wishing you

Photo by Allison Toth, from the Holiday Traditions Exchange 2007 Flickr group

Did you hear my sigh of contentment? The pattern layouts are done, the house is clean, and the etsy gift shopping is done. I finally had a chance to leisurely peruse all of the lovely photos you've been uploading to the Holiday Traditions Exchange flickr group - and I have to say, you went all out! What lovely decorations, and what incredible packaging! Check out this one from Christie:

Can you see the wax seal on that envelope? Brilliant! And the child's apron? Too adorable. Thanks to all who have shared photos of your creations.

Speaking of your creations - for those of you who have made Reading Pillows or Mei Tais, please upload your photos to the Montessori By Hand Patterns flickr group! It's a fantastic resource for others who are making the patterns - your use of fabrics, etc. can serve as great inspiration. I know tons of you have purchased one or both of the patterns, but the group looks a little sparse right now - let's spiff it up and send some love its way!

Ahhh ... I'm still sighing. The winds of this happy sigh are carrying me to the kitchen, where something sweet will emerge in about an hour.

Christmas music? Check. Emmeline Apron version #1? Check. All is good.

xo,
Meg

paper clip ice skates

wool + embroidery floss + cotton ball + paper clips

I first came across these little bitties during my Montessori training course. It was love at first sight, I tell you! They've been a seasonal staple in my classroom ever since.

You will need to pre-cut the wool or felt "booties" and provide all of the necessary materials, including an easy-to-use needle threader (available at Michael Olaf.) Obviously, this is a rather advanced sewing activity and only children who have mastered the more simple sewing materials should be introduced to the ice skates.

What, you say? You aren't six years old and you still want to make paper clip ice skates as tree ornaments? No matter! I'm already twenty years past my prime, and I'm still as giddy about them as any kindergartener.

Oh ... and, if you are in Group 11 for the holiday ornament swap, don't go making yourself a whole set. Surprise! You're all getting paper clip ice skate ornaments!

xo,
Meg

holiday traditions exchange is officially closed!

***Update: All of the swap partner emails have been sent out (whew!) If you haven't heard from me, send an email to montessorirevolution(at)gmail.com.***

I will begin sending out swap partner emails tonight, but might not get through the whole list of participants until Wednesday - there are 210 of you, after all!

I must admit - it feels quite odd publishing a post without a picture. This is a self-conscious, naked little post, running hither and thither looking for some pretty photographic foliage with which to cover up. ;)

Have a happy Monday,
Meg

holiday traditions exchange 2007

I couldn’t help myself. I have no self-control. I tried and tried and tried. But I just couldn’t wait.

I broke out the holiday music.

I know, I know … I haven’t even given Halloween and Thanksgiving their due respect. I never have, really. I am that zealot who lobbies for tree decoration as soon as I’m finished with my third piece of pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner.

I feel this way because as a child, my family’s holiday traditions were plentiful and cherished. Of course I enjoyed the stockings and the presents – but looking back, it’s not the presents I remember. It’s the feeling I got during that time of year. The warming smell of gingerbread drifting from the kitchen. The songs sung while decorating the house. Drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows out of my special Christmas mug. Traipsing about in the woods with my dad in search of the tallest blue spruce – one that would barely fit in our house and would be sure to elicit eye-rolls and grumbles from my mother, a fan of the short and stocky tree.

As I consider the source of this wonderful feeling, I understand that it originates with my family’s own small, yet meaningful traditions – not with the decorations at the strip mall, not with those “feel cozy and buy this thing you don’t need” holiday commercials, and not even with the opening of gifts, lovely though they may be.

So I wonder … how do other families experience the holidays? How do they nurture that warm, holiday feeling? How do they make it special for their own children?

Let’s find out! Sign up for the first annual Holiday Traditions Exchange!

The Holiday Traditions Exchange is a swap that will incorporate craft, cultural sharing, and thoughtful reflection about what the holidays mean to your family. It’s an opportunity to celebrate all that is non-commercial in this holiday season – and an opportunity to adopt a new, fun tradition for your family’s holiday repertoire. Here’s what you have to do:

Let me know you want to participate. I will pair you with one swap partner. You will send your package to your partner, and this same partner will send a package to you. Hopefully, you will make a new friend in the process!

To your partner, you will send:

1.) One handmade holiday decoration. Decorations made from any kind of medium are acceptable – from fabric to yarn, paper to paint.

2.) Your favorite holiday recipe.

3.) A “Tradition” Tutorial. This is description of one of your family’s special holiday traditions. If needed, you should provide step by step instructions. (For example, if your family makes graham cracker candy houses each year, you would provide more concrete instructions.) You might also consider sending along a couple of photos of the tradition in action.

In addition, you could send a mix CD of your favorite holiday tunes, or a special book that is a seasonal classic in your family. Feel free to go above and beyond the three requirements, but please don’t skip! When putting together your package, think about the kind of package you would like to receive. The backbone of this whole exchange is that it should be meaningful and come from that tender place close to your heart.

Are you in?? Send me an email at montessorirevolution@gmail.com with the subject Holiday Traditions Exchange 2007. No need to include your mailing address – once you receive your partner’s name, you can exchange your address with them directly.

The sign up deadline is Sunday, November 11^th. Soon thereafter, you will receive an email from me with your partner’s name. It is then your responsibility to contact your partner, introduce yourself, and exchange mailing addresses.

Packages must be sent out by Monday, December 10^th. If you are sending internationally, you might want to aim for an earlier mailing date. But wait!!! Before sending your package, be sure to take pics and post them to the Holiday Traditions Exchange 2007 Flickr Group!

I look forward to your emails, and I sincerely hope that this exchange will, in some way, make your holiday season a little merrier!

xo,

Meg

P.S. You can place the Holiday Traditions Exchange button in your sidebar by copying the following HTML code:

<a href="http://www.montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/10/holiday-traditions-exchange-2007.html"><img alt="holidaytraditions2007button copia /" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/1794694949_43cea59348_o.jpg" height="146" width="150" /></a>

the lucky number and a heidi headband hiatus

Thanks for all of your comments! I used a this random number generator to pick the lucky lady, and the winner this time is ...

COMMENT #3! So Theresa, could you send me your mailing address when you get a chance? Felicidades, as we say down here south of the border. You can expect a package of handmade goodness by the end of August!

I took a few minutes today to make some of Amy's "Heidi Headbands" from Bend the Rules Sewing.

This one is for a six-year-old, so I added elastic instead of a twill tape tie so she can manage it without help from an adult.

Both the dog and the mushroom ribbon are from Reprodepot.

These are so quick and fun to make! Just sing Zippidy-doo-dah a few times and you'll be finished. (Okay, so I guess you'd have to sing it about 30 times.) May I suggest some other music instead? We just discovered Annet Louisan, a German singer whose music is relaxing in an "I'm-hanging-out-in-a-French-cafe" sort of way. Perfect for crafting, and perfect for adding to your world music curriculum!

My reading pillow has been getting some action, as well. Thinking about making your own? Be sure to sign up for my mailing list in the side bar! You'll be the first to know when the pattern becomes available!

Ta ta for now,
Meg

Mexico Findings and Miniature Object Swap

We're back from our whirlwind trip to Mexico City. Hope you enjoyed the pics! Here's a few classroom goods that I picked up at various markets around the city. If you ever find yourself in the there, be sure to check out the Coyoacan and Lagunilla markets on Saturdays and Sundays.Click on the picture to enlarge. I found some great children's outfits, along with THE BEST child-sized sombrero, for my continent-classified clothing/dress up. The girl's dress is hand-embroidered in typical southern Mexico style. And a mini woven poncho for boys! Other knick-knacks are: two sets of small pitchers for pouring exercises, a hand-painted seed shaker (traditional percussion instrument,) a blue tile tray and matching set of small bowls for spooning, a collection of miniature food made from painted clay for use in sound games, a few baskets, an Aztec clay flute from Teotihuacan, a few small spoons, and a traditional doll for the North America continent box.

We zoomed around at lightening speed through the markets and historic sites ... not to mention trying to keep up with the night life of our single friends! At 26, Patrick and I are old and married, and not used to crazy dancing. I think I'll spend the next few days sleeping. Ha! If only. I have parent/teacher conferences in the afternoons until the end of May. Material making is going tortoise-speed.

In the meantime, I thought I'd organize another swap. Our last swap is over -- all of the packages have been mailed off. Please allow 4-6 weeks delivery time, as your package might be arriving from overseas. Thanks to all who participated, and I hope you enjoy your ethnic children's clothing!

The theme for this swap will be Miniature Objects for Sound Analysis.

Here are the rules of engagement:

1.) Each participant needs to email me by Sunday, May 20 at montessorirevolution(at)gmail(dot)com and give me the following information:
a.) the mailing address where you wish to receive your package. This could be your home address, your school's, or a post office box.

2.) By Tuesday, May 22, you will receive an email from me letting you know where you will be sending your package. You will be sending one package to one person - postage could be international, so keep this in mind if you want to participate.

3.) Prepare your package.
a.) Send 5 miniature objects that can be used for Sound Games to your swap partner. Please, avoid plastic unless the object is super cool. The objects can be former key chains, doll house furniture/items, hand-made, blown glass, clay, etc. Use your imagination!
b.) Include a short note in the package introducing yourself, your Montessori background, school, family, etc.

4.) Send your package by June 2. In exchange, you will be receiving your own package shortly from another Montessorian.

5.) Email me and let me know that you have mailed your package! This will allow me to monitor who should be receiving a package when, and will help the sender know when to check on their sent package to see if it could have gotten misplaced en route.

Okay, y'all ... fill up my inbox! This is an easy and fun swap, so I expect a lot of participants!

Peace,
Meg

Let's Swap!

A little while back I had a wonderful interchange with one of my readers in Japan. We decided that we were going to do a little materials swap - I would send her some miniatures and other lovely things that can be found here in Mexico, and she would send me some items for the Japanese tea ceremony. (I have in mind to set up a tea preparation material for practical life.)

Why don't we start a bit of a swap tradition? Every two months or so, let's pick a swap category and have an exchange with another Montessorian in a different part of the world.

This month's swap category will be ethnic/cultural children's clothing.

One of my (gazillion) little projects is collecting ethnic children's clothing from around the world. Here I have a silk robe, parasol, shoes, and hat from China:



I use this clothing as part of the cultural areas/geography curriculum. Along with the photos and object boxes of each continent, I make available an outfit, hat, shoes, etc. from that same continent. These are changed with some frequency to renew interest and to showcase clothing from many different cultures from within the continent.

**********************************************************************************

Here's how the swap will work:

1.) Each participant needs to email me by Saturday, April 21st at montessorirevolution(at)gmail(dot)com and give me the following information
a.) your location
b.) the kind of ethnic clothing you can offer. Live in the US? Have access to authentic African clothing? That's great - so your location might not correspond with your clothing.
c.) the size clothing you wish to receive (i.e. for a six year-old if you are teaching in a Children's House, larger if elementary)
d.) the mailing address where you wish to receive your package. This could be your home address, your school's, or a post office box.

2.) On Sunday, April 22, you will receive an email from me letting you know where you will be sending your package. You will be sending one package to one person - postage could be international, so keep this in mind if you want to participate.

3.) Prepare your package.
a.) Please include a main piece of clothing such as a dress or shirt. If the clothing is gender-specific, please include something for both a boy and a girl. We don't want just cute girl's clothing, folks!
b.) Also, please feel free to include ethnic accessories such as, but not limited to, necklaces, hats, shoes, bags, jewelry, etc.
c.) Do some research! Include in the package a note to the recipient, letting them know the country where the clothing originated and some interesting facts about it. For example, if you are sending a piece of African clothing made with batik fabric, tell a bit about how batik is made. Are there symbols on the clothing? What do they mean? You can learn a lot by researching ethnic clothing and style.

4.) Send your package by May 15th. in exchange, you will be receiving your own package shortly from another Montessorian.

5.) Email me and let me know that you have mailed your package! This will allow me to monitor who should be receiving a package when, and will help the sender know when to check on their sent package to see if it could have gotten misplaced en route.

***********************************************************************************

How's that sound? It should be a lot of fun, and if we pull of this swap with flying colors, topics for future swaps are numerous! I look forward to your emails indicating your desire to participate!

Peace,
Meg