ladies camp

Ok the tickets are made...I am going back to sunbridge...being that it takes lots of money to get there...I think it will be a question every year...can I get there this summer/spring?

But it is set...kids are taken care of and I am looking forward to 2 weeks of ladies camp....


when I was a kid I would go to 6 weeks of Kundalini Yoga ladies camp...http://3ho.org/WOMEN/womens-new/womenscamp-newpage.htm

it was so fun!!!! it was a camp for only women and girls...females learning how to grow as graceful shaktis... Shakti is a Sanskrit word for graceful woman.

we would tent in a quiet camp group owned by the founders of the camp, shaded by zillions of cotton wood trees in New Mexico... eating organic food, doing really fun activities like, white water rafting, rock climbing, archery etc....and then tons of Yoga and meditation.

I noticed it was also a special time for the women that went...it was a retreat for them...they did workshops all day (unlike the teens...we needed to play)



Anyway...My point is...this sunbridge time is like a woman's camp for me...a retreat... a time to grown within my self.

Meetings

I have been in meetings for the last 2 days and I just received my new schedule for next year....last year I was 3/4 time...next year I will be full time.

The surprise was that I am on the list to teach a double period of fine arts to both 7th and 8th grade...thats an extra 4 hours with the middle school kids....last year I had them for a one block of 8 weeks...not the whole year.

and how will I fit in my BA classes at night with this new full time schedule?

I am honored to be in the position that the mainlesson teachers feel I am a good enough teacher and artist to take on ...even replace their own artistic class period during the week....but wow!

if I screaming now that means I will really be screaming next year.


rethinking the whole plan......hmmmmmmmmmm

now where did I put that wand? I know I had it ......

summer school

so it is time to think about what I am doing this summer...how to finish my BA and how to return to Sunbridge...

I need a magic wand :)

school is ouuuuuut! camping in the cabin

I did it!!!!!!! my first year of being a handwork teacher and I am still standing...........

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year I had 23 first graders
23 2nd graders
23 3rd graders
17 4th graders
26 5th graders
16 6th graders
22 7th graders
and
8 8th graders

and I worked with Kindergarten a little

Now I relax....I have meetings with faculty all next week and I have to pack up my room....But now I breathe and plan for next year

Think about what worked and what didn't

Right after school got out on Friday...it was half day...we had the car packed and we left for the mountains to go camping in a cabin

on Monday it was 112 degrees and on Friday it was 65 degrees...so that means we had SNOW in the mountains

I forgot hats so I had to make new ones really fast...good thing I had yarn and a crochet hook...

end of the year round up

We have the last few projects from fist grade going home...bears, bags, finger puppets etc
So my daughter's play was last week...she preformed it 3 times and had 2 parts. 2nd grade did the Indian story of the world is falling apart...it was so cute! I can't show pics of other students with out permission...so you get to just see my daughter as the sun...the play took place in the 3rd grade building structure...they build a shade/ shelter out of hay bales and stuck mud on top (stucco) and wood roof... it is an amazing structure!

Next we have a picture of my older daughter and her friend being very silly with tape on their noses right before we leave for our Spring assembly where we go to local community college and all the grades preform on stage to all the parents (we have so many families that there is not enough seats for everyone. (that's a good sign that we have a very healthy community)

Next you see the second Humming bird about to leave the nest and the mommy feeding him and helping him go...they are so cute when they learn to fly...they get their wings flapping and then they just fall off and about 6 inches down they start to fly up again.

next is my younger daughter drinking from a coconut and having fun on the tire swing

Dyers garden

So its time to start up my Dyers garden. The Gardening teacher and I went over what to plant this coming year.

So far this is what we are at
Sunflowers
Woad,
Weld
Red and Yellow onions
Madder

If you have any other suggestions...let me know :)

7th , 2nd and update on our humming birds

Here you can see our Humming birds trying to fly
my daughter is crocheting...

2nd grade camping trip

Since my second grader is always with so many of her friends, it was hard to get a shot of her alone.
But anyway, the 2nd grade and their families went on a 2 night camping trip to a lake about an hour away from school. it was really a wonderful trip. Not all the families came and not all the families chose to stay the entire time...

But it was a wonderful way to get to know each other better.

Here are a few pics of my girls

parrot alarm update

remember that parrot that was waking me up real early in the morning with a car alarm mimic

well here she is. we have finally met. she hung out in our back yard for about 10 minutes... she ate and sang

update

so here are some things from our day

eating our favorite snacks...papaya and avocado ...each child likes their own favorite snack...its interesting how they are both shaped like an ovary...good for my young females....they say females (no matter what age) should eat one avocado each week

Next is our humming birds in their nest...how sweet they are and so big now


2nd grade crochet update.

this is a dragon finger puppet...it took the 3 students I had do this task only one class so they will make a bag after this...with only 6 classes left.

and our first zucchini and summer squash from our garden

3 weeks left

with only 3 weeks left I am feeling the year come to an end...I see 1st graders turn into 2nd, 2nd graders turn into 3rd etc.

There are some very defining features for each grade.

I keep dreaming

I keep dreaming of going to Europe with my family and traveling for several months. come home for year and then go back for year and stay in some small village....

I wish I had some European friends...it would make this dream so much more a reality.

DO you ever feel pulled some place and you don't know why?

Maybe its all in the mind and not a reality at all or maybe there is some life experience that needs to take place there and my soul is just constantly reminding me

happy May day

my older daughter and I were inspired to make a May pole dance out of felt.

Lady spring

so my older daughter is in charge of the nature table in her class this week...its her class chore.....well, along comes Handwork mommy all excited and can't wait to add little things to the nature table...

First on the List...."we need a lady spring"..."she has to hold a bird and a nest"


so here she is ready for 2nd grade

1st grade project # 6 and felted people

I have 4 children in the 1st grade who are about to start their 6th project...fast knitters!!!!!
we will be making a rainbow ball
14 stitches
3 ribs/6 rows per color. put yarn needle through the top and pull. this will gather it. sew it up, stuff it and put a bell in the middle...DONE!

puppet show is starting

"puppet show is starting".....bell sounds....."take your seats everyone"

7th grade art class

So during our 9 week fine arts block I have been really enjoying working with the 7th grade. This has to be one of my favorite classes. They have good manors and they are well trained in the art area.

Today the mainlesson teacher and 3 other parents and I went to the Art Museum. we were able to be so close to such wonderful art. I had given the children pictures of the art and taught them the artists names several weeks ago so that when they saw the paintings they had a connection. which they did!!! they were delighted to see the same picture that had been in their class as a small 4X6 picture and now a large 7 foot tall oil painting

What is amazing about these paintings is the they are all painted again and again... in a series. the artist just repeated the work...for different reasons...perfectionism, money, politics, wanting to see the different seasons or light change...etc.

It was wonderful! and I think it is very important to share the experience of going to a museum and seeing paintings that are 100+ years old with your class or your children at home.

national downshift week

take part in this...its important!

I feel good that our school and my home is able to really live into this week

we are having our bi annual book fair at school and the children are strongly encouraged not to watch TV...as Waldorf children should not watch it anyway...but this week especially.

take on the challenge
http://www.downshiftingweek.com/howtotakepart.html

wet on wet painting with 7th grade

This was the painting we did this week. I brought in organic apples and had them paint an apple hanging from a tree. we started with painting a wash of yellow on half the paper and a wash of blue on the upper side of the paper. meeting the colors will create green. this becomes the branch. we add in red. the 3 primary colors make brown. add leaves, apple blossoms and then the apple. great exercise for 7th grade. vale painting is lots of fun. the step back from their work. let it dry and come back for another wash of color to add on layers

answers to paper questions

So this is what we did...in truth this was our first time.

So the girls and I cleaned up the house on Saturday morning and we collected all the extra pieces of drawing paper that was discarded, receipts, scraps left over from making the birthday invites...all white paper.

And then we added flowers and essential oils.

the only extra color was the beeswax crayon left on the paper from drawing.


It did turn out really nice and white.

Here is a U tube I found on how to make paper.

My frame I made from a pot holder loop kit and some mesh fabric I had hanging round. It just safety pinned it to on the back so it wasn't permanent.

http://video.about.com/familycrafts/
How-to-Make-Paper-With-Kids.htm