Super Mom meets Toaster Oven

Well, I really don’t know how to go about this, but in short, I bought a convection toaster oven. The idea was that between the toaster oven and my electric grill, that I was going to refrain from heating up my kitchen all summer (maybe even putting them on the deck). I cook everything, and summer meal-making is challenging when you’re running the AC.

I’m not really sure how this epiphany happened, but somewhere in that reasoning, I decided that I didn’t deserve it.

I didn’t deserve a $40 toaster oven.

Just stop and think about that for a second. I don’t have to list the things that I do for my children and household to even begin to justify how that notion is backwards.

I began processing the pro’s and con’s of this contraption that I bought (and put an entire month’s thinking into, by the way, before purchasing yet ANOTHER kitchen appliance). My list of cons was a fraction of the pro list- which was limited to “I just got rid of a bunch of things” and “It will take up more kitchen space”. But that is not the point.

The point is that I had to make a list of pro’s and con’s.

What it boiled down to, actually, was that somewhere in my development as a person or adult person specifically, is that I had learned that self-deprivation is part of what exemplifies a good mother, and that martyrdom and going without goes right with it. This toxic mentality had spread to other areas, which is why I had fallen into the aforementioned slippery slope of never updating my wardrobe, never taking time for myself, or even cleaning out my home. DOING things for MYSELF…made me a bad mother.

WHOA.

Startling as it seemed, even being cognizant of this issue still did not break the anxiety that I had surrounding breaking the habit. After all, what would it mean if I suddenly took time to do my nails instead of getting around to making those felted farm animals for my son, or buy myself a present instead of buying the children yet ANOTHER belonging?!

Further still, the popular mentality is even more perverse, in that the majority of woman nowadays put themselves at such a high priority that their parenting duties and morality fall to the wayside, with their children carried along like parcels from daycare to babysitter, or school to sport, and their parents eyes glued to their social media instead of on a bedtime story. There has got to be a happy medium.

I am far from perfect, but it’s really easy to slip into this realm of martyrdom that demands more and more perfection through deprivation within the competition that women create amongst their peers. But am I actually *more* perfect because I neglect to buy myself shoes? Does it make me a better mother?

No.

And so, to examine what MAKES one a good mother, it’s easy to extrapolate that doing for oneself is not only crucial, but a component of what one should exemplify for their children.

What is the perimeter? As a consumerist egocentric society, do we have the answers to that?

I feel I do. So as having been a child and now a parent, I’m going to write my thoughts on what it means to be a good parent.

First and foremost, give your child the gift of faith. The gift of faith is something that no one can take away, and will be their leaning post when you are no longer there.

Secondly, treat your child the way you would like to be treated. If you don’t want to go a day without brushing your teeth, don’t neglect to brush your child’s. If you’re, cold, so are they. If you don’t want sandwiches for lunch every day, they probably don’t either. Don’t spend your money on beer or cigarettes when your child doesn’t have a raincoat.

Thirdly, don’t shame your child or break their spirit. Emotional abuse hurts more than physical abuse.

Fourth, give your child stability. This can be defined in so many ways, but if you are one of those people who go with the breeze, consider that your child needs consistency in their life to feel safe and in control. Your child’s needs are different from your own. Before making changes, consider how they effect your child’s development.

Fifth, teach your child to love outside of themselves. It is so easy to love your self (or not) or your mother, but it is much harder to love all of humanity. Compassion is a core value. Don’t limit it to humans either.

Sixth, empower your child by fostering their interests and creativity. A child’s hobbies should not merely include “facebook” and “video games”.

Seventh, model a positive inner dialogue. Stop shitting on yourself because it is a learned behavior that you are modeling. You are good enough. If you don’t think so, ask your kids. They think you’re great.

Eighth, teach children to question and investigate.

Ninth, spend quality time with your children. Take them places, even if it’s free, like the park. Turn off your damn cell phone and tv. Ask them what THEY would like to do. PLAY with your kids.

And last but not least, speak the truth out loud. Make it known that you love your child. Children have an innate sense of knowing but they need to hear it, often. Tell them when you’re sorry, wrong, imperfect, or sad. Share your happiness, your success, and your learning curve. I’ve never once lied to my kid, which is why we don’t have the tooth fairy.

So. Do I deserve a toaster oven? Of course. But why? Well, because I’m a good parent, and it’s not defined by what I’m giving up, it’s defined by what I give.

Spring Banners

I love Tibetan prayer flags. But they’re against my faith. So, the children and I decided that we would make spring banners instead to liven up the house.

I started by doing some ombre washes with watercolor on stiff watercolor paper, one for each color of the spectrum. Its very easy- you simply wet the paper, and brushing side to side down the page, you push a concentrated mark of color all the way down to the bottom. Watercolor washes are pretty basic. You can even add more than one color, pushing the lines into eachother.

Since my children are eight years apart, they had to have very different “assignments”. My two year old doesn’t exactly have his own ideas and my nine year old is “perpetually bored” which, in Waldorf terms,  is growing intellectually and hasn’t figured out how to manipulate her newest phase of development. The best play for this type of dilema with both ages is rote participation- laundry, dishes, housekeeping, cooking, etc. But occassional, I tire of such a thing, and want to create art, and that is how this project was born.

For my two year old, the assignments were structured on color learning and garden basics. Both children are participating in our potting outside. For my nine year old, hers was a bit more complex, but focused on spring and gardening. Here is each assignment:

For the two year old:

Handprint tulip

Garden of fruits- the 9yo drew the fruits he wanted and he colored them, along with his rainbow.

Collage earth

Ladybug- he colored the ladybug and glued on her spots

Dandelions- he loved gluing these in place

Fingerprint drawings- spots on the mushroom, fingerprint caterpillar, and flower

Each print was accompanied by counting, learning colors, attempted cutting, and a story.

For the nine year old:

The spring fairy

Fingerprint mushroom, etc.

Garden design

Garden gnome

Red things on the farm (in spanish)

Coastal creatures

These things were actually projects that she suggested with very little input, so I’m proud that she was able to come up with her own ideas, even though they weren’t completely cohesive. I let her follow her own interest, and she researches things weekly at the library that she finds stimulating.

We strung each banner up in the kitchen area using yarn. Each print has to be tied individually to prevent it from sliding down on the string. We knotted it carefully.

Spring itself is a celebration here on the homestead, but helping children understand the changing seasons is the very beginning of being aware of the world around them. And they don’t look too shabby in our kitchen either

DIY Waldorf Nature Table

A nature table is a diorama made to reflect seasonal changes. It’s used by Waldorf method curriculum to help children learn about their natural environment and to understand the abstract concept of time. This nature table that I made shows wild flowers that we collected together outside, “spring” animals, such as the bunny, duck, and *currently chewed* chickadee, our felted egg and spring fairy, and a felted nest. The background watercolor is a stylized depiction of a classic spring story called The Root Children, and the fabric is a silky hijab (most people use small play-silks, but I have a gajillion hijabs, which happen to be the right size…).

The lessons to be learned here are copious. Eggs have beings inside of them. Animals nest- even bunnies. Animals make their appearance after long winters, in the spring. Spring flowers are different than summer flowers, and turn into fruit or leaves. Budding nature is in a muted pastel pallet. Buds emerge from the earth…and so on and so forth. The fact that the diorama is interactive and friendly to exploratory hands (i.e. can be played with) seems almost crucial.

I decided early on that I wanted OUR nature table to be interactive. I’ve read some perverse posts on other sites in which mother’s keep them out of reach to little hands. To me this defeats the purpose. Children gather information with all of their senses, not just their intellect, so why rob them of the opportunity? We keep ours in the common area to avoid mishaps with spills or things being put in mouths *ahem* like chickadees. My most chuckling apologies to the person that I told that my son was past the age of putting things in his mouth. Hello, molars.

I originally saw this nature table on another site for much more than I could afford, and I’ve secretly been plotting ever since on how to hack it.

Beautiful, right? Gah, the coveting. This is why you should never ever ever shop online at Waldorf stores. Unless your husband is a neurosurgeon. Or Channing Tatum. If your husband is Channing, you’d probably HAVE to shop at Waldorf stores…all the TIME. Because you’d have a million children. Handsome children. I digress.

So, anyway, being the sculptor that I am, I was like- Why can’t I make this out of cardboard? It doesn’t HAVE to be chintzy. I began with a box, and cut it to be like this:

Then I drew a curve and cut the sides. I used the first cutout to trace the same curve on the other side. I used scissors, but a utility or Exacto knife would work.

Then I drew a tree design on one side, cut it out, and used the pieces to trace another design on the other side using an Exacto knife.

Ok, that step was a little easier said than done. But its worth it. It looks AWESOME.

Then I painted the whole thing. I mixed white and a little bit of brown acrylic. I think a high-gloss household paint would work too. Don’t use tempera paint- it will be too wet. There’s a pleasant side effect to SOME warp that happens with the paint- it causes the sides to bow a bit, which looks really groovy.

Then I hot-glued these weird little plastic hook things on that I found in my toolbox, but you can get fancy one’s at the hardware store or one of the big-box stores.

I added a hijab that I tied into bunches with string. Hijabs are Islamic veils for women, and generally cost about $5-7, and are exactly the same size and material as “play silks”, coming in a wider variety of colors and prints. I get mine at Alhannah.com.

The pink one was nice, but it felt too gender bias. The green also better reflects the color pallet outside.

Then I made a watercolor of my stylized depiction of root children. I *could* have color photocopied a page, but I didn’t want it to be exact, I wanted it to be my interpretation. Granted, I am NOT a 2D artist, I’m a sculptor, but it’s not terrible. If you don’t like your own artwork and don’t want to photocopy things, have your kids make a backdrop.

We gathered wildflowers from outside during our playtime and put them in an old babyfood jar.

I added some carved Ostheimer figures.

And I added a nest and fairy egg (because what is springtime without eggs?!).

TADAH!!!!!!!

For more information on how to construct a nature table and seasonal activities, I suggest:

• Seven Times the Sun: Guiding your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day by Shea Darian
• Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash
• All Year Round (Festivals and the Seasons) by Ann Druitt
• The Children’s Year: Seasonal Crafts and Clothes by Stephanie Cooper
• A Child’s Seasonal Treasury by Betty Jones

And other books:

• Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing Our Children from Birth to Seven by Barbara Patterson
• Toymaking with Children by Freya Jaffke

Rustic bread hack

I found this recipe on Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. It looked great, but I really just missed those beautiful boules in the market window. I decided to make my own- veganized.

So this is my vegan hack of a staple recipe we use in our home. Enjoy!

Makes two small loafs:

1c brown rice flour

3/4 sorghum flour

1.5 tapioca flour

1T active dry yeast

1.5 tsp salt

1T xanthan gum

1 1/3c warm water (110 degrees)

2 flax meal eggs (2T ground flax with 6T boiling water, set for 5min)

2T and 2t unsweetened applesauce

1T maple or agave syrup

 

Prepare your flax eggs.

In a bowl, mix your yeast, warm water, and maple/agave syrup and leave it to “proof” (get bubbly).

Mix your brown rice, sorghum, and tapioca flours, add the salt and xanthan gum.

Add your “eggs”, yeast mix, and applesauce (all of your ingredients). Blend well. The dough will be wet.

Form it into a ball, and let rise in a warm place under a clean towel for 2hrs.

After 2hrs, divide dough into two balls, place on parchment or a greased pan, and let rise under a towel for 40min. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

After the 40min, make light scores into the loafs to help let steam out while baking, and place in the oven to bake for 35min. The top should be slightly browned.

Let cool at least 15min before slicing.

 

Carving Ostheimer figures: An art lesson with Ms. Kate

These are called Ostheimer figures. They’re wooden figures designed for play by children to help make real world connections and for imaginative play. Sometimes they are animals, sometimes they are people or characters from folk tales. Most of them originate from Germany, as it is a German tradition. They are very expensive.

How expensive? This set right there would be around $60.

Well, there’s more to money when it comes to the value of Ostheimer figures. They are heirloom quality toys that are often passed on through generations. They are pretty impervious to destruction as well.

I said to my mother, “Gosh, I’d love to get Abe some Ostheimer figures, but they’re so expensive!” To which my Irish-German-born mother replied, “Well, see, those types of things used to be made by grandfathers. Grandfathers would whittle them as a treat.”

Ah. Leave it to my mother to get my creative juices flowing. But she is absolutely right. In olden days back in old country, they didn’t have mass-produced wooden figures made from scroll or band-saws. They had toys made from hand tools. I prefer hand tools actually, and never was able to articulate it until I read a book by Ianto Evans called The Hand Sculpted House, in which he describes the difference in rhythm and spirituality felt by working with hand tools instead of scary, noisy, and very dangerous electric tools that literally seem to vibrate the brain.

I thought this a perfect lesson to pass on, as I recently figured it out myself. My concentration for my BFA was in sculpture and ceramics, so I have quite the history of working with hand tools and wood. I thought I would start carving Ostheimer figures for my son and it turned out to be quite easy.

First you’re going to need to gather some hand tools. I recommend a utility blade with a NEW blade or a sharpened pocket knife, a hack-saw (any hand-saw will do, but this one has a fine blade), and a couple of grades of sandpaper (meaning medium, fine, and extra fine). For finishing, you’ll also need a small chunk of pure beeswax and a rag, and some high-quality watercolors. You may also want gloves if you’re accident prone.

Now- I have to tell you, these are the tools that *I* prefer. You may want to pick up some other hand tools like wood chisels or linoleum print chisels. I do not prefer wood chisels because you then have to place your item in a sandbag and hit the chisel with a mallet. This is very difficult on small figures and I wouldn’t recommend it AT ALL if you’re working on something smaller than your hand. The chisels often need to be sharpened as well. For lino print chisels, they’re ok, but often not sharp enough. You can get wood-print chisels, which may be even more successful than a blade in some instances- BUT! They are EXTREMELY sharp, and you are more likely to cut yourself. I’m an experienced printmaker and even I abstain from using them (they go through gloves!). Here are some examples of each that I would recommend.

Wood-print carving tools

Next, find a small piece of wood. I began with a stick. I recommend a soft wood like white pine, but if you haven’t any pine if your neighborhood, you may be able to get a small piece at your hardware store. The hack saw comes in hand if you see a stick that you like that is too big. Get a fallen limb- it should be dried out and not “green”. If it comes off the tree, it will be too full of sap. If its from the ground on a rainy day, bring it inside and don’t work on it until it’s fully dry.

I recommend that you start with a bird because they’re easiest. In Toymaking with Children, the author makes an excellent point- if you start out with a stick that is close to the shape you want, it is easier. For birds, I recommend a wide “V” shaped stick.

Now, the reductive process is one of it’s own- most people are used to the additive process, ie, adding things to what they’re making, such as building a dollhouse or piecing a quilt. Whittling is completely different because you’re creating a form by taking away. You will have better luck concentrating on one part at once, rather than working all around the figure, but everyone works in a different way. I began with the face. The beak and head are the hardest part of the bird, and if you completely mess them up and need to start over, you haven’t invested all of the time required for the body.

It’s also helpful to Google a few pictures. Sometimes I Google real images, sometimes stylized images, and sometimes I go back to the link above and look at actual Ostheimer figures.

Once you have your figure carved, it may look a bit like this.

Sand it down, starting with a medium grit, and work until you get to a fine grit. The surface may have digs or marks on it, but this is about practice, not perfection. The beauty of the wood WILL show through, which is even more meaningful since these figures are made to help children make real-life connections. This item is made of wood, with love, from hands and blade. It has knots and veins in it because its made from the remnants of a living tree, which grows from the earth.

Next you can watercolor it. I prefer hard watercolor when I work, but many prefer liquid. I like the watercolor because the wood absorbs it, making it less prone to chipping, and because the colors are muted. I kept away from detail and made it simple to encourage imagination, and I abstained from including eyes for reasons of my Islamic faith. Start with the lightest colors FIRST. Add darker after, and if you want to accent grooves or transitions between limbs, you can add a bit of dark brown or black around the edges. You can see where this is evident in the ears of my rabbit. Make sure it dries well.

Lastly, you’ll want to coat it with beeswax. The method I recommend is something that is actually used in stone carving technique. Simply use the solid beeswax to rub all over the figure. Then take a rag and rub it in evenly. You may prefer more than one coat. Every so often you may prefer to put a new coat of wax on the toy to protect it from wear.

The smell of fresh white pine and pure beeswax is intoxicating and beautiful.

For the next challenges, experiment. I tried a duck (easier said than done!) and then a rabbit. Each figure is up to interpretation.

The problem is the Muslims.

(Disclaimer: This is a religious post)

Perhaps this is a hasty and frustration fueled post, but it has to be written.

The problem is the Muslims.

I wrote a post back in August called “Coming out of the closet. Sorta.” which broke down common stereotypes responsible for Islamophobia. At the time, it was in response to Islamophobia triggered by the Sikh temple shootout, and I have reposted it in response to the Boston Marathon bombing. Within a few hours, I had thousands of hits and it went viral.

It was at that moment that I realized that I, myself, had been bias and unfair.

See, as a Muslim who was not always a practicing Muslim, I can actually relate to and understand why people are ignorant about Islam. In fact, when I started practicing Islam, I had no idea that people correlated the events on September 11th with Islam. I was that ignorant.

I had never heard of Qur’an, I had never heard of Muhammad (pbuh), and I wanted to know why women felt so compelled  to wear hijab. I wanted answers.

My questions, like many others, weren’t just curiosity based, they were demanding- I wanted to make sure that my piece of the world was JUST and TRUTHFUL. How many of us can relate to that?

But now people are dealing with a different scenario. In addition to not having answers, not having exposure, not knowing who to ask, fearing for our women, fearing for our state- and much more- we have a steady stream of Islamophobia in the media. And this is in addition to so-called Muslims hurting people. People are actually afraid to ask questions.

Which brings me to my point. It is not “their” fault. It is ours.

THE PROBLEM IS THE MUSLIMS.

Now before you rage on my comments section, make the connection that I’m not talking about violence here. I’m not asking anyone to take responsibility for acts of violence or ignorance. Muslims are not responsible for terrorism. Misguided nutters are.

No, I’m asking you to go to the comments section of the article I wrote, “Coming out of the closet. Sorta.” and I want you to consider the following (keeping in mind that out of thousands of hits, only a meager 100 remain):

• It is a sin to perpetuate falsehood. If you are wrong about something because you did not research it, or you are forming your own conclusion, you are committing a sin. I had to delete a comment from a sister who told me that ALL MUSLIMS except “Salafis and Wahabis” worship saints and the Prophet sws.

• You do not have a right to your opinion, as a Muslim, about Islam. Allah swt has made His divine decree, and unless you’re a Sheik, you don’t even have the right to interpret it.

• There is an adaab of dawah- meaning, there is a CORRECT and POLITE way of giving dawah. I tried to exemplify this in my article by being kind and unbias towards people who did not know about Islam. Using words and examples that they would understand.

This is an example of FALSEHOOD.

• “Retard” is not pc, nor is it appropriate to use as a replacement to call someone “stupid”. I have a daughter with special needs and I was HORRIFIED that another Muslim would conduct themselves this way in public, though it’s not the only rubbish word I found on my page. When we walk out of our houses, we are examples to the non-Muslims of how one should interact with society. If you are acting like an animal in public, I’d hate to see how you act in private.

• Whether or not someone is a Muslim is between them and Allah swt. If they proclaim it, they proclaim it. This is not always the case. It is BETTER it be said that someone is a Muslim and they are not, than the contrary. So much so that if you call someone a disbeliever, you can actually be held accountable on the Day of Judgement for being the disbeliever. Of course, saying someone is not a Muslim could be different than saying they are a disbeliever. But it is NOT in the conduct of a believing man or woman to debate such a matter. We say “Allahu alum” and make duah for them.

• And finally, I have yet to understand the compulsion of Muslims to correct one another. If you read half of those comments, you will see that the MAJORITY of them are seeking to correct the post. It’s not because they seek to stop the spread of fitnah, because a lot of them have had to be deleted due to their falsehood. Its because of arrogance. This is evident in the lack of manners in most posts, but also exemplified by the “nit-picking” in which something can be loosely interpreted. This was a post to break down the barriers of misunderstanding- and yet when my brothers and sisters in Islam read it, their first inclination was to CORRECT IT.

And so I owe my non-Muslim audience an apology.

The problem is NOT you, and your misunderstanding. It is US and our fundamental misunderstanding of Islam.

It is US and our inability to unite and get along.

It is US who are hasty and mercilessly lack compassionate towards those who commit error and dare to be human.

It is US who convert people to Islam and drop them the minute they say shahada without even teaching them the fundamentals. And then criticizing them for remaining ignorant.

It is US who say on one side of our mouths that we are weary of Islamophobia and do NOTHING but criticize those who try to break it down.

It is US who misguide our followers because we are too LAZY to educate OURSELVES, and yet not too lazy to complain.

It is US who alienate those who don’t know about Islam instead of INCLUDING them.

It is US. WE are the problem. No, it is not those who don’t know- it us US. WE have access to knowledge, WE know better. WE are the ones who will answer before Allah swt.

So by all means. Before you go and make a comment on THIS article, consider if what you’re saying is helpful, truthful, unbias, loving, and contributing.

Rather than correcting, misguided, hurtful, or fitnah.

And if YOU want to combat Islamophobia, you can do ANYTHING. Talk to your friends who aren’t Muslim. Consider talking about upcoming Ramadan, casually with your coworkers at lunch. Wear Islamic clothing sometimes. Or all the time. Grow a beard and pray- and answer openly and compassionately when someone asks you. BLOG. Speak out against incorrect things in the media. Help your neighbors. Volunteer. Give dawah. Help organize a community event. ANYTHING. Just be kind and open.

May Allah swt guide us all. May Allah swt keep us on the straight path and help to guide those who have gone astray. May Allah swt keep us in the best of iman and help to bring lightness to the dark. And May Allah swt forgive me if I have said anything incorrect, Allah swt knows best, ameen.

Peace be with you.

DIY Waldorf. For poor people.

Ok, so maybe that’s not pc. We’re not called “poor people”. Maybe financially challenged. Maybe “ascribing to the poverty bracket”.

We’re perpetually broke. Welcome to parenting, right?

That is not the point of this post. The point of this post, actually, is to empower people to practice Waldorf on their own without inhibitions.

Of course, I’m being vague. A quick search of Ostheimer toys, Stockmar liquid watercolors, play silks, Waldorf playstands, birthday rings, Waldorf dolls, and anything felted will have you walking away thinking that you might need to take out a student loan just to pay for your child’s homeschooling. Think again.

I’ve done some research of Waldorf education and values, and here are the principals that I thought I’d highlight today:

• Children learn through play and exploration
• Sensory stimulation is both a form of play and education
• Imagination is integral to learning and developing as a whole human being
• Children learn life skills through working alongside us and pretending to do “real life” work
• Television and advertising are naturally toxic for children and rob them of their imagination
• Toys bought at most stores are based on entertaining a child, rather than allowing them to entertain themselves
• Routine is crucial
• Music IS math
• Self-esteem is not built through praise, but subtle recognition and independence
• Children have natural problem solving skills
• A non-moving body is a poorly one
• Ritual gives children a sense of order in a world based on the abstract concept of time which they do not understand

And I think that’s enough mind-blowing for today HA!

That being said, please, by all means, read all of these books which I gleaned FOR FREE from my library, which participates in the inter-library loan system:

They are Seven Times the Sun, Toymaking with Children, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, Well I Wonder, and Nature for the Very Young.

That is the first step to Waldorf, pobre style. Your library is your biggest asset. The minimalist in me reminds us that WE are not meant to be libraries, hoarding away books in our home that we only glance at every now and again- that is what libraries and sharing is for. Let’s share our books, and take notes if necessary.

Children’s books are necessary too, and you can also get them at the library.

The second step is to never ever ever order a Waldorf catalog unless your husband is a neurosurgeon. You will cry at the beauty and break out your credit cards. Just kidding. The second step forward is to make things.

Unhealthy consumerist behavior aside, Toymaking With Children will exemplify that you should MAKE your children’s toys. This is the very ESSENCE of Waldorf- making with your children or around them (sometimes they’re too young, like mine). Think of the difference in lessons between your child receiving a $99 Ostheimer nativity set vs them watching you whittle it from branches in the back yard. This is a piece of old fabric that I dyed with liquid watercolors to make a rainbow silk. Look how it livens up the raw backyard!

What if you’re not crafty? Learn. After all, these are lifeskills, and if you don’t learn, how are you going to teach your children? If they are grown, learn alongside them. You have nothing to be afraid of except failure- and failure helps us LEARN and GROW! What a great opportunity to realize how human you are and to teach your kids how to dust themselves off and get up again…

The third is to think objectively about what you need. This is a chipped pottery dish that I foraged at a thrift shop, along with these shells. For children, baskets (which are in abundance at most yard sales and thrift shops) full of feathers, stones (which you can even paint), shells, sea glass, interesting sticks, and other things from nature are integral to play, and lead to many imaginative games.

Art is a must. It’s part of our daily activities. But I have a tiny apartment, and was really concerned about where I would put it. SO I used some twine and some pushpins to put up some lines in the kitchen.

Notice everyone has their own little line because mom makes art alongside them.

I don’t have fancy watercolor supplies, but I do have two artists boards, masking tape to tape the edges of watercolor paper (to prevent warping when wet), and watercolors. The kids didn’t notice…

Speaking of which, here is the gluten free play dough I made for “baking”.

Dawud Wharnsby “Alhamdulilah”

The other thing I have mentioned is that we can’t exactly follow some of the ritualistic aspects of Waldorf as far as the songs and such are concerned. I found some great songs on youtube by Dawud Wharnsby Ali, and this is a watercolor with the verses on it, which I have hung in our art area. It helps both me and my oldest to begin remembering the words, so that eventually, rather than all singing and dancing along, we can play it independently. I’m currently looking to buy a duff, an Islamic drum. We have shakers and such right now. I’ve collected quite a few neat little instruments for the kids. But if I hadn’t, I would have made some.

And my absolute favorite DIY Waldorf would be our “playstand”. I live in a 720sqft apartment with 2 children. Even if we could afford Waldorf playstands, I’m not sure where I’d put them. I always have allowed the kids to build tents in the common areas with various old sheets and tapestries, but the rainbow silk I made is nice because it lets more light in. Even better, when the day is done, helping the children understand that it’s cleanup time is easier. On days we don’t make our tent, the kitchen and washer/dryer toys are readily accessible in their usual stations.

Yep. That’s our entire livingroom.

Our tv entertainment center is an old bureau, and I can’t keep the dvd player and such on this shelf because my son is Mr. Destructo, so instead, I let him keep household toys there.

Indoor clothes racks are both collapsible and cheaper.

If you use the couch, you’ve got an upstairs. This is Abe’s “room” where he is eating pizza.

Of course, there’s his babies.

Well, and aside from following along with Toymaking with Children to problem solve making Waldorf dolls and carved figures, that’s really the basics! I’ll continue to touch more on the subject as we go along!