Sugar crystals for your Nature Table

We made a Sugar Crystal for our winter nature table. It was easy and fun! my son is very proud to show off his crystal to anyone who comes over! Here is a link to directions:
http://www.ehow.com/how_3863_grow-sugar-crystals.html
We let the crystal sugar set for more than 24 hours. Then pulled out the largest formation and tied string around crystal and the pencil and put it into a new jar of cold water for 24 hours.

Magical Halloween Cutting Story

We have done this story for two years now and it is magical! It is a story about a witch and a mouse finding a home in the cold. You cut along with the story and reveal the surprise at the end! Practice this one first before sharing it and have two pieces of paper because they may want you to "do it again!" Here is the link to the story.
Have Fun! Happy Halloween! If are are interested in learning some really cute Halloween songs to sing with your children, I highly recommend Wee sing for Halloween! I learned these songs and we now sing them every year!

Pumpkins

Last year, when my son was in Kindy, we had a little fall festival/get together with other Waldorf home schoolers and decorated Pumpkins and Gourds with natural materials! They turned out great! Each family collected natural materials during their nature walks and rummaged through their cupboard for the decorative items. We had thins like, dried goji berries, almonds, leaves, twigs, bark, pine needles, dried flowers, acorn caps, even seaweed! The glue was a little drippy but dried clear! :)

Dragon Bread

DRAGON BREAD
My son is now attending a Waldorf Program for first grade. But I will continue to share some of the activities we did last year during our Homeschool Kindy adventures in The Pirate School of Make Believe!
We made Dragon Bread for Michaelmas. We used the recipe from Bread making with Children. My son sculpted the dough and then added raisins for eyes and crushed almonds all over! We also read the story. "The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World" and water colored a sky with a sun to go along with the story! We also dyed silk capes from Marigolds growing in our Garden with friends at a park on a camp stove. I highly recommend that you buy mortar or alum for this project so that the color stays better! Wishing you a season of courage and strength!

Midsummer's Eve Fairy Cakes

For our Mid Summer's Eve Party we made these wee fairy sized cakes from two vanilla sandwich style cookies. Then we decorated them as you might a regular sized cake! See how they look like mini layer cakes when cut! And they are Organic, except for the wee bit of sprinkles. We got the idea from the book Tiny Treats. We also read the book the flower's festival, created "sun" spin art and crafted fairies attached to sticks and danced them at twilight. It was a magical evening.

Mother Earth Kindy Loom and Weaving

My son has been attending a part time, all outdoor kindy class and this was there beautiful hand work project that they worked on. They sawed the branches, drilled holes and pound in pegs to make the loom. She told them a Native American story about the how the bottom of the loom is the earth, the top the sky and the strings are the rain. Then they weaved Grass at the bottom for the earth, and a multi colored wool yarn with dark purples (mountains and stones), greens (grass and hills, meadows) blues ( streams, lakes, rivers) and pinks (wildflowers) then she showed them how drop spindled the yellow into yarn for the sunshine! We loved Mother Earth Kindy!

Leprechaun Trap

So this year we set out a Leprechaun trap in the garden. We made it from a cardboard box. My son painted on glue and then we covered it with shamrock fabric. Then my son drew a rainbow with his beeswax crayons and we cut it out and glued it on as well. For bait, we put a very glittery gold paper underneath and since we were already planning on making NT Macaroons, we decided to dye one green and leave it out there as well. We also planted shamrock seeds . This is a Poem my son really enjoys.

The Dear Little Shamrock

by Andrew Cherry There's a dear little plant that grows in Ireland. 'Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it. And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile. And a tear from his eyes oft-times wet it. It grows thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland, And it's called the dear little Shamrock of Ireland. That dear little plant still grows in our land, Fresh and fair as the daughters of Erin, Whose smiles can bewitch, and whose eyes can command, In each climate they ever appear in: For they shine thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland, Just like their own dear little Shamrock of Ireland. That dear little plant that springs from our soil, When its three little leaves are extended, Denotes from the stalk we together should toil, And ourselves by ourselves be befriended. And still thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland, From one root should branch, like the Shamrock of Ireland.

Then we made Irish Soda bread ,from the Baking Bread with Children book, to have with our dinner (corned beef and cabbage. Yeah yeah, I know, not truly traditional but a tradition in my family growing up :) yum). Our fortune was not made, we did not catch a Leprechaun but did find some of gold! He tricked us!!! It was really chocolate that LOOKED like gold!! Better luck next time! It was a very enjoyable day.