in gold from our treasury, or I will offer you three pieces of invaluable wisdom."

Naturally the poet did not want the caliph to think him greedy or uninterested in the caliph's wisdom, and so he answered, "Your wisdom is worth more than any treasure, Caliph."

The caliph was pleased to hear this, and he began. "First, make sure you do not wear clothes that are worn through. Second, when you work, take great care with your words. And third ..."
But before the caliph could complete his sentence, the poet cried out, "Wait! Please keep your third piece of advice and give me one-third of my reward in gold."

The caliph nodded, and he paid the poet for one-third of his work. He never wanted anyone to say the caliph was unfair.

Some Rumi for the Parents or Older Children

Ruba'ie #241

Leap, leap!

for the rhyme

Of the soul is afoot;

The sweet drum keeps time

With the soft reed's note.
Sorrow's fires of old

More fiercely leap;

Let thy grief be told;

It is time to weep.

Bar jah!

ke Samâ'-e rôh

bar pâ shûdeh ást,

V-ân Daf chô shekar harîf-e ân nây shûdeh ást.

Sôdây-e qadîm âtash afzây shûdeh ást,

An hây-e tô kô?

ke vaqt-e heyhât shûdeh ást.

Vocabulary
Bar jah! = Leap

Ke = That

Samâ' = Whirling, the Sufi dance

Rôh = Soul, spirit

Bar pâ = Afoot, rise up

Shûdeh ast = Has become

V-ân = "Va ân", and that

Daf = Drum

Chô = Like, liken

Shekar = Sugar

Harîf = Campanion, friend

Ân = That

Nây = "Ney", Reed

Sôdâ = Passion

Qadîm = Old

Âtash = Fire

Afzây = Increasing, leap

Hây =Grief, moarn

Tô = Youkô? = Where is it?

Vaqt = Time

Heyhât = Alas, here means weep, cry

Ruba'ie #77

For years, copying other people,

I tried to know myself.

From within, I couldn't decide what to do.

Unable to see, I heard my name being called.

Then I walked outside.

Yek chand be Taqlîd ghôzîdam khûd râ,

Dar khûd bûdam,

zân nasazîdam khûd râ.

Nâdîdeh hamî nâm shanîdam khûd râ,

Az khûd cho borôn shudam, bédîdam khûd râ.

Vocabulary

Taqlid = Imitation, copy

Ghozidan = to choose, to select

Sazidan = to deserve,

Nasazidan is the negative form of the verb.

Shanidan = to listen

Bedidan = to see

Khud rAa = myself

Note: m at the end of all verbs refer to "I", for example, Shanidam means I listened. Bedidam, I saw...

To honor the unity of this holiday on day four we will sing some Christian Persian songs.

Ten Days of Spring Stories & Verses

2009-03-21T14:05:00.004-05:00

I will be posting a ten-days of spring celebration for March EarthSchooling Members (http://www.earthschooling.com/) . If you sign up for Earthschooling April I can also include you in the posts.

I think one reason I love celebrating NoRuz is that it lasts ten days and it gives my "overscheduled" self a chance to celebrate atmy own pace :) My daughter chose to celebrate it this year because she wanted a fish (LOL).

Alan Whitehead recommended doing a G3 unit on Persia and standard Waldorf curriculum places Persia in G5. We are doing it with G4 and G6 child here.

However, even if you are not doing the Persian studies unit you can still enjoy the ten-days of spring celebration with the March lesson plans. I've included pictures, stories and verses to go with each day. All the stories and verses are from traditional Persian sources and I even have the verses transliterated in Persian so you can sing them in Persian :)

Sign up for EarthSchooling April at http://www.earthschooling.com/ and I will include you on the mailing list for the Ten-Days of Spring.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Pay it Forward Gifts On Their Way!

2009-03-16T17:24:00.005-05:00

I have started the ball rolling with FIVE sacks. The names of the recipients are posted at the Earthschooling NING (a free forum of all! Everyone is welcome!) at:

http://earthschooling.ning.com/

If you want to follow the sacks you can visit:

My Profile and Sacks:

http://wrapsacks.com/tas_wrapster/25519

OR The Bags at:
http://wrapsacks.com/track-a-sack/24312
http://wrapsacks.com/track-a-sack/24313
http://wrapsacks.com/track-a-sack/24314
http://wrapsacks.com/track-a-sack/24315
http://wrapsacks.com/track-a-sack/24311

Here are some pictures of what I sent out (I'm not telling what I sent to who ;)

When you receive a sack you need to go to www.wrapsacks.com and enter that you have received it. When you send it you need to go to www.wrapsacks.com and enter that you sent it. THEN tell me who you sent it to and I will post their name on the Earthschooling NING Forum (Topic: Pay it Forward). When you send it please choose someone who is NOT on the list at the end and beginning of this message. I will update this list on an ongoing basis.

If the time comes when everyone on the list has had a "turn" you can start sending to the same people again. At that point I will put numbers by people's names to indicate how many times they have received the sack. ALSO, if you have the exact item someone needs it is OK to send them the sack even though they already received one. Just tell me so I can put a number by their name.

Thank you for participating.

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.earthschooling.com/

Spring Cleaning in the Craft/Homeschooling Room

2009-03-11T11:28:00.004-05:00

I am SOOOO excited about our new craft and homeschooling space! It has been clean all year - keeping my office, kitchen and homeschooling room clean are top priorities around here (although the rest of the house may not look so good sometimes and don't even look in the garage). However, I don't think we realize how "bogged down" a place can get - even if it is clean and organized. Even the most organized spaces need a spring cleaning.

It was not intentional. I started because I had purchased some new crafting supplies - terra cotta clay, some more beeswax, etc...and I didn't have anywhere to fit them. One thing led to another and two days later we had completely re-arranged the rooms, we steam cleaned the carpets (I can't even believe it went THAT far LOL) for the first time in two years, we organized everything again, cleaned everything, sorted, etc....

The results are amazing! The kids have already spent much more time in the room than they usually do and their self-initiated activities have increased significantly (now that they can find everything and know where it is again). Even I am more inspired in my lesson planning. I think we have gotten more done this week than we did in the past month. WOW!

So I took some pictures to share with you all. I am just so excited. I have to share!

I posted a slide show at the NING. I didn't want to have to edit the pictures down but there are too many for the BLOG.

Also, if you are interested, I have a few videos and downloads about organization at http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/ - if you can't find them and are interested I can send you a direct link. They are really helpful videos! Especially the E-book/Video combo of "Organizing for the Temperaments"

Enjoy the photos at:
http://earthschooling.ning.com/photo/albums/craft-homeschooling-area

PS: Someone mentioned the white walls - sigh! Don't remind me - LOL :) I have moved so many times in the past twenty years & each time I repaint the walls and create a wonderful garden and then we move. I'm sorta on a "break" waiting to see if this house "sticks" - but this does remind me of two tricks I want to share if you have white walls - drape scarves on your walls. We have one that looks like the sunset in the livingroom (see pictures) and another that looks like a rainbow in the art room (no picture, sorry). We also have one small wall that I made (just last week) into a blackboard and I will be posting some fun we are having with that. Another wall is dedicated to the children's art so that brightens up things a bit too. These things really help if you are "stuck" with white walls!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Fairytales and Language

2009-03-11T10:37:00.001-05:00

For EarthSchooling members who purchased the 1st grade lesson plans, 2nd grade lesson plans, Year Members and Lifetime Members:

I am so excited about this guide that member Kimberly created. WOW. You will LOVE this! You will find it at the bottom of your member page with the following note:

Member Contributions & Extras

This section contains extras and member contributions. Our first contributor is Kimberly, who shares with us her amazing database of learning fairytales - this is a multicultural list with a column that tells you what letter, number and/or lesson you can introduce for each fairytale. Fairytales are labelled by age group from KG to G3 and span numerous cultures from Ancient Aztec and Native American to European and American culture. Original stories by Kimberly are also included as well as links to all the other stories so you can easily access them. Thank you Kimberly! This is an amazing contribution and so useful. I wish I would have had this when my kids were little!

You can download it from your website right now if you are a year or Lifetime member or if you purchased lesson plans for KG, G1 or G2.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

A Special Birthday Cake

2009-03-06T19:50:00.007-06:00

Abby leave the frosting alone!

Note: For a weekly peek into our Waldorf day (including pictures of lesson plans and lessons) I invite you to join us at www.herbnhome.com for the member's BLOG :)

Last week Sunii, age 12, and I did something very special. Or, to put it more accurately, Sunii did something very special and I was his assistant! He was very specific about what I could and could not do so mostly he had me go "fetch" things - LOL - while he made his sister a three-tier birthday cake. The most amazing thing for me was that we used the same cake set that my mom and I used to use when I was 10-years-old! My mom actually had it in her basement years ago and gave it to me when I was first married. I have kept it since then but had only used it before with my eldest daughter. The pan was then lost for some time so I had to wait until Sunii was older to use it with him. My favorite quote was when Sunii said, "Make sure everyone knows I made the cake" before 12 of Sofi's friends came over for the party!

For a weekly peek into our Waldorf day (including pictures of lesson plans and lessons) I invite you to join us at www.herbnhome.com for the member's BLOG :)

March Lesson Plans 2009 Version

2009-02-25T14:00:00.002-06:00

Dear Members,

Well, it isn't Friday to share a BLOG or Sunday to share about business but since I was ill with a stomach bug this weekend I'm posting today instead since this is time-related information.

March Lesson Plans Version 2009

The EarthSchooling/Waldorf lesson plans for March 2009 are now ready at www.EarthSchooling.com .

March Lesson Plans Include:
Complete Curriculum for PreSchool, KG, First and Second Grade
80% Curriculum for 3rd & 4th Grade (You only need to supplement about 20%)
Enrichment Curriculum and Activities for 5th Grade and Up

Each E-book is divided into sections by age group. Each section includes:
* Verses & MP3s for the Verses
* 3 Video Tutorials (for the parent/teacher)
* Recipes
* Stories
* Lessons
* Language Lessons
* Math Lessons
* Science Lessons
* Crafts & Handiwork
* Full Index for easy planning
* Word and Topic search feature for "quick lesson access"

NEW FEATURES for 2009 include:

*Sheet Music
* March Yoga Cards by Sofi and Mama for your circle time
* Vintage Books
* Form Drawing Videos

Once you purchase a month you remain a member for life and you receive all the updates for that month. You can also choose to purchase a year or Lifetime membership. All memberships are purchased on a one-time purchase basis. Once you pay for the month, year or lifetime, you are a member FOR LIFE. You do not need to continue paying each year or pay for the same month twice. Some people have been confused by this, because my prices are so low, they just assume that I am charging "per month" as long as they want to remain a member. You pay only ONCE for each month, year or membership.

If you want to upgrade to a year or lifetime membership after your first purchase you are given credit for any lesson purchases you made in the past 30-days.

Additionally, when you purchase a month of lesson plans you receive these FREE E-books that help you get organized. You don't need them to use the lessons. The lessons can "stand alone" but they are helpful reference books and can enrich your homeschooling life and save you money and time no matter what program you are using:

Waldorf Basics
The Waldorf Year Planning Guide
Organization for Homeschoolers
How to Print and Use E-books (to save time and money)

You can see a full list of membership benefits at: www.EarthSchooling.com

Blessings & Health,
Kristie Burns

A Winter Walk

2009-02-13T19:40:00.006-06:00

We had a gift this week - a day of 60-degree weather sandwiched bewteen endless days of below-zero chilling winds and today's raging blizzard. Sofi didn't waste a minute of that day. The minute she discovered it was warm she grabbed me and said, "let's go for a walk". I had not heard those words for so long! It seemed like forever since she had said that. "Mama, let's go for a walk."

Sometimes the winters can seem like forever here - it makes me so thankful for the spring and summer! This walk was particularly magical because there was still (rapidly melting) snow on the ground, puddles of ice and snow and all sorts of wonderful things you usually don't see on a spring walk - and yet it was warm! Additionally, we were warm enough to be able to enjoy all the bare winter trees and bushes - their wonderful shapes and features. On any normal winter day we would have just rushed by them and not noticed how beautiful they were.

My favorite part was telling Sofi - "Sofi! Make sure you walk in the puddles!"
LOL. Usually we tell the kids to make sure they stay out of the puddles if they don't have boots on and we are going somewhere (Sofi and I were headed to a Mexican restaurant) but this day it was actually dangerous to stay out of the puddles because everything else was still ice. Sofi thought it was so funny that I kept saying "Sofi - be sure to walk in the puddles!"

We have been on this walk so many times, but it was never like today. I don't know if we will ever have a walk like this again. It was such a rare moment I wanted to share it with everyone.

Can a Non-Waldorf Toy Become REAL Like the Velveteen Rabbit?

2009-02-05T16:26:00.008-06:00

Important Note: You may copy this e-mail/BLOG post to any list or location you want. However please include the title, my name and website listed below. ALSO include the important note that comes with this article in italics.

Can a Non-Waldorf Toy Become Real?
Waldorf and the Velveteen Rabbit
by Kristie Burns
www.EarthSchooling.com

Important note: Before you read this article and start thinking that I am advocating a mass purchase of items made in China to be transformed into "Waldorf toys on the cheap" - I am definately not. This article is simply an illustration of how we can look into the deeper meanings of education, toys, our health and healing and our relationships. It is an article created to open your mind to new ideas and not intended to be taken as an "instruction manual on how to transform non-Waldorf toys". These are ideas to ponder and be applied to life in general and not "rules to be followed". I hope that makes sense and that this article is taken in the spirit to which it was intended. This article attempts to go beyond "toys".

Since childhood my favorite story was the Velveteen Rabbit. I always imagined my own stuffed animals were real and had entire lives they lived out when I was sleeping. As a child this was a fantasy. However, as an adult I have come to realize how much of a reality this is. Not in the same way I imagined as a child (although one never knows), but in a different way - those things that we love and are loved become REAL the more they are loved. Items can also become REAL with other emotions but what I am using as an example in this little article is how toys that are non-Waldorf can become REAL Waldorf toys. Can this happen?

First we need to know what makes a toy a Waldorf toy - it must come from nature and be imbued with a healthy spirit. So a pine cone can be a Waldorf toy but a pine cone sprayed with gold spray-paint would not "qualify" as Waldorf. A hand-carved wooden rabbit can be a Waldorf toy, but a wooden puzzle carved in a factory by a machine cannot fully "qualify". Using the first example, our criteria is purely physical. Using the second example our criteria is both physical and spiritual. An object made from natural materials takes on a healthier spirit if it is handmade with loving intent.

So what might happen if an object has the later qualification but does not have the former? Can an object made of synthetic materials become a Waldorf toy?

To answer this question you first need to decide how pure your "Waldorf Toy" standard is already and what you consider to "qualify" in your home and admit that there is, actually a "grey area" in this arena - as there is in every arena in life. Life is not "black and white" - it is made up of the grey areas too.

Do you only let your child play with objects directly from nature gathered only in a spiritually sound manner (naturally fallen without trauma by birds or people) and then left to be or made into the shape of a toy by a peaceful perfectly balanced person using natural tools in a natural environment who was in a positive mood that day? Simply for the purposes of my example I will call these "100% Waldorf toys"

Or is your standard that the toys simply need to be made from natural materials? Do you sometimes purchase wooden items made from companies that form their wooden toys using machines (even in Germany some of the wooden toys are made by machine)? Do you purchase handmade natural toys without checking the history and conditions of the person making them? Again, simply for purposes of the example (and keeping in mind that there is NO official scale system out there) I will call these %50-80 Waldorf toys.

Some toys would not fall into the Waldorf category at all. Plastic toys made in China and purchased at the dollar store are not made from natural materials and were most likely made by under-paid laborers who work in less than ideal conditions. We can call these 0% Waldorf toys.

My question is - could a toy's spiritual energy overcome it's original state of physical being to climb higher on our imaginary percentage scale?

How could this happen?

First, we need to remember that objects are not really solid, as they appear. Rather, things are just matter or atoms, somewhat pressed together, with space in between them. What fills this space is something that has fascinated scientists for many years and been the subject of numerous and ongoing scientific studies. The second thing we need to remember is that heat is the transfer of kinetic energy from one medium or object to another, or from an energy source to a medium or object. Such energy transfer can occur in three ways: radiation, conduction, and convection. However, heat is not the only energy that can be transferred from one object to another. Spiritual energy can also be transferred.

This can be visually shown through the many experiments of Masaru Emoto (see his website at: http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.html) who has exposed water to various conditions and then taken pictures of the resulting crystals that are formed. This can also be personally experienced by trying a little Psychometric tool - Psychometry is a widely used form of mediumship, and involves holding an object, and discerning events which may evolve around the object's owner. If you have ever seen a detective or police show on TV you have most likely seen this skill used more than once. It is widely used as a means to track down people when there are no physical clues left behind.

To try this yourself you need a friend or family member. Ask them to bring an object that you know nothing about. Hold the object for a few moments, trying to sense an energy, and then give out the impressions which you receive. Most people will be able to sense or feel something from holding certain objects. This "something" is the energy, and a medium skilled in psychometry will be able to translate that energy into events which may be related to the object and its owner. These skills have been tested in scientific labs in recent years, and have resulted in a positive identification of these energies either through special photographic techniques or wavelength readings.

Now, pick up a well-loved "non-Waldorf" toy from your child's room. Every "Waldorf child" has at least one toy that was given to them by a grandmother, they purchased with their allowance or was given to them by their favorite friend that is made of completely synthetic materials. Physically, this would put it on the 0% Waldorf scale. However, what about the spirit of the object? What about the space in-between the atoms? What about the energy that object contains? As you hold that object try to feel the love that child has put into it. Much like the Velveteen rabbit, that object may well be tattered and missing parts. But it has been transformed into something by that love. You will find that you are no longer holding a 0% Waldorf toy but something that goes beyond the 50% level.

This process also reminds me of something that happens in my healing work. Over and over again I have seen people overcome their physical disabilities or illnesses with prayer and positive energy more than with herbs, nutrition and a perfect lifestyle (which are also important but not the ONLY factor). This is yet one more example of how the spiritual - the unseen energies of life can overcome the seen - or physical factors in life.

Once we learn to consider all factors in our environment and in our bodies we come closer to achieving what we want to achieve with our children and their environment and education - we can see beyond what toys they have, what lesson plans we have and what "things" we are doing and have - and offer them more depth in their educational experience.

Small Spaces & Waldorf

2009-01-26T18:47:00.004-06:00

The question came up on the list this week about how one could work within a small space. What essentials would a person need to homeschool within a space budget? List members have shared some great ideas for essential toys, crafting items and books. One of my favorite ideas was to use a window ledge as a nature table. This reminded me of all the other ways in which we creatively fit things into small spaces. We used to live in a condo and had very little space, but even now that we live in a house it seems that we still don't have enough space because my imagination is endless! If I had unlimited space and money I would have a music room, a craft room, a library, and...well, you get the idea! Even people with a lot of space can benefit from space saving ideas.

When I think of fitting a lot into a little space the first thing I do is try to scale everything down. Instead of purchasing large paper, you can purchase smaller sizes of watercolor paper. Instead of using an entire table for the nature table, why not use the window ledge, as a couple members already pointed out? Other things you can downsize -

1. A small table-top puppet theater can substitute for an entire shelf of wooden figures or even for a larger puppet show. This little theater is small and portable. It is also easy to store and easy to access when you want to use it for storytelling time (see picture).

2. There are so many things that are "table top" nowadays - how about a table-top blackboard? A table-top easel?

3. Instead of shelves with large baskets you can place smaller baskets of crafts and items around the house in different areas.

4. Instead of large blocks you can buy a small set of architecture blocks.

5. Instead of a piano or guitar or violin you can go with the traditional Waldorf recorder and/or kinder-harp. These are much smaller than the instruments many children play today and take less space to store.

6. Instead of a large dollhouse you can have the dolls live under a wooden mushroom, in a tree house (made from a trunk) or in a small tent.

7. Instead of a doll-bed, the dolls can co-sleep with the "little parent".

8. Instead of a stroller for the doll a child can use a miniature version of a sling to carry their doll.

Whatever you are thinking of buying think about what smaller versions there may be available. Of course, smaller is not always "better" if the child is 3 or under and still putting objects in their mouth. However, children over the age of 4 or 5 seem to have a fascination with small objects and toys. The popularity of "Polly Pockets" and "Littlest Pet Shop" mainstream toys have proven that with their great success in the mainstream market.

Reading and Writing in Waldorf Education

2009-01-21T10:37:00.004-06:00

Sixth-Sense Reading & Writing
Waldorf First & Second Grade

Note: This is traditionally done in second grade, however, if your child is already advanced or working ahead they will be doing some of these in first grade. For Kindergarten & traditional First Grade lessons see the E-book “Sixth Sense Language” at www.TheWaldorfChannel.com under “E-books”

Introduction………………………………………………………………page 2
The Steps to Reading in Waldorf Education……………………………..page 4
Phonics in Waldorf Education…………………………………………….page 5
Lessons……………………………………………………………………page 7
Reading Verses for Circle Time & Lessons………………………page 9
Basic Main Lesson Stories………………………………………...page 20
Letter Blend Games…………………………………………….…page 29

Introduction

One of the most common questions I see in Waldorf education is how do children learn how to read? Parents are amazed that traditionally Waldorf educators start teaching letters in first grade and don’t even start reading until second grade in some cases. Of course if a child is ready before then, a teacher can take their lead and gently provide them with additional resources. However, to force an artificial situation on the child is detrimental to their learning process. Children’s minds are like a garden of roses. They will open and bloom with the right ingredients, but if you rip them open instead they will have to settle for their knowledge and understanding of the subject being partial, or being “glued back” together in some semblance of order.

The same happens when children learn how to read. In the methods most common today children are taught the abstract before the understanding. This leaves a gap in their relationship with language so that even if they do learn how to read, they may never really have the love of reading and writing that they could. In some cases, other gaps may show up later like poor spelling ability or difficulty with composition.

To approach reading from the standpoint of Waldorf education one must also learn as a teacher to understand reading before thinking of it in the abstract. We talk about reading as if it was an abstract foreign concept. However, it is as natural as learning how to speak. As teachers, we need to see reading as something natural rather than abstract. We start from there. Keep this in mind as you read this information below. I am writing this to allow you, as the teacher, to enter into a different way of seeing reading and to provide you with some translation of ideas from mainstream to Waldorf.

Most of what you will read below is intended for the teacher. The only items that should be shared with the students are the lessons. What I (or you) did to create the lessons should be seen only with our adult minds – because it is abstract. So children should not be given lists of “Dolch words” and told to copy them or learn them with flash cards, they should not be given worksheets with phonics on them with the endings in big bold letters. Both of these methods alienate the child from the concept of reading. We can see these worksheets and lists and understand them. However, the child can better understand a lesson coming from them and not the lists themselves.

However, first, before we start the lessons we need to understand what reading is. So what is reading? Reading is a process by where we learn to associate symbols with meanings. To be good at this we need to have a skill for imagination, creation, and visualization.

Think of all the stories that exist about books coming alive and words coming off the page into pictures. These books have brought to life what is happening inside a child’s head when they read. But how can this happen if a child is not allowed to cultivate their imagination and visualization skills?

Imagine a child who is asked to sit and look at a letter “R” at a young age. They are told this letter has a sound and if you put that with an “ED” it has another sound and it actually means the color red. You are asking a child to do abstract thinking when they are much too young for this kind of thought. In fact, most classes that are commonly known to involve abstract thinking (philosophy for one) are not even taught until High School or College.

Now imagine that you tell a child to look at an “R” and imagine all that this “R” can be. There is a story about the “R” and the “R” has adventures and the child is allowed to feel the “R” and be the “R” and identify with it as a character with personality. Stories are told about all the letters and they come alive in form, pictures and verse.

Now, tell this child that this letter is going to transform itself into a word to mean “red”. This is now in the realm of the imagination where anything is possible. Princesses can have hair as tall as a castle tower, birds can talk, swans can turn into boys and “R”s can turn into the word “red”. Anything is possible. This is not abstract – it is imagination.

So how can you cultivate this imagination and ability to see words in a different way? By reading, telling stories, telling many fairytales and allowing the child to slowly develop a relationship with the language.

The second most important change we need to make in our minds as teachers is to allow ourselves to believe that reading is natural. It was a natural progression of humankind to develop reading and writing, It is a natural progression in the human being themselves.

Traditional methods approach reading as if it were unnatural. Reading is IMPOSED into a structure and into an environment as if it was “work” – it is put forth as “now we will do our reading now”. We have language homework and language workbooks and even entire reading classes and programs. And many people argue that “they work” and are so happy when their 3-year-old is reading. But have they ever asked themselves HOW did it work? And is this going to have good long-term effects on my child? I have seen some children ready to read at early ages and approach it with joy and intuition. However, for so many children it is imposed upon them.
Think of reading as an extension of language. Telling stories to a child develops the ability to tell stories, just as speaking to a child develops their ability to converse. In the same way reading to a child and letting them become familiar with language develops their ability to read. When your child is just learning how to talk do you remove them from their daily life and say “ok, now we are going to practice talking now”?

Not usually.

We need to think of reading in the same way. Instead of removing the child from their life and saying “we are going to practice reading now” you can make it part of their life in the form of telling stories, reading them stories, doing activities with letters, reciting verses and simply enjoying language.

The Steps to Reading in Waldorf Education

The rest of this E-book which includes the rest of this essay and many lessons can be purchased at:

E-book Downloads

Science Through Herbs & Healing

2009-01-11T13:57:00.003-06:00

Dear Members,

For Sunday Sharing I would like to share a curriculum I have had available for some time but have not had listed on the main EarthSchooling website. It has been tucked away at the new (and thus not many visitors yet) www.TheNaturalLivingChannel.com for some months now so I am trying to get the word out to more people. I have now placed descriptions about this curriclum on the Earthschooling site at:

Kids Can Heal

These classes provide you and your child with a unique way to explore science. I want to share two reasons why this curriculum is so close to my heart:

1. I was never interested in science until I started studying herbs and natural healing. I was always an A student, and did well in class but I always thought of science as a chore until I was given an opportunity to study it in a new way - through herbs, energy healing, iridology, reflexology, health, natural living and more.

2. One reason I teach my children at home is because I feel that the school system leaves out a lot of important scientific facts and information. There is an entire field of science that has just emerged as legitimate science in the past ten years (see the book "The Field" by Lynne McTaggart") but the schools are still teaching our understanding of science from 10-20 years ago and leaving out a lot of the new science!

These lesson blocks help you to explore these areas with your children and to provide more opportunities for them to become interested in science.

I would like to share with you a wonderful poem/excerpt by Sigurd Olson:

Listening Point
While we are born with curiosity and wodner and our early years full of the adventure they bring,
I know such inherent joys are often lost,
I also know, that being deep within us,
their latent glow can be fanned to flame again
by awareness and an open mind.

New Waldorf Channel Shows

2009-01-11T13:51:00.003-06:00

New Waldorf Channel Shows

Public

Sample for inspiration: Spinning Wool with Stories & Tutorial

at: Spinning Wool

Private or Purchase

(for www.EarthSchooling.com members and members of www.HerbnHome.com forum

You can also purchase these (and support The Waldorf Channel) at: Video Downloads)

18-minute story & tutorial - Spinning Wool

Our Earthschooling & Waldorf Enrichment Day: Part One - Making Bread

Make Your Own Unique Spool-Knitter and How to Use It

Enjoy!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

Counting in Nature

2009-01-09T09:42:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we get so involved in homeschooling or teaching or "methods" that we can lose track of the simple joy of a task. My son, who loves counting things has taught me that counting is a most joyful task. My entire life I always thought of it as a game. I've always enjoyed math and found it akin to putting together a puzzle. You know a picture will form in the end and the excitement is to find out what that will be. But math as pure joy?

Sunii will spontaneously count things. We will drive by a wire with birds perched on it and he will say "Mom, that wire has 34 birds." After a few times of this I actually stopped to count them - and sure enough - there were 34 birds. I remember once when we went to theater we walked in and within a minute he said to me "There are 116 chairs in this theater". I was shocked.

"How did you figure that out?" I said.

He didn't know. So I counted...sure enough there were 116 chairs.

At this point you may be thinking that this sounds like a wonderful activity for toddlers or the KG kids you know. However, Sunii and his friends are still counting at ages 10 and 12 - and enjoying it emensely. We recently took a trip to the science center and the highlight of the trip for them was counting the rings in a 263-year-old tree.

Not staring at it and saying "wow" like I did, but actually counting them. Sunii wanted to make sure the people who posted the sign had counted right - LOL!

It causes me to meditate on the activity of counting. We have our toddlers count from one to ten and we honor that, then we start our children counting and adding things together and we go from there....but somewhere along the way, the simple joy of counting gets lost.

So what are the benefits of counting? It is certainly an activity that you can do anywhere - in nature, on a car ride, as a game, in the class...

1. Counting is meditative. The longer you count, the more relaxed you become.

2. Counting is a centering activity. It represents the element of earth and grounding. When a person feels upset or anxious they can count and it will bring them back down to the calm of the earth element.

3. Counting is security. In a world where the news broadcasts 24-hours of drama, families are broken and people are losing their homes, it is reassuring to find that the numbers always stay the same.

4. Counting is confidence. A child who is able to count objects and challenge themselves to count more quickly or more efficiently or more creatively creates more confidence in their basic math ability. This makes them more likely to appreciate and enjoy doing more advanced math.

5. Counting is intelligence. A child who challenges themselves in counting creatively is actually practicing a very basic precept of "mental math".Learning mental math helps to develop mental calculation abilities, leads to greater mental capacity, promotes intuitive thinking, enhances problem-solving capability, and enhances creativity

6. Counting promotes patience and endurance. Counting improves concentration and mental endurance. It took the children ten minutes to count the rings on the tree - and they often had to start over from the beginning if they lost track. I was surprised at the patience they exhibited and the determination they each had to finish the task. Of course a friend there for a little competition always helps...LOL.

Enjoy counting!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.earthschooling.com/

http://www.herbnhome.com/

Hoppy Holidays

2008-12-19T11:46:00.004-06:00

Our BLOG post this week is a holiday wish from our bunny, Sweetie Pie and also a big thank you from all of us here! Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year by purchasing items from our store (http://stores.ebay.com/herbnhome), downloading items from http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/ , enrolling in our program (http://www.earthschooling.com/), joining our group at http://www.herbnhome.com/ and buying unicorns (http://www.buyaunicorn.com/) and photos at http://www.imagenations.com/ .

Seriously - and I am not embarrassed to say this - without your support and purchases we would not have had a holiday season at all this year! We are very thankful for all of our clients and customers! When you own your own business you appreciate everyone so much and each purchase makes a difference in our lives. A download is a carton of milk, a unicorn purchase paid for our Christmas tree, an enrollment in our program purchased Sunii's winter snowgear and he has been able to be outdoors sledding every day now that he has a snowsuit and boots! it is really cool to see how direct it all is! We love you all!

Our rabbit Sweetie Pie also wants to wish everyone a hoppy holiday - Eid, Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanza - everything! She especially wants to thank the person who bought something that helped paid for "her" tree.

Here are some tips she would like to share for a better holiday season:

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #1: Buy your rabbit a tree to eat for the holidays so she does not eat your gifts.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #2: Cats look better in boxes wrapped up with bows.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #3: Don't even TRY to put a bow on me for this photo.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #4: Humans don't always appreciate the way rabbits trim trees.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #5: Bows don't taste as good as carrots.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #6: Humans don't seem to appreciate the little "gifts" that I leave under the tree. Perhaps if I wrapped them?

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #7: If you are cute and fluffy people can forgive a lot.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #8: Turkey is really good for holiday season. Rabbits don't taste very good at all.

Sweetie Pie Holiday Tip #9: Did I mention how good a cat would look in a box with a bow on top?Sweetie Pie Holiday

Tip #10: Carrots - the gift for the person who "has everything" - and eco-friendly too!

Spiritual Letter from Santa Claus

2008-12-05T18:41:00.006-06:00

Letter from Santa
By Kristie Burns
http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/
http://www.herbnhome.com/
Note: If you repost this to other lists please include the above header as this is original copyrighted work :) Thanks!

Update from last year:

Sofi has been talking about this letter all year and refers to it often when the tooth fairy comes and the Easter Bunny, etc...she treasures the letter and keeps it on her desk and has already brought it out again this year and said to me, "Mama, remember when Santa made you put presents under the tree last year?" As if she enjoyed the fact that Santa was playing a little "joke" on me:). The response to this letter has been more overwhelming than I imagined...so I am reposting this year. She talks about so many aspects of the letter. It really fits her world-view and has been a real blessing to her!

Intro from last year:

Truly I was inspired to write this letter. I didn't even think about it. I sat down this morning and it seemed to fly off the page directly from the depths of my mind to the keyboard without any thought inbetween. Perhaps it came because it is needed at this time when my children are questioning who Santa is. I have known for a long time who Santa is, but I have been unable to put it into words until today...

Dear Sofi,

This is from Santa. Not the Santa of the chimneys and reindeer, but the real Santa. I have enjoyed the stories that people have created about me over the years but I think you are old enough now to know the real story. Did you know that in some countries I don't come on Christmas day? I come on St. Nicolas Day and I fill their boots with treats. In America they changed the story to Christmas day and I fill their socks instead of boots. Some people thought it was sort of icky to fill their socks so they created really pretty socks for me to fill.

Did you know that my story started in 280 A.D. When St. Nicholas was a saint? My spirit has existed since before then, but that was when people first started calling me St. Nick. The real Saint Nicholas was greatly inspired by the spirit of giving. He wandered the countryside giving away all his wealth to poorer people. He especially treated children with kindness and helped children who needed money or gifts. After that, many people in Europe, inspired by his name St. Nick, continued to give money and gifts to people in need and to children even after the real Saint Nick was gone. I didn't officially come to America until 1861 when the Dutch brought my celebrations to New York and distributed pictures of what I "looked like". Their name for me was Sinter Klass...which Americans made into Santa Claus.

However, as I mentioned before, just because my name did not come to America before 1861, does not mean that I have not always been here. For I am the spirit and angel of giving and charity. This concept is hard for some people to understand. People have a hard time understanding ideas or spirits or angels because they cannot see them. So to make it easier they sometimes make stories or draw pictures so it is easier to understand. That is the short story of how I, the angel of giving and charity, became known with a name and a face. And that is how you probably know me. I don't really mind.

I am known by so many different names and faces that are not the "real" me, but who doesn't like a story? I find the stories very creative and wonderful and since they are each accurate in their own way I don't mind! My favorite is the one about my riding a sleigh and delivering presents all night. That is accurate in a way, for I never sleep or run out of energy so I could, in theory do that, but I do not need a sleigh to ride. There are so many angels on the earth that watch over you and protect you and we each have our own job - some protect from accidents, some teach wisdom, some are keepers of history, and we each have done our jobs since the beginning of time and will continue forever to do our jobs for angels never tire and never sleep. We don't really have names but in some books we have given ourselves names to make our stories easier to read.

It is hard for humans to understand something that they cannot see and that does not have a name! You may also be familiar with the angel of awakening childhood (the tooth fairy who guides you across the bridge from childhood to being a young lady or young man as you loose your teeth along the way), or the angel of eternal life who teaches us about the endurance of spirit and the rebirth of the soul during Easter. And what about your guardian angel? Everyone has one of those. Some of the angels don't even have names. They are eagerly awaiting the day when humankind gives THEM names too.

It is an honor to be recognized by those we serve and to be given names and stories. You mom is writing this letter for me and she may or may not remember writing it. That is how it works. I inspire people to do my work through their spirit. Sometimes this may awaken them in the middle of the night to fill a stocking and they may think they were dreaming. Sometimes they are aware of what they are doing and remember doing it. But in both cases I have been able to motivate millions of parents around the world to share my vision. And at some point everyone understands that I am the angel of giving and they also know that they must continue to work for my vision in the ways that children will understand.

I don't know what story your parents shared with you. They are all different - even in little ways. However, I do know, that whatever story your parents told you was one that they thought would touch your heart and prepare you to understand more about giving and charity and joy so that you would be able to carry on my traditions during your life as well. My vision is that all children feel a sense of wonder and awe at the power of giving.

I want people to always feel this spirit within them and to look for ways all year to give and to help others. I am honored that a day was chosen to do this, but I don't want people to forget that we should do this every day. But since humans have created a day to honor my spirit, I want all children to wake up Christmas morning and to feel so wonderful and filled with joy that they are inspired to share this joy with others. This is my gift to the world. It is simple and yet is so powerful as you can see from what is happening around you this Christmas season. Please continue to tell my stories. I enjoy them.

I sometimes come by and sit by your guardian angel and listen to them. They are beautiful stories that make who I am into pictures instead of spirit. It is almost like when a painter has a dream and then he paints it. He is not really painting the dream, because nobody can really do that, but he has made his dream into a picture. That is what it is like with my stories. Nobody can ever really understand me completely - for you are humans and I am an angel spirit. However, the more stories you create, the closer you come to understanding who and what I am. So please continue creating stories and pictures and please continue my tradition and pass it on to your children.

Please know that as your mother was inspired to write this letter one day, you will also be inspired to write a similar letter one day. You may also keep this one and pass it on. Merry Christmas! Please enjoy the gifts I have sent you through others and please pass these gifts on to the people you love. - Santa

Stocking Stuffer - Affordable Needle Felted Dolls

2008-12-04T13:03:00.004-06:00

Doll, Zarelda - BLOND with blue and green clothing.

Doll - MARY - doll with "Sofi fashion" design :)

CHRISTINE - doll with very long hair :)

Sofi went a little crazy making needle-felted dolls over the weekend. She has an entire city of them now (LOL). She made beds for them and lamps and some sleep near her desk and others sleep near the fairy-house and yesterday her friends came over to play and loved them!

Sofi wants to sell three of them so she can make some money to buy Christmas gifts. They are really cute. I am amazed at how nicely she needle-felts and she is only 9! She is much better than I will ever be...I know how to do it....but there are some things a person just has talent for and some things...perhaps not :)

So here they are:

There are three.

They are $5.00 each and shipping is free - if you buy one or more - shipping is still free. You can send payment to: Sofi Mandil, 1804 74th St. Windsor Heights, IA. 50322 OR you can pay via Paypal and I can give her the money. Paypal is: herbnhome@yahoo.com

They would make nice little stocking stuffers for a little girl or boy who likes little dolls.

Thank you for your continued support of Sofi's ventures. Last year she posted some of her artwork and she is STILL talking about when she sold her art!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

Free Shipping on Unicorn Christmas Cards!

2008-12-01T14:56:00.002-06:00

I am so excited - the gallery I print my unicorn Christmas cards at is having a free shipping day - today only. Yah!!!!

So you can order unicorn Christmas cards (or unicorn mugs, T-shirts, etc... all featuring handmade unicorns) and get them shipped for free.

I am going to order mine today since shipping is free :)

My store is at:

ImageNations Zazzle

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

Advent Story Ribbon

2008-11-28T14:55:00.008-06:00

This year Pagan Advent (the four Sundays before Winter Solstice on December 21st) and Christian Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas) coincide with both beginning on November 30. What is really fun this year is that the last day of Advent actually falls on the winter solstice!

So, starting November 30, there are 4 Sundays until the winter solstice, or the end of advent, this makes 22 days until Yule.

We created a special calendar with 26 markings so our calendar goes until Christmas. The picture above is a collage that shows some different angles and close-ups.

6 stones for each season and each element mark the angel's journey to the top of the star. The star is the 26th day. "Nothing" is the first day.

First are the stones of Spring, the Air Element and the Sanguine - we represented them with WHITE stones (moonstones)

Then come the six stones of Summer, the Fire Element and the Choleric - we represented them with RED stones (aventurine)

Next come the six stones of Autumn - the Earth Element, the Melancholic - we represented them with BROWN stones (tiger eye)

Last come the six stones of Winter - the Water Element, the Phlegmatic - we represented them with BLUE stones (soladite)

You can choose other colors or stones that remind you of that element or even other objects that remind you of that element - you do not need to use stones. Although the kids love the magic of the gems!

We will bake cookies each week using our 8-in-one cookie recipe at:
http://waldorfschoolonline.blogspot.com/2008/01/great-easy-recipe-rediscovered.html

I've heard different numbers mentioned for cookies before - 13, 10, 12, whatever...find out what works for you and make some cookies each week :) The recipe above is great because you can make ONE dough and then refrigerate it and each week you just take out the dough, add a few different ingredients and you have different cookies each week - and they really taste different! My favorite are the peach-cardamom!

I attached the stones to the ribbon - each one inch apart - Sofi felted an angel to climb the stone ribbon. At the top is a star that Jesse sent me when I ordered something from her ETSY shop at http://www.earthmamahyde.etsy.com/

We will tell a story each day for each stone and each step in the angel's journey. Sofi created the angel using on of The Waldorf Channel member tutorials.

The story covers all the same themes as the advent wreath.

The wreath's circular shape represents eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. The evergreen was chosen as it symbolizes growth and everlasting life. Some say it's origins were with the pagan "fire wheel" made from greens to symbolize life. Some people burned greens on the hillsides; others made great wheels set them afire and rolled them down the hills. We honor those origins by having our angel climb through the four seasons - the "wheel of the year"

The traditional meaning of the four candles on the wreath are as follows:

First Purple candle: represents hope.
Second Purple Candle: stands for love.
Third, pink candle: represents joy.
Fourth purple candle: is a symbol of peace

Tune in to http://www.waldorfradio.com/ to share our daily story with us.

We will start posting our daily Advent story on Sunday!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.earthschooling.com/

Snow Squirrels and Andy Goldsworthy Lesson

2008-11-22T19:05:00.005-06:00

One of Sunii's favorite artists is Andy Goldsworthy (see website: Andy Goldsworthy). So when we got our first snow today we were busy thinking of ways we could create art "beyond the snowman". Well, the snow didn't last too long and we didn't have much to work with but we had fun. We can't wait to try again next snow! Sunii's goal was to cover the entire side of the tree in Andy Goldsworthy style. I would then take pictures of the progression to creation and the progression of what happened over a few days as the "art" became part of nature once again (just as Goldsworthy does).

You can check back for more photos...these are just the initial shots. Of course we are nowhere near the masters that Goldsworthy is but the "feel" was still there - the process of working WITH nature to create something, the process of watching the art unfold in harmony with nature, working with what nature offers (in our case the snow was not as clean as we would have liked) and the process of watching nature claim it back.

And the squirrels? Uhh...not very Andy Goldsworthy...my excuse is just that I am a little "nuts"....When I saw the tree Sunii was working on my mind said "squirrels" and I went from there. If we had more snow I wanted to mold a barking dog out of snow and have him chase the squirrels up the tree...but alas...the snow stopped.

Can't wait for the next snow!

'Twas the Night Before Solstice

2008-11-12T00:34:00.005-06:00

It is a little early for this but people enjoyed it so much last year I wanted to give everyone time to share it. As I mentioned last year - you are welcome to post this to any list or on any BLOG or do anything you want with it, as long as you keep it intact with my name and website.

Twas the Night Before Solstice
By Kristie Burns
http://www.thedreamangels.com/
http://www.earthschooling.com/

'Twas the night before Solstice
and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even our pet mouse

Knitted wool stockings
were hung with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would be there

The children were tucked
in organic cotton sheets,
The air filter blocking
pollution from the streets.

While mama stayed up
to make handmade gifts
I co-slept with the kids
and watched auras shift.

When out in the herb garden
arose such a clatter
I sprung out of our futon
to see what was the matter!

Away to the solar panels
I flew like a flash.
They took me hours to install,
I hoped they hadn't crashed.

The crystals we'd laid out
to absorb the moonlight
Sparkled like fairydust
and blocked my sight.

When, what to my
wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh
without any reindeer.

At that moment I knew
that the little old man
Had received my last letter
so bold and so grand

Could you stop using reindeer?
Last year I wrote him,
And enclosed
with the note a PETA pin.

As he neared the house
in his all-wooden sleigh
I noticed it was powered
by wheatgrass and hay.

Ostheimer! Kinderkram!
Stockmar! Fair Trade!
Don't bother landing
if the toys aren't handmade!

"Hey Arriana," I called
to my wife with chagrin,"
With that body mass
do you think he's vegetarian?"

She paused only a moment
from her crafting and said,
"One moment dear!
I'm shaping this gol-darn Waldorf doll's head!"

On our roof I strained
to hear the ole boy
But I'd recently
insulated it with soy.

So I drew in my hand
and was turning around,
When in through the front door
came St. Nick with a bound.

The Advent wreath
had caught in his hair
As I said, "Why in the world
did you enter from THERE?"

The soot in your chimney
contains poisons galore.
You should consider
the environment more.

But he was dressed in fur
from his head to his foot
So I said, "Look whose
talking about my soot!"

A bundle of felt he had
flung on his back.
"I hope you like handiwork,"
he said with a laugh.

His eyes - how they twinkled!
His dimples were treats!
His cheeks reminded me
of when I dye silk with beets.

He must be of the
choleric type I mused.
It's a good thing with
lavender the stockings I infused.

With his fur boots
he slipped on the bamboo wood floor.
I offered him Arnica and
then closed the front door.

After all that I'd paid
to the energy company this year
I didn't want one bit of
that cold air in here.

He had a broad face
and a little round belly
I asked him,
"Have you seen your naturopath lately?"

He was so chubby and plump
I worried for his health
But I laughed when I saw him
in spite of myself.

He spoke not a word,
but went straight to task,
Needle-felting dragons
and weaving a mask.

He knitted a pure cotton sweater
and two pairs of mittens,
Then picked up a knife
and carved 2 wood kittens.

He finger-knitted
an entire nativity scene.
With the most amazing skill
I'd ever seen!

When he sprang
from his seat on the floor and arose
I yelled, "Arianna - watch -
there he goes!"

With the unfinished doll
she was struggling to sew,
Arriana went to watch
him out the window.

And I heard him exclaim
as he drove out of sight!"
Arriana, my dear,
the stiches are too tight!"

Carrying on the Tradition

2008-11-12T00:00:00.005-06:00

"Miss Kristie! Look! Look! Look what my fairy left me!"

It was Morgan, my "after school daughter". Morgan comes to stay with us every day after her school dismisses from 3:00-6pm. Since my eldest daughter is away during the school year this year Morgan uses her room. So we call her "my fourth daughter".

Morgan has built a fairy house in her room just like the one Sofi has in her room. They both look forward to signs that the fairies have visited. Is something out of place in the house? Did the fairies eat the chocolate they left for them? Did the fairies spill something or leave a note? Did the fairies leave a gift?

However, I didn't realize that Morgan was as entranced by the fairy world as Sofi was, until this past week. I thought she was just building the fairy house to have fun with, and because she liked crafts. Morgan, being 12-years-old, was not waiting for the fairies too, was she?

So, Sofi's fairy continued to leave "signs" and "gifts" (at night after Morgan left so Morgan was not hurt) but Morgan's fairy didn't visit at all. I still didn't notice what was happening. When Morgan came to me and said, "Miss Kristie, my fairy is not visiting." I put in my mind that perhaps her fairy should visit soon. However, I didn't put it in my mind as a priority. Even Sofi's fairy took a week break for a while there...

So I was surprised when Morgan came running to me with some gifts in her hand saying "look what my fairy gave me!" I smiled and showed my appreciation for the gifts. I imagined that Morgan had created some gifts "from her fairy" and this was making her happy. She seemed very happy. And since the fairies were on a break anyway, I didn't think much about it. Sofi's fairy had not visited for more than a week.

The next day Morgan came to me again, "Look Miss Kristie...my fairy left me a note!"

Each day it was the same until today I suddenly wondered....

'Sofi," I said, "Do you know how I explained what happens with Santa Claus and how sometimes we are inspired by these spirits to leave gifts?"

(If you are not familiar with the letter Santa left her last year you might want to stop now and read the letter at: http://thedreamangels.blogspot.com/2007/12/letter-from-santa.html)

'Yes" replied Sofi.

"Do you think perhaps Morgan's fairy has been inspiring you?"

"Hmmmm...I don't know, " said Sofi, "If she was I wouldn't remember."

"Are you sure you are not aware of helping her at all?" I pushed a bit...

"All I remember is going into Morgan's room for no reason and then I don't remember why I was there," Sofi responded.

That was the answer I had been expecting.

I was so touched. Without a word, without a formal ceremony, Sofi had taken on the tradition of "fairy messenger". She had created elaborate notes and gifts and things for Morgan's fairy to give her for the simple reason of creating joy and wonder for Morgan. The fairies had spoken to her.

She knew, intuitively, what to do and how to do it. She knew that you must never reveal your secret - even to those that know, she knew how to be quiet about it, and do it in a careful way. And at the same time she anticipated the wait of her own fairy eagerly and with great surprise and joy - completely knowing that it was I who was the messgenger but completely "knowing" that it was not I that left the items. Somehow she had completely grasped the idea of the wonder and mystery of it all and was able to be the messenger and the believer at the same time.

We completely skipped the entire drama of "Oh my! Really? There is no Santa? There are no fairies?" and peacefully merged into the next stage of her life where she becomes the messenger for the next generation.

There are two things that made this transition so peaceful. First, we do not stop believing in our home. We believe in believing. I tell the kids - you have to PROVE it does not exist or I will believe it is real! Secondly, the gift-giving and visiting process is done by teaching us to listen to our intuition and perhaps those tiny voices that come from other places. In learning to listen to those other voices we are able to gift without deception and be open about it. And the child learns to listen to their own intuition and their own angels and spirits guiding them...and the tradition is carried on.

I cannot say I understand it completely. If I did it would certainly lose its magic. All I know is that Santa continues to leave gifts, Zarelda (the fairy) continues to leave gifts and now, a new fairy leaves gifts for Morgan. And sometimes the fairy houses are disturbed and none of us know how or why...

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Class Mantras

2008-11-07T10:44:00.002-06:00

We are always working together to develop workable class mantras. By workable, I mean ideas that work for everyone in the class, are understood by everyone in the class and are meaningful to what we want to accomplish. I thought I would share some of my favorite "mantras" with everyone. What are some of your favorites? If you have some favorites yourself please post them to the end of the BLOG. Thank you!

1. Mantra One: We need solutions and not problems. This is to encourage students to come up with solutions to their problems instead of complaining. It is so easy to fall into the "I don't WANT to do that activity" mode. This mantra encourages students to come up with workable solutions instead of complaining. This works well because in the process of coming up with workable solutions students are given wonderful opportunities to be creative and they are allowed to "be in the teacher's (or parent's) shoes" for a moment and experience the actual difficulty of coming up with ideas. A good example of this was two days ago a child in the enrichment class said, "I don't want to make bread again!" When it was suggested that she find a solution to this "problem" she realized that she actually did want to make bread, she just didn't want the same toppings on the bread so we found some additional selections for her and she enjoyed her bread very much!

2. Mantra Two: We need to keep the air clean too! This is a reminder that our words and attitude can pollute the air in the same way the dust or dirt can pollute a surface. If gossip ensues, or children are teasing or focusing on negative thoughts they can be encouraged to keep the air cleaner by putting happier, more peaceful thoughts into the air. This idea can be expanded on. You can have an "air cleaning" session with a sage stick and some positive thoughts said outloud by everyone or you can do a little "acting" and pretend you are wading through a thick sea of dirty air.

Repetition helps enforce the ideas so instead of repeating the ideas 500 times, the familiarity of making it a regular statement helps to reduce the need for repetition and encourages everyone to participate in the "reminding". If you were to make a different comment every time someone complained it would become confusing to the child and would create an ongoing need for the parent or teacher to repeat their ideas over and over. When you use a "mantra" it makes it easier for the child to remember.

You can also create verses, poems or songs out of these mantras, you can draw them and hang them on the wall, or include them in the Main Lesson Book.

MEMBER BLOG TOPICS THIS WEEK
(there are many more topics in previous weeks. Scroll down to previous BLOG posts to see the previous member topics)

Montessori and Waldorf Meet on a Rock
My Favorite Nature Walk Theme & Activity - Full Lesson

There were many member questions answered this week as well. These questions included: Ideas for reluctant readers, natural tick removal tips, how to deal with "selfish" behaviour, and more.

The member video this week was "How to Make a Felted Bendy Doll"

Remember - for a limited time - when you become a member at www.herbnhome.com you only pay for ONE of the services (Waldorf Channel Membership, BLOG Membership or Health and Homeschool Consulting) and you get the other two services for free!

EarthSchooling

Follower Alert - New BLOG address

Early Childhood Training Seminars FINALLY Online

The Beauty of Creating in Waldorf Education

Saving Time Tip: Dish Tag

Lesson Planning - A Dozen Tips

Sofi Audition Tape One

A Question is a Gem & Magpies Too

The Magpie's Nest

Earthschooling on Amtrak

Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Training Mini-course

5 New Shows on www.WaldorfRadio.com

The Rhythm of Learning

Environmentally Responsible Valentine's Day

Perfect Book for 8th/9th Grade Waldorf

Cabin Fever and Mid-Year Blues Cure

Waldorf & Parenting Conference April in CA!

Waldorf and Television?

Woodworking - A Pet Running Pen - Easy/Moderate

Easy & Meaningful Last Minute Gift

Circle Time for Older Grades?

Wintergarten Spiral Walk - Easy & Simple Plans

Earthschooling FAQs

Twas the Night Before Solstice Poem

'Twas the Night Before Solstice...

The Journey of Analise - 24 Days of Original Waldorf Stories

Live Expert Crafting Inspirations/Help Online - Friday, December 4th

How Do You Celebrate Your Thanks?

Helle Heckmann: Protecting Childhood: Birth through Age 8

Education & Volunteering

Fashion Design 101

What Type of Script Do I Teach?

October Special

Introduction to the New Earthschooling Member Website

All Children Are Homeschooled

Every Child is Home-schooled

Friday's Live Chat- Unconditional Parenting with Chis Cade

October 2nd, 10AM PST - Inspiration for Parents - Unconditional Parenting, How to Stay Inspired and Using Stories in Parentingwith Chris Cade of http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/

This Friday's Live Chat - Temperament and Typology in Healing, Parenting & Teaching

Our Next Spring Project! A Tree Tree Tree House

Burr Oak Acorns are Here to Send to You!

The Longevity of Waldorf Toys

Suede Fairy Shoes Part 2

Making Suede Fairy Shoes

Tips on Printing E-books

Important Note About New Earthschooling Website and Price Changes

Earthschooling Postcard Exchange Fun

The Benefits of Herbal Wildcrafting for Kids

Storage Magic & Organization

Alpaca Roving and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Out of the Classroom

Stages in Waldorf Education

Building Shelters in Surprising Places

Compassion and Queen for a Day

Shearing, Carding and Knitting Day

Turning the Morning Around

My Trip to South Africa by Mosi

Toddlers and Homeschooling

Planning Lesson Blocks in Waldorf & EarthSchooling

Easter Spring Surprise

A Unique "Easter Hunt"

Easter Snakes

My Child's Music

Ten Days of Spring - Day THREE

Ten Days of Spring Stories & Verses

Pay it Forward Gifts On Their Way!

Spring Cleaning in the Craft/Homeschooling Room

Fairytales and Language

A Special Birthday Cake

March Lesson Plans 2009 Version

A Winter Walk

Can a Non-Waldorf Toy Become REAL Like the Velveteen Rabbit?

Small Spaces & Waldorf

Reading and Writing in Waldorf Education

Science Through Herbs & Healing

New Waldorf Channel Shows

Counting in Nature

Hoppy Holidays

Spiritual Letter from Santa Claus

Stocking Stuffer - Affordable Needle Felted Dolls

October 2nd, 10AM PST - Inspiration for Parents - Unconditional Parenting, How to Stay Inspired and Using Stories in Parenting
with Chris Cade of http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com/