Pictures from the First Week of School

Main lesson book illustration using colored pencils
7th grade Age of Exploration
Discovery of gunpowder and compass
chapter 56 of A Child's History of the World

My sample illustration using primary color block beeswax crayons
2nd grade Fables
"The North Wind and the Sun"

Wet on wet watercolor exercises from page 136 of Thomas Wildgruber's EXCELLENT book Painting and Drawing in Waldorf Schools: Classes 1-8

Setting up an orienteering course in the yard

Warping the lap loom
Glimakra Linen Rug Warp, 8/5, Unbleached, 500g 550yds

Using tiny sharp scissorsto make a small zigzag in the wet felted eggs to remove the mold (a percussion egg shaker - you can also use real eggs)

Basket of wet felted eggs to act out Aesop's fable "The Milkmaid"

Felting outside on a beautiful day

Before beginning 7th grade History unit, create a tri-colored web
Green - prior knowledge
Red - knowledge gained from hearing the lesson story
Purple - knowledge gained from independent reading on the time period
This web is so small now... and will be filled by the end of the main lesson!

First wet-on-wet watercolor painting of the year
p.135 of Wildgruber's book

Simple supplies
Strathmore 11-Inch by 15-Inch Watercolor Cold Press Paper Pad, 12-Sheet

Winsor & Newton University Series 680 One Stroke Short Handle Brush, 1/2-Inch

Stockmar Premium Quality Watercolor Paint Basic Assortment, 6 Colors

Using the Time Timervisual countdown timer to self-pace work

Main lesson book summary for "The Milkmaid"

Addition to the Nature table "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"
Natalie will be adding Knitted Flowersto the Nature table as she creates them
Mary was one of the first figures I needle felted, and the first one to EVER tell me how she wanted to look. I wouldn't have picked a red hat with a pink flower myself, but she was insistent. And it works!

We are having a lovely time. It is flying by... time to plan the next main lesson! I just called a local bakery to see if we could have a behind-the-scenes tour as part of Baking: The Maths of Practical Life.

In Educational Games, the marble run is the obsession of everyone here.

I was thrilled to find that the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) has developed some world history lessons and some of them are perfect for where Natalie and I are in time. Tomorrow we will do Understanding the Black Death and The Black Death in Florence. I love these lesson plans that call for critical thinking skills and focus on primary sources.

And, as I was working on the first day of school with the children to help them decide how to appropriately plan their independent chunks of school time (we have the baby to thank for this -- sometimes I need to disappear to nurse and they need to carry on without me in an effective way), I was tickled pink to hear on NPR about the new book How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success

I'm proud of the fact that both Waldorf and Montessori educate the whole child and emphasize that the goal of education is an balanced and capable adult.

Here and Now
Author Interview: Helicopter Parenting Damages Kids – And Society