John Muir Unit study

Another aspect of the Sages unit study is that we carry it through the next math block. We will do this by continuing our movement activities through the math unit.

I am not doing really great at having a circle right now. Brother has always resisted it - which makes a lot more sense now that I know about his unintegrated reflexes. So we go for a bike ride or walk in the morning, followed by his physical therapy exercises. The exercises don't take much time, but they can be straining to him because they are re-wiring his brain. It was much worse a few months ago though. And some of the exercises that he really hated have been completed.

After his PT we dance to Loch Lomond and one movement activity that is directly related to the John Muir story. I am probably going to add another dance in a week or so, depending on how this week goes. He loves the Loch Lomond song. We found a version of it on YouTube to listen to a couple times.

We have also made Cocka Leekie soup and Scottish Meat Pie. The Cocka Leekie soup was really fun. He wrote up the grocery list and we went to the store together. Also he did the math to figure out how much stock to add to the soup. It was really great to have him use math in a real life situation.

We plan on doing some more Scottish cooking, going to a Scottish dance and doing another craft.

Week three - "F"

Yes, you were right. The letter is "F". He got a little stuck in the curve, but we used yellow to cover over some of the letter and he redid it.



Copywork is still a challenge. I am asking him to do the first line of the poem, which take him over 10 minutes. But, it will get easier.

Meanwhile, circle is going great! Brother is really fed by our first grade activities and Little Brother is floating in and out. When Little Brother joins us we add in a couple Kindergarten songs that are fun and speak to big Brother's silliness. He is really silly!

Imbolc week

This week is Imbolc! We are celebrating it in our own way, focusing on nature and what is going on in the world around us.

We are holding to our morning rhythm and incorporating the celebration into our day. For circle today I added the fingerplay element. So our circle looks like this now:

.5 mile walk
form walk - curves and straight line
Gathering Song
Gnomes
Dwarves
Winter White
Snowflakes - and a short grounding activity
Fingerplay - A Little Bit Of Snow
Closing Song
Closing Spiral

The words to the fingerplay are:

A little bit of blowing,
A little bit of snow,
A little bit of growing,
And Hellebore will show,
On every twig that's lonely,
A new green leaf will spring,
On every patient treetop
A Jenny wren will sing.

Brother loves it! We have a Hellebore in our yard that is blooming, the twigs are budding, and he loves Jenny Wren from our nature reading.

Next week my goal is to add beginning recorder walking.



We also made this lovely soup suggested by M. Johnson on this Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfhomeeducators/

Mmm, it is so delicious. Looking in her files, we found a wonderful poem called "Wish For The Fields" that she wrote. I don't want to post it because I don't have permission. But, if anyone else is looking for a nature based Candlemas poem, the group files are very extensive.

Monday -

I added another base sense activity to our circle from the Enki Kindergarten Guide called "Snowflake" - So our circle is now:

Walk
Form Walk
Gathering Song
Gnomes
Dwarves
Winter White
Snowflakes - and a short grounding activity
Closing Song
Closing Spiral

I'm getting closer! All I need to add is a pre-recorder song, foreign language song, and a finger play.

It's hard focusing on winter right now when our weather is so unseasonably warm. Brother's contribution to circle today was "Spring is Coming." We have only had one really cold week so far, about 4 frosty mornings and no snow at all.

With my lack of enthusiasm towards the weather, I just couldn't pick t a snowy, winter poem for Baby's reading session today. I have the "My Bookhouse Collection", so we just read some nursery rhymes out of the "In The Nursery" book. This is Baby's book list for the week:

In The Nusery
A Fairy Went A-Marketing
The Gingerbread Baby (AAARGH!)
Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel

For Brother I am reading the Enki Fairy Tale "Little Red Cap", which went really well!

This afternoon we enjoyed a sunny day at the park with our good friends, and the kids took off their coats. After all , it is such a blustery winter here.



The snowmen are finally sewn together. This was just a wet felting project. Each part was made separately, and then sewn together. Brother had no problem with the sewing! I just started it off for him and he took control! They are supposed to be decorations, but the kids love them and play with them like toys. Hopefully they don't break! They aren't very sturdy.

Monday!

I can't believe it is Monday already! Today is Grandma's 70th birthday. We have been making lanterns for the party for the last 4 days. The kids are really excited. Daddy has the day off work, but he wants to keep his regular schedule. That works fine for us.

So, we had our regular morning "lessons." I switched Baby's reading list around. The new poem is:

When against earth a wooden heel,
Clicks as loud as stone on steel,
When stone turns flour instead of flakes,
And frost bakes clay as fire bakes,
When the hard bitten fields at last,
Crack like iron flawed in the cast,
When the world is wicked and cross and old,
I long to be quit of the cruel cold.

Little birds like bubbles of glass,
Fly to other Americas,
Birds as bright as sparkles of wine,
Fly in the night to the Argentine,
Birds of azure and flame birds go,
To the tropical Gulf of Mexico,
They chase the sun, they follow the heat,
It is sweet in their bones, Oh Sweet, sweet, sweet,
It's not with them that I'd love to be,
But under the roots of the balsam tree.

Just as the spiniest chestnut burr,
Is lined within with the finest fur,
So the stoney walled, snow-roofed house,
Of every squirrel, mole and mouse,
Is lined with thistle-down, seagulls feather,
Velvet mullein-leaf, heaped together,
With balsam and juniper, dry and curled,
Sweeter then anything else in this world.

Oh, what a warm and dark nest,
Where the wildest things are hidden to rest,
It's there that I'd love to lie and sleep,
Soft, soft, soft and deep, deep, deep!

By Elenor Wylis

Followed up with the picture books:
Gingerbread Baby (for the 3rd week!)
Twas the Night before Christmas (Baby's request)
Fairy Goes a Marketing
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Baby's request)

I've been leaving Baby with the books and with Winter by Gerda Muller, while Brother and I go to the special Fairy Tale reading spot with our candle. This week we are reading "Star Frog" a fairy tale for younger Kindergartens from our Enki Folk and Fairy Tales book. Brother is really fed by repetition, so I have changed our weekly rhythm to include three days with the same story, and then recall on the fourth.

I have also added the verse "Gnomes" to our circle to strengthen his midline crossing skills per the Enki Movement book.

Here are the gifts votive sized lanterns that we made for Grandma's birthday!



Daddy's has the smiley face on it. ;)




We also made a tiara for Grandma with glitter, feathers, googly eyes and sequins! Kids and Daddy had fun making a mess and Grandma enjoyed the tiara!

Monday - Cleaning Day

Wow! This weekend was crazy. I worked on both Saturday and Sunday, so I was out of the house a little more than usual. But, what I really notice is that the kids behavior was kind of crazy since our rhythm was so disrupted. Plus, it was so exciting helping Daddy chose a new light fixture from the hardware store and then finally install it. Personally, I'm glad it's Monday again and we can settle back into our regular rhythm.

This morning we did our regular walk/form walk/circle. I am hoping to actually draw a form this Friday. Last week I just made up a form as a place holder in our morning walk. This week we walked a real form. Brother tried to lead the form walk and went off on his own way, but eventually I managed to get him to follow behind me.

For circle I added the poem "Dwarves" from our Enki movement guide. Brother loves the more forceful movements.

So now we have this structure:

Walk
Form Walk
Circle - Winter White
Dwarves
Closing song and spiral

Play outside time

I've decided that Mondays are stressful enough right now without piling on a bunch of homeschooling activities, so I add to - or change circle and change the form walk and then call it good for the day. The rest of the day is for cleaning, social activities and possibly baking. Today we cleaned and then after quiet time met friends at Karkeek park for a walk along the stream. Because of all of the rain we have been having, the stream was really moving fast. It was very interesting to the kids and unfortunately, one little girl leaned over too far and fell in. It was a good three feet fall which resulted in a swelling shoulder and a cut face that wouldn't stop bleeding. It was pretty scary. The little girl went to the ER, where she was glued back together again and is going to be fine! Phew! I brought her little brother home with me so he didn't have to go to the ER as well. Then I didn't have enough room for car-seats, so Brother was taken home with our other friend. It sounds like Brother had a lot of fun at our friend's house! And Baby enjoyed playing with his little friend as well.

Tuesday

Today we started off with our walk, form walk and circle. Brother is trying to be the leader and decided to add some Sally Goes Round The Sun. When his leadership turn was over, we continued on as planned.

For Baby's stories this week we read the January page from "Around the Year" by Elsa Beskow, "Winter" by Gerda Muller, "In the Land of Faries" by Daniela Drescher,"The Tomten" and "The Tomten and the Fox" by Astrid Lindgren, and "Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett. Brother always sits and listens. Then Brother and I went off for me to read for him "Masha and The Bear." This story is listed as a younger Kindergartener story in my Enki books. It seems as though Brother is still hearing the stories with his "literal ears" so I am still on the fence about offering first grade activities. Last year when I read this story for him the first time, Brother was very upset. This year he found it humorous when the bear was afraid of Masha. It's interesting the difference a year makes.



This afternoon Brother and I made pinecone bird feeders while Baby took a nap he insisted he didn't need. ;)





Here is the bird feeder in it's place.

Monday

We're back in the swing of things now that the holiday season is over!

We started off with our morning circle. Currently it is a .5 mile walk. We walk up the driveway doing our "form walk", followed by songs in the front yard. I am starting off with only one song this week - Winter White, from my Enki Kindergarten Movement book. We close with a spiral walk.

After this I spent the morning cleaning and then we had friends over to play. It was nice for the kids to play and great for us Moms to have some time together.

Wednesday - the meaning of Circle?

Today was supposed to be a park day, but our friends are sick. So we are doing things here instead. Trying to make it a normal day - I tried to do circle. The kids were running around the livingroom playing circle anyway, so I figured, why not jump in. Well, I met with Great Resistance! So, after the kids ran away, and I was angry, I sat to rest in my meditation spot, which is on the livingroom couch. Then I realized - what is the purpose of circle? To bring the family together and to get morning rhythmic movement. But, if there is Great Resistance and I force it, am I bringing the family together? No! So, I offered Brother the choice of a walk or a circle. He chose walk, and we all happily took a walk together. 

FWIW - I love circle. So, I will have on prepared just in case. 

It was snowing BTW! So, part way through the walk, Brother asked for Spring Songs. So I starting singing Spring is Coming from our circle. He loved it! He thought it was so funny singing spring songs in the snow! We also squeezed in our fingerplay. My only issue is that he will not be doing naval radiation if we just take a walk. So, I need to ponder that issue for a while. 

Our long term craft project is the sail boat from the Enki Craft book. I know, it's in the Autumn section, but we are making it now so that we can sail it on Lake Whatcom with Oma and Opa this summer. When we started the project at his friend's house (with his friend) last Thursday, he had no interest. I was thinking he might not be ready for this craft yet. But I got it out today and put it in the kitchen on our little wood working table and he was very intent on it. He did A LOT of sawing. I think he is ready for it, but he may need some reminding. On the other hand, he set a goal for himself of finishing that cut, and he did! I know he wants the sail boat this summer because we talked about it last year. But I also really feel like it is important that we make at least some of our toys and that I don't just go buy him a sailboat. I see a huge difference in the soul quality between purchased toys and home made toys, for him.