So I have become a fiber art snob.....I signed my girls up for a fiber art camp out here in NM for the week...low and behold it is no more than an attempt at fiber art but totally lacking in natural material and projects with purpose and challenge.......another moment of reflection...thank you Rudolph Steiner for your many teachings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I volunteered yesterday...thinking that I would learn some new stuff....
they started the day with circle and I was all happy thinking that we would do a morning verse and a song and introduce each other etc....
No such luck...just "Hi my name is....and this is my 1st year attending fiber arts camp and I will catch 3 grass hoppers today and feed them to the chickens"
Ok so circle didn't go as I would have liked...that's ok.....so the kids were split up into 3 groups. each group were brought to a station. the only cool station was the table looms....soooooo cool! but there were only 7 looms so the kids had to wait and wait and wait and wait!!!!
the other stations were projects that were very "public school" quality. plastic, synthetic without purpose.
I tried to bring in some little projects and I tried to show finger knitting, finger weaving and celtic double finger looping......NOPE the teachers looked at what I was doing and said it was too hard........WHAT? you have 6th graders in this group! my 4 year old was able to do all the projects they provided.........yep.....so we dropped out of fiber art camp.
too bad...what a bummer! the location was awesome. they rented a farm space and there were really cute animals theres. baby sheep, baby goats, baby chicks
We had this experience at Girl Scout camp. Hels came home quite disgusted by the quality of the crafts. She is going to an "Earthworks" adventure camp this summer where they will dye with natural materials scavenged in the woods along with other activities. I wrote on the info form that she is very experienced with fiber arts....I hope it isn't a mistake to send her.
ReplyDeleteHey, there's nothing wrong with high standards ;). Sorry it didn't work out so well.
ReplyDeleteBummer, indeed! Yeah, I think I'm just a Waldorf snob!!! NOTHING compares!! Too bad they wouldn't take your influence...Any chance to spread the Steiner knowledge, ya know?!
ReplyDeleteI am in the same boat most of the time. My daughter signed up for 4-H this year and we cannot believe the content of the project books. We found one project to do on plant dyeing and my daughter said she will "Waldorficize" it. She will finish 4-H this year, but will not join next year:(
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is hard to find quality programs for kids like that. So few and far between!
ReplyDeleteGreetings, my fellow fiber snob! Acrylic gives me the itchies. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi there. I am still browsing through your old posts. he he. Can you explain what Celtic double finger looping is? I googled but coudn't fine anything that seemed to fit. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAli, NZ
P.S. I see Syrendell has waldorf craft workshops. I have very little idea on US geography so I don't know if they are near you.