More October and a little November!

 Some of the fun we had in November:

Rowan and I worked on some beeswax sculpting using Stockmar Beeswax.  It took quite a lot of pressure to get the shapes just the way we wanted them.  These little pumpkins looked perfect on our Nature Table.

 Rowan and I did a few activities from Peggy Kaye's Games for Reading.  Rowan LOVED the activities.  On our weekly schedule I wrote "Games with Mom" and he knew I would have something prepared from this book.  In the pictures shown I made a line at a time and he copied me without saying much to each other.  I didn't have anything specific in mind as I was making the shapes other than keeping his interest and providing a bit of a challenge.  When Rowan writes letters and numbers they are often backwards.  This activity helps the child observe the movement of the hand and the direction it is going in.

 We read a few more tales from the Brothers Grimm as recommended in the Waldorf curriculum for Grade One I got my hands on (for free!).  I quickly realized I need to screen these Fairy tales as many of them are quite violent and have extremely stereotypical roles for men and women.

 Rowan dressed up as a Viking this Halloween - I'm sure my Grandma would be mortified if she knew her Great Grandson wore her Fur Wrap as part of a costume.  I remember her telling me she really felt she was no longer poor when she bought that small piece of fur.  Rand made Rowan the wooden axe himself and the shield came from the SIKH warehouse run by Grandpa Singh.

At the end of October Rowan lost his first tooth!  It was a very exciting time for him leading up to the day as his tongue played around with the tooth and he had to eat differently to accommodate the loose teeth.  He lost the two front bottom teeth about two weeks apart.

 Our Nature Table - I made some new Autumn Gnomes to play with.  There was also some dried grass and Cat Tails from a small fishing hole we were fishing at in September.  The book in the background is a Barefoot Book called Skip Through the Seasons by Stella Blackstone and Maria Carluccio.  It includes a page for each month with pictures, words, and a description of highlights for the month.

 Interestingly, once Rowan started to lose his teeth I noticed a huge leap in his ability and interest in complex tasks such as playing music with two hands, printing, and reading.

 This is a sample page of Rowan's music workbook that he has to do at home once a week.  Most of the work so far has been note identification and some printing or copying of notes.  Rowan continues to practice his music once per day for about 20 minutes.  The more consistent out daily routine the more agreeable he is to practice.

 In November Rowan had his 6th birthday!  He had a small party with Rand's side of the family and another small party with friends and grandparents at the Hall near our house.  In the above picture Rowan is listening to his Auntie as she had designed a treasure hunt for him.  She had several clues that she had hidden around the house and once he found each one he moved on to the other.  Rowan's most desired gift for his birthday this year was a Metal Detector.  Knowing the one he wants is about $200 he requested money from his friends and family rather than several gifts.  His Aunt had a paper Metal Detector with money at the end of the hunt which thrilled Rowan.

I finally ordered the Waldorf Birthday Ring to use to celebrate the birthdays in our house.  The round shape signifies the child going around the sun another time.  There is a small wooden gnome carrying the number 6 on the ring.  I also hand sewed Rowan a felt Birthday crown this year.  We had a lovely time celebrating his birthday week this year with small outings and poems, gifts and cakes.

Rowan continued his French Play at our neighbour's house and performed Trois Petite Couchon with several of his friends.  He also continued the art class at 4 Cats and made several references to Tom Tompson and things he learned about his artistic style, interests, and preferences.  The month was busy with activities and getting ready for the upcoming holiday season!  More pictures and posts to come that will include our happy holidays!