Off Topic Been away soooo looong....

[Phil Dwyer]

The stuff you are doing with kids looks amazing Phil. Is there a website I can check out for the school you are working with? That copper work and scroll and bone carving work looks like a lot of fun to do with kids. I'm in the middle of carving paddles with my students.

Oahu huh? I think I will have to find a way to save up my professional development funds for a couple years and make my way to Hawaii for some hands on learning for myself! I love your state. I could surf and snorkel every day for the rest of my life. I'm a pretty basic surfer, but I love the feel of catching a wave.

Hey Randy! Thanks for the kind words. I'm currently teaching a canoe paddle making class, too. We ripped and planed wood to laminate into blade halves, which then were glued to handles they carved. I teach at Honolulu Waldorf School; here's the School's Facebook page, too. Where are you? Yes, by all means come on over and catch some waves! Maybe we could even do a little bladesmithing/knifemaking?! If you can get free in February next year the school will be hosting a several day event for teachers on education and healing.

 

[Randydb]

1. Hey Randy! Thanks for the kind words. I'm currently teaching a canoe paddle making class, too. We ripped and planed wood to laminate into blade halves, which then were glued to handles they carved. I teach at Honolulu Waldorf School; here's the School's Facebook page, too. Where are you? Yes, by all means come on over and catch some waves! Maybe we could even do a little bladesmithing/knifemaking?! If you can get free in February next year the school will be hosting a several day event for teachers on education and healing.

I teach at the Maple Ridge Environmental School in British Columbia. Public school but place conscious, outside every day, hands on, emergent and experiential learning. http://es.sd42.ca/ Lots of Indigenous histories and practices studied. Our paddles were made from cedar. Kids started with a board, drew and cut their rough paddle. Shaped it with planes and knives and burned their art on. We are doing two cedar strip canoes too. We start canoeing next week so the push is on.
There was a documentary done about us. http://www.foundintheforest.com/ Its long but there are some trailers down the side of the page that are shorter and give you a feel of our program.

I think it would be really cool to get by your school and get some ideas of what you do and what your school is about. I am always wanting to learn more. I bet you get a million people wanting to come see your school. I know we do. At least 50 requests a month. We turn almost all of them down and we are thinking about setting up some form of a conference that would let people all come at once and get a feel for what we are about.
I hope I am not highjacking your thread adding a couple paddle pictures.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Good to hear from you, Phil!

 

[Phil Dwyer]

Thanks everyone for the kind welcome back!

Here's a pic of some of the juniors at Honolulu Waldorf School with their recently completed stylized Hawaiian canoe paddles.

 

[Rick Marchand]

My kids went to a Waldorf School as well. Wonderful system.