Need a little something to help anxious and excited littles pass the pre-Halloween celebration minutes a bit more quickly? Well, you are in luck! Our friends at Sparkle Stories have a free Halloween story available for download on their website today. You can find the free, fun and not-at-all scary story by clicking here. We [...]
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One of the true joys of each season is capturing our children, our families, and our surroundings through the lens of a camera. Each season here at Rhythm of the Home we want to bring together photographers, both amateur and professional, to share the best ways to capture the light and essence of the season [...]
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Each new season brings a time to celebrate with family, with friends, with our community. Creating traditions for our children and ourselves around these special times of year helps all of us to value the present moment, and prepare for the transitions ahead. Here you will find a few simple ways that our readers are [...]
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Autumn is a perfect time for reading by an outdoor fire, or snuggling up under the covers. The following is a collection of some of our favorite books to read with your children in this beautiful season. :::::::::::: The Winding Road: Family Treasury of Poems and Verses Compiled by Matthew Barton Mother Earth and Her Children: [...]
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I’ve never been much of a city girl; yet since leaving the comfort of the quaint, New England college where I was interned for four years, I have yet to managed an escape from cities. They have followed me, and I them. Historically, my draw to the city has been my previous lines of work; [...]
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My dream is for my daughter to grow up with a confidence and conscience as a citizen of the world. To that end I have found three things – the “Magical Trio” – to be a great support in this desire. The Magical Trio consists of a globe, a Felt Continent Map, and corresponding Geography [...]
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The trees just know when to let go. Their leaves dance and thrive in the heat all summer long. Their branches sway back and forth. The cool weather comes and the trees show their bold, vibrant colors before going dormant for the winter. Then one day, after turning brown and dry, the leaves drop, and [...]
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Whether you home- or traditional-school your children, the first day of a new year of learning is an exciting milestone. Celebrate the day with a surprise – a homemade schultuete, or school cone. A German tradition since the early 19th century, school cones are given to children on the very first day of their school [...]
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Erin Goodman is one of those women who you really wish you could meet in person. Erin lives a full life, soaking everything in as she goes, and making sure that she leaves a positive impact on the world around her. Erin’s work caught our eye a while back, and we thought what better way [...]
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It’s Fall. It is the season of dying leaves and of the ancestors. Everything is winding down and moving inward. As we shift into this contraction of the seasons, there is also a move inside. We start moving inside the classroom, inside the house, inside the body. It is a time of connection and community, [...]
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Renee Tougas, of the blog FIMBY, is a woman whose life seems as authentic as they come. As a homeschooler, passionate plant based cook, and avid lover of the outdoors, Renee has cultivated a unique life path that brings and her family fulfillment, and is truly all her own. She joins us here to talk [...]
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As many of you already know, we have extended an ongoing invitation to members of the Rhythm of the Home community to share the rhythm of their own lives and families with one another through photographs posted to our Flickr group. These photographs are submitted by our readers and contributors, and are organized around themes [...]
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Autumn is a season for savoring every last taste of the harvest. It is a time when apples and figs are at their sweetest, and we gather them with joy knowing that soon the cold weather will be upon us. My first experience with figs was not until late in life, after I graduated from [...]
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When my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease last year, we expected that the landscape of our family’s relationship with food would shift. Celiac, an autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is consumed, is a genetic condition, and it runs along my husband’s side of the family. When my daughter’s [...]
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I remember as a child standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, spooning flour into a coffee cup, making cakes with my mum. Then a few years later it was my little brother doing the spooning and me doing the instructing (I am sure he would call it ‘bossing’), making the same recipe. My [...]
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Some of the seeds planted in the springtime garden are just bearing fruit for us to enjoy and share with loved ones on these crisp autumn days. Similarly, the rhythms and rituals instilled around that time have manifested into sunny memories of fleeting summer days and the time and space for true family connection and [...]
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This is a great scarf for everyday wear. Using simple crochet stitches and chunky yarn, it is perfect for keeping warm as early autumn turns to winter. This scarf can be worn wrapped snugly around your neck, making it a great accessory to a warm sweater or jacket. KEY: CH-Chain SS-Slip Stitch HDC- Half Double [...]
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Porridge is such a wonderful and nourishing comfort food on cold blustery days. My little girls love to pretend to be Daddy Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear while we cook. Incorporating food and storytelling is always a magical way to bring literature to life, and kids into the kitchen. Share with your children the [...]
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Until recently, the term “psychosomatic” has been largely associated with over-anxious patients who “create” physical symptoms in order to cope with overwhelming emotional influences. From a homeopathic perspective, it is exactly these emotional and mental states that are meant to be associated with physlcal complaints. They always exist in varying degrees and can be used [...]
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I knit this apple day by day In hopes to hold it while I play As they grow with love and care I shall knit them carefully by the pair [...]
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It begins imperceptibly. It’s dark–not just twilight–by 8:30. The sun is completely below the horizon for our after-dinner walk, rather than still floating along on the tops of our neighbors’ roofs. But before long, we won’t be outside after dinner at all. The cold, dark part of the year is slowly creeping towards us, and [...]
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When stacking firewood my husband always chants, “warms you twice,” with a smile. Obviously firewood heats you while it’s burned, but he’s also talking about that heart pumping heat your body gets while stacking. Autumn is a great time to make a twisted cord jump rope for some fun heart-pumping heat. The reward will be [...]
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Just about everybody knows the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. In short, it’s the story where Jack swaps his family cow for some magic beans. His mother admonishes him for such a foolish act, and throws the seemingly worthless beans out the window, where they grow overnight into a glorious beanstalk stretching far into [...]
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This knit set is my go to gift for babies born in the colder months. A simple quick knit for beautiful, warm protection for new little hands and heads. The mittens are thumbless since babies under one are in little need of outdoor dexterity. Hat This hat is ideal for a newborn’s first few months. [...]
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One of the earliest writing implements — and the one that dominated for the longest period in history — was the quill pen, made from a bird feather. So it’s no surprise that the word pen comes from the Latin word penna, which means “quill” or “feather.” Making a quill pen is a charming way [...]
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I grew up wandering in the woods with my dog. There were ancient apple trees on the edges of the forests around our home—overgrown from years of neglect since being planted by ‘settlers’ (as we called them) decades before. I loved the apples they yielded. Those small, hard, sour orbs—suspended much too high for us [...]
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Having spent most of my adult life as an educator, fall naturally brings to mind the beginning of a new year of teaching. This year, however, my thoughts are more along the lines of being taught. My mentor just happens to be my one-year-old daughter who began my instruction before she was even conceived. In [...]
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My family looks forward to autumn when we celebrate the cooler weather with fun traditions. We make our own Halloween costumes, head down to the local farm for a hayride, and make no-bake desserts like caramel apples and rice krispie treats. Of all the fall-themed goodies, haystacks are our favorite; they are quick, easy, and [...]
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Like most families reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, we were mesmerized and enchanted by the adventure into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. As my family closed the book for the third time on Charlie and Willy, as they’ve become known here, a litany of questions followed. “Mom, can we please jump into [...]
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This soup has become a staple in our diets in the chilly months. A thick, creamy soup full of vegetables that sticks to our ribs and warms us from the inside out. When in doubt of what to make, we frequently make this as a quick dinner for a family of three very chilly souls. [...]
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When I was first introduced to Waldorf education, perhaps one of my most favorite crafts was the wet-on-wet watercolor painting. I remember visiting the classrooms of older children as they blended these vibrant colors together to make a dream like painting come to life. When my own children reached the age of being able to [...]
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Celebrating the season’s festivals is one of the most beautiful aspects to Waldorf education, and a favorite with children as well. Here is our collection of the many of the season’s festivals (for 2011), and a few resources to help make each a cherished tradition for years to come. :::::::::::: Autumn Equinox :: September 22nd, [...]
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When my nephew turned one a few months ago, I was at a loss as to what to make him for a special gift. I had wracked my brain for something appropriate for gifting a one year old and came up with nothing. Then one day while playing in my sewing room, Hayden began playing [...]
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Baskets are a necessity in my house. With so many little toys and nicknacks that need storage, these baskets have proven to be a great alternative to my regular baskets or bins. With simple crochet stitches, they are a very quick and fun project to do during naps, or with a little one’s help. Materials Fabric yarn [...]
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Red and yellow and pink and green, Purple and orange and blue, I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too! This year I am noticing the changing colours of the seasons more than ever before, since I started painting again in January. It is as though colour was calling me, and [...]
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As Summer winds down, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief. Most people find Summer relaxing, invigorating, and free. They come alive and spend their days immersed in the vitality and life that surrounds them. I, however, find myself shutting down. It is too much of a break from the daily rhythm that flows [...]
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We took our places in the circle with the others, mid-morning light slanting through the school windows. Soon, beautiful voices lifted together in an ancient, yet recognizable, song. The hand-dyed shawl was lifted and placed over the shoulders of the four pre-pubescent girls who would be graduating from Sunday school and moving on. I was [...]
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Before my husband and I had children, we had lots of ideas about priorities, those values that would loom large in raising young people. We both believed in fostering a love of reading with our children, spending lots of time outside, and being as present as we could in their lives—which meant that family time [...]
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When I think back to my own childhood, all of my fondest memories revolve around being in the outdoors with my family. I remember camping trips to the lake where we slept in a giant tent and ate marshmallows. I recall going for bike rides, hikes, jumping in piles of leaves, and fishing as a [...]
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A needle felted chicken resting in a walnut shell nest can be a great simple gift for any chicken aficionado. Materials Needle felting supplies (needle & foam board) Small pieces of wool roving (dark grey, red, yellow, blue) Half of an empty walnut shell Approximately six inches of embroidery thread Hot glue gun Instructions Gather [...]
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When my sons began attending full day preschool last year, I found myself intimidated by the prospect of packing lunches. Such a simple act, yet somehow so very perplexing, I’m not sure why. As the year went on we fell into some sort of rhythm that seemed to work well enough for all. That seems [...]
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The perfect reward for a summer spent weeding, tending, and nurturing is the gathering of friends for a fall harvest feast. Together, we break bread to celebrate the fruit of our labors as well as the bounty and fertility of the earth. This simple knitted sleeve fits over a wine bottle to enhance a gift [...]
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Oh when does she breathe, when do her feet stop and how does she find time to simply be, enjoy, live? Walking into the cold of her rarely lived in kitchen, my heart skipped momentarily at October’s monopolized calendar, not a day free, not an unscheduled moment anywhere. Each day had an abundance of [...]
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Each year, our family celebrates the migration of Monarch butterflies. The tradition began with an email from my parents, sharing that they had seen an announcement for the annual Welcome Back the Monarchs festival at one of our favorite state parks on a trip down the coast. My husband and I have strong ties to [...]
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