Waldorf in the Home

Rahima Baldwin Dancy

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:50:00 -0700

Welcome to my blog, for parents who want to bring more Waldorf principles into your homes, either to enrich family life or for home schooling.

Right now I'm excited to have finished the 3rd revised edition of You Are Child's First Teacher, which will be out this coming summer (2012); in the meantime the 2nd edition is still available from our online store as a resource for parents of children from birth through age six. Please comment or send questions with the Contact Tab--I'd love to hear from you!

Making Felted Easter Eggs with Children

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:47:24 -0700

The children at Rainbow Bridge made felted Easter eggs this week. Here are some "tips" on adapting the process to include young children (ours are 1-5 years):
1) For the foundation, use plastic eggs that do NOT open. They're not as common, but you can find bags of them at craft stores.
2) Have the children help you wrap white wool around them and insert into a piece of nylon stocking, tied at both ends (tie one end with a SLIP KNOT so it will be easy to pull out!).
3) Let them "felt" their egg in hotish (warm) soapy water (dish soap works well).
4) When children are leave the project, finish the felting process doing them all together in REALLY HOT water, rinsing in cold water, repeating hot w soap and then cold.
5) Squeeze out as much water as possible and put them all in the dryer for an hour on high--this will really help with the felting process!
6) That night, open the stockings and loosen the felted eggs.
7) Let each child now point to colors of wool to wrap around the egg, and insert it into the stocking, retying with the slip knot. If you want to add the child's name, use MASKING TAPE around a safety pin and a sharpie marker.
8) Repeat the felting and drying process as described above.
9) Remove from the stocking--don't they look lovely!!

Learning through Imitation

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:37:22 -0700

[This articles was written by Rahima Baldwin Dancy and covers a Waldorf understanding of child development from birth through three years. It originally appeared in Mothering, Spring 1987 and has been updated for this posting. It may be reprinted if full credit is given to the author and this web address is listed on the article.] The imitative nature of the baby and young child is so obvious and so all-pervasive that we tend to be blind to it, unaware of its implications for parenting. Your child learns everything through imitation-walking, talking, toilet training, tying shoes, endless tasks. Imitation also manifests in expressions and gestures, as when we see and hear ourselves in our children's play. Rudolf Steiner, who founded Waldorf education, left a rich legacy for understanding the nature and development of the young child that can help parents nourish their whole child-body, mind, emotions, and spirit. It was through Steiner that I first became aware of learning through example and imitation, principles that I had observed in my own children without bringing them to consciousness.

Waiting to Teach Reading and Writing

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:43:11 -0700

A mother asked about why Waldorf waits until first grade to teach the letters. Rahima replies: In the Waldorf approach, reading and writing are introduced in first grade, starting with the letters; then children learn to read at the end of first grade, from what they have written. The letters are introduced imaginatively, through a story and a drawing in which the letter can be found in one of the figures that starts with that sound (for example, the letter "k" might be illustrated by a King who is standing sideways, with scepter raised, blessing his subjects.). [See the DVD of Kelly Morrow teaching "Teaching Reading and Writing the Waldorf Way."]

Parenting the Nine Year Old

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:38:46 -0700

I wrote this article to describes the developmental changes of the nine-year-old child and how parents and Waldorf education meet this psychological stage. It first appeared in Motheringmagazine. For further information we also offer a CD of a workshop by Daena Ross on "The Nine-Year Change: Leaving the Garden." Click here to see more information. Parenting the Nine Year Old by Rahima Baldwin Dancy Parents of nine year olds often wonder, "What is happening to my child?" Children at this age can become very critical and argumentative, or very moody and withdrawn. Nightmares, irrational fears, headaches and stomachaches often arise. Some children feel as if no one at school likes them, or others become suddenly self-conscious about being rich, poor, or otherwise "different." Parents may be accused of being unfair or of not understanding, as the child rushes off and slams his or her door. Searching for an explanation for the changes in behavior, parents sometimes blame a new teacher, a recent move, changes in the family such as separation or the birth of a sibling, or simply "growing pains". An understanding of what is actually taking place can help us avoid needless worry and provide the support and guidance that children need during this time.

Mom's Love Affects Brain Development

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:14:25 -0700

When Rudolf Steiner described something in 1909, it can sound as if it's coming from left field: for example, that for the young child, love, "pleasure and delight are the forces which most rightly quicken and call forth the physical forms of the organs."

What does that mean? And then, as with so much leading edge brain imaging today, we hear something that sounds remarkably similar: that the young child's brain is actually measurably different depending upon how much loving nurturing he or she receives.

Homebirths Up by 30%!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:19:25 -0700

The number of homebirths reached its highest level since researchers began collecting data 20 years ago. After declining from 1990 to 2004, the percentage of US births that occurred at home rose 29% from 2004 to 2009. The research was released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. The numbers are still small--in 2009, 29,650 births, or .72 percent of all births, occurred at home. However, the increase is a rapid change in direction, after declining for 15 years. Home births tend to be more common among non-Hispanic white women who are 35 and older and among women with several previous children.

Sharing Longer Stories with Little Ones

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:52:13 -0700

I've written a long segment in First Teacher on how to select stories to tell with younger children--they especially like simple stories with repetition, like "The Gingerbread Boy" or "The Three Little Pigs." But what about sharing longer stories, especially if you have a mixed-age group? Our group of 1- to 5-year-olds is a younger mix this year, so when I first told "The Snow Maiden" after Christmas break, I was losing them. Even using the adaptation by Bronja Zahligen in the WECAN book Plays for Puppets, this is still a fairly complex Russian tale.

Toddlers Need Naps, Study Shows!

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:35:26 -0700

[Note: LifeWays offers a video of putting children down for nap in a childcare setting.] It's always nice when science and academia support what we already know: toddlers need naps! A recent study at the University of Colorado showed that missing just one nap can cause toddlers to be more anxious and frustrated when faced with a challenge. Children in the study were 2-1/2 to 3 years old, and missing just 90 minutes of sleep brought similar results to what adults experience when they pull an all-nighter.

Felting Bars of Soap with Children

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:28:09 -0700

The children at Rainbow Bridge felted wool coverings for bars of soap--making "soap in a sweater"--as presents for their parents. It becomes soap and washcloth in one, and works best with a soap dish in which it can drain. We used Ivory soap, wool roving for the first layer, and colored wool for the outer layer. Here's a picture of them unwrapping the soap when the felting process was finished.

Limiting Screen Time

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:45:27 -0700

I was recently interviewed by folks from Michele Obama's initiative for preschools, called "Let's Move!" As part of her program to overcome obesity in children, one of the key points of Let's Move! is limiting screen time. They were interviewing in-home providers who have been succesful in limiting screen time or those that are screen free.

Eight Principles for Inspired Mothering

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:53:53 -0700

Eight principles for inspired parenting:

1. We need to accept who we are and build up the support we need.

2. We need fathers to be actively involved with children.

3. We need a true understanding of children and their world.

4. We need to trust the natural process of development and not interfere with it.

5. We need to trust ourselves and our children and to let go of guilt.

6. We need to trust our children as individuals.

7. We need to value our parenting.

8. We need to value our home making.

We are our children's first home, which then expands to include life as it unfolds in the physical house or apartment. When we have children, we are creating a home willy-nilly. The more attention, awareness and creativity we can put into the process, the more home life can become a platform that effectively supports every member of the family, including ourselves.

Cynthia Aldinger

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:40:00 -0700

Cynthia Aldinger has contributed many articles to this blog. She is the founder and Director of LifeWays North America and worked for many years as a Waldorf early childhood and parenting educator. She writes:

When I was pregnant with my firstborn son about three decades ago, I developed a passion for learning all I could about Waldorf education and child development. When he and his brother were 9 and 7 years old, his father and I had the privilege of moving to Sussex, England where I completed my Waldorf teacher training at Emerson College.

Rhythm in Home Life

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:54:31 -0700

A regular lifestyle, like the pattern of life in the womb, offers a stable environment during the rapid growth and changes in rhythm of the body during childhood. Children provided with this regular life feel confident about their world and are not concerned by uncertainty about when the next thing will happen. Rhythm in home life can also help to calm a nervous or difficult child by turning the child's life into a series of events in which he participates, and from which he gains a new sense of security and competency.

New Edition of You Are Your Child's First Teacher

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:10:47 -0700

We are pleased to announce that a revised and updated edition of You are Your Child's First Teacher will be available in the summer of 2012. (The second edition--with the pink cover--will still be available until then).

In the third edition I've updated all the references (including web addresses) and added two chapters that have grown out of my work with parents and with LifeWays over the past five years. The new chapters are on "Home Life as the Basis for All Learning" and "Rhythm in Home Life."

I'm excited that the editors at Celestial Arts contacted me to do a new edition at a time when I had been working with 1-5 year olds and their families through Rainbow Bridge LifeWays Program in Boulder. I'm excited about reaching an expanded audience with this new version!

Check out the new table of contents: