Waldorf Style Verse for Lent

Photo Credit

Yet even now, says the Lord,
Return to me with all your heart, (place hands over heart)
With fasting, (hold belly)  

with weeping, (mimic tears on your cheek with finger) 

and with mourning; (wipe the side of your face, mimicking a veil)
Rend your hearts (make a ripping motion on your chest)

and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God, (sweep hands upward)
for he is gracious and merciful, (swoop hands out above head)
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, (place hands at heart)
and relents from punishing.(shake finger "no")
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, (shrug shoulders)
and leave a blessing behind him,(turn and blow a kiss behind you)
a grain-offering (scoop hands outward from belly)

and a drink-offering (cup hands and extend out from mouth)
for the Lord, your God?(make a cross over your heart with your finger)

Joel 2: 12-14

Celebratating Martinmas!

 

"The sunlight fast is dwindling.

My little lamp needs kindling.

Its beam shines far in darkest night

Dear Lantern guard me with your light."

-Festivals, Family and Food by Diana Carey and Judy Large

Winter is here! Commence sledding, drinking of hot chocolate and cider. Hang evergreen along your entry way, light your candles, gather with family, and enjoy the indoor festivities!

November 11th is Martinmas, also known as Martinstag and the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours. 

Saint Martin was a Roman solider from France born in 316. As an adult he converted to Christianity and became a monk. He was known for being a kind man who lived a quiet and simple life. 

Saint Martin, like all Saints, has a wonderful story to tell. Before he was baptized, while he was studying Christianity, he was on his way home when he passed by a beggar on the side of the road. 

It was a very cold night and the beggar had hardly any clothes on. Saint Martin took his battle sword and cut his own cloak in half. He then gave half of it to the beggar.

Later that evening Saint Martin had a dream or vision that Christ appeared to him wearing the half cloak proclaiming to the Angels, 

"Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me." 

I cannot begin to describe how much I love this story and how thankful I am to the work of Rudolph Steiner and the Waldorf method for introducing it to me.  

Saint Martin begins his adult life as a solider for Rome. I cannot imagine the torture, the bloodshed and the horrors he must have witnessed in such a world. Instead of crawling into a cave and wishing the evil world away (which is what I am tempted to do in hard times), Martin strove for more and in this striving found Christ.

Once Martin had found Christ he had access to that wonderful Christ light. Even though he had not yet completed his studies to become baptized he was able to stop in the dead cold of a winter's night and share half of his cloak with a total stranger in need.

Martin wasn't caught up in himself and what his hardships or history were. He let grace fill in his gaps, he trusted completely and without hesitation served the Lord through giving to the most poor.

That thought can pull me through just about anything, and in the dark of winter either literal or metaphorical - you need that light to guide you.

In Ireland the tradition of Martinmas is to kill a cockerel, bleed it, and sprinkle the blood in the four corners of one's home. They also did not use a wheel of any kind since legend has it, Saint Martin was killed with a wheel.

In Northern Europe children make paper lanterns and go from door to door singing Saint Martin's Day songs for sweets. The Nordic tradition has been carried on in Waldorf schools and among Waldorf families. A lantern walk on the evening of Martinmas is traditional.

Singing for sweets may remind you of Halloween and the dates between the two traditions are not far off for good reason. The Old Scottish or Pictish form of Halloween is called Samhuinn (pronounced Sow-un) and it falls on November 11th. 

In the Old World this was the start of the new year and a return to wintertime. Fire was key to Samhuinn rituals celebrating all night by a large bonfire was common. Like the more modern lanterns of Martinmas this symbolism of fire as we descend into winter was meant to bring us comfort as the days became very cold and the nights very long and dark.

A popular chant heard on this night would be..

A null e; A nall e; Slainte!

Welcome to the new year!

May it teach me as well as did the old.

A null e; A null e; Slainte! 

Sitting by the fireside and meditating or sleeping all night was a popular way to spend this New Years night. The Pects also marched through their community singing songs and carrying sparks to light the new years fire. 

Precautions were taken at this time against bad luck to human and livestock. Juniper was burned, mountain ash decorated the house and doorposts, walls, and cattle were sprinkled with wine. 

No matter where you live in the Northern Hemisphere your days have become cool and the night has grown darker, earlier - pressing us to use our sparks (fires, lanterns, electric or solar lights) on our journey through the winter. 

And in life we all experience dark times, we just need to remember to carry our light with us.

 

Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas - a Guide for Celebration!

 

Mommy dressed as Sir George for story telling.

I wanted to post this a week and a half early so you can mull over whether or not you would like to join us in our week long celebration! It's super simple and lots of fun! Join us, wont you?

A chilly wind makes my toes curl, my heart skips a beat at an amber colored leaf - in short, I’m an Autumn addict. Every year I try and find new and improved ways to celebrate this time of year. Last year we had so much fun with this plan!

Autumn Equinox falls the week prior to the Waldorf celebration of Michaelmas. These two holidays are often celebrated in similar fashions, with harvest feasts and various fall merriment.

Michaelmas adds the exciting adventures of Sir George slaying the dragon through the spirit/guidance/help of the angel Michael. Michaelmas is a fun way to look toward our inner selves for bravery and guidance as the days grow shorter and winter descends.

This is our second year holding a week long Fall Equinox and Michaelmas bash! The first ingredient in the fun is the story. Told in eight parts the story brings to life the changing of the seasons and weaves these changes into an empowering narrative of one boy’s defeat of a mighty dragon.

To join our celebration simply read the eight parts of the story guide and then expand the story line as long or short as you like. Add places, names, descriptions and details. Be sure to tell the story to your children without reading it from a page, look at them, really engage them.

I dress up as Sir George with a knitted knight hat and red silk cape when I tell the tale. Be sure and tell the story early on in the day so you have time for the craft or activity I have suggested to accompany the narrative.

If you’re artistic use paper and crayons, paint, chalk or whatever to create a picture to go along with each day’s story. Encourage your children to create impromptu artwork about the story as well.

 

Ronan on a dragon hunt.

I’ve also created a list of things you will need for your week long celebration, don’t worry, it’s all very simple!

Supplies for the Week:

Local vegetables (to bake or steam)
Local, grass fed meat
Candles and candle holders
Leaves (don’t worry if they haven’t turned yet, that’s OK)
Paper and crayon for leaf rubbings
Clay Ingredients - Baking soda, corn starch
Silks, scarves or blankets for a cape
Cardboard, scissors, tape
Cookie ingredients - 2 cups almond butter,  2 eggs, 1 TB vanilla extract, three tablespoons of sweetener like raw sugar or stevia

 

Nykki by the glow of candle light during story time.

Friday, September 23rd, Autumn Equinox

Story guide: All the people in the land (Mother Nature’s Realm, Avalon, Zion, God's Kingdom, or ?) are harvesting their crops and hold a big feast.

Activity: Simple Harvest Dinner using your local veggies and grass fed meats. Talk about where the food came from.


Saturday

Story Guide: Father Sun says he’s tired of shinning all day when the people no longer need him to grow their food. He asks the Angels to make the days shorter.

Activity: Set out candles in your home in anticipation of Father Sun’s long naps or carve gourd lanterns.


Sunday

Story Guide: Sister Wind grows chilly without the sun around all day. She blows and blows and makes the leaves cold. The cold leaves try to warm up by turning the color of fire.

Activity: Leaf rubbings


Monday

Story Guide: But it does no good, they are still cold so slowly they drop one by one to the ground. Some fall upon a huge mound of earth and they become the scales on the back of a mighty dragon.

Activity: Rake up some leaves into a pile, pretend it’s a dragon. Give him a scary name. If you don’t have leaves work with what you have; straw, a mound of dirt, a tree stump or a pile of laundry. To get even more creative make a head or tail.


Tuesday

Story Guide: The dragon frightens Mother Night and she is too scared to let the moon come out. The people know that without the fall moon there will be no winter and without a long winter nap the animals and seeds will not have energy to grow next spring. So the people ask their angels to help them.

Activity: Make clay angels using this recipe. Bake them with ribbon inside and a loop at the top. Hang your angels on the trees outside to protect you from the dragon (or inside if your dragon is a pile of laundry).


Wednesday

Story Guide: The Angels agree that something must be done. They send a magic cape and sword to a young boy named George and knight him, Sir George, the brave knight of Mother Nature. He is afraid but he accepts the challenge to fight the dragon.

Activity: Make a cardboard sword



Thursday

Story Guide: George chases the dragon all around the earth, up into heaven and back. George prays and asks for strength.

Activity: Make a cape. You can get fancy and use silks that you dye naturally or simply use a cut up sheet, blanket or scarf.

Friday

Story Guide: God sends Michael and Michael tells George about the war in heaven and how he cast out Lucifer. George gains new strength to slay the mighty dragon. All the people are happy and bake good things to eat and give them to the brave George.

*Don’t be tempted to think this tale as too violent for young ones. Children view the world and death differently than we do as adults. The simple triumph of slaying the dragon will not translate into violent animal murdering adults, I promise. Fairy tales speak to the soul and part of that magic is the death of the evil in the story. This empowers children to believe they can conquer their own woes, putting them to “death.”

Activity: Dress the family up and act out the whole story, bake almond butter cookies (see recipe below), shape them into dragons, leaves, trees, etc.

Hint: If you’re Christian you may want to read Revelations Chapter 12 at some point in the week.

Happy Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas!

Almond Butter Cookies

2 cups of almond butter

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

3 tablespoons of sugar or stevia

2 eggs

Blend everything together in a bowl, drop onto ungreased cookie sheet, shape as desired, cook at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  

Kindergarten in Our Home - The Waldorf Way

 

Our Homeschool Room. The blackboard is welcoming the start of a new year. The Moses basket sits quietly with warm, crocheted blankets awaiting Old Testament tales for my third grader.

“May my soul bloom in love for all existence.” - Rudolph Steiner

 

This year our homeschool is really hoppin'! With Ronan doing Kinder work as well as the addition of my younger brother, we now have a kinder, third and fifth in our home! My toes curl with anticipation! All boys adds the element of creating balance in our studies, our energy and our rhythm.

I'm am signing praise of thanks to my Heavenly Father and the firm foundation of the gospel I have to guide me on this journey! I'm also grateful for Rudolph Steiner, educator and inspiration-er to me and so many others who carry the torch for....

simplicity....

love.....

honor....

and

Christ....

in education through the Waldorf method.

 

Maps of the US and of German speaking Europe.

In Kindergarten this year we will be focused on a consistent rhythm and joy in the home over household tasks. Not only is this important to our Kinder but it creates security for our older boys and our baby as well.

Ronan will actively engage in washing clothes on Monday, folding and ironing on Tuesday, market on Wednesday and so forth. Helping to wipe, sweep and to fold will engage his mind and train his eye on the side to side movements needed for reading later on.

He will experience a new awakening in of his own abilities to serve and to do. His role within the family will begin to emerge from that of small child underfoot to growing child and vital member.

 

Circle time with his brothers, mom, nana and uncle will set his mind on singing, guessing, and thinking - setting up a life long playful relationship with the learning process. 

Ronan will learn to strike a match and light a candle. We will recite verses to strengthen his mind and his relationship with God. We will tell timeless stories and poems (such as Mothergoose) to keep his imagination strong and connect him with the changing seasons.

 

Our numbers to practice reciting them in German.

 

Pillow corner for Ronan's story time

 

Nature table

 

Class pet

Angels watching over...

Creation and the Nine-Year-Old Change

Photo Credit

The child grows, yearns, waxes strong and approaches the age of nine.

The year is tough. The child folds in like a rollie pollie - but cannot hide from awaking to a new view on life.

Parents fret and wonder....what has happened to my sweet innocent child?

The child bites her lip, he squirms.....they ask about life and death. They are unfolding to self.....

"In the ninth year the child really experiences a complete transformation of its being, which indicates an important transformation of its soul-life and its bodily-physical experiences."

- Rudolph Steiner

The child begins to separate from the oneness he experienced with the world. She peels away like the skin from a banana - and for the first time the once dreaming little-one, who never felt alone in the vastness of creation - feels absence as they experience, for the first time.....their individual shelf.

The child scrambles in this new sense of shift and loss. What is stable?   Where is her authority? Who can he trust? If life ends, who will always be with her? Who will comfort him? Where can he find oneness again?

Mom and Dad hold tightly to their changeling......wondering how they can comfort him in this trail, what can they say to her as she awakens for the third time, crying for no reason?

God is here...

We may not always be here little-one but there is someone who holds you, there is someone who will never leave you, there is someone whose unfailing authority you will always lovingly guide you....

God is beyond the limits of our earth and our human existence. 

God created everything, God is everything...glorified....

This is the gift a parent can give their child.....the grace and peace of God in all His glory.

Turning to the stories of creation, to the Old Testament the Waldorf family knows God's word is so soothing and so healing...

Photo Credit

The child tucks in, comfortable, blankets piled high and hears Mom's voice read the melodic prose of scripture. 

Life IS connected....

Life HAS a purpose...

.....the child breaths easier.... dreams lighter as vision of angels sweep through her mind. His life, his fate - it all has meaning. It can all be goodness - sweet and light tasting through the glory of the most high God.

The real world is beautiful, not frightening....she can let go, he can loosen his grip....

For the nine-year-old the paradise of their younger years is lost....

....but a firm foundation in a relationship with Creation, aides and comforts along the path to whole self.

Waldorf on a Dime

I'm always on the prowl for Waldorf toys and imagination ideas on the cheap. Here are some of my latest finds and/or ideas!

 

This basket chicken was 35 cents at my local Senior Center Thrift Shop. It opens up in the middle to hide treasures. I found the hand painted silk at the same shop for $1!

 

 Since I have boys they don't really use a play kitchen. 

This is an alternative. A simple stand that becomes a table, a market stand, a horse, etc. I found this foot stole at Goodwill for $5. 

It's draped in a faux leather I found at the Senior Center Thrift Shop (SCTS)  for pennies. 

On top we have a set of wood play dishes bought on Etsy for $12, a stack of wooden coasters used as dishes that I found at the SCTS for $1.50 along with a wooden salt shaker which was 10 cents at the SCTS! 

The orange I knitted from yarn purchased at the SCTS, so that cost maybe a penny total. 

 

 Okay so in this picture we have the wooden, old fashion phone I found at Goodwill for $8. The kids LOVE this one! The metal bucket came from my oldest son's Waldorf homeschool charter school so it was free, the animals inside were knitted using free patterns from Living Crafts Magazine. 

The shelf liner and the shelves the toys are on were a total of $5 at my SCTS!

 

Another SCTS find. One whole dollar! Makes an awesome addition to the play room!

 

This set of Eco friendly kids mucial instruments was $30 on Amazon plus free shipping. The basket was 50 cents at the SCTS :)

 

This is our current dining table center piece. The wooden plate was 50 cents, the wooden duck candle holder was 35 cents (both at the SCTS), and the beeswax candle was $3 at my local co-op.

The walnut shell turtles were a recent late summer craft activity. The green beeswax was $2 at Three Sisters of Ukiah, CA and the walnut shells were from our local co-op and cost pennies (plus we got to eat the nuts!) They are so cute!

What are your favorite ways to save money on natural toys?

Images from Our Waldorf Inspired Play Room

 

 

 

 

 

"To truly know the world, look deeply within your own being; to truly know yourself, take real interest in the world." - Rudolph Steiner

Waldorf Toys for Boys - Peg People Action Figures!

Sometimes we Waldorf mommas can have a hard time getting our boys to give up mainstream toys in favor of Waldorf inspired play. I'm always looking for a compromise, something my son will play with, that reflects his interest but which also is true to the Waldorf standard of natural materials and imaginative play. In that theme, here are the action figures I made for my son's 8th birthday.

 

Using some peg people I purchased at Etsy.com and some beeswax crayons 

I created this Doctor Who group. From left to right they are a Cyberman, a Dalik, 

Amy Pond, Doctor Who (the 11th), Rory and another Dalik.

 

This is the crew of SG-1 from Stargate along with a few Jafa friends. 

Daniel Jackson still had a wet spot on his forehead LOL

The creations you can make are endless, superheros, Bible heroes, characters from favorite books, movies, comic books, friends, relatives - whatever you can dream up!

Happy crafting!

A Peek at Our Nature Table

The subject of nature tables came up on a forum site I frequent and it gave me the idea to share some pictures of our nature table here on my blog.

We've been "nature tabling" for about 6 years now. Sometimes our displays have been very elaborate, other times super simple. 

Right now our table is quite simple. It speaks to me of this quiet, winter time of sparseness and barren landscape.

 

We use a faux-fur lining. The man and woman figure were made by a friend using items she collects on the beach. The man is chopping wood (our papa) the woman is gathering or harvesting with a basket and she has a baby on her back (me!). 

Deer antlers are the large "bridge" like structure over the whole thing. My eldest actually found these in the woods near our home. A twig of madrone leaves with a red berry still attached is poised on top. 

 

 

 

Acorns and other winter treasures collected by the kiddies :)

 

This is where the nature table stands in relation to our home. It's currently located on the middle shelf of our dinning room display case. Underneath I usually place additional seasonally themed decorations, here we see our St. Lucia doll, yule gnomes and a book on the nativity. 

Waldorf Playroom Decoration for Boys - Space!

 

Here are some pictures of our recent playroom addition - a universe. We hung up a large, dark blue sheet we bought from the thrift shop on the wall, in the corner. We then water colored planets, asteroids, stars, etc, cut them out and taped them out. The effect is a wonderful backdrop for imaginative play!

 

 

Autumn Equinox / Michaelmas Celebration - Day Two

So we are two days into our week long festival, are you following along? If so please comment below and let us know how it's going!

Last night my family and I dove into these bad boys...

Then I dressed as Sir George and told the beginning of our celebration story

The kids are really getting a kick out of Sir George even Seth comes and listens to the stories!

Tonight after our Sir George tale we lit candle all around the house to shine while Father Sun starts going to bed early.