Homework

Thank you ladies for your suggestions!!!!!!!

I got 2 great suggestions to make a Koala Bear and a Camel for my homework 4 legged animal.....I will post them as soon as I am done.....I am just working on the Koala's ears at the moment.

I have made so many animals in the past so it is wonderful to have new suggestions.

I will also post my cross stitch homework....this should also help those who are doing cross stitch in their own school.

Fun fun fun......

Honolulu Waldorf School Kindergarten

I love this lecture...it's for all mothers.....

7th grade needle felting hats, people

http://scrubberbum.typepad.com/moth_heaven/2006/01/ladies_start_yo.html

http://www.owning-alpaca.com/support-files/needlefeltingtutorial.pdf

here are some links to tutorials

Homework for my teacher training program at Sunbridge

It's time to start thinking about doing my homework. we meet up again in February......I hope it snows!!!!!!!!!

So maybe you can help me think of something to make:

I have to make an animal but it can't be a horse, lamb or a lion. we already did those.

So I have this blue yarn.....this is what it looks like at the moment.

It has to have 4 legs..... It's feeling like its going to be an elephant. ......kind of boring..... what else has 4 legs and could be blue.........a hippo? any ideas? I'll make it just shout out an idea.


2) I have to think about and then write a description of my final project.......MAKING AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING ......from scratch.


AHHHHHHHH, what should I make? it has to be really cool and something that I would actually use.

How about I spin yarn and knit a skirt and then felt it................that has the potential to go drastically wrong.......ahhhhhhhh. But I would love to make that!

what to make, what to do?

Any ideas?


For those who want to know what program I am talking about here is the link

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

Its the Handwork teacher training at the threefold craft studio in the Sunbridge college campus

(845-425-2891)

3rd grade painting

my 3rd grader is painting this piece.
There is a typo in the video....sorry, for some reason I can't go back and edit it.

live feed

I am totally amused by my live feed ..... do people actually come to visit this site that often...are they really people interested in crafts or are they just surfing (most likely) and are they even human? I mean it could just be a computer programed to check different sites randomly and often. and WOW they are from all over the world.....and is that why they don't leave comments.

They may not leave comments because they can't speak English or maybe they see the site and have nothing to say....or maybe they don't want to say anything.

hmmmmmmm....I am totally amused!

happy holidays

sending you a very happy season of love and light.

TO do this painting you just need to get your paper wet (top and bottom) use red, yellow, green, blue and indigo paint. The painting of the poinsettia is very basic. just petals here and there like a star. after that you can let it sit for about 10 mins and then come back to it to add the blue background ( that is where my film starts)

1st grade craft...this is not me by the way

home made secret santa gifts

My girls and I made these fun secret Santa gifts this weekend.
The first picture is of our
Natural monsters......meaning stuffed animal monsters made from all natural material

FUN!!!!! they loved this.....we made a bunch
wet felted candy canes
Roving, pipe cleaner and wool yarn.....wet felt and you are done!


we were having fun making these secret Santa gifts for friends at school.

times table trick

I just taught my 3rd grader this trick...she loves it
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/891715/math_trick_for_your_fingers_easy_multiplication/

etsy pics

.

My favorite items I saw this morning.....the list can go on and on....... But I saw some good ideas of things I want to make or have the kids make.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17868435

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=14270561

http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.49153695.jpg

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16479254

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_8&listing_id=18552510

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18595630

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_16&listing_id=18590701

7th grade movie

Okay this is not really for early childhood....only because a bolder comes falling out of the sky and smothers the gnomes.

7th grade made this playscape, they made the dolls and they made the video and I put the video on u tube for them to see.......yah I know, I did it for them.....they thought it was hilarious .

So here you go!

1st grade cats, 3rd grade art and 8th grade art

first grade cats ready to go home
1/2 of my first grade and their cats
my daughter and her class (3rd grade ) painted the spiral walk candle which is in an apple
8th grade charcoal
8th grade industrial picture. Sorry it is side ways.....for some reason it won't stay turned.
Here is an 8th grader drawing industrial landscape in charcoal

spiral walk

here is a link to another blogger (blueberry cottage) who took some really nice shots of their spiral
http://blueberrycottage.blogspot.com/2008/12/advent-spiral.html

Saying Goodbye t o 8th grade

Today I had 1/2 of my 8th graders say Goodbye to the Handwork room.

The other 1/2 of the 8th grade will join me after the winter holidays. I swap with woodwork.

I actually teared up. The kids said they were sad to go. We stood in a circle and we looked around the class. They all had their handwork bags, lesson books and the projects they finished, wrapped up in their arms.

Sniffle, sniffle.....where is my tissue box?

I really like this 8th grade....maybe that is why it is so much more emotional for me....last year's 8th grade was a very different class.


I still have them for Art class and we just started our 10 day Knit-a-thon.....so I will see more of them....

Just sharing the moment with you...........

My curriculum to date

Here is an update on my curriculum this year....

This happens to be a great place to write stuff down so that next year I can come back and view what I did.

1st grade. Cats (all but one child is done with the cats)
Birds ( most are on the plant dyed yarn birds)
Flute case (3 children...almost 5 are on their flute case)(1 is almost done)
I have 1st grade 4 times a week. I split them in half so really I get them 2 times a week. 45 min periods.

2nd grade we resanded our tools and knit a mouse. we leaned how to braid.
Then we knit a lion.
All but 5 children are still on their lion....most are on the head of the lion or are sewing them up.
Next is the owl (learning to pearl.)
Next is the Gnome. Only 2 children are on the gnomes.

3rd grade We crocheted chains
we crocheted a soap bag....I still have one boy on this soap bag......I wish I had an aide for him.
We plant dyed yarn
We crocheted recorder cases with the plant dyed yarn and with Brown sheep yarn
1/4 of the class is still on their recorder case
We crocheted puppets for stone soup puppet show
7 children have stared to weave on the lap looms.
I have them for a double period once a week

4th grade
all but 4 are on their handwork bags. most are on their loops (which is the very end of the bag project)
2 are making needle books
2 are doing cross stitch
5th grade we made new knitting needles.
They plant dyed wool to make horses
I still have one child who is not done with their horse.
5 needles to make hats, fingerless gloves and wrist bands.
Double period
I have one week left with this class. They will switch with the woodwork class

6th grade we started with making a mouse from wool felted fabric.
A gusseted animal.
Next they chose an animal that is in need of help (going extinct) and they drew it and made a gusseted pattern. Then we bought an adoption certificate for one of the animals. This group chose a seal.
Next they made marionettes. we made puppets for 2 shows. we have done one show and will do another next week.
next they made table puppets (star children and mushroom children)
They ended with making sock monsters. Free design.
Double period 1 time per week

7th grade Wet felted balls for pin cushions
Embroidered pencil cases for the 2nd grade
Felted people
Wet felted hat (only 2 children finished this project ) and I didn't feel I knew enough about how to instruct them to have the rest of the children do this. My advanced handworkers did the hats.
A felted picture
needle felted gnomes
group project.....Felted playscape.
double period 1x per week

8th grade We had a lesson the sewing machine history
made Lesson books writing down the history
They sewed math jewel bags for 1st grade
they sewed a 8 piece tomato pin cushion
using a pattern they made hats
Making up their own pattern they made mittens
They sewed quilted pillows
Free style making clothes.

another painting

I actually found this really challenging to paint. Maybe I was not in the mood...I don't know. In the end I felt like I would rather have painted a horse, which is always a challenge, than paint the Tag Mahal!
But I filmed it.....so here you go!

8th grade did very well with this piece.....

Check out this u tube video

I want you to look at this u tube video at fairies nest
http://thefairiesnest.blogspot.com/2008/12/woodmouse.html

Faculty painting and my Chalk board drawing

I led a faculty painting...the same one that is in the tutorial a few posts ago...it was very nice...so I took a picture. I take pictures for the yearbook....my camera is always around.


This Saturday we have our winter fair and I was asked to draw the curriculum board for the curriculum room. The Curriculum room is where all the classes have a table to display their work. New parents or anyone really can walk in there and a teacher is posted in the room to answer questions.

So....point is...I had to draw this picture and it was my first time drawing on a black board....well...real drawing anyway. I found it very challenging. It takes lots of layers and color accents and shadow etc.....the chalk falls off if you rub the wrong direction etc.....wow!

a day in the handwork room

Here you will see children making cats, birds, handwork bags, cross stitch, puppets from Cinderella and stone soup and last a felted playscape.

Enjoy

Class review time

So last year this time I had our school mentor come in to review my class (and all the other subject teachers and class teachers etc) . Well it's that time again........dhm dha dha dham......its always so nerve racking to have someone come and stare at you for the SINGLE PURPOSE OF FINDING SOMETHING TO IMPROVE . I should be more positive about this and except the guildance. "note to self......welcome all comments, negative and positive, as a way learn and grow."

Well I had 8th grade for my review (she will see me 2 more times) and they were their usual selves; Chatty, jumpy, silly and always extremely creative. So its the end of the semester and almost all the children have completed their projects, so its time for free style creations......So yesterday they thought up things to make and they made their own patterns
3 kids made boxers
2 kids made vests
2 kids made skirts
and 1 made leg warmers

When I announced that it was time to clean up (we have a double period for this class)
they all shouted "NO"!!!!! "I don't want to leave"

I was so proud of their defiance :)

Anyways, the mentor looked at me and said, WOW what a popular class you have.

Thank you thank you