Leaf Printing

There are so many beautiful crafts and activities you can do with Autumn leaves, or any leaves for that matter!  Even if you do not live in an area where the leaves change colors this time of year, you can do this fun activity with (or without!) your children.

First, go out on a leaf hunt (I think this is the most fun part of this activity). Take your time and gather leaves that really speak to you and your children.

When you get back indoors, find firm cardboard or another surface you can use to make your press/stamp. I doubled this cardboard up with heavy duty tape to make ours. Then on the SMOOTH side place regular white glue (not the side where the veins pop out... the smooth side is most often the underside of the leaf or the side that does not have as much vibrant coloring).

Carefully flip your leaves over and press to adhere them to your base. Make sure you smooth them out and allow them time to dry.

Next, find ink, paint or other mediums such as ink pads to experiment with and color your leaves. We used ink with a paintbrush to make different autumn colors.

Lastly, press your leaves onto paper or the item you wish to decorate. This would be a very nice activity for a child to decorate a gift bag or note cards for a friend or family member. Or, you can hang them in your home or classroom or decorate an autumn nature table.

We would love to see what you come up with. Please share here in our comments or on our Little Acorn Learning Facebook Group or Page.

Oh, and I didn't get a chance to post it on the blog but the November Caregiver's Calendar is ready for you and it's only $2!!!  Check it out. For more seasonal activities for you and your children and to help create a healthy rhythm to your day, take a look at our Preschool/Kindergarten Program as well as our Afterschooling Books.

Wishing you a beautiful season and time to slow down and enjoy it.
xoxo

Today is Michaelmas

Do you know what Michaelmas is?  If you are not familiar with Waldorf Education, this mysterious Fall Festival may not be something you are familiar with.  

From the Little Acorn Learning Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival E-Book:

"The significance of the Michaelmas festival in Waldorf schools is seen in the story of a simple boy, who acts out of bravery and righteousness on behalf of others, can overcome fear and darkness. Light must be honored and respected, and can be the greatest weapon we possess in the face of frightening challenges. The older children are taught that we all have within us a dark side, and that we must acknowledge it, learn to control it, and not act out of our destructive emotions. Our dark sides can be a source of strength, inspiration, power, creativity, and mystery—but they must be balanced and harnessed by the light for us to live healthy, happy lives and do good in the world."

"During this time of year when the world is growing dark and we travel inward to find our own inner light to offer to the world around us... (we are much like Michael)..This is the time when we gather up our strength and wield our swords of courage and upright living to slay our inner dragons of depression, egoism, untruth that try to arise. " ~ written by my dear friend, mentor Marianne Frost 

We obviously do not bring these heavy concepts to the little people in our lives. For them, the idea of bravery and truth need not be communicated, it should be emulated naturally. Simple celebrations of the season are appropriate instead and do not have to be done just today – bring them through the next month or two to enjoy each day of through autumn.

• -        Go Apple Picking
• -        Make an Autumn Nature Table
• -        Read Fall Books
• -        Make Homemade Applesauce
• -        Bake Dragon Bread
• -        Hold a Family Autumn Feast
• -        Go for an Autumn Nature Walk
• -        Share Songs and Fingerplays of the Season
• -        Weave Yarn around a Pinecone

Michaelmas Fingerplay

*repeat verse for each finger
(taken from our September Afterschooling Guide)

Five brave knights
With swords held high,
Rode their white stallions
Across the sky.

The dragon roared fire
From the mountain top
One horse ran away
But four did not stop!

Four brave knights... (continue verse as above)
Three brave knights...
Two brave knights...
One brave knight

With sword held high
Rode his white stallion
Across the sky.

The dragon roared fire
From the mountain top
The knight looked back
But would not stop!

The swords raised high
The stallions full speed
Five brave nights
One good deed.

Battling Dragons

Today is Michaelmas.  If you are unsure what this festival is all about, click here.  When I became interested in Waldorf Education, one of the things I loved most was the emphasis placed on seasonal festivals and celebrations.  Being raised Catholic, I was taught to pray to many Saints and St. Michael the Archangel has always been one of my favorites.  St. Michael is the Patron Saint of Police Officers and being the daughter of a NYPD Inspector and a family of NYPD officers, this angel represented protection for our family.

Waldorf festivals are so beautiful.  They are not just celebrated externally but internally.  For Michaelmas, we are asked to search deep within to discover our innermost dragons and demons and pull from ourselves the courage we need to win our hardest battles.  These deep thoughts are not brought to young children in the Waldorf classroom but messages of bravery and triumph over evil are.  It's all a very beautiful spiritual process that I have always been drawn to.

If I am honest, however, although I have written a large selection of Curriculum and Festival Books - I struggle myself with remembering to celebrate and work on these things in my own life.

Waldorf families all over may be making their dragon bread (a fun tradition) this week or participating in their Waldorf schools Michaelmas Festivals.

Dragon Bready by Vanessa Mitchell Kohlhaas

I was lucky to squeeze out this little activity with my girls from our Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival E-Book, Nature's Dragons... but that's about it so far.

We haven't baked in forever, my house is a mess and I've got a list a mile long of things that I'm not sure I will ever get to!  As I was sitting here trying to write an inspirational post for my Waldorf followers on how to celebrate the day, I realized that I needed to be honest that my own family has no celebration planned at all.  :) 

But the day did bring me to think about battling those dragons.  Lately, I have many I'm trying to conquer and sometimes I feel as if so much progress has been unraveled as I see myself struggling with  many of the same issues over and over again that I thought I had somewhat figured out. 

If this year we do not get around to baking our dragon bread, I at least want to take some time to look within.  

“It is the renewal of the whole human 

disposition of heart and soul that 

should be celebrated at Michaelmas—

not as an outward or conventional 

ceremony, but as a festival which 

renews us wholly and inwardly.” 

~Rudolf Steiner, extract from a lecture 

given in Stuttgart on 5 October, 1923

Hmmmm I could use some renewal.  In my work life, personal life and home.  I find this time of year I'm always feeling like I'm on a hamster wheel and not getting to where I need to be.  

From our Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas E-Book Caregiver Meditation:  

"At this time of year, the turning seasons remind us to slow down, come home, warm up, and 

consider. We are happier to look inward in the autumn and winter than we were during the 

summer months when we were busy living and doing. When we turn our attention inward, we 

can see our own inner dragons waiting for us there. They deserve our attention again because 

they've been patient—even faithful—waiting for us to remember them. Our dragons are our 

fears, insecurities, failings, worries, and procrastinations. And they have much to teach us. In a 

way, our dragons keep us honest."

For those of you who could use a little help celebrating this week or digging deeper into yourself like me, I am offering a 6 hour 50% off sale of our Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival E-Book at Little Acorn Learning.  From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST today only - the e-book is only $12.49.

xoxox

Michael's Sword Napkin Holders for Michaelmas

Do you know what Michaelmas is?  If you are not familiar with Waldorf Education, this mysterious Fall Festival may not be something you are familiar with.  

From our Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival E-Book:

"The significance of the Michaelmas festival in Waldorf schools is seen in the story of a simple boy, who acts out of bravery and righteousness on behalf of others, can overcome fear and darkness. Light must be honored and respected, and can be the greatest weapon we possess in the face of frightening challenges. The older children are taught that we all have within us a dark side, and that we must acknowledge it, learn to control it, and not act out of our destructive emotions. Our dark sides can be a source of strength, inspiration, power, creativity, and mystery—but they must be balanced and harnessed by the light for us to live healthy, happy lives and do good in the world."

From Wikipedia:

"Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (also the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September. Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. In medieval England, Michaelmas marked the ending and beginning of the husbandman's year, George C. Homans observes: "at that time harvest was over, and the bailiff orreeve of the manor would be making out the accounts for the year."

The Archangel Michael is the greatest of all the Archangels and is honored for defeating Lucifer in the war in heaven. He is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence. Michaelmas has also delineated time and seasons for secular purposes as well, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland as one of the quarter days."

Here is a really sweet way to celebrate this fun festival in your home or school.  Head on over to Love in the Suburbs to get a free tutorial on how to make Michael's Sword Napkin Holders from our Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival e-book!  

This e-book is 133 PAGES of verses, fingerplays, poems, song, crafts, meditations, book recommendations, circle times, recipes, and much more to guide you in celebrating the beautiful Fall Festivals of Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas in your home or school!

Enjoy!

Autumn Equinox Coloring Page and Planning Sheet

Here is a special little freebie to help you celebrate the Autumn Equinox with your children!  Thank you to Ancient Amber, author of many sweet little books that you can Check Out Here for this special gift to our Little Acorn Families.  Enjoy these by right clicking the images and saving 'as' to your computer.  We would LOVE to see your child's finished coloring pages.  Be sure to email us photos at info (at) littleacornlearning.com so we can share it with our audience. xoxo

Changing with the Season

My favorite season is approaching and the weather in Connecticut has shifted to cool temperatures this past week and I love it.  The girls are back to school and I am working hard to create some sort of a rhythm in my work and home life.  I always find that this time of year is a time of preparation and organization.

I have made a commitment to get my home more organized and work on my writing career full time.  So for the past week, I've been sorting through files and books, creating an office space and allocating a certain amount of time each day to work.  It's difficult working from home as it demands a lot of discipline and I get easily distracted.

With autumn on it's way, I find a new love for the work I do with Little Acorn Learning.  I love photographing and writing about how children and families can celebrate the beautiful seasons together.  Living in New England is such a gift as we get four distinct seasons to enjoy.

In addition to the cool temperatures this week, my pumpkins have been ripening in the garden.  This is always really exciting and we are hoping to get one just a bit bigger for our carving pumpkin.  There are two or three more on the vines that I'm hoping get pretty big before Halloween.  We will see how they do.

Our garden has done pretty well this summer.  Considering that the girls and I traveled a lot, it was good.  I still hope to do better next year and get more yield.  But it's fun and I think it is really important to teach the girls where their food comes from.  When you grow it yourself, you don't waste because you realize how much time and effort went into it. 

As autumn approaches, I thought I would share some of our favorite children's books this time of year.  In both the 5 day and Enrichment guides at Little Acorn Learning, we offer tons of book recommendations for each and every week of the month.  Here are just a few that we love:

Telling stories and sharing poems of the season is a simple way to encourage literacy skills in the home for all ages.  I still read to my 10 year old!  

Here are a few sweet poems you can share in the upcoming weeks as taken from our September Enrichment Guide:

~~~~~

Squirrel, Squirrel running around,

Bury your nut away in the ground.

Bury it deep, bury it round.

Bury it nicely into the ground.  

~~~~~

Little leaves fall gently down
Red and yellow, orange and brown (flutter hands as leaves falling)
Whirling Whirling around and around (turn around)
Quietly without a sound (put finger to lips)
Falling softly to the ground (begin to fall slowly)
Down and down and down and down (lie on floor)

~~~~~

The Rice Fields

Warmed by the sun,

Wet with the rain,

Ripe grows the rice,

Life-giving grain.

Week follows week;

Now comes the day,

Gather the rice,

Store it away.

Lastly, we have a really fun Facebook Photo Contest going on for the month of September on the Little Acorn Learning Facebook Page... 

Our theme this month is *Children in the Kitchen* and our winners will get a FREE ebook of their choice for each photo that wins!  

Photo by Dawn Umemoto

If you have photos of your little ones helping you in the kitchen, here's how to enter:

- Send no more than 3 photos per family or school correlating to our theme to info@littleacornlearning.com

- Include your name and written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photo in future publications and/or marketing initiatives.  

- Once your photo is posted on our Facebook Page, ask family and friend to LIKE it by sharing the link.

- The photos with the most LIKES win a FREE ebook of their choice from Little Acorn Learning - we will end our contest on September 19th, 2014  

Breathing In Autumn

“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

The harvest of our garden is winding down.  I did not plant an Autumn crop as I had wanted to but that is not stopping us from fully experiencing the sweet essence of this time of year.  I was able to get three of these little corn husk kits on the Waldorf Tag Sale group for a good price.  In times past, we have made our own corn husk dolls with husks from corn we used for meals.  The process is the same and fun either which way although I think it is much more worthwhile for the children to see the process from start to finish and how all parts of a crop can be used in its entirety without waste.

There are just so many ways to enjoy this time of year.  My mind fills up daily with so many of them.  Apple picking, pumpkin picking, hayrides, leaf collecting... Oh yes, caramel apples...  

Pumpkin painting (yes - it is a pirate pumpkin that Maia created!)...

And Autumn fires... this past weekend, we were lucky enough to enjoy one with some of our dearest friends. We had a big pot of chili, cornbread, bundled up, enjoyed a few drinks and made s'mores with the children.  Each weekend should be filled with laughter and friends that that.  I'm grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Autumn Leaf Photo Contest

Each month I host a photo contest over on the Little Acorn Learning Facebook Page with a special theme that correlates to the season we are enjoying.  For October, I chose 'Autumn Leaves' this year and I am so pleased that I did.  The submissions have been nothing less than breathtaking and we've had great participation from our online community.  

Today is the last day that we will accept submissions.  The winners of the contest will receive a free e-book of their choice from Little Acorn Learning.  In order to vote for your favorites, all you have to do is click the ones you "like" the best.  Votes will be tallied after today and we will announce the winners on the page.  

Pop on over and take a look at the beautiful colors of autumn our members have shared!  

xoxo

Autumn Equinox Birthday Celebration

Today as we welcomed the first day of Autumn, my family and I celebrated Brianna's 6th birthday with her friends from school at a local farm.  

The party began with the instructor talking to the children about the various animals on the farm and explaining all of the ins and outs of the farm itself. The little girls are at such a cute age and they are so genuinely interested in our earth and the animals.  I believe it is just so important that they are taught where their food comes from and how nature works.  That is why I try my hardest to expose our daughters and other children that come into our life with hand-on experiences like this to inspire a love for nature and a true connection to the world they live in.  

Something as simple as understanding what is involved in getting the milk they put into their cereal each morning is so valuable to them as they grow up.  The instructor talked about how the cows that produce dairy on their farm are all girls because they must have a calf first before their body will make milk.  These little things many children these days do not even know.  And as an adult, I couldn't help but think of what a huge sacrifice we are asking from these animals.  It really stuck with me throughout the day.

 The children were able to brush the cow.

And I was able to watch them in their natural state, seeing that they show compassion and playfulness with one another.  I am not a vegetarian... I want to be but it is so hard for me.  My oldest daughter is and I admire her for sticking with it since she was 13.  After seeing the animals, I always go home and cannot eat meat for a few days.  I think if we all had to see what was involved with us getting meat on a frequent basis, many of us would reconsider what we were eating each day.  But in our world, we just go to the supermarket and purchase a steak without even considering where it came from.

Next we were able to visit the sheep and talk about wool and its uses.  I am a knitter and crocheter so I think I may have been even more excited about this party than Brianna was.  The sheep are so beautiful.  I would just love to have a few of my own :)

 When we went back to the classroom, each child was given a piece of wool of their own.

 They used hand carders to comb the wool and prepare it for spinning.

Then they just used a simple hook with a partner and twisted and spun until a simple strand of yarn was made to create a simple bracelet to take home.

Brianna loved her party and had so much fun with her little friends.  I think the children enjoyed a new experience.  

And when I was paying the bill in the office I noticed that they were selling skeins of wool yarn from the sheep at the farm!  I couldn't resist and ended up with 600+ yards of this beautiful purple yarn.  What should I make?

Happy Autumn to all of you!  I hope to share more of what we do to celebrate this special season this week on the blog here.

xoxo