Why we need to change

This young woman speaks beautifully about why we need different sorts of education.

http://americaviaerica.blogspot.com.au/p/speech.html

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2025

This is just as relevant and interesting now, as it was the first time I heard it.

Progress

Willow has been experimenting with knitted flowers.

Trying out raft making

Willow's first try at drawing a fibonacci curve.

A knitted dress, for a doll.

Gabriel has been making knitted leaf brooches for the coming market.

Finally we've been trying out paper making. 

English, Gilgamesh, Craft and Samhain

Willow has come to the end of her first english block for the  year, and has done some beautiful written pieces.  She worked on short narratives and short descriptives using the wish, wonder and surprise theme, as well as doing a week on poetry work.

Gabriel and I moved on to reading about Gilgamesh and looking at ancient Mesopotamia combined with looking at the  nine parts of speech.  There was a painting day imitating the style of Gilgamesh by Bernada Bryson.  This was Gabriel's work.

Willow was busy planning her apron, styling her pattern and measuring and putting it together so that it would fit her.  Now that the pattern is sorted, was can get some fabric, and get it started.

She's also planning another stall at city farm, and has been busy making brooches.  Gabriel's been knitting some leaves, and I've gotten onto Arden's penguin's socks.

We celebrated Samhain quietly last weekend, and Gabriel was very pleased with his Jack-o-lantern.

And finally a picture by Arden.  A swan, a pelican and a duck waiting for a train.

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2025

Gilgamesh by Bernada Bryson is such a lovely version that it's worth putting in the effort to find it.  I bought my copy of ebay.

Knitting and Thinking

This is great reading, on the importance of knitting and crafts in Steiner schools.

https://new.pyrites.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Knitting-begets-thinking.pdf

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2025

All four of my children can knit- with Irving still in the process of developing more advanced skills.  Willow had enjoyed it the most, and done the most knitting.  But the main reason that I like having everyone being able to knit, is that they have the skills to deal with minor issues in knitted clothing.  The deskilling of society into consumers instead of creators has been extremely sad IMO, and has created enormous waste.  

I was part of the generation that lost those skills that those before me had- my mum could sew and knit well, my Dad could do exceptional woodwork and had great handyman and problem solving skills.  I did learn a bunch of these from my Dad, but as we started to homeschool I was aware just how many skills I had not received to enable me to pass them down easily.  I am really grateful to say that we have reclaimed some of them.

Willow's sock knitting

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2011/03/summer-coming-to-end.html

Gabriel learning to knit.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2008/07/activities.html

Gabriel's socks.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014.html

Arden learning to knit.
https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2014/05/projects.html

Arden's socks.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2020/09/term-2-lockdown-and-winter-solstice.html