Dear Parents,
In case you were wondering, the clementines and chocolate gold coins found in slippers this morning were gifts from St. Nicholas. This is a remnant of a tradition dating back before the time when St. Nicholas began to visit the Kinder Faire. An older boy asked "Where are the nuts?" remembering that in past years St. Nick also brought golden walnuts. He was assured by another older boy that at Ashwood St. N leaves only clementines. These traditions have lives of their own....
But our morning in the kindergarten was a golden day, perhaps with a bit of afterglow from the Advent Spiral, with some younger children playing "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and others building a zoo for land and sea animals.
We also opened several windows of an Advent Calendar depicting a very Special Family - Polly, Prentice, Joseph, Ben and Abel - our friends at Village Farm.
May peace and joy reign,
Susan
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Advent Spiral for Families, December 6, Sunday 4:30 pm
From the forest bring the boughs
Of fir and spruce and pine.
Bring them home, bedeck the house
For now it’s Advent time.
December 1, 2009
Dear Spindlewood Parents,
It is always with joy that I write to you of the coming season that we will share with each other and the children. “Advent” means a solemn approaching. It is a season of preparation. Just as the November winds and rains have swept away all signs of early autumn, we are cleaning out and making ready for what is to come. The woods and frog ponds are growing still, and daylight is dwindling. It is as if the entire natural world is coming to a point of stillness – waiting. Throughout history, humankind has waited for the return of the sun and the rebirth of life. There are as many ways to celebrate this as there are individuals. Here is a description of some of the activities and events to come in the life of the kindergarten.
The Moss Garden – Each child will receive a ceramic bowl. During this first week of Advent, beginning with the sparseness of the empty bowl, we will experience the gifts from the mineral world – sand, shells and crystals. There follows the plant kingdom. Now that deer hunting season has ended, we will once again roam the woods and carefully gather greens and moss. Of course we must ask permission...and as the older children know, we must wait and listen for Mother Earth to say “yes”. Following this is the animal world. Finally, we come to the human realm, represented by a candle. Here we make way for the arrival of the human family. The father, the symbol of meeting this earthly world as it is; the mother, the symbol of nourishing what wants to grow and become; and the child, symbol of inexhaustible potential, of the human spirit. As in the wisdom literature of fairy tales Man can represent the Wise Self, the Woman can be seen as the Universal Soul, and the Child the Universal Spirit.
For our young children, the center of their lives is their family. Father and Mother to a little child are much more than individual personalities. They are the fullness, love, support and encouragement that surround them. And surely every family who receives a child has a moment of experiencing that they receive a gift from heaven. Somewhere in our consciousness we regard them as a little King or Queen, and of course during infancy they are treated as such.
So it is for this that we build our gardens during the season of Advent. We celebrate the family (not necessarily the historical Holy Family, but a Universal Family). This is what surrounds our children as they become a part of this world. We mark this coming into the world or “incarnating” with the family festival of the Advent Spiral. This will take place at 4:30 pm this Sunday, December 6 in the kindergarten. It is our wish that each family be seated in the kindergarten by 4:30 so that we may begin promptly. The rugs will be rolled up so we will not remove our shoes that evening (imagine us all trying to find them again in the dark!)
Inside the Kindergarten, a spiral of evergreens is built on the floor with a large pillar candle standing on a stump in the center. At the opening of the spiral are set shining red apples with small white candles placed in the center. Here we find the spiral form as symbolic of the universe. Everything – galaxies, growing vines, seashells, our bones, the inner part of our ear, move or are formed in the dynamic of the spiral. When we wipe a table, sweep the floor or rake leaves, the movements are in the spiral.
The evergreens placed in this form are “everlasting”, eternal. The child takes her apple that is symbolic of one’s own individual karma or life challenges, walks into the spiral, lights her candle from the central pillar, walks out of the spiral and places the apple and lighted candle on the spot that she chooses. The child finds her place in the world. As each child adds her lighted candle to the dark garden it gradually becomes illuminated. This beautiful ceremony is accompanied by singing and the gentle tones of the harp of our neighbor Cheryl Martine.
Of course, no discussion of how the symbolism is interpreted occurs before or after the event. We allow the child to take what he may from the ceremony. We allow him to enter fully, without discussion. For safety, long hair needs to be tied back away from the candle flame, please. Skirts must not be so long as to brush the lighted candles on the floor. (Needless to say, this is a ceremony that keeps us adults quite alert.) Afterward, the apples and candles will be brought outside and distributed. Sometimes, if it is not too windy, families like to relight the candles and carry them to the car as was done at our Lantern Walk. The entire family is warmly invited. Please let me know if there are siblings or guests four years of age or older who would like to light a candle so that we will have an apple and candle ready for them!
On our last day of school before vacation, Thursday, December 17, families are invited in from 8:30 – 9:30 for a Gingerbread Tea Party. The oldest girl will serve as Santa Lucia in the Swedish tradition, and...we may share our circle Shepherds’ Play!
Wishing you all joy and deep peace,
Miss Susan
PS – See you again on Tuesday, January 5.
Of fir and spruce and pine.
Bring them home, bedeck the house
For now it’s Advent time.
December 1, 2009
Dear Spindlewood Parents,
It is always with joy that I write to you of the coming season that we will share with each other and the children. “Advent” means a solemn approaching. It is a season of preparation. Just as the November winds and rains have swept away all signs of early autumn, we are cleaning out and making ready for what is to come. The woods and frog ponds are growing still, and daylight is dwindling. It is as if the entire natural world is coming to a point of stillness – waiting. Throughout history, humankind has waited for the return of the sun and the rebirth of life. There are as many ways to celebrate this as there are individuals. Here is a description of some of the activities and events to come in the life of the kindergarten.
The Moss Garden – Each child will receive a ceramic bowl. During this first week of Advent, beginning with the sparseness of the empty bowl, we will experience the gifts from the mineral world – sand, shells and crystals. There follows the plant kingdom. Now that deer hunting season has ended, we will once again roam the woods and carefully gather greens and moss. Of course we must ask permission...and as the older children know, we must wait and listen for Mother Earth to say “yes”. Following this is the animal world. Finally, we come to the human realm, represented by a candle. Here we make way for the arrival of the human family. The father, the symbol of meeting this earthly world as it is; the mother, the symbol of nourishing what wants to grow and become; and the child, symbol of inexhaustible potential, of the human spirit. As in the wisdom literature of fairy tales Man can represent the Wise Self, the Woman can be seen as the Universal Soul, and the Child the Universal Spirit.
For our young children, the center of their lives is their family. Father and Mother to a little child are much more than individual personalities. They are the fullness, love, support and encouragement that surround them. And surely every family who receives a child has a moment of experiencing that they receive a gift from heaven. Somewhere in our consciousness we regard them as a little King or Queen, and of course during infancy they are treated as such.
So it is for this that we build our gardens during the season of Advent. We celebrate the family (not necessarily the historical Holy Family, but a Universal Family). This is what surrounds our children as they become a part of this world. We mark this coming into the world or “incarnating” with the family festival of the Advent Spiral. This will take place at 4:30 pm this Sunday, December 6 in the kindergarten. It is our wish that each family be seated in the kindergarten by 4:30 so that we may begin promptly. The rugs will be rolled up so we will not remove our shoes that evening (imagine us all trying to find them again in the dark!)
Inside the Kindergarten, a spiral of evergreens is built on the floor with a large pillar candle standing on a stump in the center. At the opening of the spiral are set shining red apples with small white candles placed in the center. Here we find the spiral form as symbolic of the universe. Everything – galaxies, growing vines, seashells, our bones, the inner part of our ear, move or are formed in the dynamic of the spiral. When we wipe a table, sweep the floor or rake leaves, the movements are in the spiral.
The evergreens placed in this form are “everlasting”, eternal. The child takes her apple that is symbolic of one’s own individual karma or life challenges, walks into the spiral, lights her candle from the central pillar, walks out of the spiral and places the apple and lighted candle on the spot that she chooses. The child finds her place in the world. As each child adds her lighted candle to the dark garden it gradually becomes illuminated. This beautiful ceremony is accompanied by singing and the gentle tones of the harp of our neighbor Cheryl Martine.
Of course, no discussion of how the symbolism is interpreted occurs before or after the event. We allow the child to take what he may from the ceremony. We allow him to enter fully, without discussion. For safety, long hair needs to be tied back away from the candle flame, please. Skirts must not be so long as to brush the lighted candles on the floor. (Needless to say, this is a ceremony that keeps us adults quite alert.) Afterward, the apples and candles will be brought outside and distributed. Sometimes, if it is not too windy, families like to relight the candles and carry them to the car as was done at our Lantern Walk. The entire family is warmly invited. Please let me know if there are siblings or guests four years of age or older who would like to light a candle so that we will have an apple and candle ready for them!
On our last day of school before vacation, Thursday, December 17, families are invited in from 8:30 – 9:30 for a Gingerbread Tea Party. The oldest girl will serve as Santa Lucia in the Swedish tradition, and...we may share our circle Shepherds’ Play!
Wishing you all joy and deep peace,
Miss Susan
PS – See you again on Tuesday, January 5.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Our Recipe for Beeswax Salve
Makes 24 (2 oz.) tins and 24 (1/2 oz. ) tins -
7 cups oil (organic olive oil or almond oil)
1-7 cups dried flowers – chamomile, calendula, clover, lavender
14 oz. pure beeswax
Steep oil and flowers in warm place for two weeks
or bring to almost simmer, cover and keep warm over night,
or warm in double boiler over simmering water 30 to 60 minutes
Strain through cheesecloth.
Add 2 oz. pure beeswax to each cup of oil. Melt.
Pour into tins and watch the magic as it cools.
Makes a soothing salve for chapped hands, cheeks and lips all winter.
Tins are available from Specialty Bottles – 2 oz. or ½ oz. (for lip balm)
7 cups oil (organic olive oil or almond oil)
1-7 cups dried flowers – chamomile, calendula, clover, lavender
14 oz. pure beeswax
Steep oil and flowers in warm place for two weeks
or bring to almost simmer, cover and keep warm over night,
or warm in double boiler over simmering water 30 to 60 minutes
Strain through cheesecloth.
Add 2 oz. pure beeswax to each cup of oil. Melt.
Pour into tins and watch the magic as it cools.
Makes a soothing salve for chapped hands, cheeks and lips all winter.
Tins are available from Specialty Bottles – 2 oz. or ½ oz. (for lip balm)
Kinder Faire December 12
Just as a reminder, Spindlewood's Kinder Faire is December 12, Saturday, open to the public from 9-12noon. We will be following the rhythm of our kindergarten morning in this outreach event. Please invite your friends and family to have a taste of the magic of Waldorf early childhood!
Beginning at 9:00 am there will be several activities for young children, primarily gift-making and wrapping. These include beeswax candle rolling, bead stringing, sewing balsam sachets, paper angel folding, tiny book-binding and beeswax modeling. There is a sign-up board in the mudroom for workers needed. The shifts are 8:45 - 10:15 and also 10:30 - 12:00noon. Can you help? Perhaps one parent or a grandparent may accompany your child or children if you sign up for a shift of helping with an activity or assisting in the cafe/dining room.
The Kinder Faire has its own currency of golden chestnuts, that parents may purchase at 50cents each, and which the children may use to participate in all of the activities, as well as purchase apple cider, cookies, honey straws, modeling beeswax and marbles.
There will be a pause in activities at 10:15 when Mr. John and I will present the puppet play The Shoemaker and the Elves, followed be a special visitor and his elves.
Following the puppet play and visitors, the Mr. John's Downstairs Cafe will open, offering homemade soup, gingerbread, coffee and teas.
For adults, there will also be a table of "Elves Treasures", including handcrafted toys and decorations, some Waldorf song books/CDs by Mary Schunneman, children's kitchen utensils and aprons, biodynamic planting calendars and more. Sarah Baldwin will have a selection of Bella Luna Toys www.bellalunatoys.com, and Susan Junge will be offering a selection of fine children's books.
So that you may fully participate in the Kinder Faire morning with the children, we will be offering an Pre-Sale for all KinderFaire volunteers the night before the Faire, Friday evening from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. Teas and Coffee will be available.
Oh, yes! There will also be a display of rare and wonderful items on display that are being offered for Silent Auction....all bidding will be done by email, thanks to Amy Robbins-Wilson and Tim Wilson!
Take Joy!
The Spindlewood Kinder Faire Carrying Circle
Susan Junge, Pat Shannon, Sarah Baldwin, Heather Wyman and Susan Silverio
Beginning at 9:00 am there will be several activities for young children, primarily gift-making and wrapping. These include beeswax candle rolling, bead stringing, sewing balsam sachets, paper angel folding, tiny book-binding and beeswax modeling. There is a sign-up board in the mudroom for workers needed. The shifts are 8:45 - 10:15 and also 10:30 - 12:00noon. Can you help? Perhaps one parent or a grandparent may accompany your child or children if you sign up for a shift of helping with an activity or assisting in the cafe/dining room.
The Kinder Faire has its own currency of golden chestnuts, that parents may purchase at 50cents each, and which the children may use to participate in all of the activities, as well as purchase apple cider, cookies, honey straws, modeling beeswax and marbles.
There will be a pause in activities at 10:15 when Mr. John and I will present the puppet play The Shoemaker and the Elves, followed be a special visitor and his elves.
Following the puppet play and visitors, the Mr. John's Downstairs Cafe will open, offering homemade soup, gingerbread, coffee and teas.
For adults, there will also be a table of "Elves Treasures", including handcrafted toys and decorations, some Waldorf song books/CDs by Mary Schunneman, children's kitchen utensils and aprons, biodynamic planting calendars and more. Sarah Baldwin will have a selection of Bella Luna Toys www.bellalunatoys.com, and Susan Junge will be offering a selection of fine children's books.
So that you may fully participate in the Kinder Faire morning with the children, we will be offering an Pre-Sale for all KinderFaire volunteers the night before the Faire, Friday evening from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. Teas and Coffee will be available.
Oh, yes! There will also be a display of rare and wonderful items on display that are being offered for Silent Auction....all bidding will be done by email, thanks to Amy Robbins-Wilson and Tim Wilson!
Take Joy!
The Spindlewood Kinder Faire Carrying Circle
Susan Junge, Pat Shannon, Sarah Baldwin, Heather Wyman and Susan Silverio
Thanksgiving
Dear Spindlewood Parents,
Throughout the autumn, the children have been harvesting and drying calendula flowers from the garden. Perhaps you noticed the basket on the picnic table of golden blossoms. When they were completely dried, we added them to organic olive oil and the large jar has been sitting on the window sill absorbing sunlight. When the last of the harvest was done, and the weeds pulled and the sheep manure spread (no. Mr. Jack did that part!) the children and I trooped around the garden thanking it for all that it gave us this year! I was surprised at how enthusiastic the children were in shouting "Thank You!" This week we will strain the flowers from the oil and add some pure beeswax. Then we heat the oil very gently to melt the wax and pour it into tins. Such magic to see the dark oil turn into a golden solid! Each child will be bringing home a tin of their own Calendula Beeswax Salve to share with their family. It's so soothing for chapped hands, cheeks and lips when King Winter makes his appearance.
The children will also be bringing home their watercolor paintings. We begin the school year painting with only one or two colors so that the children can truly experience the individual colors before they begin to mix them. Please bear in mind that like all things Waldorf it is the process that is as important as the product. The colors fade as they dry, and some paintings have been rubbed rather vigorously with the brush, but the children have experienced glowing color, and they are learning gradually to have a lighter touch with the brush!
There will be no school next week, Thanksgiving week, except for the Parent-Child class on Monday. (Jack and I will be taking Thanksgiving dinner out to prepare at my parents' house in Ohio.) I realize many families will be traveling and gathering. May all travels be safe and may all stay healthy! The children have been practicing coughing into their elbows, and washing their hands well. I am so thankful that if any of the Spindlewood children is feeling "under the weather" that they have families who can allow them to remain at home until they are well.
When school resumes it will be December! and we will be preparing for our Advent Spiral on Decmber 6th at 4:30pm. It is a simple
ceremony (you can read about it in the parent handbook on our website www.spindlewoodmaine.com) I will write again before then!
The December 12, Saturday morning Kinder Faire sign-up poster is in the mudroom. We still need someone to help Mr. John in the cafe/dining room, as well as some helping hands with the children's activities.
When snow begins to fly, our class parent Nicole and I will be keeping an eye on the school cancellations. If you hear that School Union 69 is cancelled you will know that Spindlewood is also. If Spindlewood is cancelled or delayed, Nicole and I will phone all kindergarten families, probably around 7:00 am, if that time works for all of you. If you do not wish to be phoned, and would prefer an email message, just let me know!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours!
Warmly,
Susan
Throughout the autumn, the children have been harvesting and drying calendula flowers from the garden. Perhaps you noticed the basket on the picnic table of golden blossoms. When they were completely dried, we added them to organic olive oil and the large jar has been sitting on the window sill absorbing sunlight. When the last of the harvest was done, and the weeds pulled and the sheep manure spread (no. Mr. Jack did that part!) the children and I trooped around the garden thanking it for all that it gave us this year! I was surprised at how enthusiastic the children were in shouting "Thank You!" This week we will strain the flowers from the oil and add some pure beeswax. Then we heat the oil very gently to melt the wax and pour it into tins. Such magic to see the dark oil turn into a golden solid! Each child will be bringing home a tin of their own Calendula Beeswax Salve to share with their family. It's so soothing for chapped hands, cheeks and lips when King Winter makes his appearance.
The children will also be bringing home their watercolor paintings. We begin the school year painting with only one or two colors so that the children can truly experience the individual colors before they begin to mix them. Please bear in mind that like all things Waldorf it is the process that is as important as the product. The colors fade as they dry, and some paintings have been rubbed rather vigorously with the brush, but the children have experienced glowing color, and they are learning gradually to have a lighter touch with the brush!
There will be no school next week, Thanksgiving week, except for the Parent-Child class on Monday. (Jack and I will be taking Thanksgiving dinner out to prepare at my parents' house in Ohio.) I realize many families will be traveling and gathering. May all travels be safe and may all stay healthy! The children have been practicing coughing into their elbows, and washing their hands well. I am so thankful that if any of the Spindlewood children is feeling "under the weather" that they have families who can allow them to remain at home until they are well.
When school resumes it will be December! and we will be preparing for our Advent Spiral on Decmber 6th at 4:30pm. It is a simple
ceremony (you can read about it in the parent handbook on our website www.spindlewoodmaine.com) I will write again before then!
The December 12, Saturday morning Kinder Faire sign-up poster is in the mudroom. We still need someone to help Mr. John in the cafe/dining room, as well as some helping hands with the children's activities.
When snow begins to fly, our class parent Nicole and I will be keeping an eye on the school cancellations. If you hear that School Union 69 is cancelled you will know that Spindlewood is also. If Spindlewood is cancelled or delayed, Nicole and I will phone all kindergarten families, probably around 7:00 am, if that time works for all of you. If you do not wish to be phoned, and would prefer an email message, just let me know!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours!
Warmly,
Susan
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Last Week
It is a golden autumn day in Maine. The honeybees are exulting in one of their last flights. Last week at Spindlewood we had our Michaelmas Hike through the woods and fields to a neighbor's ancient Chestnut Tree. The six-year olds led the way, eager for this annual pilgrimage, and pulled a cart a great deal of the way to carry several of the three-year olds who were delighted to accompany them. Their parents could scarcely believe that they had traveled two miles as they returned triumphantly at the end of the morning, laden with bags of shining horse chestnuts they had gathered. For those who stay for the afternoon, Mr. John quickly prepared a hot soup and lit a blazing fire in the woodstove. After lunch the children sank their feet into tubs of warm lavender water, and nestled into their beds with hot water bottles. When they arose he led the older ones out to work on their tree house construction.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Lantern Walk 4:30 Wednesday November 11
Each child in the kindergarten has begun to make his or her lantern. This year we are painting a glass jar with egg white and covering it with colored rice paper. They will be ready when you arrive for the Lantern Walk. Other candle lanterns carried by parents, grandparents and older siblings are also welcome.
The Lantern Walk, or 'Martinmas', is a festival with European roots. St. Martin was a Roman soldier of the fourth century who gave his cloak to a beggar and later in a dream saw Christ clothed in his cloak. He subsequently devoted the rest of his life to helping the poor. He was a man who carried an inner light in a time of darkness.This festival provides us with an opportunity to consciously mark the point in the cycle of the year when the light and warmth of the sun is retreating. The Lantern Walk allows us to experience the change of season in a sensory way.
A small bonfire and warm apple cider that we pressed at our Harvest Celebration will await families upon their arrival at the kindergarten. When all are gathered we will celebrate the circle time that the children are doing in the kindergarten. After the circle, parents or grandparents may light the children’s lanterns and we proceed along the path. The walk is not long but the experience is memorable. Stepping into the darkness we are guided only by the light of our lanterns and the luminaries placed along the pathway. We may hear an owl, a crackling stick, or the wind. If we are lucky, the stars will be shining overhead. We return to find the bonfire extinguished, but the sparks of light in our lanterns creating a large circle of warmth and community. We sing a final song, receive a ginger cookie and then proceed with the same quiet intention to our cars and then on to our homes.
To strengthen the mood of the Lantern Walk, some possibilities are:
* Please be here by 4:30 so that car headlights don’t interrupt our walk. Dress warmly and wear good walking shoes. Please, no flashlights on the walk.
* Although the event is short, you might expand it into an opportunity to have a more mindful day to in order to be more receptive to the mood of the evening. You might try to notice some of the signs that mark the retreat of autumn, or to work a little more slowly and deliberately than normal throughout the day, or to have a pot of warm soup ready upon return home to eat as a family by candlelight.
* End the evening by getting ready for bed early and then telling your young childrena story rather than reading them a book. (Children love any story you tell, no matter how simple you think it is. If you have never done this, here is a suggestion: Tell a story about a family - with the same makeup as your own - that walks by a lantern one night in order to help an elderly neighbor who is sick.)
The Lantern Walk, or 'Martinmas', is a festival with European roots. St. Martin was a Roman soldier of the fourth century who gave his cloak to a beggar and later in a dream saw Christ clothed in his cloak. He subsequently devoted the rest of his life to helping the poor. He was a man who carried an inner light in a time of darkness.This festival provides us with an opportunity to consciously mark the point in the cycle of the year when the light and warmth of the sun is retreating. The Lantern Walk allows us to experience the change of season in a sensory way.
A small bonfire and warm apple cider that we pressed at our Harvest Celebration will await families upon their arrival at the kindergarten. When all are gathered we will celebrate the circle time that the children are doing in the kindergarten. After the circle, parents or grandparents may light the children’s lanterns and we proceed along the path. The walk is not long but the experience is memorable. Stepping into the darkness we are guided only by the light of our lanterns and the luminaries placed along the pathway. We may hear an owl, a crackling stick, or the wind. If we are lucky, the stars will be shining overhead. We return to find the bonfire extinguished, but the sparks of light in our lanterns creating a large circle of warmth and community. We sing a final song, receive a ginger cookie and then proceed with the same quiet intention to our cars and then on to our homes.
To strengthen the mood of the Lantern Walk, some possibilities are:
* Please be here by 4:30 so that car headlights don’t interrupt our walk. Dress warmly and wear good walking shoes. Please, no flashlights on the walk.
* Although the event is short, you might expand it into an opportunity to have a more mindful day to in order to be more receptive to the mood of the evening. You might try to notice some of the signs that mark the retreat of autumn, or to work a little more slowly and deliberately than normal throughout the day, or to have a pot of warm soup ready upon return home to eat as a family by candlelight.
* End the evening by getting ready for bed early and then telling your young childrena story rather than reading them a book. (Children love any story you tell, no matter how simple you think it is. If you have never done this, here is a suggestion: Tell a story about a family - with the same makeup as your own - that walks by a lantern one night in order to help an elderly neighbor who is sick.)
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