Foreign Language Tele-seminar Thurs. 2/4

Free teleseminar on foreign language and homeschooling this Thursday with Jennifer Tan at 5pm PST (8pm EST).  Register at: www.thewaldorfconnection.com.   You can listen in via phone or on your computer.  If you listen on the computer, you will also be able to view a visual presentation! 

The Waldorf Connection is offering free replays of the presentation on their website for up to 48 hours after the show. Special deals in our Etsy shop for those who listen!

Candlemas and Groundhog's Day

We celebrated Candlemas and Groundhog's Day today!  We discussed the origins of the holidays and read a verse from Earthschooling's 1st grade curriculum about Candlemas from the Middle Ages.

We sang our own song that we like to sing during circle time, "Little Candle".
Little candle burning bright
You are such a pretty sight

Show us all your shining light

Little candle burning bright

We drew candles with oil pastels.

Then, we played a round of Groundhog's Day "shadow tag" (also from Earthschooling).

And folded a new window star for the front door, embracing the light in Winter.

The River

The river she is flowing
Flowing and growing
The river she is flowing

Down to the sea

Mother carry me

Your child I will always be

Father carry me
Down to the sea....

Today was sunny, so we went for a hike down by the American River near our home in Fair Oaks, CA.  We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed the sun on our faces!

Crossing a bridge

Skipping stones

Making bark/leaf rafts

Finding a nest

Picking flowers for Mommy

Finding fish bones

Mistletoe on the oak trees

Collecting interesting river rocks

Seeking out mushrooms

Hiking on trails

An amazing day!

Waldorf Physics Teaching - Magnetism, Fluids, Bones, Heat Energy, Path of Light

To see more information and main lesson book examples about physics blocks, please visit Rick's blog: www.thewaldorfway.blogspot.com.

Enjoying Math!

We've been enjoying math lately!  Come and take a peek....

Time Charts (seasons, months, weather, solstice/equinox -- thank you to the amazing Our Little Nature Nest blog for inspiration!)

Mathematicians (theories, biography writing)

Artistic Geometry

Tesselations

Clock

Homelearning Snippets

Here are a few things that we've been doing lately at Syrendell....

Painting wood spinning tops (Stockmar watercolors, then beeswax)

Making hanging stars from kite paper (tutorial at Bust magazine's blog: http://www.bust.com/blog/2009/12/23/busts-holiday-gift-to-you-we-made-a-diy-snowflake-tutorial-video.html)

Creating terrariums from moss that we found on our nature walks

Layering compost piles (more to come on this!)

Tissue-papering a winter scene in a door window

Making electic go-karts out of a kit from Steiner College bookstore

Cousins crocheting scarves 

Visiting the winter look of Raphael Garden at Steiner College