Spring Fair!

Spring Fair Committee Meeting

This Friday at 10:15 am 

Please come and add your voice!

Dear Parents,

We are hoping you had a joyous spring break and have come back to school to see Spring finally, truly upon us! The flowers have blossomed, the birds are singing and the trees are in full bloom!

At our school the children are joyous, the songs are loud and clear, the boots are muddy, the sun is peeking in!

The sounds of needles felting, knitting, sewing in the parent lounge; the purr of sewing machines, the clicking of knitting needles in the homes of our school's grandmothers; the plotting, planning, ordering voices of the spring fair committee add to the song of spring and signify that our spring fair, our celebration of this this joyous season and our wonderful school, is just around the corner!

Please add your voice! Come plan with us this Friday at 10:15 am in the parent lounge. The meeting will be held during our regular Friday crafting hours. 

The spring fair requires 100% participation in order to be a successful event. Your assigned duty will be revealed to you soon by your parent rep. Come add your voice to the planning and give 101%. Help us make this year's fair the joyous celebration of the flowering growth of our school! 

If you have time and want to help but can't make the meeting, please email 

Kaarin kaarinvon@gmail.com, 

Claire claire.szeto@gmail.com

or 

Lynne lynne.wu@newamsterdamchildhood.org

With Warmth and Gratitude,

The Spring Fair Committee

Garden Plant Dye Morning

Tuesday  April 22nd 10am-Noon
El Jardin del Paraiso Garden (Enter on E 4th Street between Avenues C & D)
Please come and join our Garden Plant Dye Morning!


This is a two hour workshop where you will experience the true natural colors of plant dye.  Plant dyes are like "whole food colors."  They are truly nutritious and medicinal.


The cost is $100 for the workshop with a rainbow silk veil or $50 with a rainbow silk play cloth (additional dye materials available upon request.)  All proceeds go to supporting New Amsterdam School Tuition Assistance.


Children are welcome to come to the garden with you under your own responsibility and supervision.


For registration and questions please call Kaori Fuller at 914-467-9750 or email kaori.fuller@newamsterdamchildhood.org

Plant Dye Cafe This March

This March there are many opportunities to work with Ms. Kaori in the Plant Dye Café. 

• March 10th:  Open House
• March 17th:  Kitchen Colors Part 1--Explore colors from common "kitchen" items such as spices, vegetables and things at the grocery store.
• March 24th:  Kitchen Colors Part 2--Continue exploring dyes made from "kitchen" items
• March 31st:  How to Plant Dye at Home--If you have materials from home you would like to plant dye this session is for you.  There will be a step by step tutorial for the whole process of plant dye.

Each session will meet from 9-11 AM at 19 Clinton Street.  To participate please sign up at the front desk or email kaori.fuller@newamsterdamchildhood.org.

 

We request a $25 donation for each session and there is a materials fee of between $5 and $20.

Craft Cooperative

Craft Cooperative!

Friday, March 7, 14 & 21
DOLL MAKING WORKSHOP
The Craft Cooperative is revving into gear to create lovely things for the Spring Fair!
The Root Baby Dolls have been a very popular item in the year’s past, both as essential pieces of our Mother Nature’s Magical Garden and for sale at our Spring Fair Market.
This month, for the official Craft Collective Workshop, we will be holding a Small Doll Workshop to make these cuties. There is no charge to attend the Workshop to make a Root Baby for the school, and a Suggested Materials Donation fee of $20, if you would like to keep your lovely craft. We are suggesting to make two at time, one for the school and one to keep!

Plant Dye Cafe to begin February 4th from 9am to 11am

Dear All,
I will re-open the plant dye café Tuesday, February 11 from 9am to 11am at 19 Clinton Street. The session will be "Valentine Colors and easy Shibori Tutorial".  We will explore the colors of red, pink, and purple.  Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, and compressing it, or capping.
If you are looking for a Valentine gift for your loved one or for yourself, this session offers a chance to create a one and only plant dyed silk scarf.
Space is limited. Please sign up at the front desk of 1 Avenue B.
Thank you,
Kaori

Holiday Auction Update

Thank you all for your contributions so far … it’s going to be a great auction!

Holiday Auction letters and forms are available in reception, and we’ll be sending you all some more later this week (we can send you an email version too).  We’re hoping that each family can solicit or contribute at least two items, and all donations need to be in by November 8th, so now is the time to be thinking about it!  If you have ideas for donations but no time to ask, then we’d love the details.  Also, we’d love some help with following up leads on the phone or in person, if anyone has time/capacity for that?

For those of you new to the school, the Holiday Auction is one of our key annual fundraising events.  Our fundraising efforts enable us to keep tuition affordable and supports our financial assistance program, as well as facilitating ongoing education and enrichment for our teachers and staff.  The Holiday Auction is also a unique opportunity for the school to reach out to a broader community – to
communicate more about who we are and what we do – as well as offering an opportunity to help us in our efforts.

We welcome participation in the Craft Cooperative as all craft contributions play an essential role in the Holiday Auction, as well as other School Events and the classrooms. The Craft Cooperative is meeting every Friday morning from 9am in the Parent Lounge.  All are welcome – total beginners and experienced crafters alike.

Questions?  Call or email
Jennie on 917 331 9250 (jennie@soulsomefood.com),
Claire on 917-498-4690 szeto@katonahsystems.com,
Barry on 347-387-4401, or
Lynne on 917-697-8830 or lynne.wu@newamsterdamchildhood.org.

Craft Cooperative

Dear families,

 
Crafting Fridays this fall in the Parent Lounge. All are Welcome!!
 
The Craft Cooperative is a group of parents, caregivers, staff members and teachers who get together to learn crafting skills, share patterns and techniques, and teach and inspire one another to create! The Craft Cooperative plays an essential role in fostering a hand-made sensibility of our school and craft contributions are important to the Holiday Auction, other School Events and the classrooms.
 
We will meet formally two Fridays a month throughout the year, and informally on other days. Our first meeting will be Friday September 20th at 9:15 am after drop off in the parent lounge.
 
This year we will offer a monthly tutorial. We are kicking off this year’s crafting with Essentials of Knitting, taught by one of our own veteran crafters! Claire will begin the first week with ‘Casting On’ and following tutorials will include Knitting, Purling and Casting off. Kaarin will be present as well for back up! Although these tutorials are geared towards complete beginners and advanced beginners, all are welcome, and the level and pace of instruction will be self-adjusting depending on who we are this year.
 
On Friday Sept 20, we will teach the basics: casting on, knitting and the garter stitch. You will be surprised by how easy it is and by the wonderful things you can make with such simple techniques. 
 
Later in the year we will have tutorials on:
Sept-Oct: Knitting & knitting the stockinette stitch
Nov: Needle felting
Dec: Hand sewing
 
spring:
Plant-dyeing with Ms. Kaori
Doll making with Clarisse
 
Other tutorials tbd! And if you have a suggestion or a question, please don't hesitate to contact us!
 
claire: claire.szeto@gmail.com or kaarin: kaarinvon@gmail.com
 
Our aim is to inspire a love for craft making and toy making in our community. We also hope to create excellent crafters so we can continue our tradition of making toys for our classrooms, our holiday auction and our spring fair. We also hope to be able to create toys for Waldorf schools in other countries where children do not have funds to buy such beautiful toys.
 
Please join us and share in the wonderful art of crafting together.

Spring Fair Thank You!

Three Cheers for the Spring Fair!

Our Spring Fair was utterly beautiful. Thank you to the teachers for the captivating puppet show, wondrous crystal cave, and for stepping into the role of Mother Nature in Mother Nature’s Magical Garden. Thank you to the staff for contributing their amazing organizational skills and unending patience. Thank you to Lisa and Jeff for the wonderful wool spinning demonstration. Thank you to the Eurythmy teachers for the pocket fairy magic and the beautiful performances in the garden.  Thank you to our generous sponsors who provided us with the resources to get the materials and food we needed to make this whole event possible.

Thank you to everyone who showed up and worked their fingers to the bone. The indoor shifts were fulfilled diligently and graciously. It was wonderful to experience our first Spring Market! The El Jardin picnic and activities were delightful. The food was delicious and nutritious and the set up was perfectly planned and gracefully executed. The garden has never seemed more inviting or beautiful.

We want to thank especially the core group (you know who you are) who worked tirelessly: plotting, planning, sewing, knitting, pressing, cutting, building, packing, writing, carrying, lifting, digging, hauling, driving, watching, purchasing, setting up, cleaning up, working until their legs and muscles seized, until they hobbled home and passed out on their couches mid-hand-dyeing silk! You are all creative, brilliant people who make our school sing with imagination, beauty and spirit.

And a very special Thank You to Lisa for your purity of vision and your great inspiration to all. It is your example that pulses through our hearts when we strive to become our very best, purest selves. Thank you for that.

There was something indescribable about watching all the children run around the garden, their faces painted, the rain threatening, the weather as intense and exuberant as their joy. And it is moments like these when we realize exactly why we work so hard. We do it for these little, painted faces: these puppies and kitties, bunnies and saber tooth tigers, princesses, fairies, flower girls and many, many butterflies, foxes and unicorns, little bats and spiders, dancing monkeys and swirly, pink fish. We work so hard so we can witness their delight and honor their wonder and goodness. We hope all the children had a magical, unforgettable experience at our New Amsterdam Spring Fair.

With Deep Gratitude and Love,

Spring Fair Committee

Last Pillow Workshop of the Year

For Our Loved Ones
First Week of May:  Date TBD

Announcing our last pillow workshop of the school year, just in time for Mother's Day. Although anyone would delight in receiving such a wonderful gift, including ourselves!

 

We are offering the opportunity for you to learn to make:

A. Travel size pillow filled with buckwheat hulls

B. Small heating pad (for use in microwave OR oven)

 

You may choose a total of 2 projects per person regardless of the combination. For more details and to sign up, click here.

 

Payments are to be made to the school at the front desk before the workshop date during the first week of May.

News from the Craft Cooperative

Dear Craft Cooperative,

Thank you for coming to crafting Thursdays! We hope you are enjoying it.  We would also like to invite anyone else from our community who might want to try their hand at something new! 

Below please find a loose schedule of activities. 

Next Thursday: 

--shaping and stuffing our knitted squares into toy animals

--cutting felt and beginning Hand Sewing tutorial

By Mid October we will have a doll making demonstration! Our expert doll makers, Clarisse and Mayuka will be making dolls for the auction. We, the mere mortal crafters, will follow along, observing their steps and making our own small basic doll heads, with a fabric body (marionettes--or ornament angels). The skills we observe and begin to learn will be very helpful when we do our full doll making workshop this winter.

November

--we will finish up auction items, your choice sewing or knitting

--we will work on our sail boats, so we will get some lessons in woodworking!

And then the auction will be upon us!

A Word From the Craft Cooperative

Dear New Amsterdam Families,
 
I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to one of the many opportunities for parents to learn and grow and enrich one another’s lives (as well as those of the children) at our school: the Craft Cooperative. It is a warm and inspiring group that gives parents the chance to learn something new; to experience an activity—a way of working with your hands—that our children will be experiencing themselves in the classroom; to contribute to the school; and eventually, to make projects of your own to keep.
 
We will be meeting on Thursdays at 9:15 in the parent lounge. We will also meet on certain Wednesdays (tbd) after the parent study group.
 
All are welcome to attend!!
 
We aim to provide a platform for the community to share crafting ideas, projects, patterns, know-how and fix-its! We will hold introductory workshops in knitting, doll making, woodworking, fabric dyeing, felting, sewing, and painting. And we are open to suggestions!
 
The timeline is starting to take shape and it’s looking (roughly) like this:
 
The autumn months will be spent working on simple knitting, sewing, woodworking and doll making projects. The resulting items will be given to the school to be offered for sale in our holiday auction. 
 
January thru mid February will be a time when crafters can work on their own projects. Many of us will try our hand at a large Waldorf doll or heavy baby. Others may wish to continue practicing knitting or sewing. Members of the cooperative will be on hand to help with projects, questions and experiments.
 
In the spring months we will need people to help make items for our spring fair. At this time we will hold workshops in needle felting and wet felting.
 
Next Thursday, September 20 will be our first meeting. We hope to see any and all of you there: newcomers to the art of crafting, experts and everyone in between. We will have yarn and knitting needles on hand and will be offering an introductory knitting tutorial: how to cast on, how to knit, how to purl (garter stitch and stockinette stitch). The resulting squares will transform before your eyes into beautiful auction items! As we will show you how to shape and stuff your knitted squares into beautiful knitted animal toys.
 
Hope to see you there! No project is too small! No hands are too clumsy!