Last post for Vital Years blog 2009!! Jen, Sally, Lana, Angie and Sandra

This is one of my best friends, Jen. Jen is a marvellous woman, filled with abundant energy and zest for life. Jen runs heaps of different workshops on felting, parenting, needlefelting and runs two playgroups and a family day care from home.
Jen's group made Mother Madonna's using the needlefelting technique. By all accounts, people were inspired by her teaching and want to make more! This is Sally Martin, our painting teacher. Sally inspired deep thinking and objective viewpoints through her workshop. She continues to help grow and develop individuals with clarity of thinking and being in this world.
Lana, our exuberant, joyful Lana taught a class on needlefelting australian animals. How cute!
There was a gorgeous echidna- we all fell in love!
Angie taught techniques of drawing and inspired people to have a go. Her simple techniques are perfect for kindergarten teachers to create simple shapes that suggest forms of animals, people, houses, trees etc.
The group made a moving picture board. This is one on Billy Goats Gruff.
Lastly, this is Sandra Frain, our biodynamics wizard. From all accounts, this was THE workshop to be in!! Go here for more info, by visiting her website.... link to Astro Calendar
Thank you to all our workshop hosts, (some of whom may not have featured here over the week due to lack of photo!) helpers, and everyone who helped make Vital Years 2009 such a success. We look forward to seeing you all in 2011!! I know I am looking forward, very much, to once again being a participant and will enjoy the rest!!

Renate and Michael

This is Renate Long-Briepohl, one of our keynote speakers. I always love what Renate has to bring to us. It is always timely, and relevant to our ongoing issues in the kindergarten realm.

It was wonderful to listen to words on colour, beauty, play and music. I also love the connections she makes to current scientific research. In our world, it is no longer good enough just to 'feel' that a particular school is right for your child as many parents want 'proof' and security in knowing that their child will still succeed academically. There is a need to engage their 'thinking' in their choices, particularly to justify their choice to their wider social network and families. These connections to the world of current research and science make our work even more relevant in today's society. Michael Howard came to present to our group of Kindergarteners and by all accounts, was slightly nervous about the prospect. We, however, knew that he would bring something to Vital Years, and that was 'balance'. Helping us to engage our thinking, to ponder deeply the connections between artistic and scientific thinking and working.

I really enjoyed listening to his words and participating in the modelling workshop.

This is one of our rice drawings. I found this work fascinating.

Carving and modelling with clay, wood and beeswax also made me engage in another newer process, with a different viewpoint. I actually found myself 'becoming' a sculptor this week and that is something I would and could never have done before. My top is becoming more top-like as the week goes on, but there is still more work to do. I will pop it on my personal blog MamaMoontime Blog when it is done in a week or so...

Isn't it nice to know who is who!

This is Heather. Heather taught two groups at Vital Years. A beginner class and an advanced class of Hand gesture games. Heather is so gracious in sharing this work with everyone and I know from experience that there is something 'extra special' about these songs, judged by the way the children react to them and want to do them OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!!

Jan is our 'Moving with Young children' presenter. Jan is a well known eurythmist, who we all love up here in Qld. She inspires me to move graciously and consciously both when I am with the children and not. Feedback from Jan's workshops was so amazing and everyone left inspired to bring clarity to how we move with children in kindergartens. Jan also did a lifelike impression of Gollum from the Hobbit in our Eurythmy performance night!

This is Carla, our singing teacher extraordinaire. Carla taught her people how to write songs in the Mood of the Fifth. Evidently, we have some new songwriters in our midst.

This is Kate, art and craft teacher from Samford and all-round fun chick! Kate ran two workshops. One of the development of drawings in young children, and a second on Sandstone sculptures where the participants made mandala sculptures from a sandstone mix.

Great work, Kate.

Dolls, Fish and Painting with wool

Today, I will begin with the doll making workshop. This is Birgit. She is delightful!! For more on Birgit, check out my personal blog Mama Moontime Blog here Aren't her dolls sweet!! Not only that, but I have never worked so hard to make something so beautiful and made to last.

This is Nikki, part of two who run the Silkwood craft group and my friend. Nikki, with Mia and Avril, was one of the great minds and organisers behind the Co-op shop at VY. Yeah!! Thanks to them, over $23,000 worth of goodies were sold (WOW!!) and 10 % of that goes straight to Silkwood and Samford schools. WELL DONE!!!!

Here is Nikki in action, with her group busy making felt sea creatures for their fishing bag games.

Finally today, this is Sigrid. Wonderful Sigrid with a wild sense of humour! We love you, Sigrid. You brought such joy to the conference and no doubt keep your NZ friends happy and laughing...

Here are some of the ladies making their 'fleece pictures' in wool.

Check back tomorrow!

Ooops, a few more bits...

Anyone who did not receive their certificate (eg forgot to pick it up or who were late registrations and where we ran out of certificates), I hope to have these out to you next week in the post. Please email me if you are one of these people with your current postal address.

amber.greene (at) hotmail (dot) com. (this is to prevent spammers!!)

Lastly, thank you for all your glorious feedback. I will be passing this info on to the next vy hosts.

Felted mandalas and angels

Next on the list of photos to show you all, are ones from Mia Faulk's 'felted surprises' workshop. This organically became a workshop on making a four-season mandala felt.

This is the first step of laying out the fleece, and this (below) is Mia!
The finished product!
ps. Thank you Mia for your work in the craft shop!! and at Silkwood for your inspiration there.

Here is Robyn Stickland. (below). Robyn is from Melbourne, and is a friend of Nikki's from Silkwood which is how we found her and enticed her to come host a workshop. Her workshop was how to make 'wet felted angels'. This type of felting is an all-in-one piece, which is quite tricky.
Here is an example.
And this is the team of ladies who enjoyed making their own angel for their kindy and homes.

Thank You to all.

Firstly, a great big thank you to everyone who attended Vital Years 2009. From all accounts, it has been a nurturing, enlivening event and I have been inundated with positive comments and thank you's. I want to say a big return thank you for making the week flow so smoothly. It was a pleasure.


I would like to say another big thank you to all our task group leaders, our craft shop volunteers and coordinators, our setting up and pack up helpers and to Silkwood/Samford and Fingerprints staff for the wonderful hospitality you provided us on our excursion.


Here, I will begin to post some photos of the week.
First up, we have Mariyen, our felting teacher extraordinare. Mariyen facilitated her workshop on felting and supported the many women in her group whilst allowing them free rein to create. I know my friend, Megan, has found her new pathway of art and has been inspired by Mariyen's teaching.... Thank you.












More photos and things tomorrow...

Attention all singing workshop people!

Hello Singers of the world!
If you are in Session B "singing in the mood of the fifth", please bring your recorder if you have one.
See you Monday.
Amber

ps dont forget your paper, pens and a warm jacket- Cool nights ahead!