NO WORRIES

We made worry dolls, inspired from Guatemala.  

During the winter months at earth school, when we cannot spend all of our time outdoors, we come inside and focus on other people of the earth; cultures through art.


The children enjoy working with maps and we always locate the country on its continent first.

Can you see Guatemala?

 We also label an outline map of the country, with the capital city, surrounding countries and bodies of water.

The map work gives the children a reference point, exactly where the people of each country live, before they watch the DVD about family life there.  


We love this DVD series, Familes of the World. Each DVD showcases two different families of a particular country, one from a rural area and one from the city. 

Afterwards we talk together, comparing the culture to ours, what the similarities and differences are, and together we make a list.  All the children get involved and it's fun!


We also make ART having to do with each culture, like Guatemalan worry dolls.


Guatemalan worry dolls date back to Mayan traditions and they are thought to soothe fears and anxieties.They are mostly made for children to put under their pillow at night or carry in a pocket. They measure less than an inch long and are made with thin wooden sticks and scraps of clothing and usually come in a box of six.

We took the inspiration from Guatemalan worry dolls, but made our own. 
Our dolls were bigger, about two inches. We used yarn for the body, a wooden bead for the head and an acorn cap for a hat. Some children added hair. 


We formed the body with a chenille stem, using a page from Sally Mavor's terrific book, 

 Felt Wee Folk, for guidance.

We formed the body

twisted it at waist and neck

and started wrapping with the yarn, catching the loose yarn under the leg wrapping, and wrapping until all the chenille stem was covered. Some children decided to leave the ends of the arms and legs unwrapped to look more like hands and feet.

Once the wrapping was completed, we tucked the loose end under another wrapped yarn or up to the neck to tuck under the head. 
A wooden bead was used for the head and glued on.

All the children used an acorn cap for a hat, and some made hair with the yarn.

They also decided it was important the dolls have facial features, and they drew them on with fine marker.

Each doll is very unique and very sweet, just like all the children at earth school.

Go check out what others have done at the Hands-On Homeschool Carnival hosted this month by Cultivated Lives.

                                                               happy day!

TWEEN TO TEEN

"Mom! I KNOW!",  she said, standing, confident and exasperated, with hands on her hips.

This is the child who never raises her voice, who always has a smile, who helps others without being asked and who inspires me to be a better person each day of my life. 


A child who is now annoyed with her mother.


Rightly so, I must admit. But in all fairness, I'm just being the same mom doing what I always do. When did she change? When did she not need me to suggest ways to convey her wishes or encouragement to take part in certain endeavors?  


It's been so gradual I haven't even noticed. She has always had freedom and choice but still  always wanted my input or needed my advice.


I have noticed her increased confidence. I know she values herself and her time immensely. I know she is very choosy about what she does and who she spends her time with. And I guess with all of this comes that confidence to be more independent and handle life herself. A stepping stone of life, of freedom.


She is not antagonistic, she is not terrible, she is not rebellious nor self-centered or any other negative word that people use to describe a teen.


She is just growing up. She is becoming independent. She is feeling confident enough to handle what comes her way herself. And that IS what we want for our children. 


So now it is ME who has to change. I need to back up, breathe, and wait and see IF she needs a suggestion or guidance from me, for I am always here for her.


I suppose I could feel a bit sad that she doesn't need me like she used to, but why would I, when I know she is blossoming into a confident, self-assured young woman who believes in herself and trusts her own judgement.

As we continue our journey in life, we are emerging from the child and parent partnership to  becoming new partners, woman to woman and friend to friend.  
And how glorious that each stage in life has gifts for us to enjoy and savor . . . just like each season in nature does.


  happy day!  happy life!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

   
                                    ~ joy ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                              

happy day!

WINDOW HEARTS

Make a window heart!


Supplies:
~cardstock in reds, pinks, purples
-clear contact paper
-colored tissue paper or bits of ribbon, yarn , etc
-ribbon or string to hang
-glue
-scissors


1.Cut 2 heart shapes out of cardstock.  cut another heart in each center so you have two outlines of a heart., which will be the back and front.
2. Cut 2 pieces of contact paper to fit between the heart shapes.
3. Sticky side up, embellish the contact paper with squares of tissue paper, ribbon, yarn anything that speaks hearts and valentines . Add string or ribbon at top for hanging 
4.Cover with other piece of contact paper when finished adding adornments. 
5. Sandwich the decorated contact paper between cardstock heart outlines and glue the cardstock together .
6. Hang in window to catch the light. . .and enJOY!

                                    happy day!

FORGET THE PLEASE AND THANK YOU

Please don't make your child say thank you.
Please don't make your child say please . . . or ask for that magic word.
Please don't make your child say they are sorry.


Those are just WORDS. And they don't mean anything unless they come from the heart.


Instead. . . YOU say those words!

• You say thank you to your child and others with a smile each and every time. 
• You say thank you so much for having us when you leave an enjoyable place.
• You say you are sorry to your child and others when you are grumpy and should have handled a situation better.
• You say you are sorry to the other child whose toy was taken away or seat was sat in.

By doing this, you are modeling the behavior you want to see. You are showing your child how to live in a world with love and respect; how to treat others .


Soon your child will see this behavior as the norm and will readily do it on his own because he wants to. It will become natural, a way of living, and from the heart. Those words will have meaning and be genuine and sincere. 


There is no need to rule with that iron fist, that authoritarian model, no matter how we were raised.  Most of us were made to say please, thank you and sorry, time and time again, but just because it was always done that way doesn't make it right. 


How did you feel when you were made to say something you didn't feel or want to say?
Did those words mean anything when you said them?


Do you want more for our children?

Breathe, be gentle and kind, be softer, be positive, say yes and let the child's joy be their words until they know how to use them on their own.  A smile and laughter and a wave goodbye shows they had fun.

"It is usually assumed that children who aren't made to obey their parents will grow to be unruly, disrespectful, and 'out of control'. Nothing could be further from the truth. Children who are treated with respect are respectful of others. Children who are listened to as equals listen to others as equals. Children whose opinions are valued value others' opinions. A family where parents and children are allies is a peaceful family."

~Rue Kream, (Parenting A Free Child: An Unschooled Life)

happy day!

WORDS

A quote for Monday . . .

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful.

Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.

You know you will never get to the end of the journey. 

But this, so far from discouraging,

only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

~ Sir Winston Churchill 

happy day!

{this moment}

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." 

Inspiration from SouleMama:

                                                           happy day!

MIND YOUR BEESWAX

Modeling with beeswax is so CALMING.  It takes patience too, as it takes time to soften the beeswax in your hand. Many worthwhile conversations can take place while creating with beeswax . I like to offer the children beeswax while reading a story to them. It's especially helpful for the wiggly children who need to move to in order to focus. Warming the beeswax in their hand and forming shapes allows that movement they need. And it's FUN !      Even the smallest children make the coolest things!                                                                                 a carrot                                                           an apple                                                       a baby                                                        friends All ages enjoy working with beeswax. Sometimes their creations have to do with the story we have read or something we have talked about.                                                                                         a seabird                                             a loon                                              a sea turtle                                              a snail                                        a flower Sometimes we use beeswax to add to our wooden peg "people". . .  And then the children play with their characters. Perhaps you would like to try using beeswax, if you haven't already!  happy day!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                          ~  staring  ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                                  happy day!

TRACKS ON THE DOORSTEP

It was late afternoon when we tossed some Black Oil sunflower seeds on our porch for the birds, thinking of the ground feeders.  Some of the seeds were eaten right away, but most were left uneaten.


We awoke to the evidence of visitors through the night. . . TRACKS. . and the seeds were gone!

Try this at home! 

Put some seed outside at nightfall and see who has visited when you awaken.

Then try and identify the tracks!

Winter IS fun!

  happy day!