Blog

Many of us perhaps have felt that we have not had an adequate summer but here comes Autumn! I love Autumn and perhaps it is my favourite season. Although not in abundance, the disiduous trees with their leaves are still about, still reminding me of the ever changing seasons and the passing of time. Autumn is generally a relief after a sweltering summer and there is much to love about the Autumnal harvest and the excitement of the approaching soup weather (is anyone like me...soup and children= the perfect quick healthy meal). To celebrate the oncoming season I have many...

We have a good amount of travel in our day, living 40 minutes from the school so good music in the car is a must! It can change the whole mood of our morning. If you have school age children I am sure you can relate to the morning stress of clothes, lunch, bags...goodness! Quick clean your teeth etc. Sometimes once I get them all in the car I feel just so rattled. Putting some uplifting children's music on immediately stops this feeling and I find, no matter how the morning went, that by the time we get to school...

This is the first in a series of posts having a good look at some of our favourite authors and illustrators here at Dragonfly. Of course Elsa Beskow was always going to be first. Elsa is often called the Scandanavian ‘Beatrix Potter’ and her books feature heavily on our shelves and those of Waldorf kindergartens and class rooms all over the world. Her characters become integral to the beautiful stories and explanations about the natural world that Waldorf teachers give to the children in the early years. Young children have no need for scientific, rational explanations of the world around...

Our beautiful Steiner dolls are made by a small workshop employing Tibetan women living in exile in India. Mona, who established the doll making workshop speaks of the signifance of this type of work for the Tibetan women.  "Firstly, the work required is easily learned and suitable for any women with an interest in handicrafts, so it lends itself to the large amount of untrained, jobless women of the Tibetan society in India. The making of the dolls itself is a very nurturing activity, which can strengthen ones confidence and sense of achievement – both lacking in many women, especially...

The word Papoose comes from the American Indian word to swaddle a baby. Renske Carobone, the lady behind Papoose, said she chose the word because it evoked the feeling of soft, natural,warm felt and she also liked the word for how it looked written down. Through a series of life changes she made her way to Nepal, where she discovered their talent for the traditional craft of felting One of the stories about how felt originated was that it was discovered by sheep herders who had lined their footwear with plucks of wool from the sheep they were minding for...