How to bring Waldorf into your home Archives ~ Page 16 of 22 ~ Happy Whimsical Hearts

Reclaiming our rhythm

We are slowly reclaiming our rhythm since bub arrived.

And it has made me ponder the things that can cause us to feel like we are losing our rhythm. And to acknowledge that there will always be ups and downs and change in life. We get sick. We feel tired. We go on holidays. Things change. There will be weeks when we are busier than we would prefer.

So I am shifting my thinking.

Instead of feeling like we have lost our rhythm, I will try to think about our rhythm changing to accommodate and reflect our new or temporary reality.

I will try to remember to go back to basics. To the anchors of the day ~ our mealtimes, our morning and evening rhythms. To build back slowly from there. And to accept that our days may end up looking different to how they were before.

Because our rhythm supports us and provides consistency. But it is adaptable and flowing. It is easy to think of things as fixed when they are anything but. So we will aim to keep our rhythm simple to suit our family.

When we feel ready, we may add little things here and there to our days. A walk after our morning rhythm. Some songs and finger play following lunch. An activity we do together, like baking, crafting or gardening. With free play interspersing these other moments and providing balance to our days.

And if we are tired because of a restless night, again, we can go back to basics without guilt.

Warmly, Kelly

January 19, 2015 by Kelly

Waldorf art & craft supplies

My stash of beautiful Waldorf art and craft supplies makes me happy *grin*

Wonderful vibrant colours, soft warm wool and felt, the lovely scent of beeswax inspire me (and my children) to get crafty and creative!

Waldorf supplies can be expensive. But what I have learnt is that saving up and getting the better quality products makes such a difference! They are more beautiful to work with and the end result is so much nicer.

We also treat the materials more carefully – almost reverentially – trying to make sure not to waste any, seeking to make the most of them and enjoying the process of using them. It seems to me that often Waldorf incorporates a little ritual in what could be the ordinary. The placement of a painting board and paints for example. The song you may softly sing as you place the paintbrush in the child’s waiting hands.

I’ve slowly built up my supplies over the last 3 years, waiting for specials or slowly working my way through my wish list. So I thought I would share with you what is in my stash, and where I purchase my materials from…

What’s in my stash

~ Gorgeous wool ~
For knitting up toys, vests or cardigans… think rainbows, Noro and other natural wool blends. My son also enjoys using 16ply block colours for finger knitting {I purchase mine from Indigo Inspirations, Yarn4You and Spotlight}

~ Wool roving ~
For wool paintings, wet felting and needle felting. I’ve only lightly dabbled with roving so far but would love to try my hand at making a wheel of the year. Unspun wool is also wonderful for filling toys {from Indigo Inspirations, Winterwood Toys and my local Steiner school shop}

~ Felt sheets ~
For dressing peg dolls, making gnomes, felt horses, wombats, mice and more! I’m rather addicted to hand painted rainbow felt sheets… {from Indigo Inspirations and my local Steiner school shop}

~ Water colour paints ~
For painting peg dolls, wet-on-wet painting or other creative endeavours {I’ve purchased mine from my local Steiner school shop, Winterwood Toys and Mercurius}

~ Milk paint ~
A lovely alternative to water colour paints with rich earthy tones… just calling out to bring fairy doors and gnomes to life {I purchased a sample kit from Gallagher’s 3 years ago and still have plenty for years more!}

~ Beeswax ~
For making candles or wood vanish, oooh it smells so good! {I’ve been getting mine from Ballina Honey on Ebay… would love to find a local beekeeper to purchase from or take up my mother-in-laws offer to have bees on her soon-to-be property!}

~ Wood supplies ~
Peg dolls {from Learning4Kids}, door knobs to magic into mushrooms and wooden planks from whence fairy doors and gnomes emerge {from our local hardware shop, Bunnings} and wooden rings to make ribbon streamers {from our local craft supplies shop, Spotlight}

~ Crayons, chalk and kite paper ~
For getting creative with drawing, and making window stars to capture the sunlight {from Mercurius and Winterwood Toys}

~ Silk blanks ~
For dyeing into all the colours of the rainbow as play silks or pretty scarves {from Dharma Trading}