This review was written by Luce of adventureswithmonsters. She is a Waldorf inspired home-educator, and her blog is a joy! Many thanks to her for reviewing this title for us.
We have (and love!) the previous version of this book ‘The Children’s Year’. It was one of the first craft books we purchased when we first discovered Waldorf, and it has facilitated many a making session. I was delighted to see that an update was coming, and our lovely friends at Hawthorn Press offered to send us a copy for review.
This volume ‘Making the Children’s year’ is an updated version of the previous book, put together by Marije Rowling (one of the original authors of the previous edition). It offers a brand new layout and more information for each season, including a very inspiring piece on colour throughout the year, the nature table, information on craft materials and where to source them, tips and abbreviations for sewing and knitting, information on fabric dyeing, pattern tips for tracing and transferring and much more.
There’s a wealth of seasonal offerings within these pages, things to make for outdoor play, indoor play, cards, nature crafts, lanterns, decorations, dolls and doll’s clothes, children’s clothing and accessories and more.
I especially like the knitting patterns because knitting is my favourite craft. I have previously made the mittens, hat and jumper from this book, actually, the first jumper I ever knitted was the one in this book, thanks to the easy to understand, yet thorough pattern instructions. Imagine my delight when I discovered that such well loved, familiar patterns now have beautiful colour illustrations!
Of course I paged through to the autumn portion first, because its my favourite season, and also because we are currently gearing up to begin Kindergarten again this autumn so this is perfect timing for some extra autumn craft inspiration. Much is included for festival crafts, as well as some lovely ideas for gifts and little play figures and even some creative and beautiful storage solutions. The Bundles delighted in looking at the illustrations and telling me which things we should have a go at making (so, basically everything! )
This book is accessible for both those who are already crafty and seeking seasonal inspiration, and equally for those who would like to learn. There are patterns offered for adults, older children and younger children, and the illustrations are captivating to all! It is an Invaluable resource for Waldorf home educators, indeed for anyone wishing to bring rich, seasonal crafts to their family, group or community,.
Bringing seasonal delight and a reminder of the importance of creativity and handwork, this book is a real treasure, and we most definitely recommend it!
Buy Making the Children’s Year here…
More about Luce here…
