I got a spinning wheel!

A family at school just donated a Spinning wheel to the handwork room!!!!!!!!! score!!!!

But here is the bad news.....I had this spinning wheel for not even an hour when my 6th grade class comes into the room and one of the children walks over to the spinning wheel (behind me) and starts to jump sideways on the wheel. I hear a crack......I turn around quickly and say, "you did not just crack our new spinning wheel did you?"
He did not break the wood but he broke the leather strap that connects the peddle to the wheel. I was so upset, I actually wanted to cry...for about 5 seconds...that's an eternity for a teacher.
To explained to him that he was not invited to use the wheel, he needs to always ask a teacher before using a new item in a room, it doesn't matter what room he is in or who he is with. He should never start to jump on something that looks like a tool for a class.
It took me another 5 or so minutes before I was able to really calm down....I was so upset and this class had never seem me upset before.
so I told him he had to fix it with his dad.

After school another father came into the handwork room and actually fixed it with me...we used thick wool felt to make the strap.

All is well, but there was a very big lesson for this child to learn......DON'T touch tools in the handwork room unless you are invited to first or you ask to touch them....SECOND don't climb on every fun looking object you see, it might be VERY expensive!

Good news is I was able to take it home and will begin spinning....once I am done with this post :)

AND our 9th grade will be able to use this next year......can't wait!

"Mrs. K, you smell like cookies"

This is a first grader who is on her second project. she did a cat and now she is doing a blue bird. This yarn was plant dyed by the 3rd grade. it is Brown sheep untreated bulky single ply yarn with indigo dye.
The Knitting needles are dowels from Dowels on demand http://www.dowelsondemand.com/prices.html
I think it is size 5/16th?
Julia is that right?
1st grade rubbing the handwork pumpkin for "handwork luck" .....they are so funny!
4th grade embroidered bags

felted picture from 7th grade
Wet Felting felt for making Renaissance hats. 7th grade

These are 2 of the felted people. its a 7th grade project . the children think of a country they are from and make felted people. This is a sumo from Japan and a Russian. and wet felted balls.

So yesterday while teaching 8th grade sewing, a student leans over and starts to smell my arm, "Mrs. K you smell like a cookie, guys come here and smell Mrs. K, doesn't she smell like cookies." From here I had 5 students come over and start smelling me....very strange experience, my first reaction was to run away from their noses, but I was kind of pinned, so I allowed them to smell my arms. From there they announced that Yes I did smell like a cookie, hence we must make cookies so that they can eat some. This conversation lead to what they could sew that would go with cookies, pot holders, mits, aprons and place mats. How interesting......I guess we will be making cookies one of these days....I do have an stove in my building.

Every teacher should take vacations

Yah, those are my feet....that's as much of me as you get to see




My family and some friends took my husband, my kids and I to Mexico for a week on the beach....I just turned 30...............Yippeeeee for me. We had a BLAST! I love going with lots of people places....I love caravaning and organizing meals and staying up late playing board games...FUN!

Waldorf Handwork Teacher Training

This is Chris Marlo, she co-Teaches with Renata and I think she is probably one of the nicest humans on earth. I am not kidding, you can't get her mad, she has only nice bones in her body. Really, a truly kind soul, we should all learn from her example. She also teaches the grades handwork at Spring Valley school
This is Renata Hiller. She is the Mother of all Handwork teachers. She taught the first Handwork teacher training in America. So all the other trainings are based off of her teachings.





Just so you all know. I am getting my training at the Three Fold Craft studio...formally known as Sunbridge College Craft Studio in Spring Valley NY. I am going into my 3rd year and it is a 4 year program

http://www.threefold.org/fiber_craft_studio/applied_arts_program.aspx

more waldorf middle school art work from the kids

7th and 8th grade Waldorf School painting and charcoal

Just a few shots of some of the kids work. I have 20 8th graders and 18 7th graders.











Here are some of their latest work

4th grade in politics

So my 4th grade are REALLLLLLY into politics.....its not in their main lesson, its a self induced passion.

For the past 3 weeks they only want to talk about Obama and every teacher they pass on our walk to the Handwork room they ask "who are you voting for"

So to scratch this itch...so to speak

I decided that we would have an election in Handwork class. A book Election and the winner would be the president and they should all read the winning book.

They were very excited. They had to choose a party (a color) and the book (the candidate).

Then a week later I would have them cast their ballets in the voting box.

Sooooooo, yesterday was the day....we had an election I had little pieces of paper cut and a box with a slit that was on a table behind a screen and they each went over one at a time and cast their ballet.

THEY LOVED IT!!!!!

and the winner was

DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLLLL

the winner was a book I can't even find a picture for

"story of an Ugly Kid"

and the Vice President book was

Obama's book (which they have not read but some said they want to get it on Audio and listen to it in the car)

and then there was Harry Potter as 3rd place.


Without getting to much into the whole REAL aspect of politics. this seemed to make them really happy and satisfied.