Advent spirals...and birthday cookies

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It was Oscar's birthday party today and rather than stress myself out trapising round looking for some cheap plastic tat to buy, i thought that we'd bake some cookies. This solved the problem of what to do for the morning after we put Ghin to bed as well as the present. It was also free as we had all the ingredients with us.


It turned out quite well and for the wrapping we recycled kite paper, some tissue paper and used some wool which i had got last year for making the flower children - what a disaster that was!!!


Oisin then wrote Oscar's birthday card and it was the first time he wrote a whole card out on his own - with me prompting him for spelling of course. Bearing in mind that since my pathetic attempt to teach him how to write in Singapore we had NOT done any writing work at home, this was pretty incredible. It is proof that the Steiner system works...




Finally, we cleaned up - and Oisin licked all the icing sugar off the table. What can you do? I wasn't about to stop him now, was i?

A picture update and to say that i'm now doing a blog for Oisin's class. If you want to see what the Steiner Class One students get up to please go to www.holywoodsteiner-classone.blogspot.com. There are some nice pictures of the Advent spiral there and other stuff that the school gets up to at this time of the year.


The Advent spirals' centre piece.


A paua shell used as part of the decoration to create a glimmering underworld filled with treasure as the earth sleeps.


One of the older boys participating in the ceremony voluntarily.

I cannot say what is best about the fact that it is a Steiner school, but the community comes a pretty good first. In a world that is increasingly atomised and broken, this weekend has filled me with hope. From buying my vegetables in John's farm, to the advent wreath making, the spiral walk, of course...it has been touched with a beauty, a gentleness which has opened up to me. It's a more civilised pace of life. One which means that i'm not too tired to play trains with the boys. Or bake cookies. Life isn't a quick fix which money has all the solutions to. It is like a vintage that gets better with the time to appreciate it.

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