Flower Art

It's been a while, I know. I'm still here, just running around like a crazy lady in the end-of-school-year madness. Sage wrapped up her preschool year with a hands-on festival, where the parents planned and ran creative stations for the kids.

My booth was flower art. I picked zinnias and cosmos from my garden, as well as lemon basil, mint, pentas and more from the preschool garden, to display on my table. The kids chose whichever flora they liked and sandwiched them into a large folded piece of paper. Then they pounded the heck out of them with play dough hammers.

Let me tell you, the kiddos LOVED this activity. The results were stunning - especially the cosmos prints (pictured above). I think the children enjoyed the banging the most; and seeing the flower "guts" was a close second. Needless to say, I ended up with a mega headache from spending 2 hours with preschoolers hammering their little hearts out. But it was worth it!
For the less aggressive, I had a quieter table where the children could paint a still life of a small flower arrangement. So simple - just painting - and so much creativity from the little ones. I wish I had taken more pictures (I snapped all these quickly with my phone), but I was kind of busy.

Tomorrow is Selby's wacky water day class party... I'll be there working up another headache, I'm sure. But again, it will be worth it, because, despite the class celebration-award ceremony-end-of-year event madness that is right now, I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share these special days with my gals, celebrating the accomplishments and developments they've worked so hard for over the past nine months.

Strawberry Traditions

Spring arrives subtly in Florida. The days are sunny and marked by a cool breeze. Birdsong fills the air. And locally-grown strawberries are piled high at every produce market and farm stand.

To honor the season's arrival, we headed out to our local u-pic farm on Monday, as we have for three years now, for a strawberry picking jubilee! It's become an early spring tradition among our clan, and this year five mamas and 13 kiddos gathered to stock up on these sweet, edible jewels.

As I watched my girls and my nephew run through the fields, picking and eating berries with gusto, I realized the depth of this spring ritual. These children now know, on one level or another, that strawberry picking is more than just an outing...

...it marks the turn of a season.

...it offers a connection to a piece of local, fruit-bearing land.

...it yields homemade jam for countless peanut butter sandwiches over the year to come.

...it links them into a community of friends with shared values and interests.

...it deepens our family connection through a shared experience, repeated year after year.

As a mother of young children, so much of my energy and attention is focused on creating rhythms and rituals that will bring comfort, joy, beauty and unity to the individual and collective lives of my family. So when a tradition like this develops organically, weaving its way into the rhythm of our year without my intention, I can't help but notice just how sweet it is!

Winter Solstice II :: Honoring Nature

We celebrated the Winter Solstice with a party for the little creatures in our yard. The kids strung Cheerios and oranges and made pinecone bird feeders to hang from a tree in our backyard.

In the branches, we tucked ears of dried corn, saved from a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Oh those lucky little squirrels!

The children also made a Yule Log for the evening's fire. They wrapped a whole log with evergreen branches from our Christmas tree and tied on as many items from the Fall nature table as possible with raffia.

The log was adorned with dried leaves and flowers, moss, pinecones, seed pods, feathers, wheat stalks... even a snake skin! As evening approached, we turned out all the lights and prepared for the darkness. Candles were lit around the house and a fire was built, awaiting the Yule log.

The whole family gathered around the fire for an early supper. The Yule Log snapped and sizzled as the flames engulfed the offerings we'd collected throughout the Fall. Everyone lingered here for the evening, telling progressive stories, singing a few carols, and soaking in one anothers' company. We welcomed Winter with an abundance of warmth and light and love. Here's wishing you the same all year long!

The Gingerbread House

We made a gingerbread house! After much debate (in my mind), in the name of simplicity I purchased a pre-baked kit. I figured the experience would be more about the decorating of the house than the eating of it (although I'm certain my girls would give equal importance to both). The kit came with an assortment of gum drops and candies for embellishments; we also used leftover Halloween candy I'd put aside just for this purpose.

Ta-da! My gals had a blast making our gingerbread house. And I did too; I completely let go of expectations and let my little chicks direct the creative process. I'm so glad I did, as I was relaxed, the girls were empowered and the house turned out really darling!

St. Lucia Day

In the dark of a cold, windy morning, I met her in the kitchen. She was dressed in a gown of white with a red silk sash. Upon her head sat a crown of candles, nestled into an evergreen wreath. The candles illuminated her face in the darkness and I could see excitement dancing in her eyes. On this morning, for the first time ever, she was Lucia.

Quietly, she went about her duties, arranging plates of homemade lussekatter buns (recipe here) and pepparkakor, traditional Swedish ginger cookies. She poured cream into freshly brewed coffee. Then ever-so-carefully she made her rounds, delivering her treats to each family member in their beds. She visited DaddyBird first, followed by Nana, Papa and finally (after I snuggled back in bed), me.

As she entered each room, Lucia's sweet voice softly sang the words to a simple Santa Lucia song she'd memorized the day before. In the quiet darkness of the early morning, her glowing presence was nothing short of magical.

Under the weather, Lucia's "attendant" slept through the bedside visits. So upon waking, Lucia presented her with a plate of goodies. She ate them reverently, by candlelight, in honor of this seasonal celebration of light.

Although St. Lucia Day is not linked with traditions of gift-giving, each of my gals received a new holiday outfit - simply wrapped in a red ribbon, with a candle card. This is a tradition I hope to carry on annually, as it is clear to me now that St. Lucia Day will be part of our winter holiday celebrations for many years to come.

Celebrations of Light

A few weeks back, I was having a conversation with a friend about the impending holidays. She mentioned her boy was most looking forward to repeating a new tradition she introduced last year, a Santa scavenger hunt where he followed clues to find a present in the backyard. I asked if he'd remembered what last year's gift was. No. I asked if she remembered. No. It was not the gift that stuck with them; it was the joy of the celebration.

Our talk got me thinking about what my gals will remember and treasure from our holidays together. I want our seasonal celebrations to be meaningful, centered around traditions we build together and let evolve over time. We have a spiritual, but not a religious home. We are not a Waldorf home, yet the philosophies provide inspiration. We're building our nest with insights and ideas that feel right for our family. And so, in this spirit, I made a plan for our holiday season (resources listed below).

My two main goals were to (1) shift the emphasis of Christmas away from Santa and onto the true meaning of the day and (2) to expand our horizons and honor celebrations throughout the season, rather than concentrating on just one day.

To meet the first goal, I started by sharing the story of Christmas with the girls. The first week of December, we read and talked a lot about the events that lead up to the birth of Jesus. The next week, when I felt they had a solid understanding of the nativity story, we gave them their first official holiday gift, a wooden play nativity scene.

I also introduced an Advent devotion, inspired by both the Christian and Waldorf Advent traditions. Every Sunday evening, for four weeks, when the sun sets we light candles on our Advent wreath. Each week we honor a different natural kingdom of our Earth (stone, plants, beasts, humankind) and a traditional Christian teaching (hope, peace, joy, love). The girls are also enjoying counting down to Christmas on the Advent calendar of my youth.

To meet the second goal, I chose four special days to honor throughout December. We started with a Saint Nicholas Day celebration; to follow, we'll be honoring Saint Lucia Day, the Winter Solstice and Christmas. Our Christmas celebration will be less gift-centered, with each girl receiving one gift from Santa, and one individual gift and one shared gift from Mom & Dad.

To unite all our festivities, we've been talking and reading about celebrations of light around the world. We've learned how people throughout history brought light to the dark days of winter with festivals promising the return of the sun. We're noticing and enjoying the many lights of the season, from lighting candles and spending time around the fire, to enjoying holiday lights in our home and neighborhood. Selby will wear a crown of candles on St. Lucia Day. A Yule log will be burned on the Solstice. We'll honor the light of Christ on Christmas Day. And it is my hope, that I've lit a spark that will grow into meaningful holiday traditions my family will treasure for years to come.

**A few resources from our family celebrations of light:**

• Books about the story of Christmas: The Christmas Story by Kay Chorao; Lift the Flap Nativity (great for preschool & elementary school age children); One Shining Star by Anne Vittur Kennedy (great for toddlers & preschoolers)
• Wooden nativity scene by HABA.
• An introduction to the Waldorf Season of Advent
• An introduction to the Christian Season of Advent
• Books about celebrations of light: Lights of Winter, Winter Lights, Lucia and the Light, The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice, Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth

St. Nicholas Day

My little chicks are enchanted by the story of St. Nicholas, which I introduced for the first time this year as part of our advent season. We've been reading about this patron saint of children in The Legend of St. Nicholas and on the St. Nicholas Center website.

Last night before bed, each girl left her cleanest Mary Jane on the hearth, with a carrot and some hay tucked in for St. Nicholas' horse. (Selby was very careful to line her shoe with hay before placing her carrot in it... "I do not want carrot toes tomorrow," she explained.) The girls were delighted this morning to discover their offerings had been replaced with: a little bag of nuts, chocolate truffles, a candy cane, two shiny new quarters, a small wooden ornament, and a fragrant pomander. It was a simple and sweet reminder of the blessings and joys of the season.

After school today, in the spirit of St. Nicholas, I'm taking the girls to select tags from a local Angel Tree, so they can each provide a gift to a child in need this Christmas. I love the simplicity of honoring St. Nicholas Day and the way it supports my efforts to refocus our holiday festivities this year (more on this coming soon). I believe it may be the beginning of a new family tradition that we can embrace for years to come.

*My gals also had fun decorating St. Nicholas coloring pages, found here.

Welcoming Advent :: Hope

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is the first year we are honoring the Christmas season with a family Advent devotion. We began our preparation yesterday by making an Advent wreath. For the greenery, I chose to use Magnolia leaves from a tree in our yard; they offer the traditional representation of continuous life, as well as reflect our personal environment.

Tonight we will light the first purple candle on the wreath, which represents HOPE. I've thought a lot about how to share the concept of hope with the girls. I want them to learn that it can mean something more than "I hope I get a Pillow Pet for Christmas." I wish to share with them that hope allows one to dwell on the best possibilities. That it is an aspect of living positively. Hope allows one to let go and let things unfold in their own time. It offers courage when facing the unknown and determination to keep going in the face of challenges. I don't know how much of this the girls will or can understand at ages 6 and 3. If nothing more, I believe it will begin to lay a foundation for this basic tenet of spirituality.

How do you honor the Advent season in your home and with your children?

Fall Journals

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of crafting with 18 first graders at Selby's Fall party for her class. Charged with leading the craft, I decided on these darling journals. The books were preassembled (see directions below) so they were ready to be decorated by the kids.

I provided a pile of leaves and triangular crayons for leaf rubbings, as well as a plate of apples and red & green stamp pads for apple stamping.

The kids were enchanted! It was such fun watching their wonder at how a leaf appeared right before their eyes... or how the shape of an apple was miraculously reproduced on the page.

The results were fantastic! I went home feeling so grateful for the opportunity to work with these unique children, and overwhelmingly grateful for the teacher who guides these 18 six & seven year olds all day, every day. (Whew!)

And the kids went home with hand-crafted books filled with samplings of Fall's natural beauty. How 'bout them apples!

How to Make a Fall Journal:

1. Fold 1 piece of construction paper and 2-3 sheets white copy paper in half.
2. Punch 2 holes in side of book at opposite ends.
3. Push rubber band through top hole and loop around end of a stick. Pull rubber band down backside of book and push through bottom hole; loop through other end of stick. The stick should now be secured along the "spine" of your book.
4. Decorate and fill with pieces of Autumn nature, such as leaf rubbings and apple stampings.

Seagrape Leaf Rubbings, on Location

A new element found its way into our beach day - art, of course! Why haven't I thought of bringing a drawing pad and crayons before?

The kids took turns wandering up to a blanket in the shade... we made seagrape rubbings and drawings of the sunny beach and flowers.

I've said it before, this never gets old!

Oh La La!

I found this tres mignon (very cute!) children's book at the library, Crepes by Suzette, written and illustrated by Monica Wellington. Je l'adore! The story is simple, but the layers are aplenty. The book takes you through the streets of Paris with Suzette and her crepe cart... the backdrop is made up of photographs of Parisian landmarks (think the Louvre, Luxembourg Gardens), overlaid with original drawings of Suzette's customers. Look closely... the customers are straight out of various masterpieces (think Matisse's The Dance and Van Gogh's Postman). It's a visual delight! At the end of the book, you'll also find a crepe recipe to make these French pancakes with your little ones!

Without even realizing it, I brought home two other books by Wellington on the same library trip. I love them almost as much! Zinnia's Flower Garden and Riki's Birdhouse are fantastic; I feel like I'm reading books written just for my little naturalists. Both are full of fun projects and ideas, as well as colorfully illustrated introductions to gardening and bird watching (two of our favorite activities).

All three books will soon be joining our permanent collection. Check out Wellington's blog, as well as her website for activities, recipes and coloring pages as sweet as her books!

Summer School: Sunflower Week

We kicked off our home-based "summer school" with Sunflower Week. The curriculum was ambitious, but my little chicks followed it with enthusiasm. We read a lot about sunflowers (This Is the Sunflower and Sunflower House were favorites), then we made paper plate sunflowers with seeds glued in the middle. We practiced measuring and cut stems to match each girl's height in inches, then planted them on the wall.

Selby practiced telling time and writing numbers on a sunflower clock. And writing skills were used in the creation of original sunflower poems.

A science lesson was centered around the planting of sunflower seeds. Selby measured the spacing of the seeds and created a chart to follow their growth... much to our surprise, they sprouted in just 3 days! Only one week later, they were ready for planting in the yard.

Of course, we had some fun in the kitchen, making Sunflower Seed Bread and Sunflower Mini Cupcakes.

Finally, the girls received an art & social studies lesson on Van Gogh by professional artist Nana. While at her house, they also made these sunny headbands with felt.

Join us next week to hear all about Pond Week, now in session!

*Skills used in Sunflower Week: reading, telling time, measurement, graphing, number review, letter practice and writing words & sentences.

A Mother Blessing

A circle of women, gathering to honor motherhood and sisterhood, birth and life.

Cleansed by the smoke of sage and lavender, protected by the spirits of the four directions, and joined by all the mothers who came before us to to care, love and guide us, we honored a mother and welcomed a new baby to our tribe.

Crowned in flowers and painted with henna, the mother-to-be accepted blessings of encouragement and strength, love and support. These wishes were represented by prayer ties on a blessing tree for the mama's birth space.

Any fears were washed away, anxieties reduced to ashes. A web of sisterhood was woven around us and the circle was opened, but unbroken.

We feasted on quiche lorraine, Chinese chicken salad, cinnamon raisin walnut bread, pesto pasta, orange blossom spritzers and a fragrant orange blossom cake.

A very sweet blessing for my dear sister. Now, anxiously awaiting my sweet little niece!