This summer is for making rhythm

This summer we will be working on rhythm. Since, both of us parents started school we have been flying by the seats of our pants. It just is not working. We had a big garage sale and got rid of a bunch of junk and the rest is going to the auction. Dad has been cleaning out the basement. There must be something to Feng Shui and the whole don't store stuff under your bed.

Mom managed to get night classes, so she has the whole day to hang out with the boys!

We are working on a list of family activities.


Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children

I love, love, love this book. It is a good introduction to Waldorf. I think it is really good for families who like aspects of Waldorf, but do not want to send their children to a Waldorf school. You could be like us, we just cannot afford it and we just cannot manage the long drive to the school everyday.

Some of the things we plan to do or have inspired to do through this book are:
1. Tepee building: We already have a grape vine house, so I think we are going to do the stick house instead.
2. Placemats: This one is inspired by the prayer for Thanksgiving. We are planning to make paper placemats and handwrite verses or beautiful quotes on them and then decorate them with leaves, flowers, and small sticks from our yard. We go to the beach a lot, so maybe some sand and shells, too.
3. Along those lines, I really like the idea of having a nature table. I think it might work better if we do the above placemats once a week and then do a little nature area in the center of our kitchen table. We normally do some kind of decoration there anyway and it sure would be fun to the let the boys do it once a week.


Weekends with the Kids: Activities, Crafts, Recipes: Hundreds of Ideas for Family Fun

This book looks amazing from the front, but there was not enough pictures. Maybe it's just me, but I think if you are going to make a book for us moms who need a little help in the creative department that you would at the very least include bright colored photographs. None the less I was inspired and I have created this list.

4. Fill a mixing bowl with beans and 5-10 small objects. Blindfold your friend and have them guess what they are feeling.
5. Ice Cube Hunt Give a kid a bucket of ice cubes and have them hide them around the yard. Everyone gets to find the ice cubes before they melt.
6. Have a picnic in the grape vine house. Our "house" is not really a house, but it still is fun to sit under. I think we need to add some more stakes though and enlarge it this year.
7. Make grape vine wreathes or vine houses for Army men. (What can I say I have 3 boys!)
8. Lie outside on your back and find shapes in the clouds.
9. Have a scavenger hunt or treasure hunt. (The boys love treasure hunts. We have them get buckets and collect stuff from around the house. Then they have to write out their own list-handwriting skills-and one of parents hides everything.
10. Be the Sweet Dream Elf and put a little note, a tiny prize or a night-night nibble on everyone's pillow. (I think I will do this just for fun!)

And more...
11. Origami...I know I saw a book that had the paper and stuff all together. Just got the inspiration from:

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