Autumnal Equinox

We have decided to try and celebrate some of the seasonal festivals as incorporated by the Waldorf method. I hadn't had a chance to post about our little Fall Equinox evening. We celebrated with a meal and bonfire.

We made Irish soda bread for the first time using a recipe from the wonderful blog - Weave a Thousand Flavors - Weave a Thousand Flavors - Irish Soda Bread . It was wonderful and the boys had a great time measuring out the ingredients and baking it. We will definitely make this bread again. It is a dense, heavier texture. My Grandmother never made this before, even with our Irish immigrant heritage.We roasted a chicken instead of the traditional duck, then enjoyed the bonfire.

First Form Drawing

Our quiet rural road was the canvas for our first form drawing lesson ever. Since it is new to all of us, our seventh grade son is starting along with the youngest. I stationed as lookout for cars while they had a blast using sidewalk chalk to try the first forms. Our local park has some areas of darker blacktop we will try using next.

Math Gnomes

Since we are starting Oak Meadow first grade, we found we were in need of some of those adorable math gnomes- Plus, Minus, Times, and Divide.


I looked at the prices and decided to try semi- making our own gnomes instead of buying them.

We started with little stuffed santa ornaments and pieces of felt purchased at the craft store. We were hoping that by the time we were finished they wouldn't turn out looking too santa-ish. We were in luck that we just finished the month of August, so that we have Christmas decorations to work with. ;-p

Santa guy waiting for his new outfit.

I cut out a paper pattern and sewed the two halves together to make the cloak.

Got his cloak on, and now ready for the hat.

Here is our guy- Gnome Minus. I used the leftover felt to make his little bag, using embroidery floss for the handle. Minus has a hole in his bag and so is always losing his jewels.

Next, we will work on making the other math gnomes- Plus has a green cloak, Times has a yellow cloak, and Divide has a red cloak. I amazed myself by remembering to get the right felt colors at the store!
I later sewed the 'minus' symbol on his hat and cloak.


I spent:
$1.40 for each santa
$ .15 for each felt piece

A total of about $7.00 for the four gnomes, not too bad.

Gathering our supplies

I am loving the process of locating books and supplies for our Oak Meadow and Waldorf inspired journey. Moving away from plastic and making a point to focus on natural items. I love hearty wood, fabric, baskets, copper and wrought iron. As I search and gather our school supplies, I am realizing a few very interesting things. Many of the items my mother provided for me, fall so easily into the Waldorf inspired lifestyle. I remember sketch pads, colored pencils, drawing charcoal, watercolors, large chalkboards, wooden tables and chairs, wooden toys and doll furniture, food from the garden, animals, and many, many books. Maybe this why I am so drawn to the Waldorf way, it has been  her way all along.


This is our youngest son gathering tomatoes in the garden. He is really enjoying helping out in the garden this year and eagerly watches his watermelon plant grow.