Working with Wood

Rooted deep, reaching high, trees live and breathe and bridge the elemental world with the animal world. They are integral to the cycle of respiration and hence, to life itself. With conscious purpose, we cut a mature tree to serve us in other ways. Our ingenuity and need for survival and comfort lead us to transform wood to meet our everyday needs. A house, a table, chair, ladder, crate, barrel.

Working with wood is a communion with the tree. It is acknowledging that the wood, once a living organism, is a material rich in beauty, strength, and function. Craftspeople have long discovered the art of woodworking. For those whose livelihoods depend on a close relationship with wood, they understand that the process of transforming the wood is a meditation as satisfying as the product rendered from their handiwork.

When children work with wood, they too experience the process of transformation. And as they develop their senses of self-worth and self-esteem, working with wood is really working with the will. Developing will in the right way with children is brought about in how we present and model for them our relationship with things around us. Woodworking is respecting what the tree brings and our use of the wood must be economical, meaningful, and beautiful.

In a twelve week program with Wholistic Learning Resources, I guided homeschool students in the process of crafting wood. They cut, drilled, filed, rasped, sanded, assembled, hammered, glued, decorated, and stained. Wood became objects of purpose that serve us. A pencil holder, signage, flower press, and hand loom, among other items we built, demonstrate for the children how their will forces transform the rough and raw wood into functional and beautiful things.

The work itself is a means unto itself. The motion of the arms in sanding, the use of the fingertips to determine the smoothness of the wood's surface, the visual analysis of angles and planes - all teach something to the child. Whether it is in a woodworking class or an opportunity to cut firewood or even a chance to help assemble an IKEA cabinet, working with wood is a learning experience.

How To Homeschool Webinar

We are very excited to share an incredible FREE training webinar. This is perfect for those who are ready to start homeschooling, but they either don’t know where to start or don't have the time.

Sign up by clicking here to participate in "3 Simple Ways to Make Waldorf Work with Less Time & Less Stress"

This webinar comes with supporting worksheets & checklists and has been created by Donna Ashton at The Waldorf Connection.  It’s delivered entirely over audio and/or webinar and only takes an hour.

The course will help you figure out the steps to setting up your homeschool,
how to save tons of time and make this a lot easier on yourself than you thought possible.

And reveal tips on real-life situations like:
How can I manage with more than one child?
When do I find time for myself?
How do I deal with electronics & media?
How can I engage my child with interesting lessons?
Can I get my spouse/family on board with Waldorf?
What do I need to get start homeschooling today?
How do I stay motivated and inspired?

Making a Birthday Crown

Linden loves crowns, so we made her one for her birthday and one for play. 

We started with plant-dyed wool felt, roving and embroidery thread from Mama Judes. 

Drawing a fairy-like, curved-pointed design with chalk, we created the look for the base piece.

Embroidery thread was used to hold together butterflies and the crown bases and also as embellishment.

Our Syrendell plant-dyed silk ribbons were seen onto the ends of the crown base to tie in a bow at the back of the head. Using ribbons allows the crown size to be adjustable.

Next, we need felted wools roving and a bit of Angelina sparkle onto the wool butterflies.

The crown is complete! We then made a crown with different colors and flowers/leaves.

Linden's 3rd Birthday

Our baby Linden turned three in October! Seems like yesterday that she was born blissfully at home in the waterbirthing tub with family present.

We used cuttings from the yard for simple decorations.

Linden loves butterflies! We made a crown of butterflies out of plant-dyed felt and roving from Mama Judes on Etsy. Crocheted bunting was made by Jennifer, originally for our 20th anniversary celebration. The colors were perfect for the butterfly birthday!

Extended family came to celebrate.

Kids had handmade fairy bubble wands.

Kids and adults needlefelted butterflies and dragonflies.

Our oldest son and his girlfriend made a beautiful "3" cake.

Sweet Linden Faye. Crochet pattern for her top by Chez Plum. Silk Cape dyed with Logwood from Griffin Dyeworks.

Homeschooling Again...Joy!

Ancient Humans - Watercoloring Stonehenge

Geometry - Pentagons and pentagrams

We have decided to homeschool at least one more year with our son Wilson.  He is currently considered a 5th grader, so we are joyfully jumping into all things ancient, while continuing to deepen our understanding of botany that we started at the end of last year. We are using Earthschooling, Teaching Textbooks (math), Story of the World, and an eclectic mix of books, field trips, and our own projects. Some highlights from our first couple of weeks.

Botany - Growing seeds indoors and then transplanting into the Fall garden

Botany - Identifying plants during a hike to Boiling Spring Lake in Drakesbad within the Lassen Volcanic National Park

PE - Tap dancing with siblings and Mommy

Art - Watercoloring a scene from our camping trip to Lake Almanor

Botany - Crayon drawing the stages of plants

Waldorf Summer Camp

Week 1 - Dyeing, Spinning, Weaving, Cornhusk Dolls, Flower Pressing

We are very fortunate to coordinate and teach at the Davis Waldorf School Summergarden Camp in Davis, California.  This summer was our 4th year.  Children entering grades 2-6 attended for one-week sessions.  Older students could attend as Jr. Counselors. We have highly qualified teachers for handwork, gardening and cooking, and a host of amazing high school and college volunteers who help the program run smoothly. Children come to us from the Davis Waldorf Schools, and also from the local public schools, Waldorf schools from other cities and states, and homeschooling families. Some families travel from afar and stay in Davis for a week or more on vacation while their children attend camp.

Week 2 - Wood Bird Perches, Herbal Honey, Herbal Tea

Children rotate each day through the kitchen, garden and handwork room/woodworking area. The calendar provides breathing in (learning) and breathing out (playing) times throughout the day. Gardening includes planting, harvesting, weeding, composting, learning about herbs, and garden crafts.

Week 3 - Wood Toy Boxes, Flower Essences, Herbal Cheese

Children help prepare their own snack and lunch made mostly from local and organic ingredients.  This summer, we were fortunate to have produce from Good Hummus Farm in nearby Capay Valley. Live musicians perform for the children during lunch once per week (harp, guitar, fiddlers, flute, clarinet). A beautiful aftercare program is available for children who want to stay longer than 1pm each day.

Week 4 - Wood Weather Vanes, Aromatherapy Sprays, Birdseed Feeders

Each morning starts with circle time: Good morning song, gardening song, yoga stretches, summer song.  Each learning session includes an opening and closing verse.  Eating times begin with a meal verse. By the end of the week, children learn 8 verses and 3-5 songs. Children watercolor paint a cover for their journals which includes the week's recipes, songs, verses, and drawings.

Week 5 - Doll & Puppet Making, Herb-imprinted Clay Magnets, Wool Bird Nesting Balls

Summergarden 2015 information will be on the website around February, 2015!

So fortunate to have incredible teachers -- Jennifer Tan, Par Duncan, Bill Critchfield, Robyn Wolfe, Jan Plotkin, Dahlia Haberman, Hue Thao, and Aftercare providers Karen Hansen-Downey and Misty DeGennaro

Below is a photo album that we created featuring our 5 weeks of summer camp adventures!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.