The gesture of outbreath is one of expansion.
We cannot remain in a contracted state indefinitely. Having breathed in, we must now breathe out. It is necessary
that we return to the world something concrete, illustrating how what we have absorbed is being internalized and
understood.
In contrast to the
Inbreath work of the morning, we find the afternoons to be the best time for outbreath kinds of activities. Some activities
are included in conjunction with main lesson work (such as recorder and beeswax modeling) while others (drama, festival celebrations,
handwork) are part of what happens outside of main lessons. When and how activities unfold is part of the ebb and flow rhythm of what tends to work for our own family, depending on the season
and available resources.
Here is a sample of some of the activities that we have engaged in that complement main lesson work or
help to awaken development. There are other activities and parts of lesson work (including foreign language, movement/dance,
music lessons) that are not included here.
Beeswax modeling is a wonderful adjunct to main lesson work, and is especially
suitable for working with younger children. The very act of warming beeswax with the hands is a great way to work the
will. Pure beeswax will not crumble, and it can be used over again. This scene represents a
collection of animal figures that Sam created when he was about 8 years old. We still use these figures on
our seasonal nature table today.
This knitted recorder case provides a warm home for a wooden
recorder. At age 7, this was the first knitting project that Carly completed, having worked her way up from
"finger knitting". The art of knitting helps children to work their will, and also lends itself to intellectual development.
Sam often did finger knitting while Carly did "real knitting". Songs and verses were used as part of our handwork time
together. While sometimes challenging for children who like to do things at a quick pace, it is especially gratifying
when those same children can use knitting to slow down and accomplish something they were not sure they could ever finish
on their own. Since the time of this project, Carly has gone on to knit many other items, including hats and scarves.
Weaving is one of the hands-on activities for Sam at this wool-crafting
class he attended at a local farm with some other home learners. Here he is weaving wool that was taken from sheep on
the premises. The children in the class helped to take care of and feed the sheep each week. Then they cleaned,
carded, spun, and dyed the wool themselves, finally weaving the pieces onto a small peg loom. The end
result was a great little wall hanging. The work in this class was a nice complement to Sam's main
lesson block on farming and practical skills.
This wooden spoon was the end result of a wooden spoon carving class
offered to home learners through an area Waldorf school. Carly (then age 10) started out with a solid block of bass wood.
Using only hand tools, the spoon form emerged. After she sanded the entire spoon, she used olive oil to
give the spoon a little color and protection. Typically completed as part of a 6th grade project in a Waldorf school,
we took on this project during Carly's 5th grade year. Sam (then age 8) also participated in the class. While he
did not complete the project in the same way that Carly did, the class proved to be an excellent vehicle for him to work
his will by using hand tools. It was also a wonderful opportunity to pave the way for Sam's upcoming year in practical skills. This
class is an example of how it is possible to work together on the same project with children of different ages.
Both children are making applesauce as part of a 7-week program at a nearby
farm with other home learners. There was a different theme each week that revolved around animal care, and also included cooking. In
addition to making applesauce, the children have also made butter, cheese, butter, and candles, baked bread, and
learned about composting. While we consciously chose the program
to complement Sam's main lesson block on farming and practical skills, Carly also attended to focus on certain
aspects of animal care in a way that she has not done before. This class is another example of how children of different ages can come together to participate in a main lesson block project,
even if the content is really targeted for one child in particular. It is also an example of how a child can revisit
a subject later in the curriculum, deepen their understanding of it, and even come to see it in a whole new light altogether.
Creating little figures for our seasonal nature table has always been a
fun task, and one that we have done since the children were very young. Now it seems that our children are the ones making
them! We have made many figures over the years, including gnomes, elves, and fairies. Here are three figures
that Carly (at age 11) made for our seasonal nature table.
This is a picture from an Advent Spiral that we facilitated in Dec. 2003. Similar
to those in which our children had participated at our local Waldorf school, we opened up this event
to our area home learning community. Some children walked the spiral of evergreens alone, while some families chose to walk
it together. Soft, live music was playing in the background to accompany our walking. Following the activity,
everyone enjoyed some warm cider and star cookies. We have facilitated this event a number of times, and have also hosted
other festival-based events such as Lantern Walks (Nov.), and an afternoon of apple-picking and picnics during Michaelmas
(Sept.) Participating in festival-based activities like this one
can help to nourish the soul life of a family.
No activities would be complete without drama and speech. Here both Carly and Sam enjoyed roles
in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in spring 2005. The activity was a nice complement to our work at home,
and a great introduction to Shakespeare.
"Up and down, up and down;
I will lead them up and down."
Sometimes outbreath has nothing to do with taking a class or working on
a lesson-related project. Sometimes it's just about relaxing and having fun together as a family. Here is a picture
from our long overdue visit to the (bowing deeply) Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in summer 2005.
After 86 years of World Series drought for the Red Sox, I think even Steiner himself would have to
approve.
Copyright © 2006 Waldorf Family Network
