Learning Spanish

After 7 years of high school and college Spanish, you'd think that Mommy could teach everyone how to speak, read and write fluently! Well, it's funny how little one retains when a language is not used regularly.

So, we are taking this step-by-step....

Learning colors as we play indoors and outdoors.

Basic conversation with Jose, the iguana puppet (Wilson loves this! The puppet makes him crack up).

Chanting months, days, letters, and numbers while throwing bean bags during circle time by 1's and 10's.


Number games with our watercolor number board and shells. (the kids like to challenge each other...cousins, too!)

Singing songs from Cante, Cante Elefante. (Hoy es lunes -- Hoy es lunes -- Como esta? -- Como esta? -- Muy Bien, Gracias -- Muy Bien, Gracias -- Y, tu? -- Como esta?)

Borrowing ideas from Senderos.

Plus, Mommy spends a little time on LiveMocha.com each week to brush up on vocabulary. The goal right now is repetition through conversation and song, then we will write words, poems and more in our main lesson books.

Anyone out there have ideas about incorporating a foreign language in the home? -- Please share!

Rhythm of the Home Give-away!

Please checkout this amazing online magazine: Rhythm of the Home. They are featuring a give-away on their blog right now! http://rhythmofthehome.wordpress.com/

Making a Straw Star Garland

This project is fun, inexpensive and very easy to do! You may also incorporate geometry by discussing symmetry, angles, shapes. This picture shows our garland through the window from the outside of our home.

1. Find or purchase straw. The straw should be not too dry and not too green. We ended up purchasing ours for $1.25/bundle at Steiner College Bookstore (Call them to order). We had 3 bundles it was more than enough.

2. Soak for a couple of hours in water.

3. Cut each straw in half (knife, exacto blade or scissors...might need parent or older child to help, like Ricky here!).

4. Iron as flat as possible.

5. Position your straw pieces and weave matching thread around the center. Trim the ends of the straws (straight, angle, V).

6. Leave the ends long and knot at the top so that you have a hanger.

7. Crochet chain, braid, lucet, or spoolknit a long piece of yarn. Joey crocheted a chain using a size P hook and some white yarn with bits of gold glitter.

8. Hang your stars on the yarn and attach the yarn to a window, doorway or other place in your home.

Notes: These also make lovely ornaments! Try to layer another smaller star on top of one and then weave them together. Consider using a contrasting color of thread to feature your weaving skills.

A wonderful place to get more information on straw stars is in the book The Children's Year.

Handwork

Merino Handspun Yarn (ready to knit, crochet, weave, felt or dye! www.syrendell.etsy.com)

Handwork plays a central role in our homelearning.

Joey's handspun yarn Tunisian-crocheted into a mobius loop for a customer (she takes custom orders! www.tlwoldc.etsy.com)


Rick's handcrafted and painted Syrendell snails ( terrific stocking stuffer! www.syrendell.etsy.com)

Jennifer's naturally-dyed silks (orange is always a favorite! www.syrendell.etsy.com)

Naturally tie-dyed cotton skirt (soft, stretchy, comfy! www.syrendell.etsy.com)

Nature's Counting Blocks ( great holiday gift! www.syrendell.etsy.com)

Felted acorn puppet family (we made these last year, but are bringing them out for play!)

The boys are knitting their flute cases. Joey is busy crocheting scarves. The kids are making most of their holiday gifts for friends and relatives this year. We are still weaving our Winter table runner with our handspun, naturally-dyed yarns (making progress!).

Jennifer spoke this morning in a live chat. The chat features audio, a Powerpoint presentation, and questions from attendees. Lifetime members received access to the recording today. Non-members will be able to purchase the recording soon at: www.earthschooling.com.

Our Handwork in the Dell eBook is now available in pdf format: www.syrendellacademy.com and in our Etsy shop. Tools, patterns and more fiber arts equipment available in our webshop, www.goshyarnit.com.

Rick has been busy teaching science and math at East Bay Waldorf School this week! Check out his blog, www.thewaldorfway.blogspot.com for details about teaching the digestive system to 7th graders. I think finger-crocheting the length of the intestine is happening, soon! There's always a way to integrate handwork with learning.

Steiner said in Handwork Indications (available as a free pdf download at www.rsarchives.org):

...during the first year of school...the child wishes to experience beauty in a living way. His soul is open to all that comes to him through the teaching of handwork. All teaching must take an artistic form. From Play, through Beauty, to Work: This is a golden path for education.

Enjoy doing handwork as a family as we move from Fall into Winter...a quiet, creative time of the year....

From Fall to Winter....

We've learned to slow down our transition from one season to the next. Instead of a 1-day transformation, we spend days working on the Dell.

The "nooks" were all cleaned out and reorganized. Fall-colored silks were replaced by Winter-colored silks.

The childrens' vibrant orange and yellow watercolors are down, and new, blue-toned watercolors are up!

Our outdoor Seasonal Spot once had pumpkins, a cornucopia and corn. Now, it full of pine boughs and holly berries. (Too cold outside to take pics!)

A simple garland of straw stars will adorn our front window near the Christmas tree.

An advent wreath is displayed in our entryway with the kids' own dipped candles. Some stones and crystals are inside the wreath from the first week, and this week we added fruit, twigs and leaves.

Daddy made us a finger puppet stage last Christmas. Our knitted and Tunisian-crocheted gnome puppets love the little stage!

The family is busy weaving up our handspun/dyed yarns into a Winter table runner. Should be done, soon!

The manger is up, waiting for the arrival of more needlefelted people and animals.

Now, it's time to plan our Christmas play!

Handwork Live Chat! Fri. 12/4 11am CST

I will be leading a chat online this Friday through Earthschooling! Here is the info.:

Just in time for your holiday crafting, Jennifer Tan will be online for a live chat on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 11:00am CST. This live chat will be done in the form of an online audio lecture with a question and answer period afterwards. You will be able to listen via your computer or phone. You are sure to be inspired with a lot of ideas of crafts you can make for the holidays and Jennifer is sure to have the answer to your questions like "What yarn should I use for the socks I am making for my mom?" or "Where can I find a pattern for this toy I want to make for my niece?" or "Help! I made a mistake in this sweater - what do I do now?" Earthschooling members and forum members can attend this chat for free. Look for the sign up box in your inbox! If you are not a member you can sign up at: http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/chatguests.html or become a forum member at: http://waldorfenrichment.weebly.com/forum.html

Jennifer Tan enjoys teaching spinning, crochet, Tunisian crochet, knitting, cro-hook, felting, natural dyeing and scrumbling. She homeschools her three children using Waldorf methods. She is an expert in many areas of handiwork and will be available during our December live chat to answer your questions about handiwork. She has been featured on DIY and HGTV's "Uncommon Threads" and runs a popular blog where she chronicles her homeschooling adventures with her husband and children. You can also visit her at: her BLOG, www.syrendell.blogspot.com and at her ETSY shop: www.syrendell.etsy.com

Just for Me

It seems like I am forever crafting for others...the kids, the home, customers, friends. It's been so long since I've made something just for myself....

Back in 2006, I was fortunate to be able to attend SOAR (Spin-Off Autumn Retreat) in Lake Tahoe. I purchased some lovely Polwarth/silk fiber from a booth that said that they raised the sheep themselves up in Canada. I spun up the yarn on my spinning wheel, and then the yarn sat in a knitting bag...and sat...and sat....


I always knew that I wanted to make something special with the yarn, but who knew that it would take another two years before I did anything with it? The yarn was soft, warm and beautiful, but not enough for a scarf or larger project. Finally, I decided to Tunisian crochet a rectangle with a slightly ruffled edge, using a knit stitch. Then, the project sat...and sat...and sat....

Finally, this past week, I pulled the rectangular piece out of my "UFO" (unfinished objects) box and decided that it was time to make something just for me! Not to sell or give as a gift...just something special that I could enjoy and use. I debated on what type of button to add, and finally decided to put every button that I liked on it!

I wore it for the first time today while going on a walk with the family. Guess what? The neckwarmer was warm, and soft, and best of all -- it made me smile. I think that I need to remember to stop and make myself something now and then. Hopefully next time it won't take 3 years to finish! --Jennifer