Monday, February 3, 2020

Protector, Builder, Shoemaker, Fisherman

Naturally, I can only choose a few favorite professions to do from the many.

For more on Steiner's 12 Archetypal Professions, I highly recommend the important work of Suzanne Down!

Women's Writes of Passage December 24 - January 6, 2020
A Course for the Holy Nights Inspired by Steiner's 12 Professions and the Soul Powers They Represent. Online

The Annual Puppet Boot Camp: A Five Day Intensive
The 2019 topic was Steiner's 12 Professions: The Moral Value and Artistry of the Worker Archetype in Story, Puppetry, and Fairy Tales. Boulder CO


Each Archetype has other professions which fall under it; the Archetypes can also work together. Each has a series of gestures which embody its work, and she is the expert at using these gestures and puppetry in a therapeutic way to bring the essence of these ancient professions to children, helping them to feel a sense of stability and purpose in an ever-changing world.


Monday, January 27 - Protector

Morning

  • 9:30 am Protector field trip - Carbondale Fire Station #2
  • read and discuss the Protector in Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle


Afternoon

  • read and discuss the Protector in Hello Lighthouse by Sophia Blackall
  • Class Meeting


Tuesday, January 28 - Builder

Morning

  • recall Woodcutter, read "The Hut in the Forest" from Favourite Grimm's Tales illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova, page 23


Afternoon


Thursday, January 30 - Shoemaker

Morning


Afternoon

  • recall Builder and add to MLB
  • discuss the Shoemaker
  • read "The Elves and the Shoemaker"


Friday, January 31 - Fisherman

  • recall Shoemaker, read "Puss-in-Boots" from Favourite Grimm's Tales illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova, page 43
  • discuss in what other fairy tales we find mention of shoes
  • add Shoemaker to MLB
  • discuss the Fisherman
  • read The Fisherman and His Wife retold by John Warren Stewig


Monday, February 3

  • recall Fisherman and add to MLB
  • number pages, add table of contents, decorate front & back covers

It also worked out really nicely to have Rafi come this morning to begin the construction work on the house, just as we were wrapping up our block. Now we have a Builder to watch! The children were fascinated that he very calmly took the toilet right out of the floor, then took the floor off!

Another great tie-in was today's chapter of Farmer Boy, which happened to be Tin-Peddler. The children were so curious about this profession. I also shared with them Charles Keeping's Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich man Poor man Beggarman Thief: Folk Song Tales. In this wonderful book inspired by the old counting rhyme, Charles Keeping finds a folk song for every one of the professions mentioned. He illustrates them richly and places the song lyrics below the art, if it were a regular story book, but also includes the sheet music for every song arranged for voice and piano. Those who wish to read can read; those who wish to sing can sing. It has been sooo long since I heard "The Tailor and the Mouse" but when I read the words I could still faintly hear my mother's voice singing this long-ago tune from my childhood!

The folk songs he chose are

    Tinker - "The Tinker's Daughter" from Ireland

    Tailor - "The Tailor and the Mouse" from England

    Soldier - "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" from America

    Sailor - "The Mermaid" from England

    Rich man - "The Fine Old English Gentleman" from England

    Poor man - "Fourpence a Day" from England

    Beggarman - "The Little Beggarman" from Ireland

    Thief - "The Lincolnshire Poacher" from England


Today the group also decorated and signed a large thank you card for the Carbondale Fire Department and I dropped it off in the afternoon.

In our final note regarding the Professions block, several children have lately become very interested in carding wool and wet felting. I happened to mention during the Shoemaker section of our lessons that people can make their own wet felted slippers. They instantly wanted to read ALL of the books which I had with instructions for this and then came up with the idea that we make them in February (warm slippers being a handy tie-in to the Four Seasons block) and wear them on Pajama Day, which we decided would be our last day of school before Spring Break. That's Friday, February 21st.

So, if all goes well, for PJ Day we will have jammies, lovies, sleeping bags, pillows, and our own cozy wet felted wool slippers!


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