just catching up on the last 2 weeks of school

5th grade sock making...weaving in the tails6th 6th grade sock monsters.  And they adopeted a polar bear. 3rd grade crochet puppets for stone soupI am so proud of the 5th grade for finishing their socks in only 1/2 the year!!!!!!!! IT CAN BE DONE!!!!!!  not all the kids are here in this picture but they did great!6th grade puppet show for the kindergarten

Waldorf Spiral walk

Since we are a charter school we seem to be finding that we have a large turnover of children....this results in the fact that many families have never been able to experience the spiral walk. SO.....as a faculty we decided that the spiral walk should not end in 3rd grade like so many schools do (the spiral walk is usually provided for kindergarten through 3rd grade and then brought back again in high school...yet I can't find where Steiner said that this is the way it should be) but should be given to all the children at our school.
What are we looking for when doing a festival like this?
The spiral walk teaches reverence, compassion, and journeying on a path to find where you stand in the dark vast space of the universe. Don't you think every child and adult could benefit from this experience?!!!

We split up the spiral into 3 days. Each class walks alone....we don't have everyone walk together.
We also have the festival committee host the event and organize the whole process. Each class meets in their classroom (lit only with candles) while the families wait outside for a faculty member to bring them to the spiral garden room. The families take a vow of silence for the entire festival.
A part of me wants to share with you all the odd/ funny things that can go wrong with a spiral walk.....but I guess I will only do that if you all really want to know....


What to expect:
Families begin to arrive and immediately they feel the mood on the campus is one of quiet and reverence. Children scuffle towards their classroom muffling giggles of anticipation. Parents greet one another in hushed voices as they pull coats and shawls over themselves to keep in the warmth. The class teacher welcomes everyone and asks the children to take off their coats and hand them to their parents. Soon a faculty member arrives and walks the eager parents to a room lit with just a few candles. The center of the room holds a large spiral pathway edged with evergreen boughs, crystals, wooden animals , sea shells and stars. The mood of peace and anticipation fills the room.
Back in the classroom, the class teacher tells a story to set the mood for the children. Then the students start to sing and walk together across campus to the spiral garden and take their seats. The children shuffle around for few minutes, taking in the whole room. They smell the pine, they feel the darkness of the room and can barely make out the faces of their parents sitting across the way. One at a time each student is called up to take a candle held in an apple, then walk into the spiral and light their candle from the center light. After their candle is lit they walk out and place their candle upon a golden star. With each candle the room begins to brighten. After all the children have made their journey through the spiral, the class quietly stands and a sense of accomplishment fills the air as they leave the room.
Parents wait until all the students have left and then they are asked to retrieve their own child's apple from the spiral. Parents walk back in silence and join their children holding within them the memory of the evening.

Things to remember:
This is a very reverent festival. Please talk to your children about remaining quiet throughout the entire festival. We ask you to take the challenge for a vow of silence from the moment you enter the campus.

No cameras or camcorders. Please keep this beautiful picture as a memory.
Cell phones need to be turned off.
Due to fire hazard all children with long hair must have their hair pulled back into a pony tail.

The attire for the students is formal dress. No long dresses please because their dresses can catch on fire when passing the candles on the floor.
Please arrive on time as the doors will be locked to prevent interruption during the festival.

Small children are encouraged to join the childcare program in the kindergarten building so you are free to enjoy watching your child walk the spiral without distraction. Drinks and snacks will be available for these children. If your infant becomes fussy during the walk, please quietly exit the room.

After the festival is over, The child’s apple/candle may be brought home .

If you need to stay on campus between walks, please remain in the childcare room. To support the quiet atmosphere, the playground and classrooms are off limits during this festival.

Waldorf Spiral walk

Last night was our first of 3 days of spiral walks. Both my girls (kindergartner and 4th grader) walked last night. This morning I was in the kitchen and when I came into the dinning room I found my kindergartner (who was totally smitten with the festival) had eaten her apple and had tried to set up a spiral garden with pine boughs and dolls. SOOOO CUTE!!!!
Next time I came into the room she had dismissed the spiral and decided the apple should go in it.
Kids are just so cute!

the end of the semester

7th grade


these are the last few slipper done.

My newest black board drawing

I don't get a chance very often to draw on a broad....but this Saturday was our winter fair so I did the curriculum board drawing......fun fun!!!
I saw a sun drawn with doves flying in them on another site and loved the way the doves were in the sunset.....so I used the idea...If I had more time I would have added more people and fish etc....but ran out of time :(

Santa Fe waldorf school

The Santa Fe waldorf school has been in existence for 26 years and has a superb faculty and campus. What a gift to be able to go to this school.

7th grade paintings


Looking in the window of the handwork room
This is the2nd grade class


1st grade and look at the cool wood on top of the doors

6th grade geometry

even their toilet stalls are nice looking

flags in the hallways representing all the grades

beautiful handwork display case!


2 of many 3rd grade building projects

Pictures of the center of the waldorf world

that sounded like a good title :)
http://twiningoaks.blogspot.com/2008/10/waldorf-wonderland-walk-through-dornach.html

Santa Fe Waldorf High School

High school paintings
12th grade final gift to school....the Chinese zodiac paintings
grades wood sign into the 1st -4th grade building
new art building
grades play yard with prayer flags
The new art building for the grades 1st-8th . woodwork, handwork, Eurythmy and art
This arm is a final 12th grade project....amazing!
11th graders work

even the bathroom sign is nice

art work done by 12th graders
art work done by 10th graders
the common room

common room

This past week I was gifted the opportunity to visit the Santa Fe Waldorf school. I was blown away with how amazing the faculty is and how mature and respectful the students were. Well done!

waldorf crayon drawings

IT's important to understand crayon drawing in the Waldorf school. As a child I was mesmerized by the crayons and still have my 3 boxes of bees wax crayons that my parents got for me in 1st grade. below is a earlier post I did of drawing with middle schoolers
http://teachinghandwork.blogspot.com/2008/04/7th-grade-block-crayon-drawing.html

here is where you can get them
http://www.threesisterstoys.com/c-7-arts-crafts.aspx

here is a GREAT dvd teaser! check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqnb39BxgWI



Crayon Drawing
by Barbara Dewey

Many of you have asked about the crayon drawing done in Waldorf schools. It is a simple process, but be sure you don’t rush your child into it at too young an age. Young children need to have a chance to draw the archetypical line drawings that young children all over the world draw: The circle with legs and arms attached to it, the house made with of a square with a triangle roof and chimney with smoke coming out, etc. These drawings need to be done with a stick crayon, contrary to the popular belief that young children should have block crayons.

In grade one, the use of block crayons may be introduced, creating the form with color, rather than drawing a line and then coloring it in. It is as simple as that, but involves some practice. It also means that in introducing the method to your child, you say something like, "I am going to show you a new way to draw, which will allow you to make even nicer drawings than you can do now." This introduction is much more easily made if your child has been shielded from cartoons and the use of coloring books!

The block crayons have sides of varying widths, to allow the artist to make smaller or larger forms. For instance, if you want to draw a person, start with an oval, sketching motion using one of the longer edges of the block crayon. When you are satisfied with the shape of your oval body, make a head the same way with a smaller edge of a flesh colored crayon. Then put legs or a skirt and feet on the person, some hair and maybe a face. For trees, start at the bottom with some narrow roots drawn with a narrow edge, then draw the trunk with a wide edge and then go back to narrower and narrower edges to form the branches. When you are done, you have a winter tree. To make it a spring tree, color over the whole top area with a light green, or else just place little buds on each branch for a very early spring tree. A summer tree will have darker green thick foliage that you apply with a wide edge so that it nearly covers the branches underneath.

Give it a try yourself and see how it feels. Don’t expect that your first few tries will look like the best Waldorf drawings you have seen in main lesson books or on websites! Most of the samples you see are the best drawings that teachers have selected, although Waldorf children get really good at drawing with all the practice they get! But if you look at those samples, you will see that you can't detect any lines at the edges of the forms and figures in them. That is the hidden beauty of them, simple as it is!

If you don't have block crayons or if they are all worn out from using the corners to draw lines, take the paper off a stick crayon, break it and use the sides.

You may find with this technique, as with many Waldorf techniques, your own artistic education may be healed!