home schooling supplies from myriad
“From as far as the stars,
To here where I stand,
I come to use my right and left hand…
To draw, to paint, to make, to knit,
For work so fine my hands are fit.”
The recent unreal events have turned many of our lives upside down, and with the schools closed, many of our customers and social media followers have asked us for ideas for home schooling / home education.
Our range is inspired by Steiner Waldorf education, and our carefully selected range of home schooling supplies, stationery and crafts are high quality, made from natural materials and are ready to help you on your home schooling journey, keep hands busy, and let creativity flourish. We will also be trying to help keep you inspired by posting on our Instagram, Facebook, Myriad Meetinghouse Groups and our journal posts with lots of ideas for home activities.
Have you seen our recent journal? “Myriad Home School – What Children Need” which gives some heartfelt inspiration for facing the current challenges in a holistic way for children. We will keep adding more ideas for home activities too.
crayons
Myriad stock crayons with exceptional drawing properties. The rich colours and ease of application make them a joy to use. Stockmar Block Crayons are perfect for learning the correct grip and sitting in small hands, a Waldorf staple of kindergarten and lower school, and can produce beautiful pictures of layered colours by using the different sides of the block. Stockmar Stick Crayons are made to the same high standards as the block crayons – uniquely harmonious, strong and at the same time transparent colours giving pure drawing pleasure. Nawaro Wax Crayons with their high opacity and great drawing properties, are manufactured using only natural ingredients; they are 25% beeswax and are non-toxic and contain no petrochemical waxes. Crayon Rocks, are ergonomically shaped, soy-based, safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly and vegan and also deliver beautiful rich colours and blend easily.
Kitpas Window Crayons have become a favourite of our customers recently for drawing rainbows on their windows as a message of hope! They work on almost any surface, including paper, glass and mirrors. They are water soluble and if you add a few strokes of a wet brush your drawing can even become a watercolour painting! Pictures can easily be removed from glass or mirrors with the use of a wet cloth. We have them in a range of different sets – here are some lovely examples below by our customers; Myriad Enthusiast Rebecca @career.mom and Safa @wildish_mama.
For more wonderful window art ideas to make people smile using Kitpas and also Kite paper please click here to see this inspiring journal post dedicated to it!
colouring pencils
We have a really great range of Lyra colouring pencils as used in Waldorf schools and by professional artists due to their high quality, ergonomic shape and intense colours. Lyra Ferby Short 12 Pencils, Lyra Super Ferby Waldorf Selection, Lyra Skin Tones Pencils. All have thick lead, beautiful colours, and great ease with which the colour is transferred to paper. The blending capacity and the comfortable triangular grip means these pencils have been favourites with our customers for over 20 years. In Waldorf school, the Lyra Ferby pencils are used for both artistic work and early writing work in the lower school.
Lyra Groove Triple is a watercolour pencil, coloured pencil and wax crayon all in one. High coverage, easy to blend with brilliant smooth colour, water soluble, break resistant, 10mm extra thick lead and three sided ergonomic shaped shaft with off-set grip zones.
painting
For rich and meaningful colour explorations Waldorf schools use the wet-on wet painting technique with magical results, see this journal link for more and instructions on how to paint using this technique. It is easy to do at home with just bit of preparation. You will need: Aquarelle Paper, Stockmar Watercolours, Jars for Paint, a flat, wide, Watercolour Brush, and a Painting Board. We have lots of other painting supplies in our range, such as the beautiful Children’s Earth Paints which are organic, eco-friendly paints in a special kit, made from natural earth pigments (pure clay), and Creative Watercolour Brush Set, made with wooden handles and natural hair.
Dr Zigs Bubble Painting Kit is a fun new addition to the Dr Zig’s amazing bubble range, this is great for experimenting and trying something really different.
The Stockmar Opaque Paint Tin – these artists quality beautiful shown below are richly coloured paints are perfect for nature journals during this time, and are a joy to use for a variety of creative painting projects for both children and adults.
Neogrun Finger Paints Set which uses completely natural, organic, vegan and palm-oil free paints are perfect for littler ones in the family getting creative.
stationery
Keep your colour pencils, crayons and other writing materials neat and tidy with our pencil rolls – Red Hand Woven Crayon Roll, perfect for holding 12 crayon blocks and 12 crayon sticks, we also have one that just holds 12 blocks, or one that holds 16 blocks and 16 sticks, Blue Hand Woven Pencil Roll, to hold 24 pencils (please note, rolls exclude pencils and crayons).
In Waldorf school, fountain pens are used from class 4 onwards (age 9-10) and the Greenfield high quality Fountain Pen is recommended for its excellent grip (suitable for both right and left handed). Using a fountain pen focuses attention in a beneficial way because angle is important for a good finish. This encourages good handwriting and teaches correct levels of pressure.
Main Lesson Books are another Waldorf staple and perfect for home schooling – for all projects, written work and artwork. They available in a range of colours, sizes (new A4 version available), and lined and unlined versions with high quality drawing paper inside.
A child sized learning/art/crafting table in solid alder wood – this set is available as Table & 2 Chairs. 
Keep your block and stick crayons neat and ready for use with our beautiful Crayon Stands, (shown above) and high quality sharpeners to pop in your pencil case – shown below is the Lyra Wooden 2 Hole Pencil Sharpener, Brass 2 Hole Pencil Sharpener, and Crayon Sharpener, perfect for the Stockmar Stick Crayons.
chalks
We have a wonderful selection of chalks and this great Kitpas Blackboard, The Kitpas Chalks are all natural, dustless, eco-friendly and with their strong, smooth colours are used in more than 60% of schools in Japan.
We love these Kitpas Dustless Marbled Chalks!
We also have the 100% natural, vegan, Oekonorm Drawing Chalk which are great for any surface – perfect for some pavement art!
modelling
Providing children with simple modelling doughs, clays and plasticine is a wonderful way to nurture their creative forces. Our selection of modelling materials have different unique qualities and benefits and will be suitable for a variety of ages and projects and most can be used again and again. Modelling supports fine motor skills and noticeably helps children focus and be in their hands. Shown below is the colourful Stockmar Modelling Beeswax . Once you have finished making your models and figures, they will harden when cool, and can be played with. To reuse the wax, just warmed in the fingers and hands again and use it all over again.
This favourite of ours and a Myriad classic is the Alkena Beeswax Plasticine, made here into sweet little acorn folk by Veronica!
We have had fun with this Floating Plasticine for water experiments too!
Air drying Modelling Clay in White or Terracotta for making lovely things to keep or gift and can be painted afterwards too.
handwork
Nimble fingers make nimble minds. Working with our hands is essential for learning and development. For younger children, simple handwork such as finger knitting, wet felting and simple sewing helps them develop fine motor skills, develop a feel for colour and form, gives them satisfaction knowing they can make beautiful things, improves their brain development and is a key part of Waldorf education. Three year olds can learn to finger knit using a chunky yarn, four year olds can manage fork knitting, star weaving and weaving on a simple frame. Six and seven year olds can learn to knit and weave.
Our Myriad Enthusiast @the.hygge.playroom Bex’s daughter, who is six, is making a new weave on her Round Weaving Frame for every week of lockdown and not being at school as a way to mark the passing of time and to have something to look back on and show her own children – a woven ‘journal’ – what a lovely idea!
We have lots of different weaving frames, looms, knitting kits, wool supplies and crafts kits to get fingers creating. Shown below is the Knitting Fork which comes with organic, plant-dyed rainbow wool, suitable from age 4 they will be able to make beautiful cord for lots of play and uses.
Shown below is the Peg Loom, great for getting fingers into the motion of writing before handwriting starts as well as increasing the ability for focus and concentration. Also shown are the Wooden Knitting Needles, a wonderful rhythmic skill for life so enjoyed by children once they realise they can do it too and so good for cognitive development.
Below is the popular Star Weaver, easy to carry and quick and simple to get the hang of, this makes beautiful friendship bracelets, cords for tags and lots of crafting projects.
home schooling exploration
We absolutely love the Kraul Range we stock for providing children with a host of exploration and science toys for igniting their curiosity and helping them make their own discoveries, encouraging investigation and being involved in learning about the natural world and the elements of air, water, fire and earth (gravity). They create fantastic STEM learning opportunities and are the perfect resources for home schooling, nature and element exploration. Every Kraul product requires the child to make the toy, work out how to put it together and then get discovering with what it can do, the child is fully involved with all their being making what they learn so much more memorable and a deeper experience for them. The effects will be lifelong as the children will come to understand that they can have effect on the world around them, their involvement and engaged presence matters!
Below we have the Kraul Waterwheel Kit for learning about the water element and its power.
Below is the Solar Airship kit for learning how the sun can warm the air inside and make it rise, with parent help this six year old loved making this and the Weather Vane Kit below as part of a home schooling weather exploration topic.
Shown below is the Weather Vane Kit – A wonderful kit to encourage interest in wind, points of the compass and weather observation.
The Kraul Cable Car kits for children are exceptional for learning about gravity and all the fun they can have with it. Making the product is all part of the fun and then when they get to test it out learning about speeds, movement, the affect of the incline, distance and weight of the cable car all happens naturally and joyfully through their play – naturally eager to find out “what happens if……” All wonderful activities for home learning.
To further support home schooling we also sell a large range of paper crafts, educational toys, letters, numbers and time learning aids, a wide range of books, natural craft supplies and musical instruments to nourish all the senses, please just click on the links to have a look.
Wishing you and your families much well-being, health and happiness during this time, please keep in touch through Facebook, Instagram and our Myriad Meetinghouses – on Facebook go to our page and then select Groups and ask to join, on Instagram: @myriadmeetinghhouse
We would love to see your ideas for home activities with children – please share with us! #myriadmoment #myriadmakes #myriadmail