We all thoroughly enjoyed the Waldorf Faire this year at the end of November. Rowan and I went three years ago when I was pregnant with Poppy and had fun but this time we were able to participate in almost all of the activities. In these pictures Poppy and Rowan are at the Wishing Well. The room was nearly dark except for the trees which were beautifully lit. The child takes the basket and places it into the Wishing Well where a small but lovely gift is left for them. Poppy was given a shell and Rowan a tiny boat made of paper, a stick, and a pit of some kind (like a peach pit but smaller). The kids also chose decorated cookies to eat, decorates beeswax candles, had popcorn, and did a few other things as well. I bought my first Christmas gift at the Artisans Fair. If my children ever had to go to school, I would want them to be at the Waldorf School.
Rowan wrote Santa quite a few letters on his own this year. This one says "And my Mom would like snow shoes and I would like (turn over) a sled". It's neat to watch his spelling emerge - it's coming along quite naturally other than the Electric Company shows he watches. I just ordered All About Spelling which we'll check out after Christmas but so far I'm really happy with how Rowan is picking things up on his own.
We went to two Christmas parties again this year - Rand had one at his work and my Mom had one with her company as well. In these photos Poppy and Rowan are bowling and loving it! When we went to this party when Rowan was 2 he fell on the floor at the bowling alley and had a bleeding nose for about a half an hour. There were lots of crafts and activities at the party including an open gym where Rowan and I played basketball together for the first time!
Rowan practiced really hard for the month of December as he had a solo to perform in front of the class.
Rowan's final performance of Trois Petite Cochon was very fun to watch. The kids did a great job (as did their teacher!) and seemed to enjoy the whole process from learning the script to designing and making the props.
The final performance of Bugs are our Buddies at the Evergreen Theatre was hilarious. Rowan's Great-Aunt, Grandma, and some friends came to watch. When we watched the video after you could hear me giggling hard throughout. Rowan really enjoyed this class and we would probably take it again except we need a bit of a break from all the organized activities and structured classes this session.
Rowan was very confident as he played London Bridge and Good Morning with two hands in front of the class on the teacher's piano! His Auntie Sanj came for the performance which totally made his night. He was so excited that she was there he could hardly focus on the other kids and we had to shush him several times! He had another concert with his Music School a week before Christmas where the students in the compositions class performed their own pieces of music. The rest of the school was expected to come and watch and they all joined together on stage for a final song together.
On the final day of Art we wandered down by the river to have a look at what was happening so far this winter. Poppy and Rowan played hide and seek in the branches and bushes here while the sun started to slip down behind the houses.
We wanted to capture a shot of Rowan's shadow. On the day of the Winter Solstice we actually measured both Poppy and Rowan's shadows in front of the house and plan to do so again in the Summer Solstice and both equinoxes. We talked a lot about Solstice and read several stories related. We had a special celebration on Solstice Eve with some friends who came for dinner. We kept the lights out the whole day and evening which was really fun. It was our first real Solstice celebration and we will definitely be making it a future tradition!
We took a little trip downtown away from the many things that needed to be done before Christmas at home and visited the Calgary Tower. This was a first trip for both Rowan and Poppy. Initially the kids wouldn't step out onto the glass floor but as you can see they overcame their concern very quickly! We had a nice lunch in the dining room and back out to the floor again. Poppy enjoyed walking on all the ledges and Rowan had to look out each telescope to see the different angles of the city. Rowan is quite interested in tall buildings and in particular in Calgary, the Bow. We will be taking a trip to the Bow this Spring or Summer some time.
No, I did not walk out onto the floor. Not even when I was being begged to!
We have a few more parties and fun things happening as we head to the end of 2011 and are looking forward to lots of time together. Rand has three weeks of holidays and we plan to enjoy them!
Happy New Year!
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