Natural Childhood Newsletter for the Week of June 9

*reposted from my mailing list, found here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Natural_Childhood/

A Note from Me to You
Oh, it feels so good to be writing to this list again! Looking at the archives, I realize that I've been writing this ever since my first little guy, Michael, was a baby. He's a big eight-year-old guy now! It's hard to believe. I haven't always been faithful in writing to this list, but I do notice than when I write, it helps to center and ground our routine. Thanks for sticking with me! And remember, when the list has dry spells, there's always the archives, found here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Natural_Childhood/messages

I'm going to start off slow this week!

Circle Time Fun
We've planted our garden, but we seem to be plagued with cabbage-eating bunnies. Katie Grace, however, is fearless, and we often hear her out in the yard yelling at the rabbits to move on. In honor of her, we've been having a summer garden/bunny munching story time. Some elements of this circle include:

Oh, John the Rabbit--a call and response song
Oh, John the Rabbit! (Oh yes!)
Oh, John the Rabbit! (Oh yes!)
You have a mighty bad habbit (Oh yes!)
Of jumping in my garden (Oh yes!)
And eating all my cabbage. (Oh yes!)
You ate my potatoes (Oh yes!)
And sweet potatoes (Oh yes!)
And if I live (Oh yes!)
To see next fall (Oh yes!)
I won't plant (Oh yes!)
A garden at all. (Oh yes!)

Bunny, Bunny
Bunny, white bunny
With ears so tall.
Place pointer fingers beside head.
And your two pink eyes
And a mouth so small.
Make a small O with mouth.
Wiggle goes one ear,
Wiggle one finger.
Wiggle goes the other.
Wiggle the other finger.
Hop, hop, hop, hop
Home to your mother!
Hop away in four hops.

Sing a song of sunny hours,
Dreaming with the bees and flowers.
Sing a song of babbling brooks
Dancing on by shady nooks.
Sing a song of softest breeze,
Blowing gently through the trees.
Sing a song of joyous light,
Making all the world so bright.
Sing a song of happy praise,
Thanking God for sunny days!
from the Wynstone Press Summer book

Also some of the gardening songs found in Mary Thienes-Schunemann's This Is the Way We Wash-a-Day.

What Can You Do with a Fairy Tale?
Not exactly a fairy tale, but we've been keeping with the summer bunny theme by reading the Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit stories. You can see some of her earlier sketches here:
http://www.peterrabbit.com/beatrixpotter/beatrixpotter1b.cfm

Make a pom pom rabbit with directions here (just add bigger ears and a different tail):
http://www.peterrabbit.com/images/POMPOM.jpg

Make felt bunny ears for dress-up play.

Learning Together
Since we finally have beautiful weather, we've been going on lots of neighborhood walks. This has led both Katie Grace and Nicholas to try to re-create our neighborhood in various ways--through dramatic play and dress-ups, by drawing "maps," creating various landmarks with blocks and other building materials. We take the time to stop and visit and chat with the various community helpers. Visiting with the corner store owner led to several days of playing "shopkeeper;" chatting with the mail carrier has caused the children to write or draw letters for one another and deliver them to each other's bedrooms, always a great surprise.

We might try a TREASURE HUNT!
On index cards, draw freehand, glue pictures from a magazine, or print computer-generated pictures of things in your home. Make about a half a dozen for youngest players and a dozen for kids ages five or older. Draw on each clue a directional arrow to indicate on top of, under, beside, etc. Wrap up the first card to give to your child as the first clue. Hide the second clue near the item pictured on the first card. Hide the third clue near the item pictured on the second card, and so on, until all the clues are hidden. Make sure to hide a treasure (a gift, a coin, small toy, food treat, etc.) near the final item. Send your child on the hunt with the first clue! You may need to help a young or first-time hunter "read" the clues and follow the directions, but soon, she or he will become an expert.

Arts, Crafts, and Handwork

Stir Up Some Sidewalk Chalk

It's easy to make your own sidewalk chalk in a rainbow of colors.

Ages: 3-10

Time Required: Less than 1 hour to make; overnight to dry.

You'll need:

· Several empty toilet paper rolls

· Aluminum foil

· Plaster of Paris mix

· Dry tempera paint

· A small disposable container that will hold about a pint (such as an empty plastic margarine tub)

Making the Chalk

1. First, take several empty toilet paper rolls and tightly cover one end of each roll with aluminum foil.

2. In a small disposable container (such as an empty tub of margarine) mix one cup Plaster of Paris with one cup of water and several spoonfuls of dry tempera paint.

3. Carefully pour the mixture into the open end of the toilet paper roll. Let the mixture sit undisturbed overnight.

4. When the mixture is completely dry, peel off the cardboard and use as sidewalk chalk.

TIP: Save clean up time (as well as eliminating the risk of a clogged drain) by just throwing away the container used to mix the chalk.

Cooking Up Some Fun
Make a summer salad!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	2 tablespoons olive oil
	1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
	1/4 cup chopped cilantro
	1/4 teaspoon salt
	1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
	2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 5 ears)
	1 1/2 cups diced avocado (1/2-inch pieces)
	1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
	1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

2. Add the corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6. Tips: Choose ears of corn with bright green husks that are tightly closed. The ends of the corn silk should be golden brown, not pale -- an indication that the corn was picked too early.

To easily remove corn silk from the kernels, hold the ear in one hand and rub downward with a wet paper towel.

To remove corn kernels for a salad or salsa, stand an uncooked ear in a shallow bowl and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife. For chowder, add another step: reverse the knife and run the dull side down the ear to press out the rest of the corn and its milk.

Summer Nature Table

We have a fussy baby

Daniel is seriously not all that pleased to be earthside. Oddly enough, it's generally not a big deal. It's not that he's colicky. Katie Grace was colicky, and she was just a very prickly personality. But he sometimes seems so sad and desperate and bewildered by the great big world. He's happiest when he's in the sling or swaddled. He even seems to like it if he's in the swing and we turn it on to the high speed. I took the obnoxious light-and-sound-making toy bar off. I feel guilty enough using a swing! But he just seems to be having a very difficult time getting organized.

I am so glad we try to follow Waldorf recommendations (although to us, they just seem to be common sense!) for our babies. Hold them tight, protect their senses, rock them, sing to them, give them all the rhythm we can. Because honestly, if he was in a world filled with big loud noises and bold patterns and bright colors and flashing lights, I think he would tweak. Either that, or he would just shut down completely.

On a happier note, Katie Grace learned this poem today, and it just tickled her:
I never saw a purple cow.
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I'd rather see than be one.

Daniel James is here!

He's been here for a while, actually. He was born at home on April 29 and weighed 9 pounds and was 20 3/4 inches long with a 14 1/2 inch head. He's doing great, but is a tad bit high needs, which is why I haven't been posting a whole lot.

Here are some pictures of his first week:





And Daniel today!Katie Grace called him a "freaking little gnome." I found this oddly amusing.

Still here... still pregnant.

Happy Spring!

Still gestating, but I did get some pictures of our spring nature table I wanted to share.

First, here's a picture of the whole nature table. The root children have come out from underground, King Winter is gone, and Mother Earth has taken off her velvet cloak. Under the rust-colored silk is a light green "grass" silk. We'll slowly pull back the "dirt" and reveal the "grass".This is a close-up of Mother Earth. The Mother Earth and large seed baby doll were made by another Waldorf mama, but I forget who. The little "pocket babies" are from A Toy Garden (I think) and the two tiny babies are from a Ryan's Room play set. Katie Grace had the idea to cut up scraps of felt for the seed babies' clothes, and she wanted to add the ladybug we made from a rock as well. We might try to add some other rock insects to the mix. I made the shroom from wool felt.
The wooden tulips are thrift store finds. We made the snails the day we set up the table. (I have pictures to explain how we made them. They're much simpler than the technique I described in my curriculum, and I wish I had thought of this way first, LOL!) and the Blossom Baby I made at a workshop at the Susquehanna Waldorf School. I really miss that place.

How we made the snails:
First, we cut two pieces of felt that tapered inward.

Second, we laid one on top of the other and then folded them in half lengthwise.

Third, we began rolling them up, starting with the thickest end.

Finally, when they were all rolled up, we pushed in a straight pin to hold it all together and cut trimmed the snail's head.
And finally, apropos of nothing, the funky monkey cake we made for Michael's Scout cake auction. We ended up buying it back and Michael took it to school to share as a snack. He took great joy in telling everyone that "everything under the icing is organic, but nothing from the icing up is."

Spring Seasons of Joy is DONE!

I haven't updated here for a while; between gestating and writing the spring book and homeschooling, there's been little time for anything else.

But, the spring book is finished! 90 pages, 10 weeks of ideas, and full of flowers and fairies and fun.

It's available here:
http://naturalfamily.50megs.com/custom_1.html

Things are good, but exhausting here. Katie Grace is loving homeschooling again. She actually picked up a book and started reading for fun today. She's also getting ready for her ballet recital. Nicholas is just crazy and three. His latest obsession is making airplanes and shuttles from torn up scraps of paper. Which actually means he tears up paper and throws it around the room, LOL! Michael is doing well in school and is going to do a flag football workshop at the Y, which he is really excited about. I'm nesting like crazy, and am more than ready for Babymort to be born.

H h

7:00 Wake up to Michael thanking me for leaving him a note on his door. We've been having some issues with him roaming about the house, so we left him a note reminding him he could make himself some toast and then read or play in his room til a grown-up woke up.

7:15 Hubby woke up and went downstairs to read Lord of the Rings to Michael. I snuggled with Nicholas and listened to NPR.

7:45 Got Nicholas dressed and realized Michael had a two-hour delay. We had an inch of snow! Got myself dressed, tidied the bathroom, and put clothes away. Helped supervise the kids' morning routines.

8:30 Put in a load of laundry and ate breakfast. Got Katie Grace started on her daily work and set Michael up writing a long overdue thank you note to his Mimi and PeePaw for their birthday gift. Nicholas built with blocks.

9:00 Did snap circuits with Michael while Katie Grace did her copywork. This week it's

All outside is dark and cold
But just beneath the earth
Sleep seeds from which new life springs
Bringing Nature's gifts to earth.

We've been taking it very, very slowly, one line at a time.

9:30 Michael read a story to Nicholas and built with blocks with him while Katie Grace and I finished up. Today we did H, for Mother Holle's house.

10:00 Michael and I worked to pack his lunch and make sure he was ready for school. We also all had snack (organic fruit leather and honey sticks--holy sugar, Batman!)

10:30 More laundry and a little decluttering. Katie Grace and Nicholas disappeared upstairs and played. While they were occupied, I worked on writing out some music for the spring book.

11:00 Kids were still playing nicely, so I did a little planning for next week, when we focus on St. Patrick's Day. I should have cleaned, but the baby is sitting on my tailbone and I'm having a lot of ouchies today.

11:30 Kids were STILL playing nicely, so I went upstairs to be near them. Finished cleaning out the hall closet.

Noon Heated up beef stew for lunch.

12:30 Katie Grace and Nicholas helped scrub sweet potatoes. I put them on to boil for dinner. While they cooked, we tidied the kitchen a little. Meanwhile, the rescue workers showed up with the truck and collected a month's worth of decluttering from the porch. Nicholas was very sad--"Dat man is taking all our books!!!!"--so we stopped watching and went back to the kitchen and played with play dough for a bit.

1:00 When the potatoes were done, I drained them and popped the peels off. We added butter and brown sugar and Katie Grace and Nicholas used the potato masher to smoosh them. We sang an impromptu potato smooshing song.

1:30 One of the toys I found while decluttering was a wooden telephone. We added it to the play kitchen and Nicholas and Katie Grace made some very important phone calls while I cleared the playroom table.

2:00 Little Bear and Little House

2:45 Quiet time, including Bob the Builder.

3:30 Michael came home. We made popcorn for snack.

4:00 Played in the snow. Well, the kids played in the snow. I watched.

4:30 Warmed up and cleaned the downstairs.

5:00 The older two went to choir and Nicholas helped me make dinner.

G g

8:00 Up, dress, tidy the bathroom.

8:30 Nicholas wandered downstairs in time to say goodbye to Daddy and Michael. He helped make toast (he loves getting it out with the tongs!) and had some fruit. Katie Grace helped me sweep and wiped the table. I was very tired today. This pregnancy is in the home stretch. I didn't want to do ANYTHING today, but I just kept telling myself that all I had to accomplish was the next thing. I tried not to look too far ahead. The house was a mess--we had an insane weekend--which made it even more difficult. I tried to sing some songs as I tidied, and it helped.

9:00 Started to vacuum the living room while Nick tried to build with blocks in my path and Katie Grace did some busywork. Vacuumed the playroom with everyone's help. We sang songs and said verses and fingerplays as we moved things around, and that was our modified circle time.

9:30 G is for Mother Holle's goose. This was our last Mother Holle drawing. We also got out the glass gems and played some math games with King Winter and Jack Frost. Finally, started copying a new poem:

Blow, North Wind, Blow!
All the leaves are falling.
Cold, frost, and snow--
Winter comes a-calling!

10:00 We were going to make the rice pudding from the recipe in The Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book, but the phone rang right at snack time. It was my neighbor and we were discussing the homeschool co-op, so we ended up having organic juice-sweetened animal crackers instead. We'll make the pudding later this week.

10:30 Played some beanbag games with Nicholas, and then got him and Katie Grace playing together while I put together a shelf. Now we have our "landing pad" for hats, mittens, bags, etc!

11:00 The great clothes sort continues! Nicholas and Katie Grace built a house for their pretend kitty while I worked on this.

11:30 Finished tidying downstairs. The kids sort of wandered in and out, sometimes helping and sometimes playing. The house was awful. Our good vacuum had been in the shop--it's home, thank goodness--and my hubby had a lock-in at church for The 30-Hour Famine from Friday to Saturday. Saturday night he took some of the kids to a concert, Sunday morning he had church, then a church basketball league pizza party, then he had an ecumenical service that evening. It was just crazy busy, but I am really glad we had time to catch up on everything and set it to rights today.

12:00 Daddy came home and made lunch. We also finished setting up the family altar.

12:30 Told the story of The Snow Child. Katie Grace LOVES this story (although in our version, the Snow Child comes back each winter). She wants to make a nature table with characters from the story, so I have to figure out how to make a snow child. I'm thinking maybe from a baby sock?

1:00 Made a marinade for dinner. The marinade had baking soda and rice wine vinegar, and Katie Grace and Nicholas loved the bubbles. I hadn't eaten lunch, so I got a lot of stuff out to make a salad. Katie Grace decided she wanted one too, so we sat together and ate salad.

1:30 We made "winter windows" by drawing a picture on dark blue paper and then cutting a black "window frame" to glue over it. Inspired by the story, Katie Grace drew a beautiful Snow Child.

2:00 Since we had to pick Michael up today, the kids just played while I worked on the menu and grocery list for next week.

2:30 Read a page of Little Bear Goes to the Moon. Katie Grace was laughing the whole time. She really found it funny.

2:45 Went to pick up Michael. We left early so we would get a parking spot in front of the school. We took Little House on the Prairie along with us and read while we waited.

3:15 Michael was surprised to see us! Usually Daddy picks him up. Came home, had snack. Michael did his homework while Katie Grace got ready for ballet.

3:45 The babysitter arrived and I took Katie Grace to ballet.

5:00 Home and started dinner. We had a really yummy sesame beef and stir-fried rice. Daddy had a meeting, so after our Bible story for Lent (Sarah Laughs) the kids helped clear the table. I told them the legend of the Pheonix and they played a little before baths and bed.

Growing in Faith: Praying with and for Your Children

We do something called "Milestone Ministries" at our church. At baptism, babies receive a faith chest, hand-carved by church members. When they're two and start Sunday School, they get prayer pillows. When they start kindergarten, they get Beginners' Bibles, and so on, all the way up til high school graduation, when they get hand-made fleece blankets. For the past four years, I've been leading a workshop for the parents and toddlers who get their prayer pillows, both at our church and another local church. I got asked to do it again this year. I really wanted to say no, but I'm a pushover, LOL!

It is an interesting topic to me. When I was in grad school, I did a huge research paper of James Fowler and faith development in children. Anyway, since today was largely taken up by a drive to the local camp to pick up song books and a midwife appointment, I thought I would share my thoughts on stages of a child's prayer life.

Before baby is born or adopted, pray for the child.

In infancy, make daily routines--bathing, rocking, nursing, etc-physical incarnations of prayer.

From birth on, place your hands on Baby's head and pronounce a blessing. Pray over your child.

In toddlerhood, prayer becomes a relationship. A child's image of God is strongly based on his relationship with his parents. God is a person, not an abstraction or a spiritual being. A toddler's prayers have mixed motives and are spoken with a sense of conversation and companionship. God is a friend, and prayer is grounded in moral realism.

As a child grows, prayer becomes attentive. It becomes more outward-focused and attention is directed more towards God, friends, family, and creation. Prayer is less self-centered. Children may begin to examine their consciouses and confess faults. They ask questions, and begin to listen for God's answer.

Older children view prayer as a way of participating in God's work. Prayer matters, and can change the course of events. Prayer can increase a child's feeling of active engagement with the world, and prayer begins to strengthen a child's sense of compassion, understanding, and charity.

Finally, prayer is transformation. "To pray is to change." (Richard Foster)