sistermama gets real

First Day of Waldorf First Grade

Okay, so really it was Jack's first day of third grade, too, but I had already prepped him that it was really going to be about Lucy today.  She has spent the last two years being the tagalong add on in our school day and today I wanted to celebrate that she is finally a grade schooler.  She's been begging for school to start for days, and was so excited that the big day was finally here. 

I borrowed an idea from my friend Krista and started our morning with an introduction to our new supplies and a rather firm admonishment that they are properly taken care of and used only for school.  I've noticed that at the beginning of the school year I can act very "teacherly" and they take it seriously. 

We started with a circle time that we are going to add onto for the next month.  I'm planning on having circle time for a block and then to morning walks for a block.  They love circle time, but it can get a little stale, so I'm hoping this mixes it up a bit. 

After circle time I told the story about Dear Heart and how he received his recorder.  Then Lucy received her first flute lesson.  I started with a brief introduction about how to blow into the flute properly.  Then she learned how to put her fingers on and began learning her first song, played just with her thumb.  She is four notes in, and very proud of herself!  

In one of his 8 billion books, Steiner describes an ideal first day of first grade that begins with discovering the concept that the entire world is made of lines and curves.  Lucy tagged along on this day two years ago, so there wasn't quite that A-HA! moment there was for Jack, but it was still fun to run around the house looking for lines and curves and then to go outside.  I challenged them to find something that wasn't made of lines or curves, and they were amazed that they couldn't.

Then we came inside and modeled lines and curves out of playdough.  Yuck, I made that playdough months ago and it really needs to be refreshed!  We drew lines and curves in the air and then each drew one on the board. 


(In case you were wondering, "Wow, is every flat surface in her house covered with really ugly flat, beige paint?" Yes, yes it is.  "And hasn't she already lived there for two years?" Yes again.

The Jack and Lu practiced drawing the lines and curves on their new white boards.  I noticed immediately that it is going to be a lot easier for me to avoid breathing down Jack's neck while he does this type of thing now that I have two doing school.  He hates form drawing (hmmm... maybe has something to do with my neck breathing?) so I was surprised when he made it harder for himself and asked if he could create patterns with lines and curves.  Lucy, as usual, wasn't going to be outdone, so she did some patterns, too.  After some practice time they each got a sheet of paper and Lucy made one large line and curve using crayon, and Jack made his pattern using colored pencil.  We numbered them and put them away for binding at the end of the year. 




I forgot our opening verse (The sun with loving light...) so we stopped in the middle, stood up and said it.  Then I completely forgot our closing verse.  Somewhere mixed in here we ate a snack and went outside to jump rope.  Oh, I forgot we did a little beeswax modeling, too.  All the above took about two and half hours, so my plan is to then send them outside while I make lunch.  Lucy didn't want to go out, so I said something to her along the line of, "Well, you're going to miss recess if you don't go out." To which she replied, "Oh, that's recess? Kids in school LOVE recess!" Then she ran out the door.   They went out and worked on fairy houses and digging clay.


After lunch and clean up Jack had his first lesson on the diatonic flute.  It is a little trickier than the pentatonic when it comes to getting a nice tone.  So he mostly worked on proper breathing.  He also learned Hot Cross Buns.  Then it was time for Lucy's first knitting lesson.  Those years of kindergarten handwork coupled with an intense desire to learn really payed off as Lucy knitting her first stitch today and followed it up with three rows. 


Normally Jack will have more of his own work in the morning, plus some pm lesson work, but as I said we are starting with Lu and taking it slow.  It really was a super day and I'm glad I have this record to look back on for the days when I want to put them on the first school bus that comes by.  I feel so lucky to have this time with them. 

During our afternoon quiet time, John came home with Lucy's most anticipated birthday gift.

Ready, Set...

The blackboard had a fresh coat of paint.  (Why didn't I do this last year? So black, so fresh!)


The school shelves are cleaned and organized with some new and some old supplies. 


Block and stick crayons.  New skinny triangle pencils for Jack.  Last year he had the fatter triangle pencils.  Lucy won't get pencils till after Christmas, then she'll have the chubby ones.  I'm so not down with making Waldorf kids try and write anything more than large single letters with Stockmar stick crayons.  Composition books for copy work and math practice.  Beeswax for modeling and paintbrushes.  2 pentatonic flutes and 2 diatonic flutes.  Blank main lesson book for Lu, Jack will be making his for his first block. Math box with cards, poker chips and hand made games.  Bean bags.  Drawing mats.  New for this year, wipe off boards with markers for form drawing.  Not very Waldorfy, but either is throwing away reams of paper. 


I've done huge amounts of planning.  How is planning for two so much more work than double that of planning for one?  But, I am finally ready and feel super excited about starting school.  I'll be up bright and early today at 5:30. Really?  5:30?  Part of a new thing I'm trying, I'll let you know more about it later in the week. 

Super Seven

Dear Lucy,

If I could individually pick everything I would want in a daughter I would still end up with you.  I tell you this all the time and it really is true.  (Okay, maybe I would add in being willing to let me regularly make intricate braids in you hair, but I won't quibble over the small stuff). 

I was so thrilled that were a girl, Daddy and I hadn't found out.  And you were an easy baby.  Easy as in if I held you you didn't cry, which was somewhat of an improvement over Jack's level of ease. 










Oooh, I had to force myself away from more adorable baby photos!  You have always had a really strong sense of being able to do things for yourself.




When you were three you helped me drive the moving truck (Giant!  20 something feet!) from Florida to New York.  Well, Ollie was with us, too, but you and I both know why he had to be moved to the back of the truck.


You are fierce and determined in a way I admire. 




But at the same time you are kind and gentle with little people.




Happy 7th Birthday, Lulubel.  I'm so glad we are together.

Beach, how I have missed you

When I wasn't staring off into the distance I was in the water or knitting under the umbrella (while drinking Diet Coke and eating junky beachy foods). 


Lucy dug a seriously deep hole.  By the time she was done you could barely see her head.


I have very few pictures of Jack at the beach, because he spent 4 hours the first day and 6 hours the second day in the water.  Lucy was really into the boogie boarding this time, too.




And now, for some gorgeous pics taken by my truly talented brother in law.  These are the only two pics I've seen of his from this week, I can't wait to see the rest of them. 






 

Baby Love

We've extended our NC trip to help out with my lovely niece. 


She's a very joyful baby and ten months old is so fun.  All of a sudden she can do so many things and play so many funny games.  She's super attached to her mama, as it should be, but this does mean she hasn't been particularly happy to be left in my care in the past.  This time though, we were with her and her mama and daddy for several days before we went solo.  That plus adding Jack to the Annie Nanny mix for the first time really helps out. 

They LOVE having a little one to be responsible for; I don't think she minds much either.  I feel like I've gotten a little taste of how bigger families do it.  Having older children available to assist with a baby really helps out a lot. 








They walked her up and down the street for her nap while I finished up some school planning in the shade of the garage.


We'll be sad to leave tomorrow now that she's just gotten used to us.  I love being an aunt. 

Let Us Form a Ring and Wynstones Review

We just returned from a lovely beach weekend, courtesy of my sister and brother in law.  I haven't been to the beach in a year, and it was lovely to bake (under my chair canopy!) in the breezy sun and smell that salty goodness.  Although I must admit I did purposefully sun my legs.  I'm not quite used to the British tourist appearance they have by January now that we live up north.  Jack spent his entire time both days in the ocean boogie boarding and then wave diving.  Lucy did quite a bit on her board, but also squeezed in plenty of castle building time. 

We start homeschool next week, can that be possible?  We are staying in NC a little longer than planned to help out with a nanny quitting situation, so I brought school stuff with me to finish last minute planning.  This is the time of year though, that I admit at some point one must stop planning and start doing.  But for now, onto reviewing more books from my current library batch.


Let Us Form a Ring: An Acorn Hill Anthology is a collection of seasonal stories, verses and songs including several full circle times.  I love the Wynstones books, but if you wanted just one inexpensive book to get you through the year I think you could do it with this one.  It has sections for:

• Autumn
• Winter
• Spring/Summer
• Anytime
• Birthdays
• Mealtime
• Bedtime
• Storytime

My favorite part of this book is the storytime section because it has several songs for Grimm's fairy tales commonly used in first grade.  I like having these songs premade up to include in circle times, but it does also show how simple it can be to make them up on your own.  "Let Us Form A Ring" also has one of my favorite stories, "Twiggy", a Ukranian tale. 


I won't spend too much time on Autumn from Wynstones Press, since I think most people are already pretty familiar with this series.  The Autumn one might be my favorite, maybe because autumn is my favorite season.  Like any of the Wynstones books, it is full of wonderful songs and verses but my favorite from this book is two stories for Michaelmas, "Crossing the Sea" and "The Kite".  Both dragon-absent in case anyone is looking for stories without dragon slaying.  Although Lucy is waiting for St. George and the Dragon with baited breath - it is one of her favorite stories of the seasonal year.

A Path of Discovery - Waldorf Grade Three

I've gathered inspiration from Eric Fairman's series of books since I started planning for first grade.  Again, I would ignore the ratings of the books on Waldorf Books.   They seem very off to me compared to my conversations about books with other homeschooling parents.

Fairman says in the intro to this volume, ""My lessons were prepared for a specific group of children in a specific school on the other side of the world (Australia).  It should in no manner be considered a "blue-print" for Grade Three.  Hopefully some of what I have brought to the children has been of value, but there is much more that could be accomplished."  This is true of all his books.  They are not, nor are they meant to be, a complete curriculum.  Instead they give descriptions of the main lessons he brought to his students, examples of how to present concepts and verses and songs.  That said, though, I find them very helpful to use in my planning stage for two reasons.  First, they give me a clear picture of the flow of the curriculum over the year and second he includes many examples of what worked well for him AND what didn't.   

So, back to this specific volume intended for third grade.  Specifically it includes:

• The 9th Year - great description of the 9th year based on Steiner's indications.  Says the most profound question for the nine year old is, "Who amd I and where is my place in the world?"  I'll be holding this in the forefront of my mind during this year.
• English - centered in Old Testament stories includes grammar lesson ideas
• Cursive Writing - brief description of how he introduced it
• Mathematics - daily work and blocks on measurement, (linear, mass, liquid, money)
• Farming and Gardening
• Building and Dwellings
• Local Geography - very basic and focused on nature stories
• Jewish Festivals
• Poems and Verses
• An excellent bibliography
• Third grade reading list (note to self, look up "Addie Across the Prairie)

Again, keep in mind that he doesn't go that indepth into the above, the book is only 68 pages long.  But I really like the visual arc to the year I get from it, plus I always find some good nuggets I can put to use.  I love something else he says in the intro, "There was a blossoming in the children's ability to write their own accounts of the stories - which I might add were written directly into their main lesson books so that it became a true record of their progress instead of a record of my prowess as their teacher."  I'm going to use that approach for Jack this year, letting his MLB be a reflection of HIS best work, not my best work!

She Didn't Even Blink

I had my ears pierced when I was 7 and for several years Lucy has been waiting till she was deemed old enough as well. So, this year for her birthday she's getting earrings and a snake (real, live).  She is so totally my type of girl. 

We decided to go and do it a few weeks early so that Aunt Amy could come with us as well. 


Jack lent a little moral support, not that it was really needed.  Once Lucy decides to do something she is not detered. 


She contemplated the options.


Candy was a super professional ear piercer.  She was kind and did a fast good job.  Amy was looking straight at Lu and Lucy didn't flinch or even blink an eye.  The girl is pretty fierce.


The focus is bad, but she picked pretty little flower earrings. 

Celebratory frosting cookies for all!

I turn my back...

and this is what happens while I try and get some school planning done.  Just another sign that I must get rid of even more stuff.  I'm convinced that at some point I will have gotten rid of enough stuff that this can't happen.  Am I deluding myself? 

Flooding

We left NY for NC on Thursday so really have only begun to grasp how bad the flood damage is by us.  I was glad we already had plans to go since they've rerouted part of the Thruway past the front of our house and it is disconcerting to have so many cars driving past.  Plus I feel pretty sensitive to the emotions in the air, and I was feeling really awful on Tuesday. 

We watched the river crest on Monday, along with many other people and it was very interesting although the bit of a festive air felt innappropriate.  The whole town seemed to be out though and ususally the only time you see so many people in the park is on the Fourth of July.

Early in the morning the river was creeping out of JJ's parking lot towards the park.


I think the damage here is maybe (hopefully?) not as bad as it looks. It sounded like it will be mostly clean up, but we did see some building damage.


The river started running across the park towards the lake.


The lake was filling rapidly.  There's normally about 30 feet of beach in front of that fence.


Look how fast the water is coming up.  This was only about 15 minutes later.


The lake water on the left below is normally a ball field.


I'm feeling the worst for the farmers, many farms were flooded along with this year's crops.  Like most family farms in this country, the farmers seem to make just enough to cover them from one year to the next.