Winter Playscape

My favorite and most enjoyable creation from this Holiday Season...

This wool felted playscape was created for my friend (and playschool assistant!) Monica's daughter...I began construction a few weeks ago but finished up the final details last week. I wanted to make something inspired by Winter, so I began with the igloo...created from a pair of wet felted slipper pieces which didn't pan out exactly how I thought they would. I'm hoping to try the felted slippers again soon...it's a lot harder than it looks; lots of trial and error. Or in my case...mostly error:) 

The river was created from some beautiful icy blue plant dyed wool roving from this lovely artist. The rest of the materials were gathered from outside. I especially love using stones and twigs, but the evergreen sprigs were my favorite detail this time. I don't know how long they will last, but they could always be replaced.

 

 I'm in the middle of cleaning out my craft closet and moving it to a spare bedroom which will now serve as my craft room (YAY!). Our other spare room will soon be....W's own bedroom. After almost 29 months of co-sleeping, we've decided it may be time. And by "we", I believe that we mean all of us, including W. I'm loving creating his space; a room for him with many special touches and lots of thought. This doesn't mean I'm not in a bit of mourning for what will soon be. 

More later...

The Fiber Craft Studio

The Fiber Craft Studio at Sunbridge

Today, more than ever,

the crafts have the mission to reconnect the human being to the Earth and her substances,

bring healing to the senses and the soul,

and foster the creative capacities of the human being...
-Renate Hiller

I especially loved this fiber from a goat (I think?)...it was soft and perfectly curly-- it made splendid hair for a standing puppet I began creating during the course.

(He will one day be "Prince Autumn"...he'll make an appearance soon!)

I believe it was dyed with calendula....

In other craft and fiber news, I am very close to completing W's birthday sweater and other felted projects/decorations for his upcoming birthday!
...I'm so excited!

I've been wading in the velvet sea....

...We've returned safely from our Summer Holiday with many memories, seashells, and sentiments...

W enjoyed some lengthy sand play and many walks on the beach...

I enjoyed impromptu swims far out in the ocean; throwing my sunglasses off at the last moment and leaving my sandals on the shoreline, only to find them much later; the increasing tide just inches away from pulling them out to sea...

These moments of spontaneity and the powerful waves above my head; tangling my hair, forcing salty water up my nose, stirred something within me...and I loved it!

...We slept late. We had very few plans. We got to spend time with our family; some whom we see only a few times a year.

...And almost all of us managed to fit on one huge bicycle for a morning ride!

Jay and I stole a morning for ourselves and ate brunch together at a Bed & Breakfast.

We sat together and watched the rain (yes, rain) pour off of the striped awning...

The rain later burned off and the sun gave us an afternoon that warmed the skin...

                                                         Cape May, New Jersey

Our Summer family photo. Ah yes, it suits us well and surely tells a story. W making his new infamous silly face (I overheard a boy asking him to do it while in line for communion this past week..haha!)...myself somewhat squeezed into a sundress that used to fit me in the chest area (note the open portion in the back!), and Jay and I both trying not to burst into laughter...and sort of failing. Yup, that's us.

The ride home from our summer holiday is always melancholy. I sit in the backseat with W and watch the familiar scenery fade from view. I roll down the window to take one more breath of the sea...I remember the excitement of arriving into town a mere few days ago; all of the possibilities, the fanfare of our car horn announcing our arrival. As W dozes off in his car seat, I close my eyes and play over the days in my mind as I drift into a strange kind of quasi sleep...I can understand how children need a few hours, even days to process even  "minimally" exciting events until they can verbalize them to us.

Upon arriving home, I take a few moments to stand in our living room. The familiar smells, our things where we left them. ...A purse I had excitedly emptied at the last moment to bring along; its contents strewn by the front door. W happily rediscovers his toys with vigor; the ocean now a distant memory in his dreamy mind.

                                    Crossing these days off on my calendar made me feel sad.

I listened to some nostalgic songs as Jay unpacked; glad to be home...

This song certainly never helps...

As the night drew on, I remembered a beautiful quote I had read in a book while sitting on the beach..

"When you share your life with young children, there is always something to look forward to....it's like gazing at a rainbow; when one color ends, another just as beautiful begins..."

I felt inspired to bring these feelings into a creation; a way I could share my love for the sun and sea and all of the life they sustain...how I feel its pull and beauty with every sandy step...the ebb and flow that is life!

I know that the next few weeks with the children will surely be inspired by the ocean and its treasures... each day will remind me of the joy of reminiscing:)

Late Spring Nature Table

Little flowers, little flowers,

with your colours bright,

Look above now to the sky,

Full of warmth and light.

Praise the lovely golden sun

He who gave you birth,

Little flowers, fallen stars,

Shining on the earth.

~Wynstones Summer

...Looking ahead to the upcoming sunny week and Ascension Day:

...a silk parachute, dandelions, and cloud watching...

...from the needlefelted garden

This past week, I've been crafting some needlefelted summer fruits and vegetables for a swap...

This was a joyous project, and it's made me realize how much I have grown as a needlefelter since I began last spring.

My very first needlefelted figure, 2010...

  What surprised me was how time consuming it was to detail each piece...

Sewing on the stems...

Shaping the green bell pepper to make it look realistic. (I wrapped a strand of thread around the outside to give the appearance of 4 sections.)

Felting each piece tightly enough so they were suitable for play...

I've been knitting a soft case for my recorder which I will hopefully finish and seam up soon.
The yarn is nice to work with; Soy Wool Stripes by Pattons, and I always enjoy knitting with knit picks harmony wood interchangeable circular needles! Slick!

As for books, I've been singing my way through "Dancing as we Sing", and it's fantastic.
Our new favorite song is Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow!
The book is full of circle games, finger plays, and seasonal songs to enjoy together:)
Poor W is suffering a bruised nose from rough housing with Daddy..
(he was hit in the bridge of the nose with a water bottle)
It's been quite a week...

Yarn along (and needlefelting)

Last night I picked up my knitting needles for the first time in 2 weeks....it felt amazing!
Mind you, I am still working on (casting on?) my knitted horse project from Freya Jaffke's "Toymaking with Children"....

Here is a photo of the newly finished project that has been keeping my hands so busy...



A custom order for a set of needlefelted dolls based on the children's show "Little Bear."
I created this set for a mama who wishes to give them as an Easter gift for her sweet little boys.
This is one of my first "sales", and I felt a little bit nervous for a few reasons...
*I've never created anything based off of a cartoon before...and I wasn't sure how to incorporate some of the more "cartoony" features. In the end, I decided to keep them expressionless and without eyes.
* Having never watched the show before, I had no clue what the characters look like to begin with. I also didn't know anything about their personalities. I spent much time on google looking for good representations.



*And lastly, and most poignantly, I felt sort of uneasy about exchanging for money. I don't know! Money just makes me feel kind of uncomfortable...maybe it's because we don't really have any (haha!), maybe I felt more pressure for the creations to be exactly what the customer wanted...maybe I just enjoy swapping more! This is what has kept me from opening an Etsy store, although I am thinking of it more and more lately. This experience has been good practice.
After 2 weeks of creating, it feels great to gaze upon a finished project!
As for the books I have been reading, I am throughly enjoying A Deeper Understanding of the Waldorf Kindergarten.

I'm learning about the traits of an assistant teacher, angels, archangels, and The Sistine Madonna...to name a few. A great read!!

snowdrops, festivals, and beautiful music

As January comes to a close, I can't help but become a little bit eager for Springtime...especially since we have finished Winter celebrations and festivals. What fun we have had, and so much we have learned!

One of my most favorite books for discovering seasonal celebrations and festivals is All Year Round...I highly recommend it! We are looking ahead to the coming week as we spiritually prepare for Candlemas; another learning experience for us!

As I sit and watch more snowflakes fall from the sky, I begin to think of the dutiful work that is going on below the ground; underneath the ice and snow. We will soon be 'hunting' for these sure signs of spring and rebirth...such as the Snowdrop flower.

These beautiful flowers of the amaryllis family blossom mostly in the winter time, making them our first glimpse of the springtime to come.

Flowers almost always remind me of fairies, in some way...

I needlefelted this snowdrop fairy last night, as the final days of January slip away..

I have many springtime songs that I long to sing, and the time will come soon!

Do you have an all time, hands-down favorite song?

A song with incredible lyrics that take you "somewhere"?

I do! This beautiful song brings me to a luscious spring day in a forest among friends, music, animals, and the shadows of the past.

Loreena McKennit, "The Mummer's Dance",

my favorite song since high school! (ahem, 1998)

This song has meant so much to me over the years...and it still does today. Perhaps even more!

'A garland gay we bring you here,

and at your door we stand..

it is a sprout well budded out,

the work of Our Lord's hands...'

Playscapes and thoughts on Waldorf Education....

I've been keeping quite busy making playscapes for swapping...

They're a joy to create; so many possibilities...

so many details...

Autumn Garden Playscape

Beeswax pumpkins

A mother requested a river scene for her playscape...

She lives close to a beautiful river and frequently studies there with her homeschoolers..

As I sat creating this, I started thinking what a connection her children would make to this river while immersed in their play..

Lillypads on a river...

And that's what I love so much about Waldorf Education...

The connections...

Kimberton Waldorf School

The thoughtfulness and intention in every aspect...

The spark of an imagination and the exciting ideas to follow...

Handwork room at RVWS

I studied elementary and early childhood education during my time as an undergrad for 7 years. I sat through countless classes, observed in many different types of classroom settings, eavesdropped in many a faculty cafeteria. A few of my experiences were smile worthy....

1st grade experience, 2004

...but none lit a fire within me as I hoped they would have. Teaching was always my profession of choice, ever since I had a makeshift classroom in my father's attic...or in the backyard....the alley behind our house for the neighborhood kids...the list goes on...

Presenting a lesson I wrote on Shakespeare...2005

After missing a passing mathematics PRAXIS score (a standardized test all teachers must pass) by a mere 3 points, I was unable to teach in Pennsylvania schools. Math has always been a constant struggle for me. I remember the embarrassment, the nervousness,...the long nights at the kitchen table trying my hardest to grasp concepts....being tested for a learning disability in college. Now this was defining my future, and I was unsure of anything at this point. My creativity, ideas, and excitement wouldn't be used within a public school classroom...my 3.9 GPA, community involvement, fantastic recommendations from professors, and drive didn't matter...it all came down to those 3 points. I could retake the test (again...), but I was fed up. It was a sign.

Since discovering Waldorf 1 year ago, I've learned more self-studying and observing the philosophy and lifestyle than I had in 7 years studying traditional pedagogy. I've felt more inspired, more passionate.... and so much more emotionally connected than I've ever been about anything related to education. I am giddy at the prospect of beginning waldorf early childhood teacher training...

Gnome Home at KWS

Children are naturally imaginative and excited spirits....

Energy in the woods at RVWS

We provide the tools to foster these precious and fragile qualities...

This is how they learn about the vast world around them...

Exploring gravity at RVWS

what it means to them...

who they are in perspective...

Thoughtfully select these tools...

and watch a child gracefully unfold, as they should...

*Playscapes: I'm not so much interested in selling them, but I am always looking to swap for anything Waldorf-y! BendingBirch@gmail.com