Working with modelling beeswax with children - waldorf inspired

We (Hannah and I) hadn't worked with wax until we got ours in this past month. I forgot how relaxing it is, I used to do it with my preschoolers at church nursery a long time ago. It just goes along with the slowness and intention that we're trying to show in our children. What do I mean by intention? I mean that we're not haphazardly doing what we feel like all day, but we actually have goals (even if it's just to sweep and mop the kitchen) and we work toward attaining them. Creating. Enjoying. Completing. All with a good attitude :)

The modeling wax requires being warmed up before it can be modeled, so it's not a quick process like play dough. Put a small piece in your hands, and hold them together, have your child do the same when she comes over to see what you're doing. I like to do this when baby brother is down for a nap (even if it's on my back in the mei tai ~smile~) so I can enjoy the time with my little girl (can hardly call her a toddler any more!). I do require that she sit in her chair while we work with wax, so we sit together at her little table. We spend this time to just enjoy each other, the wax keeping our hands busy. We talk about what to make... A flower? A dinosaur? A duck? And then we talk about rolling his long body, pulling out a bit for his tail, pinching some down to make the legs. It's not beautiful, but we're teaching them to enjoy the process of creating, and to try it out even if it isn't going to be perfect the first time.

While you're molding shapes, you can tell different stories. Rather than sticking to only far off fairy tales, children love to hear about day-to-day routines as well. Tell it as a story, not a lecture, make up little details as you go along. There doesn't need to be a point, young children don't care. Talk about how the road construction crew gets to work, gets the big equipment out, digs a trench, pours gravel, compacts it down, and so on. Talk about how a mommy goes through her daily routine of taking care of the house and the family. Talk about things you remember from when you were little, I loved it when my mom would do this. Anything you remember, playing in the sand box, finding a bug in the bath tub, how your mom took you grocery shopping.

These are just things that allow you to slow down and enjoy your child, hopefully a nice break from our go-go-go fun-fun-fun spend-spend-spend society. They can be perched up on a shelf for display until being warmed and re-worked some other time.


More:
My recent guest post at Keeper of the Home
Homemade play dough (different, but similar to wax, and very fun)
A little about stockmar art supplies
Modelling wax and crayons in my Etsy shop