I recommend this book time and time again to parents, so now you will know about this secret gem as well:  “You’re Not the Boss of Me! Understanding the Six/Seven Year Transformation” with Ruth Ker as the Editor.

This book was borne out of a question Ruth Ker from the Sunrise School in Duncan, British Columbia had:  were Waldorf Kindergartens truly meeting the needs of the older Kindergarten students?  (Recall that five and six year olds are typically still in Kindergarten, with First Grade starting closer to seven years of age in accordance with Steiner’s views on the seven year cycles of life).  This book contains a series of articles written by teachers, doctors and parents of Kindergarten children.

This is the Table of Contents:

Foreword, Susan Howard

Introduction, Ruth Ker

Section One Picture of the Six/Seven Year Old Change

Observations of the Six-Year-Old Change, Ruth Ker

The Birth of the Etheric, Nancy Blanning

Dentition: A Mirror of the Child’s Development, Helge Ruof and Jorg Ruof

Seeing the Wholeness of the Child, Nancy Blanning

Is Our Educational System Contributing to Attentional and Learning Difficulties in Our Children?, Susan R. Johnson

Section Two:  Meeting the Challenge – The Role of the Teacher

Old Man Trouble, Tim Bennett

Our Role in  Meeting the Children, Barbara Kloeck

Soul Milk, Ruth Ker

Essential Oil Baths, Louise deForest

Extract from Work and Play in Childhood, Freya Jaffke

Section Three:  Building the Social Fabric of a Mixed-Age Kindergarten

You Can’t Play With Me, Barbara Kloeck

The Six-Year-Old in a Mixed-Age Kindergarten, Laurie Clark

The Raft, Louise deForest

The Little Ones in the Classroom, Barbara Kloeck

Girls and Boys- Feminine and Masculine, Louise deForest

Beer and Lollipops, Melissa  Borden

Section Four:  Meeting the Child’s Needs- Suggestions for Working in the Classroom

A Working Kindergarten, Louise deForest

Creating A Flow In Time, Barbara Klocek

Sailing Our Ship in Fair or Stormy Weather, Tim Bennett

The Daily Blessing of the Older Child in the Kindergarten, Ruth Ket

Movement Journeys: Enticing the Older Child to Intentional Movement, Nancy Blanning

The Role of Handwork, Barbara Klocek

Little Red-Cap:  The Overcoming of Heredity and the Birth of the Individual, Louise deForest

Section Five:  Activities and Resources for the Classroom

Mother Goose Movement Journey, Nancy Blanning

Through the Snow:  A Winter Movement Journey, Nancy Blannning

Briar Rose Circle, Janet Kellman, after the Brothers Grimm

The Gnomes, Janet Kellman

Star Money, Elisabeth Moore-Haas, adapted by Ruth Ker

The Magic Lake at the End of the World, adapted by Barbara Klocek

The Pumpkin Child, submitted by Ruth Ker

The Legend of the Babouschka, adapted by Ruth Ker

Activity Ideas for Older Children in the Kindergarten, compiled by Nancy Blanning and Ruth Ker

Transitional Games, Verses, and Songs, compiled by Barbara Klocek and Ruth Ker

Jump Rope Rhymes, compiled by Barbara Klocek and Ruth Ker

Section Six:  Parents As Partners

Waldorf Education for the Child and the Parent, Devon Brownsey

Working with Parents:Ideas for Parent Meetings, Ruth Ker and Nancy Blanning

A Bouquet of Wishes for the Rosemary Kindergarten, Tim Bennett

Meetings with Parents on the Topic of Discipline, Louise deForest

Working with the Will of the Young Child, Nancy Blanning

How to Get the Young Child to Do What You Want Without Talking Yourself to Death, Nancy Blanning

Handouts for Parents, Susan R. Johnson, MD including:

The Importance of Warmth

The Importance of Breakfast

The Importance of Sleep

The Meaning of Illness

Fever

The Earache

Parenting a Young Child-What My Formal Education Never Taught Me

Confronting Our Shadow

Product vs. Process

Notes on the Contributors

References

This is a great book and all the articles should be required reading for the parent of the five-to-seven-year old.  This book definitely belongs on your bookshelf as a wonderful reference to be turned to again and again.

Happy Reading,

Carrie