A Full Michaelmas

Today we spent a lot of time cultivating our will forces. In other words, we did a lot. From collecting horse chestnuts (really, what will we do with them all?) to making conker dragons. From kneading dough to forming our own individual dragon breads. From harvesting apples to slicing and drying, cooking and saucing. From collecting hazelnuts to... well, we had to leave something for tomorrow!

Many hands make light work, and we had a lot of fun. It was a full Michaelmas, spent manifesting, transforming, and playing together. And with Moonshine's help, I managed to take pictures.

and foot!

While browsing through Rudolf Steiner's Prayers for Parents and Children, I was jarred to see two words in the following poem, er prayer.

The sun illumines
Stone, plant, beast and man.
Our soul enlivens
Head, heart, hand and foot.

The light rejoices
When stones sparkle,
Plants bloom, beasts run,
And people work.

So should our soul rejoice
When our heart grows warm and wide,
Enlightened thoughts grow strong,
Enheartened will can work.

In Waldorf circles it's pretty common to hear the words "head, heart, hands," but this is the first time I have ever seen them followed by the words "and foot." It goes without saying that Waldorf education, or Steiner education as they call it on this side of the Atlantic, does emphasize creative movement as an educational construct. But without saying it, it remains unsaid. Unspoken. Unemphasized. In browsing through the prayers, I notice that Steiner does emphasize it. In these prayers he mentions stepping and walking fairly often, which leads me to wonder when the words "and foot" got axed from the curricular mantra and why.

Here's a funny and brilliant TED video that reminds us to put the and foot back in education, embrace creativity, and make mistakes.



Thanks to my very dear friend MoxyJane for sharing it with me!