Osiyo, River Otter families.
What a beautiful fall week we had in the forest! Students have especially enjoyed practical work and career type play this week, while all the physical activity that entailed helped keep them warm, too! This week students made lanterns for our lantern walk. They used small glass jars, tissue paper squares, and modge podge to decorate beautiful lanterns just the right size for kindergarteners. They were each so proud of their work! We will put handles on the lanterns and add electric tea lights for the walk Tuesday evening. They will look so magical as they are carried through the forest. After the lantern walk the students can take their lanterns home.
As we approach the lantern walk, which in the Waldorf tradition is also celebrated as Martinmas, or a festival of compassion, this week I shared one of my favorite stories for this time of the year. The story is called The Hungry Dragon and begins with a dragon searching for cloud berries on a rainy day in the mountains of Norway. As the dragon heads home, he passes a small house in the village that appears to be empty, since it is very cold and there is no smoke coming from the chimney. The dragon is surprised to hear a child’s voice behind him! The child tells the dragon that her family needs help making a fire, because they are cold and hungry and want to make pancakes. The dragon agrees and starts a fire in the fireplace. The family asks the lonely dragon to stay and he happily shares a meal of pancakes and cloud berries with the family and tells stories to the children. The family invites him to return any time. After a few days the dragon has an idea, and takes his chest of treasure to the family. As a dragon, he has no use for it, and he wants to help the poor family who has opened their home to him. From that time on, the dragon and family regularly share meals and stories together. The students have loved this story and listened attentively every day. They have also enjoyed making fires, treasure chests, and pancakes in their play, just like in the story.
Announcements and Reminders:
The lantern walk is this Tuesday, 11/9. Please meet our class by the fire at 6:45pm. We will conclude our walk by 7:15pm. At the end of the walk we will collect tea lights and any lanterns loaned to grownups, and provide a treat to take home. Please use the time at the end of the walk for quiet contemplation as you head home. The lantern walk is a beautiful, reverent festival of the season.
Coats for our annual Coat Drive can be donated all week during carpool as well as brought to the Lantern Walk evening.
Thank you for sending warm gear, and blankets for rest time. Coats, hats, gloves, and warm/extra layers will be needed each day, as mornings will remain quite cold. If there is rain in the forecast or it has recently rained, please also send insulated rain or snow boots and rain suit or rain pants and jacket.
We can always use extra gloves, and hand and toe warmers! If you are at the store and would like to pick up an extra pair of inexpensive children’s gloves, or a package of hand or toe warmers, we would love to have a supply on hand to lend to students who have left theirs at home or gotten them wet.
Thank you so much for sharing your children with us, and for being part of our community.
Gvyalieliga,
Ki Holly
