Homeschooling Classes - Woodworking, Music, Art, Handwork

We are very excited about our upcoming homeschooling classes in Davis, CA! Winter term begins January 26, 2016. Registration is available online at www.wholisticlearningresources.net. 

We also travel and teach workshops for homeschooling groups, parents and teachers! Contact us for more information on scheduling workshops near you.

Homeschool Classes Offered in Davis!

Announcement from Wholistic Learning Resources

WLR is coming to Davis!

WLR is pleased to announce our new classes in Davis, California!

The new classes will be taught by two outstanding teachers and Waldorf enthusiasts: Rick & Jennifer Tan. Please join me in welcoming the Tans to Wholistic Learning Resources!

I met the Tans a number of years ago and Jennifer was actually one of the teachers at WLR  during our first semester of classes in 2010. Soon after, however, the Tans relocated to Davis. I am excited to be working with them again at our new location at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis.

The new classes include Nature Notebook Journaling, Art, Handwork and Music. The Tans are talented, experienced teachers who bring a wealth of knowledge, joy and beauty to everything they do. In addition, they are experienced homeschoolers themselves and are flexible in their approach to education.

Classes will be held on Tuesdays, beginning September 15 and will run for 10 weeks. View the schedule for more details.

So Grateful....

During this time of Thanksgiving through Advent, we stop to pause and think about what we are grateful for...

A beautiful Thanksgiving Day celebration with family on both sides.

Healthy, happy children.

Living in a beautiful city that is safe, full of nature and arts and so much more.

Being able to express ourselves artistically.

Have the freedom to choose the best way to educate our children as they grow.

Giving birth at home blissfully.

Being surrounded by musical instruments...and yarn!

Having jobs that we absolutely love...teaching, consulting, music, workshops, weddings.

Enjoying our adventure as a couple over the past 24 years.

What are you grateful for?

Boosting our Creativity - Reorganizing the Craft Room

This past month, we took all of our craft supplies outside and reorganized our craft/music room! A daunting task, but one that has freed up space and created an energy flow, giving us a "boost".

On a daily basis, we are in this wonderful room, filled with art supplies, fiber arts tools, musical instruments, and a work table that Rick built years ago.

There is even space for a silk fort!

Now, our craft magazines, music, patterns are in files. We can quickly locate yarn by color. Art supplies are organized and easy to reach. 

We can find what we need for fiber arts workshops, lessons and sales. The room has a sink and a door to the backyard...both practical elements for painting and dyeing.

To keep from spending a fortune on this endeavor, we spent $30 at the local thrift store, getting baskets and magazine holders. We pulled out old food jars and wood bowls. We did splurge on chalkboard labels from Bradens Grace on Etsy to label the nooks, baskets and jars, and love that we can reuse them over the years.

We love this hanging fruit basket that we found at the thrift store.  Perfect for little balls of yarn!

Bits of leftover roving get their own space and baskets and can be used for felting or carding batts for spinning up Junkyard Fairy yarn.

And, we finally have a place to put our works "in progress".  It is much easier and neater to grab a basket full of supplies for the doll that we are sewing or the gnome that we are knitting when the supplies are all together.  

Space for the drum set and keyboard, various guitars, as well as our work desk and computer was carved out. There was space for one spinning wheel, but not our floor loom or second wheel.  So...perhaps the ultimate room would need to be an entire house for just crafts, music and art?  

King Winter Is Here!!

 Everything You Need to Celebrate King Winter's Arrival in Your Home or School! 41 Pages of Waldorf Crafting, Recipes, Stories, Songs, Verses, Poems and Activities.

http://www.littleacornlearning.com

Introducing Little Acorn Learning's *NEW* King Winter Theme Book!

Including special appearances by Jack Frost his Ice Fairies

~ A collaboration of love from Little Acorn Learning to help you celebrate the coming of Winter in your home or school


With Contributions by:
~ Eileen Straiton, Little Acorn Learning
~ Jodie Mesler, Home Music Making
~ Jennifer Tan, Syrendell


*Create a Magical Needle Felted King Winter Puppet
*Read All About How the Ice Fairies and Jack Frost Prepare for King Winter's Arrival!
*Enjoy Two MP3 King Winter Songs Written JUST for Little Acorn Learning Along with Song Sheets and Pentatonic Song Music to Use with the Penny Whistle or Flute in Your Winter Lesson Plans
*Enjoy Verses and Fingerplays in the Waldorf Tradition
*Make a Winter Solstice Wish with Your Family
*Enjoy a Bowl of Baked Winter Oatmeal and a Frozen Treat!
*Play Winter and Jack Frost Games
*Explore Ice with Your Children!
*Read a VERY Old Tale of King Winter
*Enjoy Additional Book Recommendations from Little Acorn Learning to Bring into Your King Winter Theme
 
And...some exciting giveaways!

Music at Home

Music is a large part of our lives.  We often get asked how we infuse music into our home. 

Sing

We do this every day!  We sing when we rise and we sing when we go to sleep.  We sing as we walk around the house.  At times, we sing together with the piano and work on harmony... everything from serious songs to silly stuff!

Learn

Taking lessons on the piano, guitar, harp and wind instruments occurs at certain ages.  The children select wind instruments based on interest, and Jennifer checks their fingers and embouchure.  Piano is learned first which gives a strong basis for understanding music theory and note-reading.  When possible, we perform together and in groups (band, jazz band, ensembles, recitals).  Next up is auditions for honor bands and attending music camp!

Listen

Watching professional performances, listening to CDs, and listening to Mommy and Daddy play and sing occurs regularly.  Sometimes a local symphony offers special shows for families!  We also watch each other perform at recitals and concerts.

Create

Music theory and composition are part of what we learn at home as the children grow older.  Composition can be as simple as making up a song and singing it, to writing out the music for multiple instruments/voices. A basket full of percussion instruments (small drums, claves, afuche, guiro, triangle, bells, shakers, rattles, tambourines) and basic wind instruments (tin whistle, ocarina, kazoo) is a nice way to get everyone involved in music-making... even guests!  Learning the pentatonic and diatonic wood flutes and the lyre also occur and become a part of circle time, ritals and celebrations. 

There is no doubt that surrounding ourselves with music makes life more interesting...and brings us joy!

Our Holisitic Approach to Winter Wellness

Autumn and Winter tend to bring on all sorts of interesting colds and illnesses.  We are not ones to go to the doctor or take medication.  Prevention is key, and when necessary, we will treat ourselves as naturally as possible.

1.  Juicing

At least twice per week, we drink "vruit"!  Using our Juiceman juicer, we create a blend of roots (beets, carrots), greens (kale, spinach, lettuces, chard), herbs (parsley), and fruit (apples, oranges).  It's an easy way to ensure that everyone gets vitamins and minerals from veggies and greens, especially if you have some picky eaters in the family!  Green smoothies made in the Vita-mix are fantastic, too, and contain the fiber content.

2.  Aromatherapy

We wash our hands with soap that has lavender, rosemary and tea tree oil in it after being in contact with other people or places.  A bath with 8 drops of tea tree oil is nice after a day around others who are sick.  Floors are mopped with water mixed with essential oils of lemon, lavender, tea tree and cypress.  Countertops are cleaned with a similar mixture.  Sheets are washed with a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil.  Clogged ears get a drop of lavender oil on a Q-tip.  Itchy throats drink a drop of cypress oil with water.  Stuffy noses inhale eucalyptus and lemon myrtle steam.  More ideas in our Aromatherapy eBook.

3.  Massage

When the children were babies and toddlers, we massaged them after every bath.  Jennifer is a certified educator of infant massage.  You can take a class to learn how to do this by finding a certified educator through Infant Massage USA.  As the children have grown, we massage backs, feet, ear/necks to sooth and comfort when not feeling well. 

4.  Chiropractic

Parents see the chiro (along with a massage) once per month.  Kids go during growth spurts.  Keeping the back in alignment prevents ear infections and many other issues.


5.  Exercise
Stretching, yoga, bike riding, dance lessons, fencing, gardening, playing at the park and more!

6.  Homeopathy & Flower Essences

Remedies by Uriel and flower essences by Bach are used at the first signs of any sort of illness.

 

7.  Rest

Sometimes we just need extra sleep, or a day at home on a weekend without running around to rest and recharge. 

8.  Music

Playing instruments and singing make us feel great!  Regularly listening to and playing music feeds our minds, hearts and souls.

Overall, we see wellness holistically.  We know that leading a healthy lifestyle prevents illness.  We also recognize that fevers and certain illnesses are sometimes important for us to experience.  As a result of incorporating natural therapies, we can go for years without seeing a doctor's office.  We'd love to hear how others approach wellness as a family!

Transitioning from Homeschooling to Waldorf Schooling

This past week, we transitioned from a homeschooling family to a Waldorf-schooling family.  The kids love their teachers (Joey's teacher is Daddy!), and we are enjoying being immersed in a school that is full of art, beauty and spirit. 

Rick's Grade 6 room (Mommy knitted the silk tie from the pattern in Living Craft Magazine)

Wilson at the Rose Ceremony for Grade 1

Joey in her new classroom

Ricky with his Grade 1 buddy at the Rose Ceremony

We felted some indoor shoes for Wilson.  More pics to come!

Mommy subbed for the 6-8 grade Winds teacher one day (taught band 16 years ago--nice to be back in the classroom for a bit!).

A tour of the beautiful new Kindergarten classrooms with handmade wood furniture.

Homemade fruit smoothies after school with berries from the farmer's market and mint from our garden.

Ricky is off to Ashland, Oregon with Grade 8 next week.  Joey and Rick are exploring Mt. Lassen with Grade 6.  What a wonderful way to start off the school year!