Oral Storytelling

Storytelling in the oral tradition is one of the most beautiful and distinctive parts of Steiner-Waldorf early childhood.

As human beings oral storytelling is deeply woven through our history, our ancestors told stories as rights of passage, for comfort, for healing, for socialisation. Eventually this evolved and with the dawn of the printing press books became more widespread and reading became popular , families gathering in one room to listen to a reader.

Listening to stories holds such magic, such mystery and connection, and stories told to children in the oral tradition can bring to life and idea, can help children heal from trauma or upset and can fuel the imagination.

Oral storytelling at home can look very different to a kindergarten space, with sometimes lone children, the tendency to just sit and watch without peers there can be too much. If you are wanting to tell stories at home here are a couple of tips to make it a stress free experience for you and your child.

🌈 Start small, if storytelling is new to you and your child, start with stories you know, this could be retelling a favourite book with some selected toys as props or retell a simple walk to the shop of trip to the park.

🌈Make it a show! The unveiling of a story is so fun! Allow your child to feel the excitement of what is below a piece of silk. Add a cushion for sitting on.

🌈Add some songs, don’t have any or cannot think of any telling a story about a farm, sing old McDonald.

🌈Tell it on your lap. Especially great for younger children who love to sit close

🌈Allow children to become involved, younger children may find it more difficult to resist holding objects, you can always place a toy on their cushion too so they feel involved.

🌈Don’t sweat about it, you are not auditioning for the Royal Shakespeare Company, you are bringing joy to your child who thinks you are the centre of their world anyway, if you make a mistake or forget where you are, take the thought train in a different direction.

🌈Use what you have to hand plants and rocks from outside

🌈Leave it out for play, can you see what happens when you do? ⬆️ I got a little show this morning.

Happy storytelling 😊

Grass Doll

So I usually pick bunches of flowers on our walks, but today, we went back to the grassy field we visited yesterday for a pre-dinner walk and I thought I would make a dolly for the little one.

These dolls are easy to make and this time of year when the grass is long, strong and supple is perfect.

To make your dolly, gather a large bunch of grass, pull from the roots, tip it upside down so the tops form a skirt, decided where the head will be then start wrapping the grass around that point in the stem to make a ball. When you get the the end of your grass, take a few new pieces of grass and wrap them around the ball securing by weaving the ends back into the head. I wrapped a leaf around the head for a smooth face.

Now make the arms, take a few bunches of grass, place the middle of the grass cross ways over the body of the dolly, bend over where the end of the arm will be and use one of the arm strands of grass to wrap around the wrist and secure. Repeat with the other side, any length of grass that is left sticking out at the middle wrap around below the arms to form a waist.

Now take two or three strands of grass and wrap over the shoulder and under the waist, then over the opposite shoulder and under the waist, repeat wrapping in an x oattern, tucking the ends in to secure. Finally make a bodice wrapping some grass around the waist with the ends facing up, I also added some elderflower!

Faith and Science

Making a solar system, science, creation and faith.

The will and desire to create is inbuilt within us as human beings. From the sandcastles of childhood to the buildings of the world, the smallest green space sown and nurtured to fruitfulness with loving hands, to the babes in arms created in love. Creation is miraculous. The millions of circumstances which have enabled us to be here, are so small, it’s a miracle we are all here at all.

It’s a surprise to some, when as someone deeply religious, I explain that I welcome science. I embrace all that science can show us - can bring us closer to that glimpse of the act of creation that got us here. To the God I believe in.

The Catholic Church sees Religion and Science as two complimentary halves of the same coin, many important theories in the evolution of this world, of the universe have been discovered and pioneered by Catholic scientists and Priests.

The Big Bang theory, the work of Belgian Cosmologist Fr Georges Lemaître, Heliocentricism, (the theory that that earth revolves around the sun) the work of Canon Nicolaus Copernicus. Gregor Mendel an Augustinian Friar founded genetics…the term recessive and dominant is all down to him. Blessed Nicolas Steno, made important contributions to our understanding of anatomy and is considered the father of the study of fossils. Moon Mapping pioneered by Jesuit priests means over 30 craters are named after them and saints on the Moon.

My 13 year old has become so absorbed in space and physics, he has decided to study the solar system so we dedicate our Sunday afternoons to talking about space, to making models of the solar system using card, paper and mod rock. The mind at 13 is one which revels in the scientific thinking, for a while now my son thinks about things in new and discerning ways. He is a brilliant debater and his passion, energy and conviction is so apparent. Inevitably with the dawn of all the complexities and mysteries of the universe before him, he is questioning his faith and it’s place in this world and I love giving him the information he needs to guide him to discover these truths for himself, in his own journey.

This is the world and spirituality opening up to him in all its complexity and glory and I am in awe of it.

A great resource for parents who want to explore science and faith in a complimentary way is ‘The Search’ documentary on @formedcatholic , cannot recommend enough, ‘Particles of Faith’ by @stacy.trasancos is a great book, and ‘Centered’ by @bishopbarron