A Blooming Collaboration

What a wonderful way to welcome parent collaborations back into the studio!!!  Melena joined us for floral arranging with the children of both Ward-Hobbs and 440, creating a mini floral shop in our school.

The children were delighted, focused and enchanted by the blooming bounty.  

As they worked they told us who would be receiving their arrangement. 


Each face lit up at the idea of having something so beautiful to share with their loved ones.

Thank you so much Melena for bringing this magical experience to life! 

If any of you would like to partner with the studio for a collaboration based on your interests or ours, PLEASE let me know!  It's one of the many things that make our school so special!

Winter Solstice

The sun is making its low progress across the sky and the wild world has drawn its energy inward to prepare for a long winter sleep.  Nature reminds us that the shortest day is nearly upon us.  To celebrate, the children prepared a special gift to share, filled with everything you’ll need for some simple solstice merriment.  There is birdseed for the birds and candles to warm the longest night of the year.  Please join us in welcoming Winter with a blessing and a song.

A Song for Winter Birds

The North Wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

And what will the robin do then, poor thing

He’ll sit in the barn

And keep himself warm

And hide his head under his wing, poor thing

The North Wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

And what will the swallow do then, poor thing

Oh did you not know

He’s gone long ago

To a country far warmer than ours.

Wassail Recipe

½ gallon apple cider

46 oz can pineapple juice

46 oz cranberry juice blend

1 orange thinly sliced to look like suns

5 cinnamon sticks

1-2 star anise

A handful of whole, fresh cranberries

Pour apple cider, pineapple juice and cranberry juice into a stockpot.  Place orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks and anise into apple cider mixture.  Bring cider to a boil: reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, 15-20 minutes.  Remove orange slices, cranberries and spices before serving. 

Candle Verse

A candle’s but a simple thing,

It starts with just a bit of string,

But dipped or rolled with patient hand,

It gathers wax upon the strand.

Until complete and snowy white,

It gives at last a lovely light.

Life seems so like that bit of string,

Each deed we do a simple thing.

Yet day by day on life’s strand,

We work with patient heart and hand.

It gathers joy, makes dark days bright,

And gives at last a lovely light.

Stone Soup, Grandparents/Special Friends Day and Gratitude

What a full week I have to share with you!  A week overflowing with collaborations and celebrations!

First off, our executive director and resident story teller extraordinaire, Bekke, told the story of Stone Soup to the children.  If you don't know the story there are lots of online resources but none compares to Bekke's (she put a Lakota Sioux spin on hers, weaving native traditions into the traditionally European tale).  Here is a  link to a simple one I found this morning.  Stone soup is a perfect story for Thanksgiving too!  (In case you get inspired to share).

The children were so captivated by the story that they asked to make stone soup in the studio.  Not yet having any ingredients to offer, I asked how they might make it with the materials available.

In a blink the children collected supplies and set to work, drawing, coloring and cutting their contributions before adding them to the soup.

On Thursday we made the real thing.  The children carefully cut all the vegetables into small, bite sized pieces to share with their loved ones on Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

Rhiannon joined me to make dozens of delicious gluten-free corn muffins to add to the festivities.

And BJ spent a day with me, stringing sliced fruits to make garlands that will dry and adorn the studio in the months ahead.

 On Friday we set the bounty on display and opened our doors to greet family and friends.

The atmosphere was enthusiastic!
Throughout the day the children and their friends wrote their gratitudes on brown paper to be added to the Love Tree and dished up their culinary creations.

It was certainly a week to be grateful for!
I am wishing you a wonderful holiday filled with gratitude and thanksgiving, may your days be lit with wonder and your moments bright with curiosity.
See you in December!

Here's a little clip of Bekke's story to get a taste of the tale:

Dia de los Muertos

BJ and I joined forces again in the studio for our monthly celebration.  Our October theme was Dia de los Muertos, aka the Day of the Dead.  This lively Mexican holiday is celebrated from October 31 through November 2.  It is not a Mexican version of Halloween.  Rather, it's a social holiday that originated thousands of years ago amongst the Aztec, Toltec and other indigenous peoples.  Here death is considered a natural part of living. The dead are members of the community who return to earth for a temporary visit on Dia de los Muertos.  This fun-filled holiday is celebrated with altars, festivities, special foods and more.
To kick off our celebration, Bekke told a wonderful story about a helpful ghost called La Planchada to a rapt audience.

BJ and I joined forces in the studio with a celebratory altar...

art...

Conversations about loved ones we have lost...

And Mexican hot chocolate!

 Here is a photo op of the recipe you can follow... just add milk to the Abuelita mix, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks and star anise.  Yum!

To add a little Halloween flair, we also carved pumpkins and roasted seeds.
It was a wonderful day.  The altar pictured below will be up through next week if you'd like to stop by to see it or add a loved one of your own to our remembering wall.

A for Apple

It's apple season and we are celebrating!
At the start of the week Bekke told a story about Hercules 11^th labor and the golden apples.

Later in week I shared a Waldorf story about how the star got into the center of the apple.  The children delighted in the discovery.  (Did you know if you cut the apple in half across the middle you can see the star inside?)

On Thursday, we spent some time observing and drawing apples.

And cooking apple butter with BJ.  

The recipe is as follows:

• 6 large apples peeled, cored and finely chopped (we used gala in one batch and granny smith in another)
• 1/3 cup       raw sugar
• ½ cup          light brown sugar
• 1 tsp             ground cinnamon
• 1/8       tsp        allspice
• 1/8 tsp        nutmeg
• splash          apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Place the apples in a slow cooker: Top with sugars and spices.  Mix well.
• Cover and cook high 5 hours on low 10 hours stirring once halfway until the apples are tender and dark brown.
• Uncover and puree with an immersion blender.
• Cook on high, uncovered for 2 hours stirring occasionally until thickened.
• Spoon into jars or containers, cover and refrigerate.

A wonderful time was had by all.  
Happy Fall and enjoy the harvest, the changing temperatures and the colorful leafy display ahead.
See you next week.