School on the day before the first snow…

Winterfest 2011

Lantern Walk

Michaelmas harvest celebration at Happy Heart farm

Storytime and autumn songs. Yellow the bracken, Golden the sheaves, Rosy the apples, Crimson the leaves, Mist on the hillside, Clouds grey and white, Autumn, good morning! Summer, good night!

First Michaelmas.

Susan the blacksmith

Patience will get you a little cup of pure apple love in the form of cider

Marigold (from our garden!) dye bath for golden wool made later into shooting stars for Michaelmas :)

Summer!!!!

Springfest!

Come to Springfest! Invite your friends!

Puttin’ on the Ritz PHOTOS ;)

This gallery contains 23 photos.

Study Group

Advent Spiral

Summer Nature Walk

Entering the bike path and finding a river!

whirlpool!

Bicycle!! We all move to the side of the path…each and every time there is a bicycle :)

Magical and very secret bridge. We think there may be a troll living nearby…

Millions of pieces of puzzle grass

Take it apart and put it back together again.

A cool dark place where many creatures must find shelter during the hot, hot days.

Cute!

Finally, we can see the willow tree!

They move too fast to capture in a photo, but there must have been at least 25 dragonflies right there.

Springfest!

Springfest! Join us for maypole dancing, flower crown making, games and a lovely spring community outing. Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket!

Entrance is free – tickets for activities sold at entrance.

spring!!

Deep in the forest, lives the spring gnome

The smallest of gnomes

In the smallest of homes.

He has slept all winter, he’s slept quite a lot

In his cozy little home,

Where the snow is not.

One day as he snores

In his dreams hears a call

Of the sweetest little spring fairy

The sweetest of them all.

She calls for him to wake  “wake up” (singing voice)

The little sleepy gnome

From his wintertime slumber

In his cozy gnomy home.

His ear perks up

His snores do stop

He opens one eye, and wakes right up!

He peeks out the doorway

And what does he see?

A tiny little tip, of a flower to be…

He steps outside

To the warm soft breeze,

And this is when, he begins to sneeze! “Achoo, achoo, achoo, achoo, achoo!”

He sneezes five times,

And when he stops

Five little spring fairies, are all lined up

All ready to begin, the spring work ahead,

Of bringing the flowers and bugs out of bed.

They have been sleeping all winter long,

the way to best wake them is to sing a spring song

The song that they then – sing, sang and sung

Reminds everyone – spring truly has sprung!

They dance ‘round the forest,

All day and all night.

Now in morning sun – COLORS SO BRIGHT!!

Flowers blooming, short and tall

Bugs buzzing and flying, some big and some small

We know the song that they do sing

Let’s sing with the fairies to welcome the spring…………

by Marna

Candlemas

If candlemas day be fair and bright,

winter will take another flight.

if candlemas day be cloud and rain,

winter is gone and will not come again.

~ from festivals, family and food

Michaelmas stars! Dyeing, Felting, Sewing and Throwing!

Dying the wool

push the wool into the warm dye bath

our hands will be yellow and orange too!

wool drying in the sunshine

felting the wool in warm soapy water

hard work makes us happy!

lovely colors

notice the fine stitching done by our sweet children

stars aren't really shaped like stars anyway

shooting stars!!!

Yay!

Lantern Walk 2010

grain of the day…

Grain of day

Steiner’s Grain of the Day

November 23, 2008 by Carrie

A different grain for each day is part of the Waldorf Kindergarten and connected to the cosmic origins of the days of the week.   A different grain a day fits in with the nourishing weekly rhythm the kindergarten thrives on.   The most common listing of grains I have seen is the following, taken from The Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book:

Sunday (Sun): Wheat

Monday (Moon):  Rice

Tuesday (Mars):  Oats

Wednesday (Mercury);  Millet

Thursday (Jupiter):  Rye

Friday (Venus):  Barley

Saturday (Saturn):  Corn

Waldorf teachers and those who cook with whole grains attribute different properties to different grains.  According to The Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book, wheat is often seen as a harmonizer of the organ systems, rice is seen as acting on the digestive system, barley is seen as strengthening to the connective ligements due to a high silica content and also seen to be soothing to the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, millet is seen to have warming properties, rye nourishes the head and bones, oats loosens stiffness and increases stamina and resistance to disease, and corn stimulates the metabolism in muscles.

Proponents of Nourishing Traditions will point out that most of these grains, except rice, need to be soaked overnight in order to inactivate the enzyme inhibitors present in grains and inhibit the presence of phytic acid, present in grains and causes the decreased absorption of important minerals.  You can do the soaking of grains just by simply covering the grains with warm water and adding a tablespoon of lemon juice, yogurt, kefir or whey and then rinsing the grains before cooking the next day.

http://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/23/steiners-grain-of-the-day/

TABLE OF CORRESPONDENCES

	Sun	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Planet	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
Archangel	Michael	Gabriel	Samuel	Raphael	Zaphnael	Ariael	Uriel
Tone	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Metal	Gold	Silver	Iron	Quicksilver	Tin	Copper	Lead
Tree	Ash	Cherry Tree	Oak	Elm	Maple	Birch	Conifer
Vowel	Au	Ei	E	I	O	A	U
Crystal	Ruby	Moonstone	Diamond	Topaz	Sapphire	Agate	Onyx
Colour	White	Purple	Red	Yellow	Orange	Green	Blue
Organ	Heart	Reproductive	Gall Bladder	Lung Glands	Liver	Kidneys	Spleen
Grain	Wheat	Rice	Oats	Millet	Rye	Barley	Corn
Age	21-42 yrs	Birth-7 years	42-49 yrs.	7-14 yrs	49-56 yrs	14-21 yrs	56-63 yrs
BD Prep	500 & 501	505            Oak Bark	504   Nettle	503 Chamomile	506 Dandelion	502 Yarrow	507 Valerian

http://www.biodynamics.in/homop.htm

Gerhard Schmidt led the Agricultural/Nutritional Section at the Goetheanum from 1963 – 1970 and, amongst other things, conducted experiments with Barley in nutrition together with Udo Renzenbrink in an attempt to restore the place of the lesser-known grains in the daily diet. Gerhardt Schmidt made his knowledge generally available in his book “Dynamische Ernährungslehre“ (Dynamic Approach to Nutrition). Udo Renzenbrink in 1970 founded the research circle on nutritional science in Bad Liebenzell, Germany (today based in Bad Vilbel in Germany. His work led to a growing awareness in anthroposophical institutions for Nutrition and increasingly, for the introduction of grains into the general diet.

http://www.anthromedia.com/articles/agriculture/nutrition/news_history/

Author Joanne Saltzman reminds us of the role food plays in the development of society and social structure in her book, Amazing Grains: “In Greek mythology, grain is associated with Demeter, the archetypal mother of the human soul and the fruitful forces of nature. Her initiations of earth rituals founded harvesting cultures in the transition from nomadic to homesteading life-styles. The new agriculture wasn’t just growing grains for cattle; people ate them, which brought about a new social structure. Indirectly, grains were responsible for the first alphabet and arithmetic systems. To Demeter, grain was a tool for opening new consciousness, containing the force of mother’s milk; rooting itself in the earth, it carried the forces of life through stem and ear to open to the cosmic forces of the sun. It was believed that by the Demeterian creative force, seven grains arose from the virgin fertile earth; wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, and corn, some time around 12,000 B.C. Each in its own way strives to connect with the higher worlds through mineralization.”

http://www.schooloflife.org/sfnm/peace.html

michaelmas 2010

Is your family income less than 80% of the median income in Fort Collins?

If so we have an opening for your child this Fall at River Song!

The 906 E. Stuart building lease was awarded to River Song Waldorf School on the condition of providing childcare services that meet the needs of diverse members of the community, including the needs of medium and low-income families whose income is less than 80% of the median income in Fort Collins. All families will be contacted regarding eligibility criteria and asked for supporting documentation at certain times during the year, including prior to enrollment. Income and personal data will be kept in strictest confidence.    

Please see our handy chart below if you are unsure of whether your family meets this criteria.

Income Table
Family Size*	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Annual Income	$42,950	$49,100	$55,250	$61,350	$66,300	$71,200	$76,100	$80,100

*Family Size refers to however many people live in your household and the Annual Income is the total income of the household. For example, if you have roommates, their income counts even if they do not pay you money towards childcare.

River Song Waldorf Early Childhood is also a Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Provider. If you have any questions about CCAP, you can go to their homepage.

Please note: We also accept children who do not meet the income criteria given above. We have an active waiting list for those families for the fall.

Contact Susan Castellon at 970-407-9185 or Riversongfc@gmail.com if you are interested in having your child at River Song.

We look forward to meeting you!

Wanted! Space to grow.

The River Song Waldorf School, serving children age 2-1/2 to 5 years, emphasizes creative play as an early foundation for creative thinking and future academic strength in a natural, home like settings.
We are currently outgrowing our present location and are seeking space to:

• Increase our capacity to serve more pre-school age children
• to start a Kindergarten Class!

Does your organization have a space to share? Want to learn more?
Please contact Susan Castellon 970-407-9185 or email riversongfc@gmail.com 
Thank you for your consideration, please pass the blog who may be able to assist us in this endeavor.