We hope you have all had a wonderful summer filled with incredible adventures and sun filled days. It has been especially warm here in BC, apparently the hottest summer in 10 years… The plants are just loving it and the smiles abound.
At Natural Pod, getting ready for back to school for us this year is incredibly hard. Not only will our son be starting Grade 1, our daughter will be going to Kindercottage, so many exciting and interesting changes ahead. As we welcome our newest team member Dalit Holzman, we ask her to share with us her story on what going back to school means to her and her family.
Next week I embark on a journey long awaited. (And yes, it’s true, I am actually sitting next to a wooden gnome nestled on the homemade bridge here in the Natural Pod fairy forest…) Next week my seven year old Amalina starts at our local Sunrise Waldorf Elementary. After 2 years in our newly outfitted public school I have just had enough of Hannah Montana merchandise, incessant conversation that revolves around big box shopping experiences, and unhappy (usually yelling) teachers. Amalina is feeling apprehensive about the change, to say the least. No kid likes to leave their friends, and for this she has assurred me that she really “won’t like the school”.
For so many years, it seems, my best friends have almost always been adult Waldorf-kids, and for just as many I have yearned for a personal childhood interwoven with so much anthroposophy and magic. And so, here I am, finally prioritizing to make the Waldy-leap at a time of such uncertainty and change. And, it’s true: the details of how it’ll all work out are still so unclear. But even still, I will leap. I will trust. And (!) I will buy wool and raingear, quinoa and a Klean Kanteen, definitely some warm cozy slippers and a brand new set of plant based crayons. And explain that classmates really won’t get her TV references. And that it’ll be hard at first, but welcoming in the long run. And that the friends, the smiles, the magic soon will come.
Here are some of the products that help make it easier for us with our back to school preparations.
Mother and child match with their beautifully handwoven, fairtrade Bolga Baskets. Our Natural Pod Baby Bolga Basket is the perfect beginnings of an eco-conscious lunchkit.
Kids love their outdoor play and often forget just how cold and wet it might be. Our PVC and phalate-free Swedish-made Puddlegear is of the highest quality around, hands down.
These plant based pencils create the most gorgeous, natural shades. No need to fear what nasty stuff might lurk in your child’s artbox with these favorites!
We want to hear how you and your family are adjusting to going back to school: the early mornings ahead, the new friends and new lessons. Post your comments here at be entered to win a $50 Natural Pod gift certificate for all your back to school needs! Go to our Facebook Page and post something there and be entered to win twice!