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In 2008 I traveled to Calgary Waldorf School for a teacher training course. It was there that I saw my first “Story Telling Apron.”   Oh, how I wanted an apron like the one I saw!  It was magical and uniquely special in so many ways.

It just so happened that I had a friend at the time who offered to make an apron for me.  I was delighted and wasted no time selecting fabric and pondering ideas that I passed along so the creation of my storytelling apron could begin. Sadly, and for reasons unknown, my friend disappeared from my life; apron materials and all, so my apron wish faded and time passed by.

Over the years I often thought about how wonderful it would be to have a special story telling apron for my Waldorf classroom, but I lacked the impulse to make one myself.  However, in August 2014 I started a one year ‘birth to three’ teacher-training course with ECISA.  In hindsight, it proved to be a wonderful year and one that undoubtedly deserves a blog of its own.  For it happened in April 2015, I learned that we were going to make a storytelling apron as part of the teacher-training course. Finally, after six years it was going to happen!  My wish to have an apron was to come true!

With my classmates, I felted the bib of my apron which turned out to be a long, long process, but so much fun!  Interestingly, an oil changing pan is the perfect size to “wet felt” a circle! Who knew?  Selecting wool and choosing a color plan became thought provoking in so many ways too.  Then I had to make a decision about creating a “hiding pocket” on my apron.  But of course I wanted to do that too!  Well, it was a choice that kept me working diligently, while others had time for tea!

Creating the bib took an entire day, so we were tasked with finishing our aprons on our own for a final showing at the end of the training year.  Many of the students talked about making several aprons so they could use them to tell different stories. Not me!  I chose to make a yoke with Velcro inside so I could attach and detach different colored skirts to easily accommodate the telling of numerous stories. It was the perfect plan for me. The skirts were much easier to create and I was able to have exactly what I wanted for my “Story Telling Apron.”

The skirt in the photo is my spring skirt. I have a white one for winter, a blue one for water and a totally gorgeous skirt for fall.  My students never see me take off or put on a skirt so they are always surprised when I put on my apron and it has a new skirt and a new little treasure tucked inside the hiding pocket!  I love the excitement I see on their faces every time I make a change.  It’s like magic!

I am hoping to make one or two other skirts to add to my collection for story time at school this September. So, off I go…. to Frenchie’s or Value Village looking for new fabrics!  Wish me luck!

Meet Dolly Jane, my first attempt at making a Waldorf-Inspired baby. She is weighted with sand and infused with lavender. She began as many parts in a bag and left with me at the end of a fun filled day, holding her proudly.

The South Shore Waldorf School and Kindergarten hosts an amazing weekend each year,” Waldorf East.” The weekend is packed with lectures, songs, workshops, fantastic food and a learning environment like no other.

There is usually a special guest to lead the weekend who starts the event with a keynote speech on Friday evening. Our keynote speaker this year was Dawne McFarland. Dawne is a storyteller, Waldorf teacher, dancer and writer. She is a longtime member of the Storytelling Toronto community and current editor of “Pippin.” A faculty member with the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto, she is the Chair of the Storytelling Department and teaches “The Art and Craft of Storytelling” to Waldorf teachers. She is the Coordinator of the Professional Development for Waldorf Teachers part-time program. Dawne was an instructor with University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, teaching “Modern Storytelling; creative writing and storytelling.

If that was not enough, we had another special guest, Mary Hirsch-Jones.

Mary Hirsch began making dolls in 2000 when her daughter started her journey at their local Waldorf School. Mary became mesmerized by the beauty found in the kindergarten and like many parents, she wanted to create a similar environment in her home. This prompted her to learn felting, doll making, lazuring, and puppetry. Since that time, Mary has made close to 1,500 dolls, striving to obtain and use organic materials made in the U.S. and Canada. She is the sole provider of Heavy Babies (TM) to Bella Luna and has sold her dolls to A Child’s Dream Come True, A Toy Garden, and a number of other smaller stores. Her dolls can be found in dozens of Waldorf Schools across the country and her customers are based around the world.

What excitement there was when we found out Mary was offering a full day doll making workshop. It is due to the generous sponsorship of a very special lady (and Mom of one of my students) that I was able to be part of the group.

On the day of the workshop I found myself totally out of my depth as I worked beside several much more clever ladies as we watched our babies come to life.

The doll did not come easy. It seems my patience for children does not lend itself to sewing. With much encouragement and a few false steps I managed to keep up, keep my cool (almost) and finish my task.

Mary (our instructor) with her infinite patience, kindness and knowledge allowed us to create a doll that will become someone’s very special friend.

The question becomes, do I take her to live in my classroom in September, or keep her here in my office with me, to remind myself that I can accomplish things that seem impossible.