Yesterday in School

Yesterday in school Natalie learned paper weaving. She also made a chain of paper links that showed how tall she was (they are using the dinosaur unit to introduce measurement -- time, height, etc.) As far as letters, she has conquered N, M, and S; is still working on B and P; and was introduced to F and R.

Weaving is a large part of the 3rd grade handwork curriculum in Waldorf along with spinning. I have recently added a new page to my Switzerite Consulting site called Finding School Materials. Montana Looms, which makes spinning wheels and looms, is featured there. You can, of course, make your own drop spindle for this grade which is what people usually do (see Spin It: Making Yarn from Scratch for more help with spinning). There is also a wonderful book called Kids Weaving by Sarah Swett that tells you how to make your own functional, lightweight, and inexpensive loom out of plumbing parts (pipes and the appropriate joining pieces from the hardware store). For those who want a set of weaving projects that do not require a loom, there is Weaving Without a Loom by Veronica Burningham. These three books represent the booklist for the Waldorf Grade 3 Spinning & Weaving curriculum. There are several picture books which can go along with this theme; namely, The Goat in the Rug, Charlie Needs a Cloak, and Weaving the Rainbow.