Knitting, gnome hat

The Noro yarn we have been using for our 2nd project of a hat in 5th grade has been discontinued so I bought another yarn called Gina and wanted to knit it up to make sure it worked.  Somehow I managed to get them on a size 7 needle instead of an 8 and the hat was coming out quite small. SOOO, instead of taking it out I decided I wanted to use the whole skein and did several rows in between my decreases and made it more of a gnome hat with a pom-pom.  Love the colors and I have several littles I can give this too. 

 

Santa Lucia main lesson book drawing - leading children through drawing on chalkboard.

The children learned the Santa Lucia song, heard the story and made Lucia buns.  We then sang and brought the buns to the 1st grade.  This is not a festival at our school - yet!  The recipe I used for the buns turned out great and I didn't end up having to use the super expensive saffron (that's a lot of saffron if you make it for the whole school).  This is the recipe I used.  
I made the dough ahead of time because I have to teach my handwork classes all day and we just don't have enough time to make it all in the morning.  I gave each child a piece and they loved rolling and shaping them.  It worked great.

SOURCES

Felting needles at Peace Fleece - best price I've found

Main lesson book of Saint Christopher led on chalkboard

In class we were working on naming words, doing words and describing/color words.  I do a main lesson book page and then make it proportionally the same size on the chalkboard and lead them through a drawing.  Christopher was in the middle of the block. 

Saint Francis, Chalkboard drawing, 2nd grade

 

My chalkboard drawing for this Saints/language block.  I'm in love with Saint Francis.  Great movie free on youtube about him with music from Donovan (a favorite of mine) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVG2r7TgMMw

We are singing the song "If you want your dream to be" every morning with a few changes.  Excited to do it in a round in 3rd grade.  We are also singing the canticle.  I started my board drawing with just the tree, Francis and a few birds and I've been slowly adding in birds, flowers and the wolf.  The children are SO excited everyday there is something new. 

My mentor said his arms were too skinny and his hands were too tiny and feet wouldn't hold him up, so I had to thicken them and enlarge them.

My Chalkboard Art

My Chalkboard drawing (on black paper) for my schooling.

Felted Slippers, dying with Koolaid 7th

 In handwork we were able to use the 3rd grade's stove while they were away on a field trip to dye the students felted slippers that didn't get to put color on originally.  I have dye from Dharma but decided since I only have 50 minutes (less really) to get them dyed and out of the class to use Kool-aid.  It worked great and you don't have to add anything.  I used a packet per 2 cups of water.  For each pair of slippers I suggest at least 4 packets.  On a different day we tried to dye this students slippers at the end of another dye bath that was pretty exhausted.  She wanted them darker so we dyed them again.  Grape - Koolaid

They  came out a great dark purple color. 

We then went for the blue raspberry dye (beware - tropical punch is not blue though the package is blue).
This student had also dipped hers into the end of an exhausted grape dye bath and were really light.  So we tried them again but this time in blue.  

 Here you can see the dye is getting exhausted.  All the color is going into the felt and leaving clear water.

 They came out more baby blue. She needs to felt and shape them a bit more but she is pretty happy with them. Another student did this color and they are bright blue!

Appollonian and Dionysian

Nietzsche
I've been learning a lot about Appollonian and Dionysian and where I fall as a teacher and how to balance.  I realize that I'm way over on the Appollonian scale with all my over-preparing and when I become more Dionysian I have a lot more FUN in the class - and that is what teaching should be about!

Training Eurythmy extra lesson special needs

Special needs -Extra Lesson trainings
I can't decide when I graduate this summer if I want to continue on and learn more about working with special needs or Eurythmy. 
Eurythmy

String games

Great tutorials by this girl on a variety of string games.  Our second grade is LOVING the ones I've been bringing into handwork class.

Zoo exercises

Important zoo exercises for children - 2nd gradehttp://www.movementforchildhood.com/zoorobics.pdf

So important to bring these in 2nd - they begin to not want to do them in 3rd.
 

Third grade crocheted hat

 A finished third grade crochet hat.  I love the added earflaps and pom-pom.

Working on the felted slippers