Ms. Beth has been busying herself with magical plans and preparations for the Honey Bee Kindergarten. In spite of the late snowfall, spring is fast approaching and there have been glimpses of beautiful buds and sunshine. This is a very busy time of growth and awakening, both in nature and in our beings, which brings much joy and excitement to the busyness of the Kindergarten days.  In the weeks immediately ahead they will be celebrating all of these changes happening in their lives, as well as those in and on the earth.

The children have begun a block of Circus Arts! The first day was AMAZING!  If you have not heard about it yet, be sure to ask your children to share a little with you. Ask them about “body language,” the colors red, yellow and blue, and the feelings each of these colors represent.  The children laughed so hard – that deep from the soul laughter! Everyone is excited to do it again next week. The man who brought this was brilliant, and some of what he shared will be coming into the kindergarten class on a regular basis. It is so inspiring!

The kindergarten class will also soon be preparing their space for the nurturing of hatching babies that will arrive upon return from the Spring Break. Spring is coming!  Spring is coming!  Birdies build your nests!

Here is a snippet of the current story and puppet show…

“Ulba Bulba”

One little snowdrop far smaller than the rest
Loved her winter snow dress far, far the best…
With patterns of dainty soft white lace
She danced with her sisters all over the place.
Sitting on top of the timber tall trees
Trying not to fall off in the breeze
Dancing merrily down a smooth white hill
Alighting on a fallen log- snow white still.

“Little Snowdrop, come dance with me.”
Said Whispering Wind, “I’ll blow wild you see”
“For I love your dancing and fluttery furls,
Your soft, silent stepping, and twisty twine twirls.
Little Snowdrop dressed in white
From snow clouds a shimmer you left one night
Soft and powdery, white and fine
Dancing on rooftops, logs and pines.”

Whispering Wind wound his way in a winding whirl
And gave this message to the snowdrop girl,
“Lady Spring has come early this year,
Her golden dress blooms brightly I hear.
I saw her while traveling with white birds on high,
Soaring with clouds under blue Father Sky.
You must change your dress to watery blue,
And travel to the sea as your sisters all do.
Down rocky mountains with rush and a roar,
Winding your way to the salty sea shore.
Go change your dress now, ‘neath the Golden Sun,
Time for traveling, Springtime has come!”

Snowdrop looked up toward the bright Golden Sun,
“I must quickly hide” she said “or soon I’ll be gone!”
Golden Sun smiled and tenderly shone with a laugh
A light on the snow, melting a path
To a friend strange and wrinkled, soft hearted yet crinkled,
Ulba Bulba below- under the snow!
A friend strange and wrinkled, soft hearted yet crinkled,
Ulba Bulba below- under the snow!

“Come and hide in my coat so wrinkled
You’ll not be noticed in one so crinkled”
So she went and hid in his coat so wrinkled
Not being noticed in one so crinkled.
“Come” said Ulba Bulba, and took her by the hand
“We shall go up above and see the spring land”.

In his new coat of gold-green shimmering
Snowdrop’s white dress sparkling, glimmering
They went up above, hand in hand
to see the bright new spring-time land.
She felt herself changing with the warmth of the Sun
And Lady Spring smiled for her springing was sprung!

“I’ll be gone forever!” poor Snowdrop cried
She looked at her dress, then all her tears dried
Soft petaled and white and soft to caress
Just made for the springtime -
From winter no less.

Snowdrop stays with Ulba always
To spring up in the warmth of the early Spring days

And still with the singing
Of spring wing-birds songs
They rejoice in their springing
Unless they are gone…

Performed by Ms. Ingrid’s 5th & 6th Grade Class

Directed by Ms. Pam

The Bird - February 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm

Please join us for a play presented by the 5th & 6th grade class on February 2nd at 6:30 pm at the First Christian Church (directly across the street from Swallowtail). This is the oldest play in Swallowtail’s history; it is a Greek play dating back to 414 B.C. The class has put in countless hours rehearsing their lines, creating amazing costumes and building stunning props! This is a performance you won’t want to miss!

(There will be a donation opportunity to help the class off-set the cost of renting the venue.)

Grade Eight took advantage of our sunny weather by heading into Portland. After a birthday breakfast for one of the students, complete with gluten-free pancakes, they headed to The Portland Art Museum for the afternoon. Most of their time was spent in the north wing, which houses the museum’s permanent collection. The students were allowed to enjoy the museum at their own pace, although they were asked to take note of landscapes and cloud formations in the art work. The eight grade class has been painting many landscapes in their art classes and the cloud study is a foreshadowing to their upcoming Meteorology Block this spring. The trip ended with a quiet sketching period before heading back to Hillsboro. The class had a wonderful time and look forward to their next trip in January.

Student Painting

To begin their Astronomy Block, the fifth and sixth grade jogged to Hare Field and completed an activity to find their bearings from a geocentric perspective of observation. This perspective will be the basis for their studies of the heavens throughout the block. The students were introduced to various Greek Mythological stories that offer Greek origins of well known constellations. They began charting the Circumpolar stars to establish basic landmarks for more complicated constellation searches in the future.

Chalkboard Drawing for Class Story by Ms. Ingrid

Next they will finish mapping the Circumpolar Constellations and then map the Seasonal Constellations and investigate star movement through their established paths. We will find which constellations are known as winter or summer constellations and map them in relation to one-another.

Students took their parents out on a clear night to find Ursa Major (in its entirety), Ursa Minor and Polaris and share how they were able to identify them. The clear skies and dry weather in the area have made studying Astronomy so rewarding! There is a Star Gazing Evening scheduled, complete with a crackling fire to keep warm against the cold and some delicious hot cider as well.

New this year is the opportunity to bring the German Language to our school. A Swallowtail parent has graciously offered to share her language and culture with the students. This will be a combined Block for students from fifth through eighth grade.

A Sunny Autumn Day in the Honey Bee Kindergarten:

Our fall circle is big and requires much movement. So much so that there are many giggly “Phew’s” as we close our circle with a restful quiet song. With a tap on their sweet wee heads they departed from the circle, donned their aprons, and seated themselves silently at the tables for painting. When everyone was present, the chairs were scooted away as our painting song began, and there they stood…twinkling eyes and ready hands for our painting adventure. All was quiet save for the soft humming as they worked, and then very slowly, one at a time, little hands were raised. Their paintings glowed with crimson sunsets, rosy apples, pink blossoms and berries, a daddy…and their faces glowed with huge, beaming smiles! They put their painting boards away, pushed in their chairs, and went right to the circle and began to fold and sort the laundry.

Some of our oldest friends divvied out tasks (sorting napkins by color, washing day rags, small towels, big towels…) and they proceeded without any words needed from their teachers. A few friends joined Ms. Erica in cleaning up from painting and washed the paint jars. The remainder finished the laundry, put it away, and slowly woke up the toys in our classroom. As a handful of friends took turns helping Ms. Beth with the ironing, houses went up, a puzzle came out, a castle was built, babies were born, and the table was set for snack. One friend asked for a rag to wash some toys, imaginations were alive and everyone was happy and engaged, and the “hummm” was beautiful. When the “little dusty gnome” came to tell us it was time to tidy up our home, houses and castles came down, babies were tucked in bed, and the puzzle went away (after every single friend had seen it).

A peek into the hive!

As each friend finished their work, they made their way one by one to the circle for our song before snack. Another tap on their wee heads sent them to wash their hands and find their seat at the table for snack. The candles were lit, the blessing was said, and the rice disappeared! As they were dismissed from the table, they each scraped and washed their dishes, set out their lunches, put on their outdoor clothes and shoes, then waited on a toadstool to go outside.

The children were so excited to be visited by Father Sun, that they didn’t even wait for all of the big kids to clear the play yard! They basked in the sun, climbed trees, played in a MOST amazing sand fort, tended to the snail habitat (the children love their snails! One was even smuggled in to story in a sock today), and ran, ran and ran. And galloped. When it was time, everybody was quiet and ready to come in for story.

The candle was lit, the story told, and they all rested quietly, spread out like rays of the sunshine as they listened to the quiet bells. All was so very quiet (a couple had even dozed off). Then they were gently roused and they carefully folded their resting mats, neatly placing them on Grandmother’s rocking chair, washed their hands, and went to the tables for lunch. Again a blessing was said, lunches devoured, and a goodbye song was sung! Then they all packed up, and went to take on the rest of their day!

Now close your eyes and picture their sweet silly faces and bright smiles. Hear their little conversations, their giggles, “I love you’s,” and even tiny disagreements that fill our space with life. And feel their little hands entwining their fingers in yours, their sweet kisses and hugs, and catch you off-guard tickles! What a blessing to share these most precious moments with your children each day. There aren’t words to describe the depths to which they fill our hearts. A blessing, truly, and so much more. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mr. Kris’s 1st and 2nd grade class has been busy working! The first grade has been learning about letters, specifically the form and sound of the letters. The second grade has been writing poetry, which they have been speaking together for the class. They have also been filling their books with their beautiful writing. The writing of familiar verses and songs paves the way for reading abilities to organically emerge. The students have made great accomplishments in their writing abilities, as their stamina and concentration has grown immensely.

The students also had great fun on their last trip to the farm, and continued their look at the forms of the letters coming from the natural world by finding things at the farm with certain letters. The children showed their creativity and humor stringing their words together in fun ways.  They also planted a tulip garden for the spring and help the rest of the school sow a field of oats.
 

Chalkboard Drawing for Class Story by Mr. Kris

Over the last few weeks we have had a special visitor who shared a form of movement art called Eurythmy. First and second grade, along with the rest of the school, enjoyed their Eurythmy sessions and the Eurythmy performance assembly was a big success. “Thank you” to Swallowtail’s parent association for bringing this to the school!

The class will be focusing their next block on the qualitative aspects of the numbers.  It is very important that children gain a feeling for the numbers before they work with them in the typical quantitative sense.  Just as in the case of the letters, the children need to form an inner connection with the numbers, so they can connect them to themselves and not just to an abstract form.  There are stories that will be told to embody the numbers in a human way.

For example, “I am one, but I have two hands to do work in the world.  A mother, father and child make three, and four are the winds that blow to me.  I have five fingers on each hand and like to eat honey from the six-sided comb.”  By introducing the numbers in this way, the children create living pictures.  Next, the children will look to roman numerals as a bridge between the qualities and the quantities of numbers.  Roman numerals are great for this as they can see their shapes in their hands.  From the roman numerals, the class will move forward in time to the Arabic numerals and practice writing these forms.

As the numbers are being introduced to the first grade, the second grade will focus on number patterns. This will keep a qualitative sense to it as well and will help to pave the way for learning the times tables.  The children will begin to look at patterns in different pictorial ways as well as using their bodies and writing numbers too.  Students will soon be able to count by twos, threes, fours, fives and probably tens as well. Then they will look at how these interrelate as they draw them in different ways and look at the various shapes that the numbers are prone to make, which furthers the children’s sense of the qualities.

Martinmas Lantern Walk

The Martinmas Lantern Walk is a traditional Waldorf festival celebrated by Waldorf schools. This celebration demonstrates the kindling and protecting of our own flame – our inner light. This light was sparked within each of us during our Michaelmas Celebration as we reached deep within to find our courage. It has grown now into a glowing light of love and faith. This is the same light that Martin showed by sharing his cloak with the poor beggar.

With our lanterns, we protect our flame as we walk together, singing with family and friends. As the light of summer grows dim and the warmth of the sun fades during these autumn and winter months, we must strive to protect our own inner light so that it may grow.Let us keep our light shining bright for all to see and let us nurture the light in others.

You may listen to the songs and read the lyrics here:

Song one: Glimmer, Lantern, Glimmer

Song two: I Walk With My Little Lantern

Glimmer Lantern Glimmer

Glimmer, lantern, glimmer
Little stars a-shimmer
Over meadow, moor and dale
Flitter, flutter, elfin veil
Pee-wit, pee-wit, tikka-tikka-tik
Roo-coo, roo-coo.

Glimmer, lantern, glimmer
Little stars a-shimmer
Over rock and stock and stone
Wander, tripping little gnome.
Pee-wit, pee-wit, tikka-tikka-tik
Roo-coo, roo-coo

I Walk With my Little Lantern

I walk with my little lantern
My lantern, myself and I
Above, the stars are shining
Down here we’re stars to the sky

The new moon shines, the cat meows
Ay, ay, ay! La boom-a-la, boom-a-la bay!
Ay, ay, ay! La boom-a-la, boom-a-la bay!

{ material provided by: Ms. Erica }

Image by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldorfmama

In keeping with Swallowtail’s experiential approach to education and commitment to real-world application, Mr. Justin’s third and fourth grade class has created a map of our school’s neighborhood as a finale to their block study on local geography. The children have embraced this project with much enthusiasm!

The class has already been on two hikes this year! Their first hike of the year, to the Coast, resulted in a deeper awareness of each student’s determination and strength. Their most recent hike was a journey to the Columbia River Gorge, along the beautiful Wakheena Falls Trail.  This most recent journey was met with even more confidence and excitement! Great fun was had by all!

The Hillsboro School District has agreed to provide bus transportation one Thursday each month form the main campus to the farm campus. This will be the first bus ride for many of the Swallowtail students.

The children’s work at the farm will be to sow a cover crop of oats with Ms. Ingrid’s class. They will also plant garlic in their winter garden, and stay warm around the fire and in the yurt.

The Third and fourth grade class is also beginning their first Math Block of the year, with much excitement from the children! Mr. Justin is helping his students look at numbers in new and interesting ways. In fact, the children are learning that very large numbers can hold small secrets within them! Be sure to ask one of these brilliant students to explain the mystery of secret numbers to you!

.

Ms. Ingrid’s 5th and 6th grade class has enjoyed several trips to the farm property. During one recent trip, they pressed apples for fresh cider, which they promptly sold all 11 ½ gallons that afternoon at pick up time! Another trip featured the student’s first bus ride of the year! The Hillsboro School District has agreed to transport Swallowtail students once a month from the main campus to the farm.

The class has finished reading “My Side of the Mountain”, and they made pancakes wilderness style! They attempted to replicate Sam’s methods for cooking the pancakes, as described in the book. With found rocks, they ground filberts into a flour (adding a tad bit of spelt flour) and mixed in some spring water. They picked and mashed wild berries for toppings, and then over the fire, fried the cakes to a golden brown in sizzling coconut oil (which resembled the animal lard Sam would have used). Their utensils were from nature as well: an abalone shell as a mixing bowl, a stick for spoon, a flat wooden slat for spatula, and large leaves for plates.  The students were pleasantly surprised at how tasty their filbert pancakes turned out to be!

The students are learning about decimals and their relation to fractions in their current Math Block. The inspiration accompanying this Block is based on a legend of lost treasure mines in the desert southwest and the Spanish explorers who searched for them. There is a mystery, however, and local legends claim the mines are haunted. Three young investigators are determined to find the truth about the lost mines!

Ms Ingrid’s students, along with the 8th grade class, will be getting a preview of their Olympic Training! The children will practice working with the discus, javelin, and some Greek Wrestling techniques over the next few weeks. This is a taste of what is to come in the spring, when their real training begins!

The students will embark upon a 4 ½ week block study of Ancient Greece.  Last year the student’s Greece study focused on the mythological stories from this golden culture. This year, in addition to continuing with some of the formative mythological stories, the students will begin to look at causality of important events in History of this great influential culture and how they affected people of that time and into our world today.

The First and Second Grade class came together during “Outdoor School” through exploring the farm and building a space together.  We had experiences with all of the elements at the farm.  We felt the cool water and the mud between our toes as we harvested clay, and worked with the earth to form dwellings for insects.  We fired our creations in a sawdust kiln and used the air itself to study some of the critters that live all around us. The children were able to use their own breath to capture and view our small friends using their “Pooters”.  This was great fun and our explorations led us to meet many different insects in many different places around the farm.  These experiences created a great foundation to build our class upon and helped us to ease our way from summer into the school year.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

.