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Beyond the Brothers Grimm

In the early years, much of Waldorf education is centered around Grimm's fairy tales, and I understand why-- the Brothers Grimm bring a lot to the table. Archetypal figures, clear cut examples of good and evil, beautiful descriptions that allow children to create a picture in their hearts and minds, these fairy tales have captured the hearts of parents and children alike for generations. Beyond that, they are part of our collective heritage and hearing them gives children a cultural literacy that is sadly falling by the wayside in our society.

However, they are not without problems. The protagonist is often described in very Eurocentric terms-- white skin, golden hair, and so on. In Mother Holle, for example, the good, hard-working daughter is rewarded with riches and gold. The lazy daughter is turned black. This white = good, black = bad imagery is found in many stories, even modern day ones (for example, Harry the Dirty Dog) but it's prevalence shouldn't make it any more acceptable to us. Just as we hope the positive, enduring messages of the fairy tales make their way into the souls of our children, we should be aware that unwelcoming, stereotypical messages are being heard on some level as well.

When I was in a classroom ten years ago, a great deal was being said about multicultural education. While the intent of multuculturalism is positive-- teaching children about other cultures so they will grow to respect them and not fall into the trap of racism and prejudice-- this path often leads to a tourist approach to other cultures. To celebrate Chinese New Year, we might tell a story from the Chinese culture, followed by making a dragon, cooking a "Chinese" dish, making a "Chinese" hat, singing a "Chinese" song. Instead of focusing on learning about the Chinese people or the diversity of culture found in China, we exoticize and trivialize the culture, comparing it to our own as if we are the measuring stick for all things. It is as if we want to divide the world into two sections: people who are "just like us" and people who are "different from us."

Beyond multiculturalism is the anti-bias approach, which actively seeks to challenge prejudice, stereotypes, and bias. Instead of being "color blind"-- which really only works if you are part of the dominant culture; minorities do not have that luxury-- we encourage children's questions and observations, and aren't afraid to add to the conversation. It frees us to appreciate similarities and differences.

This is not to say that we should have long, drawn-out, adult-initiated conversations with our children about the heady topic of race. As in all things, Waldorf education in the early years seeks to educate through imitation, a warm and loving environment, imaginative play, and meaningful work. It respects a child's connection to nature and to their home environment. It seeks to create a rhythmic and predictable environment as a child grows more and more into themselves and becomes more aware of the world around them.

What, then, can we as parents do to encourage a non-biased approach without being overly didactic in our methods? I have several suggestions.

~ Choose books that show people of all colors and cultures, and not just one or two as a token. Some of my favorites are
More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
Hooray! A Pinata! by Elisa Klevins
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
Swimmy by Leo Lionni

Avoid books with "I is for Indian"-type stereotypes.

~ In your play kitchen, include food and utensils from other cultures. I've seen many lovely online tutorials for felt food from around the world.

~ When choosing art materials, include skin-toned paper, paints, crayons, and play dough. I am well aware of the controversy in Waldorf education surrounding the use of brown and black crayons and frankly, find it ridiculous.

~ Play games and sing songs from other cultures and in other languages. Sing simple songs in more than one language.

~ Make dolls and doll clothes using a variety of skin tones and facial features.

~ Be aware of your own use of language. Don't make disparaging comments about the colors black and brown. If you're child makes a comment about something being "yucky brown like poop and dirt" you can counter with a comment about "beautiful brown like cinnamon and chocolate."

~ Use folk tales and fairy tales from other cultures. Tell the stories with puppets and table dolls that represent those cultures.

It's a complex subject and one that sadly, in a fallen world, I don't think we're ever truly going to get "right". But there's a lot we can do to be proactive. If we can't create a perfect world, we can, perhaps, work together to make a better one.

Workbox Wednesday: Nicholas

Here's what Nicholas kept busy with today.
An alphabet magnet book.

Playing The Very Hungry Caterpillar game with Daniel.

Reading "Each Peach, Pear, Plum" with Katie Grace.

Painting with blue.

Going on a penny hunt created by Michael.

Repeating a pancake game we made up yesterday.

Making patterns.

Talking about Ash Wednesday.

Putting favorite things away in a Lent box.

Making a robin finger puppet.

And taking over the world with ROBOTS!

Wordless Wednesday: Building

Morning walks

We don't get one in every day, but when we do, there's always something new to see


and explore.

A double celebration!

I'm coming in right under the midnight deadline to post pictures of our birthday/Fat Tuesday celebration. You see, my oldest, Michael turns... gulp!... eleven tomorrow, but we fast on Ash Wednesday, which would have meant no meat and no birthday cake.

He ended up choosing salmon for his birthday meal, but we decided to have it tonight so he could truly feast.
Michael's meal of choice: salmon, mashed potatoes, green beans, and orange soda.

And for his cake, he picked a King's Cake!


But Nicholas was the one who found the baby in the cake.

Goodbye to Alleluia

Taking down the Alleluia at church.

We desist from saying Alleluia, the song chanted by angels, because we have been excluded from the company of the angels on account of Adam's sin. In the Babylon of our earthly life we sit by the streams, weeping as we remember Sion. For as the children of Israel in an alien land hung their harps upon the willows, so we too must forget the Alleluia song in the season of sadness, of penance, and bitterness of heart.~Bishop William Duranti (1296)

I finally know what I'm doing for Lent.

In the past, I've always been of the opinion that if you're going to be miserable, you may as be miserable for a purpose. Lose some weight, drop a bad habit, pick up a good one in its stead. But after reading Sister Mary Martha, I've been convicted and now share her opinion that Lent is not for self-improvement. So instead, I've picked something that I know will make me absolutely miserable. Yay!

Seriously, and without going into too much detail, I may not be hanging out on the internet so much. On the other hand, my time online may end up being much more productive, as I'm hoping my Lenten discipline will make me more... um... disciplined. But again, being disciplined is not a pleasant thing for me. I don't even hold out hope it will benefit me beyond Lent. I'm doing it purely because I know it will make me miserable and will make God happy.

Today, we packed up the Valentine's day decorations. Tomorrow, we put ashes on our forehead, fast, pray, and make promises. We'll shroud the crosses and statues with purple and get out the Stations of the Cross. We'll begin our Lenten journey. The little ones will make Lenten Boxes and we'll hide the Alleluia until Easter.

And so, I wish you a blessed and holy Lent.

Daniel and his Sunday School friends, dancing goodbye to Alleluia.

Shhh!

A quiet time verse.

Shhh! Be very quiet.
Shhh! Be very still.
Fold your busy little hands.
Close your sleepy little eyes.
Shhh! Be very quiet.

Movie Review: The Lightning Thief

First off, let me say that we are HUGE Lightning Thief fans. We don't love it quite as much as the Harry Potter books, but we are the family that spent the summer creating our own Camp Half-Blood and we really, really enjoy the books. Rick Riordan tells a great story, and my kids have thrown themselves into the fantasy world he created. It was only natural that they wanted to see this movie as soon as it came out. Happily, the movie came out the week before Michael's birthday, so we made plans to take one of his friends and go see it opening day.

I am very, very glad we bought Michael other birthday gifts.

Now, I am not naive. I know that movie adaptations deviate from the books they are based on. I've seen all the Harry Potter movies after all. However, I was completely unprepared for the underwhelming mess they made of The Lightning Thief.

Rick Riordan is very skilled at taking a topic that has the potential to be rather sordid-- Greek gods and goddesses consorting with humans and getting them with child-- in a manner that is both tasteful and innocent. Tasteful and innocent are the last words I would use to describe this movie. Vulgar and crass would be more on the mark.

They completely tarted up the book. All the innocence and intelligence was sucked out of it and instead we're left with a hormone-ridden parody. For reasons I cannot begin to comprehend, they aged everyone up from 12 to 15 or 16. Instead of good-natured rivalry and "Seaweed Brain" between Anabeth and Percy, we instead got heaving bosoms and unrequited (thank goodness) sexual tension. I'm not sure why they felt the need to do this. The main characters in the book are 12, the books are aimed at the 9-11 year old set. But sex sells, I suppose, so Hollywood felt the need to give us skimpy, skin-tight outfits and lots of double entendres. Actually, I take that back. There wasn't anything nearly as sophisticated as a double entendre in this film. Just coarse, immature joking.

Let's look at the character of Grover, while we're at it. In the book, he's a slightly bumbling nature-loving satyr on the cusp of growing into himself. In the movie, he's a wisecracking horndog. Yuck. And of course, where there's sex, foul language for the sake of foul language follows. And the Lotus Hotel... oh, excuse me, it's now the Lotus Casino... now has wonderful drugged lotuses that appear to intoxicate the heroes.

Even if I had not read the books, this still would just not have been a good movie. The script was poorly written, with bad god voiceovers and plot holes you could drive a truck through. The fight scenes were choreographed in such a way that left me wondering if they had hired a dance coach from West Side Story. The acting was sub-par. The ending is dumbed down, with a Persephone ex machina plot device that even my 10-year-old thought was contrived. The entire movie played like a bad fan fiction that made it to the big screen. They took out the history. They took out most of the mythology. They took out all the fun.

The CGI was scary, scary stuff. I don't understand how this movie walked away with a PG rating, because the graphics were enough to scare even me, and I am a mother of 4. I don't scare easily.

In the end, the movie tarnishes everything good and golden about the books. This little gem-- "All lives end in suffering and tragedy"-- leads me to question whether the writers of the script even read the book. As my son said, "It's as if someone handed them a list of characters, a picture of the cover art, and told them it had something to do with Greek mythology, and they wrote the script based on that." Throughout the movie, I found myself asking "Who needs gods and heroes like this? Petty and ineffectual, there was very little redeeming in the supposed protagonists.

The good news? You can still read the books. Seriously, they're awesome books. Skip the movie.

Toddler Tips!

Toddlers are wonderful.

They're also temperamental, mercurial, and downright stubborn at times.

One thing that has really worked for me when I want my toddler to do something, be it putting away a toy or bringing me his shoes, is this little phrase...

Can you do it all by yourself or would you like some help?

This isn't said in a threatening way, nor is it intended to be any sort of a put down. I'm thrilled if he can accomplish something by himself and more than happy to assist him if he needs or wants help. But I've found, more often than not, the toddler really does want to do it himself.

How do you help encourage your toddler to cooperate?

A bevy of crayons

"I am going to work," said Mister Thumb.
Hold up thumb.
"Now who will go with me?"
Said Mister Pointer, "I will go.
Hold up pointer finger.
You need my help, you see."
And so they worked together
As happy as could be.
They made a lovely apple
In a big tall apple tree.
They made a little bluebird.
They made a sun for me.
Mister Pointer said, "I like to work."
Mister Thumb said, "I agree!"

Coloring with crayons is a traditional early childhood activity, and that is well-loved here at our house. Not only is a great creative outlet, but holding crayons helps children cultivate the small motor skills that will later help them have a functional pencil grip.

The typical box of Crayola stick crayons can be fun in their variety for older kids, but are often frustrating for the little ones. They're thin and break easily, and I've noticed my own wee ones seem a little more interested in peeling off the paper than in coloring with them. They seem less substantial, especially after using a block crayon or homemade muffin crayon, and just seem ill-suited for small hands in general.

For small children still using a fisted grip, block crayons and other chunky crayons such as homemade muffin crayons (see our handmade football crayons in the photo above) give them control they can't necessarily get with a stick crayon. Additionally, the broad strokes a child can make with a block crayon encourage a different style of drawing, one that is more focused on archetypal drawing and organic forms, and less focused on details and outlining. Personally, I think there is value in both, and my children have access to both types of crayons. Another advantage to the block crayon is that when a child is filling in a sky or a grassy landscape, it's a lot easier to do with the broad, flat side of a block crayon.

It is worth noting that block crayons, when first created, were never meant to be used by small children. They were created by two German art teachers for a very specific type of drawing technique used with children in fifth grade and beyond. Some Waldorf teachers have also made the argument that block crayons teach a child an immature and improper grip that later gets in the way of a functional pencil grip.

Crayon rocks are new on the coloring scene. They're made from soybeans and natural mineral colors, and according the website, they're designed to strengthen tripod muscles (thumb, first, and second fingers) and help prepare a child's fingers and hands for writing. They do crush and crumble easily, though, so beware of that.

Some other ideas to make coloring more enjoyable:
~ Make coloring an intentional experience. Say a little rhyme or verse before beginning-- there's one at the start of this entry-- and tell a little story or poem to set the scene. Color together sometimes, although beware of your child comparing their coloring to yours. It's great for children to have free access to art materials, but it's also great to set time aside to make it special. At our house, Thursday is coloring day, and has been for ten years!

~Make a coloring board. At the Waldorf school where we took our parent-child classes, the
children used a strong piece of cardboard covered with brown paper on which to color. Not only does this allow each child to have his or her own workspace and helps to keep crayon off the table, but it also serves as a perfectly smooth surface so that no dirt or imperfections on the table. A quick and easy substitute would be an old cookie sheet.

~Have a special place for your crayons. We keep ours in a Longaberger basket that was a wedding gift.

~ Round off the corners of the paper. This gives it a more organic and natural feel.

I'd love to hear how you make coloring a special experience!

Katie Grace's Main Lesson: Astronomy

We've been having fun so far! Today Katie Grace made mood phases crayon resist paintings. It's a little difficult to see.

I think I posted this before, but these are our phases of the moon beanbags.
Here is the moon phases chalkboard drawing

which Katie Grace then copied into her main lesson book.
O Lady Moon, your horns point toward the east. Shine, be increased! ~Christina Rossetti
And finally, phases of the moon with cookies. Yummy! You can check out the activity here.

Wordless Wednesday: Snow!!!!!

Chores for Tots

Nicholas, brushing snack crumbs from the table as Daniel watches.

When my oldest, Michael, was just two-years-old, we were blessed with the opportunity to take join a parent-child class at the Susquehanna Waldorf School. While many of the other children busied themselves caring for baby dolls or jumping from stump to stump, Michael would cozy up to Miss Jackie and help with whatever yummy snack was being baked that day. I remember being concerned because he would spend playtime stirring and stirring and stirring the batter rather than playing. I remember also the teacher's wise words, that it was more than OK, it was soothing to his soul to be engaged in this peaceful and meaningful work.

Those of us with older children know the struggle of assigning chores. My two oldest help with laundry, trash, compost, recycling, and dishes and are also responsible for keeping their own rooms tidy. While they might grumble, I know how important it is for all members of a family to have a hand in keeping the household running. We do children no favor when we give them unlimited leisure time with no responsibilities.

The littlest members of your household can help as well. Small, predictable tasks with child-friendly tools stored in an easy-to-access manner help your little one become more independent and reliable. Many of these jobs-- the swishing of a broom, the stirring of the batter, the polishing of a spoon or a banister-- have a rhythmic quality to them that is very soothing to a child's soul.

We like to sing and hum while we work, silly little songs to the tunes of folk songs or made up from our own hearts. We make our own cleaning supplies when possible, polishing wood with beeswax and lemon and using water and essential oils to make an all-purpose cleaning spray. By watching their older siblings and their parents work cheerfully, the younger children are not only invited into the experience, they welcome it, wanting to imitate the actions of those they love and respect. For this reason, we try to be cheerful and diligent in our work, not complaining but completing a job from start to finish with a cheerful spirit. The little ones join in at their own comfort level, moving in and out of the moment. It makes me smile to see them, one foot in the adult world of work and function, the other in their child's world of play and frivolity. It makes me even happier to see those work themes carried over into their play.

So, what can your little ones do?

They can wipe down tables...

...stir the soup (cape optional)...

...polish wood...

...stir batter...

... sort silverware...

...feed pets...

...and water plants.

Remember, even when it might make your job take a little longer, it's worth it to let your little ones join in.

Draw a house... draw a tree... draw a person..

Asking a child to draw a picture of a house, a tree, and a person is a pretty common assessment technique, and one I've been using with my own little ones for years. You can use it with anyone age 3 and up. There's actually an entire psychological evaluation centered around the exercise, but I don't quite take it that far, LOL!

The Waldorf community has a different take on the house--tree--person exercise. A 1999 edition of Gateways makes the following connections:

1. The house-- a picture of where the child is on earth. From that place the child goes out and comes in again in the process of meeting the world.

2. Tree-- indicates the child's connection with his etheric body... The tree is connected with the spiritual world and the earthly world, above and below. It is also a home.

3. Person-- shows the human being with an astral body. The house and tree in the pictures also indicate aspects of the human being.

I love the fat, round, tall characteristics of Nicholas's drawings. The lack of detail, the starkness, the archetypal quality to them. It's a fun exercise to keep these tucked away, asking for new ones to be drawn every once in a while.

Meal Plan Monday: Cookbooks!

Last week's menu was a two-weeker, so you might think I have nothing to say today. But you'd be wrong!

I have quite the little cookbook collection. I'm not a terribly creative chef and prefer to use a recipe, but I also find I get bored doing the same thing over and over again. So I like to mix things up.

When I plan my menu, I like to grab two or three cookbooks to work from over the next two weeks. This, coupled with my handy dandy monthly notebook that I fill with magazine clippings and print outs of seasonal ideas I want to try, usually gets me through two weeks of planning.

These are the cookbooks I used for the first two weeks of February.
The big brown book is The Parenting Cookbook by Kathy Gunst and the editors of Parenting Magazine. I first browsed this cookbook at a friend's house, and was impressed with the recipes. It has a great combination of kid-friendly recipes and healthy ingredients. We made the molasses cookies today for afternoon snack and they were a big hit!

Next we have A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz. I love this book for seasonal recipes to celebrate the church year. The recipes for Lent and Easter are especially good. You can find recipes for the liturgical year as well as the major feasts and festivals of the Christian year as well as recipes specific to various saints' days.

Finally this week I have been cooking from a vintage cookbook, The New Parents' Magazine Family Cookbook. While I deeply despise Parents Magazine, this 1970s cookbook fascinates me. Some of the recipes are quirky and the have some odd ideas about what children will eat and a disturbing propensity to use shortening in unexpected places. Still, there are some gems to be found.

I'd love to hear what you're cooking from this week!

Day-After-the-Weekend Round-Up

*is slow*
Very cute little felt band-aids that would make Daniel and his doctor kit happy. Thanks, Pink and Green Mama!
Art Projects for Kids has some great ideas for Valentine's Day. Be sure to check it out!
Low-point value Buffalo Chicken Dip from LaaLoosh-- only 2 Weight Watcher points!
Everybody loves a good sale. Pop on over to Pinching Your Pennies to learn what goes on sale when.
Nutrition for Health-- my friend Stephany wrote a great post over at her Naturally Simple blog. She has some great advice for staying healthy during the winter.
The Parenting Passageway has a great post for February-- Love for Your Partner.
I adore all the wonderful main lesson book ideas, projects, and chalkboard drawings over at Our Little Nature Nest. They're so inspiring!
Naptime Journal always has such beautiful creative ideas, and these framed fabric handprints were no exception.
Everybody knows about Chasing Cheerios, right? You definitely need to pop over and see these fabulous Valentine's Day surprise balls!
Sushi Sandwiches! Nom, nom, nom from Weelicious.

Have a happy, creative week!

Circle Time: Valentine's Day

Come along with me, walking walking in our circle.
Come along with me, it's circle time again.
Come along with me, we will sing and dance together.
Come along with me, it's circle time my friend!

(Dancing, skipping, hopping, etc)
Annette Frontz, Winter Seasons of Joy

Light the candle.

Will you be my Valentine, my Valentine, my Valentine?
Will you be my Valentine, my very special friend?
Yes, I'll be your Valentine, your Valentine, your Valentine!
Yes, I'll be your Valentine, your very special friend!
Source unknown-- I remember this one from my general music classes at Catholic school!

When you look in your mailbox,
What do you think you'll see?
It might be a Valentine
And it might be from me!
Finger Frolic

Next we play A-Tisket, A-Tasket. It's hard with only a few little people, but they still like it!
A tisket, a tasket,
A green and yellow basket.
I wrote a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it.
I dropped it, I dropped it,
And on the way I dropped it.
A little birdie picked it up
And put it in his pocket.
Traditional

Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody but I won't say who.

Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody, yes I do!
Love somebody and its you, you, you!
Traditional

And we've always, always, ever since I was preschool teacher before I even had kids, ended out Valentine's circle with "Mail Myself to You".