Inspiring Blogs: People I actually know!

Continuing my series on "Inspiring Blogs", here are a few awesome blogs that don't fit into any particular category, except that I know all of these people in "real time" and not just virtually.: ) I hope you will find them just as inspiring as I do!

Just click on the titles of the blogs to go straight to them.

Playfull

Troy is one of the most playful people I have ever met. With Godly Play in his background, he takes the discussion of what it means to "play" further in this blog. Several philosophers and theologians in the 20th and 21st centuries have argued that the ability to play is part of what makes us human. (Take that Thomas Aquinas! It's not all about reason!!) You'll be encouraged and have a lot to playfully ponder as you read Troy's thoughts.

Shared From Way Over Here

Jenni is a former colleague of mine who along with her husband runs a hospitality center in Portugal. On her blog, she shares about interior decorating, crafting, sewing, homeschooling and living abroad. Maybe someday I'll talk her into coming and decorating my home for me!

Amazing & Amusing

I've written about Asmic's blog and linked to her quite a bit in the past. We met many years ago in her native Uzbekistan and have remained friends ever since. Her blog is aptly titled, because she never ceases to amaze me with her energy and creativity. Asmic writes about her adventures with her three boys and the other children in her life - anything that she finds amazing and amusing.

Lark & Bloom

I had the privilege of observing Liz as a third culture kid growing up in Siberia, and her Dad was my boss for many years. She has a quirky and witty writing style that will keep you in stitches as she muses over life, parenthood and faith. 

Be sure to catch these other "Inspiring Blogs" entries:

Inspiring Montessori Blogs
Inspiring Nature & Waldorf Blogs
Inspiring Art Blogs

Inspiring Art Blogs

Hi everyone, We're back to Berlin for good now and school has started! It's been a rough week for blogging, because in addition to my kids starting school, I've had to get my own lesson plans together. Shakespeare with my sixth graders, Greek myths with my fourth and fifth graders - it should be a fun year.: ) 

My next entry in the "Inspiring Blogs" series is about inspiring art blogs. Hope you enjoy making some new friends!

That Artist Woman, Art Projects for Kids, Deep Space Sparkle

You may already know these great blogs from my side bar and previous posts. Gail, Kathy and Patty, respectively, have deeply enriched my knowledge of how to teach art. These blogs are great go-to places for art project ideas that have been tested on their art students. That Artist Woman has also introduced me to new and interesting techniques. 

The Art of Education

This ingenious blog talks about a topic that many art teachers avoid: the organizational side of art. Just what do you do with those 150 clay sculptures that the second grade made last year? And how do you get the right supplies when your budget is really tight? 

Even if you are not an art teacher, you can benefit from the conversations going on in at this website. And as a Godly Play teacher, the art materials may not be your forte. Here you can get some really helpful tips about how to have the children clean those paint brushes in an orderly manner or how to set up your art shelves.  

Floridacreate

Jane's blog combines her love of nature, children and art. I love to read about her projects with children as well as her own creative journey that she documents in her blog.

Mini Matisse

How could you not like a blog with a name as cool as "Mini Matisse"? Named after her daughter, art educator Mrs. Hahn writes about art adventures at home as well as with her elementary students at school. 

Sharon Tomlinson

Sharon is a multi-media artist. She chronicles her projects in this blog as well as musing on life and being retired. It is refreshing to hear her thoughts about her stage of life and see her continued development as an artist.

Artsy Ants

Sylvia and Simona are two creative sisters and moms who live on two continents, but stay connected through their creative endeavours. They have lots of fun ideas that can be used at home or in the classroom. 

Stay tuned for my final entry:  "Inspiring Blogs of People I actually know!"

Don't miss these entries:

Inspiring Montessori Blogs

Inspiring Nature & Waldorf Blogs

Inspiring Nature & Waldorf blogs

We're back in Berlin, but not for long! Tomorrow, we fly to Budapest for a conference. There's not much time to blog, but I am trying to get a few posts in here and there.

This is the second installment in my "Inspiring Blogs" series. Today, I'd like to highlight some of my favorite Nature and Waldorf-inspired blogs. I draw insight, ideas and inspiration from each of these wonderful ladies that I use both at church and in the classroom.

Naturkinder

If you don't know Caroline's blog (her name is pronounced "Car - oh- lee -neh" in German), you are missing out! She started and leads a nature group for children in Bavaria, and writes about their forays into the forest to discover the natural world. Caroline is also very creative and has tons of ideas - from cooking to crafting - to help children cultivate a respect and love for the world around them. She writes in both German and English for her international audience.

Like Mama - Like Daughter

Hannah runs a daycare with her mother out of her home in central West Virginia, but it's no ordinary daycare. These lucky children have the joy of learning to live a green lifestyle and explore nature on a daily basis. For green-living ideas and nature education with children, this is the place to tune-in! 

The Parenting Passageway

Carrie is a home-schooling Mom in my native state of Georgia who writes about the motivation and why's behind Waldorf-inspired homeschooling. I have especially benefited from Carrie's posts about child development. Unlike many blogs that rely on good photographs, Carrie's blog just relies on good quality writing. I also appreciate that she is also always very thoughtful and respectful in her approach, rather than being preachy. 

Frontier Dreams

Nicole writes about her daily life in her Waldorf-inspired home. Her pictures are breath-taking and her ideas are lovely.

The Magic Onions

Donnie's blog is full of seasonal craft ideas to help children embrace the rhythm of the natural world. She also hosts a series on Thursdays called "Discovering Waldorf", which explains some key principles of Waldorf education.

Marghanita

Marghanita is an artist, children's author and nature-art teacher in Canada. She also writes a great deal about the benefits of outdoor play for the modern child.

Bending Birches

Rebecca's blog chronicles her journey in becoming a Waldorf teacher and running a Waldorf-inspired daycare in her home. 

Be sure to check out my lists of inspiring Montessori blogs and Godly Play / CoGS blogs, too!

Coming up: Inspiring art blogs and inspiring blogs from people that I know in "real time" (not just virtually!)

Godly Play Film in English

Hi Everyone! We just returned from a relaxing week in Wimberley, TX. Hopefully, I will soon have some pictures for you of our time in the States.

After months of long, hard work, the film by Godly Play Germany is now available in English! I was responsible for the English translation, and received loads of help from Rachel McIntyre, Helen Spencer,  David Pritchard, and Martin Steinhäuser.

Martin premiered the English version at the recent Godly Play North America Conference in Toronto, where it was well-received by the Godly Play community. Please take a look! You may be surprised and inspired at some of the ways we are able to use Godly Play in Germany.

Inspiring Montessori Blogs

Well, we're in Georgia now and having a great time with grandparents, but I haven't had regular internet access, so the posting is a going a little slower. Here's something I wrote last week. Hope you enjoy it!

If you click on "Godly Play" in my overhead bar, you can see my favorite blogs about Montessori-based religious education. But you may not know that I follow A LOT of other blogs as well! Over the summer I'd like to toot some other people's horns and share some favorite blogs on various topics. I'll start with inspiring Montessori blogs.

Living Montessori Now
Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher, who in turn homeschooled her own children using Montessori principles. Her blog is chock full of ideas about every theme/subject imaginable, but my favorite posts are when she writes about the principles and philosophy behind the mechanics of Montessori.

We Don't Need no Education

It's funny, I don't actually know this blogger-mom's real name, but her kids (Michelle, DJ and Ken) are part of my daily life, because I read about their homeschool adventures each day. Their appetite for learning is contagious and proof that Montessori really works. This mom also has another equally good blog called Think.Create.Explore.

DJ working with some math materials.

What DID we do all day?
Andrea's blog is a journal of her homeschooling experience with her two boys. If you want to learn to practically use Montessori within a homeschool context, this is the place to do it. I am continually amazed at the thoroughness in which she teaches each subject and the diligence with which she makes materials.



The Hands-On Homeschooler 
(formerly Montessori Tidbits)

Leann and I "met" through Karen Tyler's on-line Montessori course. She also has wonderful ideas about how to use Montessori principles at home. She also wrote one of my most popular posts about a Montessori-inspired prayer chart.

 

Leptir
Nataša is a Montessori teacher in Croatia. She hasn't been writing regularly in the past year, but her blog is nevertheless a wealth of information and ideas about the Montessori classroom. She inspired me to start trying tray ideas for my own children and the children I work with.

Kids Talk with Maren Schmidt

This lady is a Montessorian who writes about child development and parenting. I so wish I had known about her when my own children were smaller. You'll find lots of ideas for both at home and classroom settings.

Maren Schmidt

Coming soon: Nature and Waldorf-inspired blogs!

More Sacred Spaces for Children

Summer vacation finally arrived in Berlin, and we're using it to spend some extra time in the US. We arrived in Houston, TX this week and are enjoying family, friends and great Tex-Mex cuisine! On Saturday, we visited Ecclesia Church where we have some connections through an old college friendship. 

I immediately fell in love with the sacred space that this church has created for their children and just have to share it with you! Inspired by Godly Play, Montessori and Waldorf principles, the space is crafted with a sensitive understanding of how children spend time with God and how it differs from the ways that adults spend time with God.

In the main hall before you even enter the children's areas, there is a "Family Worship" area with stations for children and parents to reflect and worship together in a meditative way. This month's theme was "The Great Family", the family of Abraham and Sarah, from who the Jewish people and the Christian church ultimately came from. 

One of the stations that you can see below was called the "Family Tree". Small square pieces of paper with an outline of a head and shoulders were provided. Children and parents were encouraged to draw themselves and something that makes them special and place it on the table with other members of the family. 

"The Great Family" is, of course, a foundational story in the Godly Play curriculum that deals with the existential question of identity. What a wonderful way to help children consider this question for themselves!

Let's move on to the elementary area, where I spent most of my visit, since my own children are elementary students. Below you can see one of the storytelling areas, which is a tent. When a story is being told, the tent curtains are closed. There are obviously parallels with the "Tent of Meeting" in the Old Testament. Absolutely brilliant! 

We heard the Godly Play story of Jacob, an enrichment story that continues the narrative of "The Great Family". Below you can see the focus table in the tent with a Waldorf-inspired chalk drawing.

The church is located in an old factory, and the children's spaces are very large rooms that are divided into stations. Definitely has a Reggio feel to it. There was no way to take a panoramic view of the room with my iPhone, so hopefully the picture below will give you enough of an idea of what it is like. In the very back of the room are neatly labelled shelves with art supplies and tables for the children to work at. In the foreground, you can see a reading station. The long black strip is a chalk station for making chalk drawings.

Other stations included a Montessori-like work station with tools for constructing things. There were storage bins so that the children could continue their projects over several weeks. 

My daughter is at a prayer station below. She is at a table with wooden figures and wood shavings. A table next to it has colored pencils and paper.

I also made it a point to visit the preschool area which is also a large room divided into three main sections. The children start out in an area designed for free and imaginative play that you can see below.

This is another view of the play area. Notice the play silks and dress-up materials.

The second section is a Response Time area with art supplies and nature materials. Below you can see a tray with soil and then natural objects such as pine cones in baskets to play and create with. 

The third section was the storytelling area which also had a tent just like in the elementary area. I was told that they are also working on shelving, so that the children have more Godly Play stories to work with during Response Time.

This is me with Kathy and Amanda who worked so hard to create these loving and respectful spaces for the children. May God continue to bless their work and the children in their care!

Godly Play: St. Columba

Today, we heard the story of St. Columba from Godly Play: Volume 7. The character of Columba has always fascinated me. First, he was part of the movement of Irish monasticism that "saved civilization" during the Dark Ages. Secondly, he made a huge mistake out of anger as a young man that cost many lives, but rather than being defeated by it, he lived out forgiveness and went on to help many others. Thirdly, his monastic community at Iona produced beautiful illuminated books, including the famous Book of Kells.

This Godly Play story starts out by saying that Columba means "the dove" and that it was said of him that he was loving to all. However, he hadn't always been that way. 

Through his arrogance over a book, many people were killed in an infamous battle. Columba decided to spend his life telling others of God's forgiveness and warning them about the danger of anger.

At the end of his life, he knew that "those who seek the Lord lack no thing", and had helped many people. 

My children were excited about this story, because they have actually seen the Book of Kells, which is now in Dublin. My son asked me to show him how to draw a Celtic knot during our Response Time. I showed him a simple way to do it and he drew the picture below. He figured out how to do the Trinity circular knot all by himself without my help. I love the little animal in the picture. The illuminated letters are supposed to say "God" in German, but he accidentally left off the second "t". Didn't have the heart to tell him, because it is such an amazing picture.: )