The Handwork teacher

I am a mother to two beautiful girls and I teach Handwork and Fine Arts in our local waldorf charter school in Arizona.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Off to the east coast for training

These are toys from our school store....35% off end of year sale baby! I love Waldorf toys!





But before I leave here is an update!
I GOT MY ROOM!!!!! and an assistant for 1st grade!!

I am so happy! I will be gone for several weeks....don't miss me too much :) I will post pictures when I get back!
And for those who want patterns .....I think the best idea is for me to ask when the Handwork training program will start to sell patterns on Etsy......I think that is where they are heading....or a book.....wait and see.

If it is MY pattern I will share everything I have! if it is not...I can only show pictures.....my apologies....I will see about that Etsy pattern link asap

Home work for Sunbridge





my daughter...waiting for her cast to dry

This is actually what I use to do belly casts on expectant mothers.....but here I am using to "study the Hannnnnd"! its a roll of gauze dipped in plaster....you get it wet and just put it on your hand. ...its like broken arm cast stuff!
my daughter's foot!

I am doing my homework at the moment...."study of the hand"

I did different things for this and one of them was this.....

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A herd of horses





I have started my herd of horses for kinder class
The red one is my first horse

How to Lazure





1: Paint in a figure 8 motion.
2: Get Gloss base paint from Home depot...they don't have it any place else....trust me I looked!
3: get a pigment
4: make brushes that look like broom handles.
5: work with more than 1 person. We had 3 people. The wet person adds on the color with figure 8 Motion....very wet
The 2 dry brushes come behind you and pick up the drips and go over the area you just were in.
It is an aggressive motion.

So first you need to either prime that classroom or you need have a very soft color you are painting over. We are painting over last year's yellow....with a tint of orange that is on the bottom.
Our color is green for 4th grade.




The amount I did here is enough for one wall....so don't over do it...

Monday, June 8, 2009

Waldorf woodworking and clay class



our woodwork, clay and beeswax class is run by a fantastically talented woman. If only she new how talented she was! Anyway, here are some things that her class did this year......and again this is just a taste of what came out of this class. I saw some absolutely amazing things wonder out of the woodwork/ clay room.

So for educational purposes.....to support other waldorf woodwork and clay teachers.....here is a small taste of what our school has created this year




6th grade making their own swords for the Medieval games



Thursday, June 4, 2009

My Handwork room is homless ..but not for long

At the moment my Handwork room is homeless. All of my items are packed up and sitting in one of the Kindergarten classrooms. I am crossing my fingers that the room that was assigned for me will still be available by the end of the year (I should go pee on it and mark my territory ...right?)......I could use some positive vibes with this in mind.

Our school is in the process of building BUT BUT BUT we are waiting for permits etc for people to start moving around......WELL, we just added on our 9th grade class and that means......Handwork room MUST move to make room.....only because our building has not started. SO!!!!!! I was given another smaller room but it is currently the front office room....so that means that the front office has to move....etc.

This all can and will happen.....everyone is really positive about the change...So please place me in your thoughts when you think about Handwork

Thank you all

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

my favorite Etsy pics of the week

I love to look on etsy.....so this is what I was looking at this week....drooling over....getting ideas on what I can make at home.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25643422

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25534338

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21269611

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25837204&ref=sr_gallery_19&&ga_search_query=waldorf&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=9&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=24887509

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7435109


Okay enough window shopping for now.....I like to shop this way....I think about it for a few days...weeks and maybe I'll buy something....

Meetings

It's meeting week!

I have lost my Handwork room...but have gained a new one ...THANK GOD!
I am excited for the transition....I get to Lazure again...which I LOVE!

GAMES:
In our meeting yesterday we did 2 very sweet things. 1. we had our faculty split off into 5 groups. Counting off 1,2,3,4,5. about 5-6 people per group. after that we were given 2 months of the year. going backwards from May, April, = group 1 March, Feb = group 2 etc.

From this point we had 30 mins to go and figure out a skit that portrayed those months.

So I was in the group that had Sept, Aug. we had Michaelmas, tractors coming into plow the gardens, the passing of a student, rose ceremony, beginning of school meetings, painting and unpacking our rooms etc.

After we practiced for a while we came back together and acted it out.....it was absolutely hilarious!
We made fun ourselves and funny situations that happened during the year (example) one group acted out parent teacher conferences with a conversation that actually happened.
The teacher tells the parents "I haven't received any completed main lesson books from your child this semester" and the parent said " now what are these Maaaain Lesson Books? "

Funny situations like that had us all just rolling with laughter....it was very therapeutic.

2. the second thing we did was to make a time capsule and appreciation. we all added things into the pot and we will put it in the earth for 8 years and bring it out again.

we also went and thanked those who we felt helped us this year.....I received a very, very kind letter from one of the Spanish teachers who felt like I was a mentor to her this year....I was totally taken back and honored to be blessed with such a compliment!

Anyway....fun times!
3 more days of meetings....and then room rotation!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

school is out!





8th grade has graduated.....and what a magnificent graduation it was!


I have some pics of the last week....... these are the 7th graders

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Facebook group

I cut and pasted this because I was laughing while reading it......it just cracked me up! I can totally related to all the questions!

This is a group for people who know what it means to be a waldorfian.

You know you've been a child of Waldorf when...

1. you know pencil shavings make everything prettier

2. you rip your pants and instead of throwing them away, you whip out
thread
and a needle and fix them

3. faries and gnomes were your childhood friends

4. there's no need to research the dating history of your boyfriend/
girlfriend, you know everyone they've dated

5. knitting is not just a new trend- you've done it since first grade

6. you've made socks, hats, potholders, flutecases, stuffed animals,
and
sewn your own clothes

7. as you kiss your boyfriend/ girlfriend, you realize it is like
kissing a
sibling... you break up

8. it doen't seem weird to have the same teacher for eight years

9. you can never escape your ex... they'll probably date your best
friend

10. tie dye was part of your dress code as a child

11. at least one of your woman teachers doen't shave

12. you've dyed your hair an unatural color at least once... or
wondered
what you would look like with purple hair

13. you've held hands and skipped around a pole, and no one thought it
was
weird

14. you've lived in a house without TV at some point

15. you can spell out words with your arms... no need for the finger

16. you have eurythmy shoes laying around your house

17. you've worn a eurythmy gown

18. you know what eurythmy is

19. you've had a crush on all the guys/ girls in your class

20. everybody in the school knows if you ditch class, or break a rule
or
hook up with somebody

21. you know not to breathe near the blue paint

22. you can play a wooden recorder

23. you can never forget your embarrassing childhood- they chose a
picture
of you to go on the school brochure

24. you didn't have barbies or GI joe, you had silks and wooden trucks

25. you know all the bible stories even though you've never set foot
inside
a church

26. you wonder if Waldorf has an agreement with Volvo to only drive
their
cars

27. cheerleaders, football players, and all things "public school" are
not
only scorned, but feared

28. you've been asked "isn't that a cult" when you say you go to
Waldorf

29. the thought of main lesson book nights haunt you years after you
graduate

30. you've been in at least one Shakepeare play

31. you've used the words "Waldork" and "Waldorfian"

32. you couldn't wait to get out of there, but once you did you wanted
to be
back

33. you don't know the pledge of allegience, but "I do behold the
world" and
the Bell Ringing verse are permanently imprinted in your brain

34. you know in your heart that no matter how hard you try to escape,
you
will always be a child of Waldorf

Friday, May 15, 2009

In Hawaii... Chillin with my Gnomies ( my 8th graders)

our camp site.....right on the beach
Water fall view from our second camp site.... we stayed at the botanical gardens Ho'o.......
One of my 8th graders climbing bamboo.....
Hang'n with the sea turtles .....we got to swim with them too
Those are my toes......
jump off rock on the north shore
The view from our camp site.....mountains to the west and ocean to the east. We stayed a chinaman's hat camp site which is a free camp site.....
Honolulu waldorf school
Honolulu school garden
Honolulu school play yard....Here is the 5th graders practicing for their Olympic games
Here is the hanwork teacher.....she was very nice and extremely talented in Hawaiian Handwork
Than Honolulu handwork teacher came in and taught the whole class how to make tea leaf leis ...very fun! I got to assist with teaching
Honolulu waldorf school 8th grade charcoal
Honolulu waldorf school 8th grade pointillism



it was an amazing trip! 12 days of packed fun on the island of Oahu.....WOW!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Happy May day



I feel comfortable showing these videos ONE because it is helpful to teach other teachers and TWO because the video is so far away you can't tell faces....so no need for permission. Or at least I am trying to justify that reasoning.