Corn Grinding

I am happy to say that we successfully ground some cornmeal today! At first the grind was set to be too fine and the children could hardly turn the handle it was so tough but we adjusted it to be a bit coarser and all went well. Natalie is taking the mill in tomorrow to share with her friends at show and tell.

One of the ladies on the waldorfcurriculum-supplies Yahoo group posted ISO This is the Way We Wash-a-Day by Mary Thienes-Schunemann and I went downstairs to grab my copy, thinking we could sell it. (I have SO many Waldorf books in my library that I have been selling a few here and there, mainly if people post on the group that they are searching high and low for it.) As I was flipping through to see if there were any pencil marks, I started noticing what a great collection of songs it is, and made the decision to hold onto it. There are so many resources that I have that are wonderful if used to their fullest potential (like Seven Times the Sun) and the fact that I haven't used them is not their fault. It is torture for me to sell any of my books anyway, since I look at them and I see not paper and ink, but a whole host of potential family memories and a happy rich childhood for my children. Anyway, amazing to discover that there is a Corn Grinding Song (#13) in this collection! Here is the complete list of 59.

Mary's book does come with accompanying CD so I urge you to spring for this one if you are starting out with Waldorf preschool/kindy and you need a book giving you a variety of songs to sing with your children throughout the day & helping you establish rhythms in your family AND you can't read music. I feel this is the most versatile and useful of her song collections. It's also nice to have the CD so you don't have to be able to read music to learn the songs, as is the case with most Waldorf resources (like the Wynstones Kindergarten series). If you can read music, I would recommend Seven Times the Sun over this one -- for a new family -- since it includes a lot of the philosophy and how-to behind establishing rhythms & I think it is a wonderful book for parent inner work when you're starting out.

Traditional Work Songs

She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain
Erie Canal
Whoo-Pee Ti Yi Yo
The Blacksmith
Pick a Bale of Cotton
The Carpenter
Mother's A-Weaving
Cobbler, Cobbler
Pat on the Railway
Manamolela
Haul Away, Joe
Land of the Silver Birch
Corn Grinding Song
Have You Ever Seen a Farmer?
'Round the Mulberry Bush

Household Songs

This is the Way We Wash-a-Day
Dusty the Gnome
Working Day
Washin' Woolies
Sweeping Song
My Castle
Let's Tidy Up!

In the Garden

Oh, When I Go a-Ploughing
Growing Song
It's Fun to Dig Potatoes
Little Watering Can
Little Red Wagon
The Farmer in the Dell
Fairies of Water, Fire, Air & Earth

In the Kitchen

Vegetable Soup
Shortnin' Bread
Chop, Chop, Chippety Chop
Sweet Potato Pie
Muffin Man
Kitchen Cries
Let's Set the Table

Taking Care of Yourself

Warm Water
Warm Hands, Warm
Better Out Than In
Brush Your Teeth
You Wake Up in the Morning
Little Piggies in the Barn
Uh Oh!
Button Up!
Mouse Nests
Golden Starlight

Activity Songs

A Painting Song
Help Me Wind My Ball of Wool
Folding Song
The Thread Follows the Needle

Special Times

Good Morning Glory!
Lovely Sunshine
Sana, Sana
Peace Blessing
We Are Hungry
Johnny Appleseed
Hebridian Lullaby
Tessa's Lullaby
Angel of Mine