Here are some pictures I’ve taken the last few weeks from our Rainbow Bridge class at the Eugene Waldorf School, which I’ve written about here quite a few times before, as our time there always brings new inspirations.

 Bracken with our teacher, Ms. Marion.

 Catching Bracken in a spacey moment of reverie before we left class and headed outside to the playground.

 This week he wore his bear hoodie to class.

 An autumn inspired doll. I love her bonnet and cape. 

She goes very well with the pumpkin in the center of the table.

 All  those dolls sitting on the table are inspiration for our handwork projects right now.

 We’re making dolls. I chose a flower print for the body. I’m making a grandmother. They had fun fibers to choose from for the hair and I loved this grey goat fiber with curls. My little doll is going to have an updo, but I’m still sewing the hair to her head before I pull the rest of it up. 

I love the handwork projects during our classes.

 We’ve been singing a song in class lately, called Yellow the Bracken. Of course we were really excited the first time we sang it because it has Bracken’s name in it. It’s a really beautiful song and it’s been stuck in my head all the time. Ms. Marion gave us a copy to bring home. (I learned how to read music when I was young, but have since forgotten and keep forgetting the melody to this song.) I tried to find a video online to share here so you could hear it (and to remind me of the melody), but I didn’t find one. The songs we sing in class change season to season and our autumn songs lately have been filled with pumpkins, apple trees, hazelnut trees, falling leaves and other such fall things. Bracken will often request songs over and over when we get home.

In class on Tuesday, Ms. Marion brought up a topic during snack time. She talked about Rudolph Steiner’s ideas about children taking vital force from their parents. That the younger the child, the more physical energy they take from their parents. Then she talked about ways to regenerate and build that energy back up. She mentioned three ways. First, spending time in nature. Second, creating artwork and making things with your hands. Third, music and most especially making music yourself. 

I’ve certainly found truth in that. All of those things really fill me up. She spoke about how important it is to take the time to fill yourself back up so that you have energy to give to your children. How it’s best for ourselves, our children, and everyone when we do. It was a good reminder and her words have stayed with me.