Craft through Steiner learning plus Easter and Eostre and other...

Through the seasons, at Primary, Kindergarten and Playgroup, the children and their teachers are always doing craft. This term in woodwork Brooke finished crafting her mallet from a single lump of wood. Next term she begins making a wooden spoon. Last year's project of two matching striped knitted socks still amazes me!

Last year Jake's class knitted their own doll. This term Jake has finished making his duster - a hand made, sanded wooden handle and knitted 'cloth-head'. Now making a wrist band.

Zeke is making a skipping rope - two lots of long fingerknitting then woven together with wooden beads on the end. After that he begins his pillow baby. Brooke and Jake still have their pillow babies that they made in Kindergarten all these years later.

Playgroup always has some crafts going, mostly the parents do but the children often participate and/or watch as they go about their play. I've included just a few pictures of the most recent crafts, and will someday get around to adding in the other pics - like the hand made knitting needles the children made before commencing knitting... love the process from start to finish and they're certainly treasured items once complete.

From Kindergarten, by Zeke

A little wooly pompom chick that Zeke made himself

his basket that he wove

the handle that he fingerknit and wound round

the dyed egg with sprouted wheat (it's been sprouted for well over a week now so it looks a little unimpressed but looked awesome when it first sprouted AND so quick to sprout too).

From Playgroup through the term, with Quinn

Afloat in a little beeswax boat


a little nut baby with beeswax blossom hat


a buzzy bee in flight

right through to the 'nest' we made on the last day of term 1's playgroup... and the hand dyed egg (one for each of the children) from L the playgroup leader... Quinn loves talking about his 'special egg from [L]'.

& Mummy's attempt at a felted egg.

The layers are comprised of a nut like this one, (but you could also use any nut, especially one that is ovalish, and has texture to 'grip' the wool) then some raw wool, then some coloured wool. Each stage of adding new wool, you rub it with wet soapy hands to get it to 'felt' together. Also you're meant to add the wool in opposite directions each time you add a new layer. It's something I always mean to do more of, creating.

Speaking of which, fresh hot crossed fruit buns to bake sometime today or tomorrow. I love the 'down to earth' feel of baking, wholesome, warm. Of course, the compulsory rain on Easter looks like it will be here tomorrow - love it!

~The story of Eostre~

As a small aside (and not really anything to do with Steiner but rather something I came across on Nappycino), I always wondered about the reason 'we' (societally, as a generalisation) do eggs and 'bunnies' (rabbits) at Easter time. Darn straight I haven't seen a rabbit lay eggs. Anyway, I happened across this story, the story of Eostre, and I really appreciate it. While it's true that here in Au it's definately not spring time, neither are many of the other 'culturally-inherited' traditions seasonally fitting in Australia, but I still like the story.

So while I don't adhere to really any of the sybolic/traditional celebrations of the season, we make it Family time while still appreciating that others celebrate for their tradition/religious reasons... and while we don't neccesarily follow 'Easter traditions' we do take the time to learn/know those traditions as they are important to our friends and family. I still like the Eostre story though.

ETA: we've since gone Fairtrade for Easter and chocolate in general. Links and post here.