Olympiad

Did you know that every year, seven (?) fifth grade classes from Waldorf schools all around the Pacific Northwest gather to experience what it may have been like to participate and compete in the Olympiad in ancient Greece. I didn’t know either. And by the way, this is not limited to our region. This event takes place all around the world.
Dressed in tunics, decorated with color coordinated cloth, led by kings and queens, hosts carrying flags, the children spent the day throwing the javelin, the discus, wrestling, sprinting and jumping under the watchful eyes of the high priests, who judged them by strength, willingness, grace, and beauty.
There is no a way that we grown-ups can experience what it may have been like for these children. It must have been awesome!

Daffodil

We send out a newsletter once a month to about 1600 e-mail addresses. We can see how many people receive it, open it, even click a link, etc But we don't know if anyone reads any of it. Not so with the latest one!
We challenged our readers to send us a missing line to a children's poem:

Spring is here said the bumblebee,
how do you know said the old oak tree,
.................missing line..........................
dancing with the fairies on the windy hill.

To my surprise, the e-mails began coming in almost instantly. We currently have 40 responses!
So - not only are our friends reading the monthly e-mail, but they also take the time to respond!
Thank you
Roland

Writers block

The notion of writer block has been on my mind as of late. How long has writer block in existence? How many a writer has been plagued by the void of non-creativity that forms in the mind? Did Ovid stop and say, "I have no idea how I am going to make this work!" while he was constructing Metamorphosis? Was Dante's vision of the Inferno or Purgatory or Paradise tainted by the absence of a vision all together? As the ancient author of the Epic of Gilgamesh chiseled his words into stone, was his hammer stayed by the lack of anything more to say? I can only hope so. That way there will at least be some hope for me. If this discussion of not being able to think of anything to say is any indication, you should be able to tell that I have writers block. So, for lack of anything else to write, I decided to write about how I have nothing to write about. Except I am now writing about something, thus creating a paradox of epic proportions: writers block was the solution to writers block.

Happy Birthday

It has been a busy week at the Fairhaven Toy Garden: A field trip, a felting work shop, and finally a birthday party!

Amazing how five seven year old children can brighten the day for so many: all the pedestrians, dreading the rain, surprised by the laughter and joy of the group running through Fairhaven on their treasure hunt; the customers and shop owners wondering what they are looking for; the customers at the Fairhaven Toy Garden noticing the patience and focus of the children while they strung the carefully chosen beads into a necklace; and us, the grown ups, keeping an eye on the girls as they celebrate and share in freedom and peace!

Happy Birthday Lillian

The Incantation

Get up, give rise, must open your eyes.
Three of a kind must make your mind
This evening dawns to spawn surprise.

Beneath your surfaces cunning lies
Make friends or foes, what will you find
Get up, give rise, must open your eyes

In your minds curiosity cries
Never forget to always be kind
This evening dawns to spawn surprise

Do make your mischief but tell no lies
Even when a step ahead or a step behind
Get up, give rise, must open your eyes

As lands rise up and their water dries
You have your gears now make them grind
The evening dawns to spawn surprise

Living and giving is an ultimate prize
If you trouble a friend be sure they don’t mind
Get up, give rise, must open your eyes
The evening dawns to spawn surprise.

Field Trip to our store

I never thought that we would host twenty five second graders on a field trip! But sure enough, right on time, they filed into our store single line, with wide open eyes, full of excitement about what they might encounter on their journey to the Fairhaven Toy Garden.
They have learned about spinning, rolling, and balancing and that many toys use those motions. The children presented to us three toys that they made: a car that rolls, a top that spins, and a sculpture that balances.
Wonderful!
After a short demo of some spinning, rolling, and balancing toys that we carry, they engaged in some focused research work: Trying out a top, rearranging the train set, asking many great questions...
And off they went, back to school.
What a great way to start a day for all of us!
Thanks for coming
Roland

The Adventures of Toggin, Tuck and Trixie: Part 2

When we left off our story, our little gnome friends

Took tiny mischief on an even smaller trend

Now let us see how their crazy caper ends.

They couldn't stay tiny forever it's obvious to say
But they could see interesting things along the way.

So they set off walking with a strong resolve

Their tininess was a problem that they could certainly solve.

Off they went walking, then they walked on some more

They were having a hard time crossing the newly large floor.

"Transportation," yelled Trixie. "That's what we need!

Walking is slow, we need something with speed."

It just so happened that not too far away

Was a towering wooden car display.

They jumped into a cool and comfy white convertible,

That they found some hot wheels was incontrovertible.

"Hey, what on earth are you doing in there?"

Stopped and startled, the gnomes just stared.

"You can't just go off and climb in a car.

Especially if they don't even know who you are!"

The gnomes jumped out of the car in haste.

Friends, not enemies are what they were trying to make.

"Sorry mister car, we had no clue at all

Turns out we've never been quite this small."

The car took a minute to give them a stare

Then he said, "Ahh, I'm just joshin'. Are you going somewhere?"

"Nowhere particular but it would sure be nice

If we could find a person to give us some advice.

You see we made a ship to take us to space

But instead it shrank us and left us in the same place.

And that's not all, I'll tell you what's weird.

Our spaceship said WHOP and just disappeared!"

The car gave a listen and considered their plight

Knowing that he had to do what was right.

"Hop in my friends we'll take a drive around

I'm sure a solution to this can be found."

They drove and they drove, turning left and turning right.
They drove for what felt like all morning and night.

They found all the drums that they had to just play
And a wise old elephant with many things to say.

They met a pearly unicorn that sparkled and shined
But a person to help them they just couldn't find.

Finally they met dragon who knew of a friend
Who lived in a keep at the toy store's end.

"A wizard with a wand," the dragon thus spoke.
"That loves mischief makers and loves a good joke."

So they hopped in the car who drove them again
Until they found the dragon's wizardly friend.

They talked of their caper and the mystery they found
And they had the wizard laughing and rolling on the ground.

"Your story is terribly terribly funny,
And I think I can help you my gnomish little buddies."

The wizard waved his wand and spun with a flair
And the air seemed to sparkle and shimmer everywhere.

Toggin just blinked and the three of them had grown
Everything around them was size they've always known.

They gave a great cheer and thanked the magician
Then turned back home like they were on a mission.

The Wizard smiled and could hardly refrain
From thinking he would probably see them again.

The End.