Block Crayon Drawing...peek into my journey

I am really enjoying my Waldorf teacher training.  This is my third month on this new journey.

During this block...Art (Drawing, block crayon, watercolor)  

Last week learning what lines feel like, to a child (1st-3rd grades),
What does a straight like feel like? Curvy? Movement of lines across the page all connected. Patterns, compliments...line on paper...
How art is connected to each of us and especially to children...and how drawing can calm a rowdy class or wake up a sleepy one...

This week learning techniques in block crayon drawing.  How to draw with and use block crayons in the lower grades (Early Childhood, and 1st-5th)

Here is a peek of two of the techniques and two of my pictures, from tonight, using our block crayons.  By no means are they finished...due to needing to move on to the next technique.

The first...
Using the block crayons and adding a rainbow to the page very lightly (like above photo row 3 top drawing)...learning how to move the crayon across the page...inhale, exhale... 
Then adding movement to your rainbow (like above photo row 3 bottom drawing)moving color and directions with the crayons on top of the rainbow. 
Looking at the movement what do you begin to see? Let your creative soul be your guide... 
Here is what I was beginning to see in mine:

The second.
Randomly add color to the page.  No rhyme or reason.
Once the page is filled with color...turn it upside down...
What do you see?  Begin to bring out what your imagination sees. Here is what I was beginning to see in mine:


I wish I could have taken a photo of everyone in the classes pictures...amazing how beautiful and connected they all felt...and how so much of ourselves come out in our art.  The colors were incredible.  Some of the words used to describe how we felt after looking at all of them...blissful, dream like...emotional...
With each drawing we took them out to the hall and laid them on the floor and just experienced them. To be able to see what others see... Very moving!

I will keep working on my pictures and will post what they look like when I have had some time to really bring them to life.

Happy Coloring!!!!

May Faire

See our Maypole filled with flowers,
From above, the blossoms tower,
Fragrance rich, and perfume rare,
Pretty scents that fill the air.
Violets blue and daisies white,
You are here for our delight;
Daffodils and roses, too,
Pretty flow'rs for me and you!
Tell us what the flowers say,
As we sing and dance and play.
Tell us what the flowers say,
On this special day!
This is what the flowers say,
As we sing and dance and play.
This is what the flowers say:
It is bright May day!

********************

 

What a beautiful day!
What a beautiful time!

Making flower crowns, dancing, playing, singing, picnicking...

What a celebration!
Happy May, every one!!!

TV Free Week

The start of TV Free week is today and what a perfect week during Earth Week.

Time to slow down get out and hug those trees and get Spring dirty knees.

We are TV Free.  We do not own one and it has been years now since we did.  It is a big beef for me...I could go on...how it has molded our society and distracting us from what is really going on.

This week I am going to post some really cool articles and some findings from around our TV-Free Home.  Everyone when they find out we don't have a TV..."What?  What do you DOo? and I all of a sudden the way they look at me... you would think I have 4 heads and 17 purple eyes or something...lol  It is really easy, REALLY! 

Join in this TV Free Week and see what you do, what you find, start new weekly traditions as a family...who knows where this may lead you.  It is BEAUTIFUL!! Conserve energy this week as we celebrate Mother Earth...and enjoy the quiet and one less electric flashing light!!!  

I dare you! 

This is our nature corner.  We find natural treasures everyday, and here is the place they land and we reflect on our Spring 2010 so far.  I love how Maxx has added some of his toys and crafts in, to tell the story. 

As I flip through our Spring photos and find this one...how much Maxx really loves and expresses his time with nature.  Beautiful!

TV Free Article

The Little Postman and a Sweet Birthday Conversation

Today is my Dad's birthday.

...we are late mailing our card...but we got it in the mail, just in time to be posted on the day of celebration.

Maxx loves the post office ritual...putting on the stamp, writing the address and return address, then venturing to the post office, the mail drop box, the mail trucks, the uniforms..."What are THOSE!?!" today the P.O. Boxes caught his attention... A very exciting job the postal workers have. Alot of magic goes on behind those walls.

Postal work is in his blood. My late grandfather retired from the U.S.P.S. after 35 years. (Is that right Mom?) So to me...it is really special when he plays postman.

We have a sweet golden book that Maxx loves to read about the secret that is sealed and is handled by "Seven Little Postman" it is written by Margaret Wise Brown. (I love to read anything by her.)

Many times I think about getting these or making something like it myself for Maxx:(check'em out->) Mail Bag; Post Office; Mail box... they are so cool...right?!!!

Then Maxx starts his open ended play with his playstand and it backs what Waldorf has taught me..., about how powerful the child's imagination is and how they need to be able to have free open ended play. Watching him play tonight those toys would not have added anything, in fact they would have taken his creativity away. I am floored and reminded...

"Jaaane ELIZABETH!!!! Get back on your personal daily hourly journey to live more simply."

Maxx playing postman while I'm making supper this evening.

Right before I set the table for supper, we called Pop-pah to wish him a Happy Birthday. He and Maxx talked for 29 minutes non stop. It was so sweet. My Dad sends Maxx a letter each week with find the "six differences". (like this one.<-do the faces freak you out as much as me...lol)

Back story: While we lived in Texas Pop-pah and Maxx would read the paper on Sunday and when they got to the comics they would try and find the "six differences" between the two pictures.

Since we moved to Oregon, my Dad has kept up that special weekly tradition. Each week Maxx gets a letter in the mailbox and if it is there...he can not hold or carry ANYthing he may have been. Then he proudly walks down the hall and up the stairs holding it with both hands, 'till we get into our apartment...he starts opening it as fast as he can, just beaming. Inside is a clipped "difference!" from the newspaper and a card. After a few mailings my Dad started adding a photo of different memories too. Maxx and I have put together a little photo album to hold it all in one place. Maxx looks at it every single day, it is so special to him. He has each letter memorized and loves to "read" them out loud to me.

This week Maxx has the opportunity to take something for show and tell at his school, and he wants to take his photo album and tell his schoolmates all about it.

Tonight on the phone he had a little practice by telling Pop-pah all about his album and he "read" each card, by heart, back to Pop-pah.

It was the sweetest conversation I have ever heard.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Autumn Harvest Festival

Our harvest festival this year was at a beautiful persimmon orchard on some beautiful land. 10/16/2009

Fresh air, open space, play, itchy hay, buzzing bees, crazy red ants, dirt roads, hay ride, story and a little history, picnic, harvesting our own persimmons, swirly tire swings, dressing scare crows, yummy picnic with schoolmates and new friends, father sun's beaming rays, sun burn, beautiful trees, wonder, games, local pumpkins, natural fun!









A perfect autumn celebration!

First day of school!!! 9/09/09

Kindergarten has begun.
New discoveries in the moment...go Maxxie go!

Last Day of School Celebration

Here it is our last day, of our new school, for this school year. It seems like just yesterday we started. We are so thankful for this small beautiful school here in Houston. Our new friends have been so warm and welcoming.

Maxx and I have had a beautiful journey over the past several months, and Waldorf education has been one thing I have so much gratitude for. The biggest help to me as a parent in all of our major changes and adjustments was to focus and create daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly rhythms. The rhythm works so well, and if we miss a beat or we get out of our rhythm...a roller coaster of a day or week it can be.

Have a beautiful summer our Shining Star friends!

Oh this happy day of May!

What a beautiful way to start May.
What a joyous celebration.
What fun to meet new people and make new friends.
Oh, what spring will bring.
Happy May Day!

Now's the month of May

Time to run and play
Throw your cares away
Until another day



Now's the month of May
Time to run and play
Find your partner now
And with her take a bow



Now's the month of May
Time to run and play
Take a dear friend by the hand
And walk around our stand



Now's the month of May
Time to run and play
Time to take our Ribbons
And circle round our pole



Our beautiful May day celebration at the Shining Star Waldorf School.

In the Light of Hope and Gratitude We Walk

Earlier this evening Maxx, Allison, Shannon and I met many others at Uncommon Ground to light the handmade lanterns and begin our gratitude walk. It was magical. Many said they came to see the little ones and how important it is to see their awww and how amazing that is. There was a story about a lantern told and then songs began as we walked our 3 blocks to the garden. It was so beautiful to see those lanterns in the dark and enjoy the night in a magical place. How grateful I am to be able to give and have this experience with my beautiful son and my amazing friends who rekindle my spark every day.

At times our own light goes out
And is rekindled by a spark from
Another person Each of us has cause to think
With deep gratitude to those
Who have lighted the fire with in us
-Albert Schwitzer

Above is Maxx's lantern as he is walking around the dark garden. Beautiful.

I walk with my little lantern,
My lantern walks with me
In heaven, the stars are shining!
On earth, my lantern shines too.
In darkest night, it guides my way
Glow little lantern glow.

Ribbon for the Sophia's Garden

There has been wind that the University is not going to develop this piece of land the garden is on after all. Something about the development has been canceled. So instead of a new building or to keep the garden they are going to use this beautiful space as a staging ground for large construction equipment for the demolition of the building just to the east of the garden.

With this news has come some activism from not only the school, but the entire surrounding community and students of the University. We have joined in.

One of the University students came up with the idea to tie a ribbon on the fence to be your voice. Today we tied our ribbons.
Thursday is a lantern walk from the Uncommon Ground to the garden...starts at 6pm if anyone wants to join us.

Viva la Sophia's Garden!!!

Autumn in Sophia's Garden

Since we have started school, I have or I should say, we have fallen in love with Sophia's garden. It won't be long until the garden will be gone from this space...so sad...so we are taking in as much as time here as we can.



Slowing down and not just hustling by...
taking a moment to walk threw,
balance on the bed logs,
sitting in the grass,
scream after a big grass hopper we were watching jumps to show us how high he can go,
a busy bee won't leave us alone while we are slurping an orange,
soaking up the rays of the sun,
swaying in the wind,
stomping in the mud wearing our Wellies (Maxx calls them puddle boots),
playing hide and seek,
Believing for a moment we are in the country running through the fields, and not downtown Chicago

The empty lot and space was so graciously open to Maxx's school and the surrounding community many years ago...knowing that the University would expand and use this piece of land. As you walk around the garden, you see how much love has been put in to this amazing oasis in the city. Art work has been etched & painted, wooden gazebos and fences have been built by the older children in the school, flower, herbs, vegetables, fruit, trees, shrubs, and grasses are all growing so happily. There are bees, grasshoppers, lady bugs and worms that are in living out their fairy tale and helping to create fairy tales for Maxx.

November 1st is the said day of construction starting. We just have 2 more weeks and we will continue our moments until the restricted signs go up. I am going to try and capture as many photos as I can to remember these short moments that an amazing garden entered our lives.

Harvest Time/Michaelmas

Maxx is singing this amazing song he learned at school and we sang it as a community at the Harvest Festival.

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in summer the wind blows through me
I wave, I wave

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in autumn apples they grow on me
they fall, they fall

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in winter the snow falls on me
I shiver, I shiver

This is my trunk, I'm a tall tall tree
in spring the leaves bloom on me
they bloom, they bloom.

These past few weeks we have been celebrating the harvest. It is just amazing, watching the world through four year old eyes. Maxx loves to get a hand full of leaves, throw them up in the air and watch as they dance there way to the ground. We have seen squirrels gathering nuts getting ready for the winter. On our walks we have enjoyed and studied the trees that still have leaves, knowing it won't be long until these trees will be bare. On the way home from the library we crunched the leaves that had fallen onto the sidewalk.

In celebration this week we went to Maxx's school for the Harvest Festival and had a blast. We came home a dirty mess. Looking at my pictures, I was more into the festival myself than capturing it with pictures. Miss Allison joined us and we helped the school replant some of the the Sophia garden, ate fresh picked apples, homemade apple cake Maxx had made in class, sang, danced, made an autumn craft out of grapevine, leaves, feathers, and tufts of wool... and really enjoyed this beautiful day.

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Comus

Time Flys When You Are Having Fun

Here in Chicago we have had some amazing weather after all that rain. 70s with sunshine!
Wow! That was a lot of rain! We got some of Icke's devilishness here in the Midwest.
The family down in Texas are still in clean up mode while some are still waiting for the lights to come on. Everyone is safe and sound which is the best part.

There has been a lot of living these days. I am having the hardest time keeping the undies washed and balancing the demands of this school schedule. My basket feels totally turned over and there is so much going on, but it all just too much fun and we are loving it.

Kurt has gotten the nighttime rhythm down. I am very proud of my lions. They have had the biggest adjustment with this new PreK/EC gig and they are becoming pros. I think Maxx could run the C.T.A. he has the schedule tuned in...and while he is playing with his trains his memory recalls all of the commuting announcements word for word. I am amazed with his memory.

Miss Shannon was called upon for a play date of cookie baking and dog walking. Maxx had a blast enjoy the pictures of loving Abby and Lucy...some of the sweetest dogs in the whole world and we love Miss Shannon. Thank you Shannon, you made Maxx's week, mine too!!!

Maxx and Abby sharing some lov'n

Lucy's turn...Lucy smiles when you pet and love on her it is the greatest!

The dog walk...

Picture day is tomorrow, our four year old check up is Friday, and the Harvest Festival is this weekend...and to know that some do this with two and three cubs...appreciation and admiration...