Author Archives: Carrie

Inspiring Words from Steiner’s “Human Values in Education”

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I have recently been reading Steiner’s “Human Values in Education.”  This book is a sequence of the last lectures on education that Steiner ever gave before he died.  The back cover states, “…he was graced with a remarkable clarify and penetration that allowed him to address old topics (as well as new) with uncanny spiritual luminosity, precision, and sheer humanity.  If anyone is looking for the “last word” on Waldorf education, this is perhaps it- in  more ways than one.”

On page 87, this passage really struck me and I hope it will make you stop and think:

“During the years between the change of teeth and puberty, we are concerned not just with the obvious, because when we consider the whole of human life something else also becomes obvious.  At the age of eight, I absorb some concept; I do not yet understand it fully – in fact, I don’t understand it fully- in fact, I don’t understand its abstract meaning at all.  I am not yet constituted in a way that makes this possible.  So why do I take in such a concept at all?  It is because my teacher is speaking; my teacher’s authority is a given, and it works on me.  These days, however, we are not supposed to do this; children are supposed to be shown only what is visible and obvious.

Consider children who are taught everything in this way.  Their experiences do not grow with them, because this method treats them as beings who do not grow.  But we should not awaken ideas in children if those ideas are unable to grow with them; this is like making a pair of shoes for a three-year old and expecting that child to wear them at the age of twelve.  Everything in human beings grows,  including the power of comprehension; consequently, concepts must be able to grow as well.  We must therefore make sure we bring living concepts to children, but we cannot do this unless children have a living relationship to the teacher’s authority.  And this cannot be accomplished by abstract, pedantic teachers who stand in front of children and give them concepts that are still completely alien to them.”

So, food for thought:

How are you teaching these days?  Are you teaching your four year old like a four year old and your eight year old like an eight year old?

Where is the active part of your lesson?

Are you teaching through art and music for the 7 to 14 year old crowd?

Do you understand the big picture that Waldorf education is fostering in each different seven year cycle?

Have you read any Steiner lately?

Are you prepared for class each day?

Is your rhythm on or off?

Happy teaching,

Carrie

Starting Solids With Your Infant and Picky Toddler Eating

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This post is for all mothers who wonder about infant and toddler feeding and what is “normal”.  Remember, human milk is the primary source of your infant’s nutrition throughout the first year and solids is mainly a sensory (read teaspoons to tablespoons) kind of experience.  In our society we act as if infants should be putting away jars upon jars of baby food a day!  This is not how the human digestive system was designed!

Early Solids WILL NOT help your baby sleep through the night, make your baby less fussy, make your baby grow up later or develop earlier or provide better nutrition than breast milk!

Normal Course of Appetite (Ames) up to age 6:

  • Usually infant doubles birth weight by the time they start solids
  • Usually the birth weight is tripled by the end of the first year
  • Cup feeding may be started in middle of first year
  • At 12 to 15 months, the gross motor drive is strong – may be difficult to sit and eat a meal, may want to stand in highchair if family using one
  • After 12 months, toddler may go through phase of not being interested in cup
  • 15 to 18 months toddler very interested in self-feeding
  • May throw food
  • 21 month old may have definite preferences, such as a certain bib, a certain spoon, a certain dish – but may not have the words to express it! Easily distractible
  • 24 months – preferences are high, may be related to taste, form, consistency, color – Think small helpings, teaspoon sized! Ritual demand of eating the same things reaches its height at 2 ½. Food jags prevalent.
  • 3 years old – Eating better, appetite fluctuates less, the child has become a good chewer . On the downside, may dawdle if eats with whole family.
  • May prefer raw vegetables, desserts, may accept green vegetables.
  • 4 years old – Chief problems are talks too much, usually has to interrupt meal to go to bathroom, has much trouble sitting still
  • 4 ½ to 5 – A distinct rise in appetite, can listen as well as talk at the dinner table, may use a knife for spreading but not for cutting
  • 6 years – Perpetual activity! Cannot sit still, wiggles in chair, eats with finger, talks with mouth full, cannot finish meal. Preferences and refusals very strong.

Signs of Developmental Readiness to Start Solids as per La Leche League:

  • Usually middle of first year
  • Your baby has at least doubled his/her birth weight or weighs at least 14 pounds
  • Your baby can sit up with support
  • Your baby has control of his/her head and neck
  • Your baby has the ability to transfer food from the front of the mouth to the back of the mouth (tongue-thrust reflex has disappeared)
  • Your baby may have a tooth or two
  • Your baby is capable of refusing food
  • Your baby likes to imitate people and showing distinct interest in food, not just the silverware
  • Your baby can reach and handle food, toys, objects
  • Your baby has increased saliva production necessary for digestion
  • Your baby is not ill and has no rashes

WHAT FIRST FOODS  SHOULD I FEED MY INFANT?

  • Different cultures start with different first foods – you may want to think specifically about foods that provide decent mineral quality for supplemental foods.
  • La Leche League typically says to start with banana, pears, applesauce (make your own), cooked carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash, avocados.  Some cultures start with meat as a first food!
  • Use your own clean finger as the first spoon
  • Offer new foods in the morning  in case of allergic reaction

 

One book you may consider on this topic is the classic “Feeding the Whole Family:  Recipes for Babies, Young Children, and Their Parents” by Cynthia Lair.  It takes recipes the whole family can eat, and suggests how to take all or parts of the recipe to make food your infant can eat as well.  All recipes are centered on fresh, whole foods ingredients.

Top Asked Questions Regarding Sources of:

Iron (per Dr. Sears Family Nutrition Book)

Beef (4 ounces) 3.5 mg

Ground beef (4 ounces) 2.5 mg

Lamb (4 ounces) 2.5 mg

Turkey, dark meat (4 ounces) 2.5 mg

Beans (1/2 cup) 2.0 mg

Chickpeas

Best Plant Food Sources of Iron (per Dr. Sears Family Nutrition Book):

Tofu (1/3 cup) – 7 mg

Iron-fortified cereals (1 ounce) 4-8 mg

Cream of Wheat (1/2 cup cooked) – 5 mg

Lentils (1/2 cup cooked) – 3 mg

Prune Juice (8 oz) – 3 mg

Dried Peaches – 3.1 mg for 6 halves

Pumpkin Seeds, 1 ounce – 4.0 mg

Signs of Anemia (Iron-Deficiency Anemia): paleness, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, irritability, difficulty concentrating, increased susceptibility to infection, intolerance of cold temperatures, constipation, brittle nails

Zinc (per Dr. Sears Family Nutrition Book)

Top Zinc Veggies:

Tofu (1/2 cup) – 2.00 mg

Artichoke – 1.47 mg

Chickpeas (1/2 cup canned) – 1.25 mg

Beans (kidney, lima, ½ cup) -0.75 mg

Dr. Sears writes in his book that many children with ADHD have lower levels of zinc and essential fatty acids; this may be worth looking into if your child has that challenge! 

Tips for Picky Toddler Eaters

DO NOT USE FOOD AS A BRIBE TO EAT OTHER FOODS OR AS A REWARD OR PUNISHMENT.

Serve food attractively, give small helpings, serve food without comment, do not stress amount of food to be eaten, be aware some food refusals may indicate an allergic reaction to that food, try to maintain a calm and unworried attitude toward your child’s eating, do not stress table manners with young children, allow finger-feeding until child has become proficient at eating and is interested in food.

Try:

1. Offer a nibble tray – put out a muffin tin and put a little food in each tray (apple moons, avocado boats, banana, broccoli trees, carrots, cheese cubes, hard boiled egg, little o shaped cereal)

2. Offer dip – made from cottage cheese, tofu, yogurt

3. Try smoothies

4. Serve it attractively

5. Respect that a child’s stomach is about the size of their fist

6. Let the kids eat at a child sized table where their feet can touch the ground

7. Let the kids cook or help prepare food

Food Allergies per La Leche League:

Top foods to cause allergic reactions: beans, berries, cabbage, chocolate, cinnamon, citrus fruits and juices, coconut, corn, cow’s milk, eggs, nuts (especially peanuts – and peanut allergy is a type of allergy that children do NOT outgrow as they age), onions, pork, shellfish, tomatoes, wheat.

Typically tolerated foods include:

Fruit – apples, apricots, bananas, peaches, pears, plums

Vegetable – asparagus, beets, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes

Rice and grains such as oats, barley, millet

Common Signs of Food Allergies: (Dr. Sears)

Skin – Hives, Red Sandpaper-Like Facial Rash, Dry/Itchy/Scaly Skin on face, Swelling in Hands and Feet, Puffy Eyelids, Dark Circles Under Eyes, Lip Swelling, Tongue Soreness and Cracks

Respiratory – Sneezing, Runny Nose, Stuffy Nose, Wheezing, Watery Eyes, Rattling Chest, Persistent Cough, Congestion, Bronchitis, Recurring Ear Infections

Intestines– Burnlike Rash Around Anus, Abdominal Discomfort, Mucusy Diarrhea, Constipation, Intestinal Bleeding, Poor Weight Gain, Bloating/Gassiness, Excessive Spitting Up, Vomiting

Behavior – Fatigue, Migraine Headaches, Hyperactivity, Crying, Irritability, Night Waking, Anxiety, Crankiness, Sore Muscles and Joints

The scoop on juice: (La Leche League)

For ages six to twelve months, no more than four ounces of juice a day (That’s half a cup!)

For toddlers and preschoolers, no more than six ounces a day (3/4 of a cup)

For school age children, no more than eight ounces (1 cup of juice a day)

Water, water, water!

Please do see the post on this blog regarding WHY fresh juice made by YOU is much better than the pasteurized stuff from the store!!  Here is the link:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/18/give-us-our-daily-juice/

You may also be interested in this post regarding Steiner’s grain of the day from a Waldorf perspective: 

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/23/steiners-grain-of-the-day/

A neat solution for grain rotation for the health of your family should you choose to eat grains!  According to Dr. Sears, the grains highest in iron are quinoa, amaranth, oats, enriched rice, millet and barley.  The grains highest in zinc per Dr. Sears are wild rice, rye, amaranth, oats and quinoa.  Tops for folic acid are millet, wild rice, rye, amaranth and oats.

Happy infant and toddler feeding,

Carrie

Is It Too Late? – For Those Children Over Seven

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I wrote a post here  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/02/14/is-it-too-late/   entitled “Is It Too Late?” about parents who are trying to implement a Waldorf approach to life and homeschooling with children who are six and under.

This begged the question from one reader about what to do and how to approach the seven, eight, and nine year old crowd.

I do think some of the principles are the same, and some of the principles are different simply because the seven, eight, and nine year olds are in a different seven- year cycle than a five or six year old.

Some things to think about, some from that previous post and some new:

Always start here:  If you have had no rhythm at all, start small with consistent awake times, bedtimes, and meal times.  Think foods made with your own hands and foods that are not far removed from what they really are….a whole apple as opposed to processed apple Pop-Tarts.  Think about the amount of sugar, dyes, additives your children are ingesting and work hard to limit those substances.

2.  Set up some areas within your home for artwork, woodworking.  Start with being outside a lot alternating with periods of working with hands.  Work on handwork yourself in the afternoon for a few hours each day and show your child.

3.  I feel strongly that a child of this age, while it should be the beginning of real explanations and such, may still need less words and worry.  Try hard not to discuss world politics or stressful family things in front of this child.  This child was in his head before his time, and while you cannot perhaps go completely back, you can keep from progressing things too  rapidly forward. 

4.  This child needs HOURS a day outside to just be without much comment or fuss. Natural landscapes with experiences in all kinds of weather.

6.  No media.  No media at all during this transformation.  No screens.   And model good behavior by cutting down on your screen time…can you do it?

7.  Plan some fun FAMILY activities with you, your partner, your child, siblings.  Sometimes these often serious and tense children need to see that, indeed, the family can have fun and laugh together.  It does not have to be something over the top and expensive – plan something like going hiking, roller skating, ice skating, planting a garden together, star watching.  Also do some projects around the house together so your child can see how a family works and plays together.

9. Start working within yourself to be the change for the things you want to see in your family.  You set the tone for things in your family, you have a choice as to how you respond to things.  You don’t need to nag your partner about all this, but instead model, show, demonstrate, love.

WHAT STEINER FELT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE  SECOND SEVEN YEAR CYCLE: (From Soul Economy, “Children From the Seventh to the Tenth Year”)

Because of the development of the ether body, the children are now working in the ‘rhythms of breathing and circulation.”  “Children now have a strong desire to experience the emerging life of soul and spirit on waves of rhythm and beat within the body – quite subconsciously, of course.”  We are still working within the will.

Children aged 7  to 9 are beginning to differentiate themselves from others; up until the seventh year they really feel they are directly connected with others.  The beginning of separation the 7 to 9 year old feels really shows itself with them longing to be around the adult and to have  strong feeling for authority.  Steiner felt the need for authority was an inborn need at this age.  He said, “When we say “authority” however, we mean children’s natural response to a teacher- never enforced authority.”

Steiner felt the gratitude that must be fostered in the early years is the first mood of the soul.  Love is the second mood of the soul, and he felt that needed to be nurtured in moral and religious life.  “We can provide a firm foundation for this kind of love by helping children make a gradual transition from the stage of imitation and authority, in the ninth or tenth year, to a genuine feeling of love for their teachers, whose bearing and general behavior at school must naturally warrant it.”  He goes on to say, “We often hear the admonition to love our neighbor as ourselves, and God above everything, yet we see little evidence of it.  Life at school should try to assure that such things are not just talked about but become infused with new life.”

I have a previous post that may also be of service to you:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/12/20/the-seven-to-fourteen-year-old/

For those of you with children on the brink of the nine-year-old change, I strongly recommend you read this article:  http://www.waldorfinthehome.org/2005/01/parenting_the_nine_year_old.html

Waldorf is so healing for the whole family; it is never too late to look at what your child needs and fulfill that.

Wishing you love on your journey,

Carrie

Resources for the Waldorf Kindergarten Years

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Lovey over at Lovey-land has a great list of resources to go with the skills list we came up with in this post:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/03/09/a-mothers-job-in-the-waldorf-homeschool-kindergarten/

(Sorry all, as of 1/2011 Lovey land’s blog is closed).

I decided to put my own picks here, food for thought for you:

Essentials:

One of the following: You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge or Heaven on Earth.  Your public library may have copies of these.

To Read the Following (may find on-line):  Rudolf Steiner’s The Education of the Child and Kingdom of Childhood are good places to start.  My personal favorite for awhile now has been Soul Economy as well.  Your public library may have some of these titles, and also check out the Rudolf Steiner Audio Archives.

For Inner Work:  Read works by Steiner, “Knowledge of Higher Worlds” is recommended by many as a place to start.  Discern why you feel called to homemaking and how you will set the tone in your home.  Journaling may help you.

For putting together things for your Kindergarten:  Let Us Form A Ring, a copy of Grimms Fairy Tales (The Pantheon Version), Suzanne Down’s Autumn Tales and Spring Tales and any of the seasonal Wynstones Press books.  Earthways is nice for crafts, but A Child’s Seasonal Treasury also has crafts and I think crafts are not too hard to track down on line.

For Movement:  Joyful Movement by Donna Simmons.

One festival book:  A Child’s Seasonal Treasury, which may be available at the library has verses and songs and crafts by season, other ones include All Year Round which is a Christian perspective, Celebrating Irish Festivals, or others.

If you absolutely must have some kind of “curriculum” : Either Melisa Nielsen’s Before the Journey and Journey Through Waldorf Kindergarten OR Donna Simmons’ Waldorf Kindergarten At Home with Your 3- 6 Year Old.

Baking, gardening, woodworking, housekeeping ideas and plans  really can be gathered through on-line resources and asking on Yahoo!Group Waldorf lists.

Most of all, do NOT be a curriculum junkie. I see so many mothers who are buying everything and doing NOTHING.  Pick something and DO.  Your child needs your take on things, your creativity, your festival plans and not just the stuff listed in a book.  You know your child best and can plan what will speak to their heart and soul  best.

All my best,

Carrie

More About Melisa Nielsen’s Workshop

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Some more interesting points from Melisa’s workshop that  I attended over the weekend that I am still digesting:

She talked at length about getting comfortable with the idea of Spirit/Source/God as a foundation of your Waldorf homeschooling experience and what that might look like in your home and family life (Please see the post entitled “Refreshed and Renewed” for more details about that!)

She talked at length about reading Steiner for yourself and/or listening to the audio archives of Steiner’s available on the Web as the second part of your foundation for Waldorf homeschooling.

She talked at length about taking care of yourself, your family, self-care for the homeschooling mother, the role of the father, finding alone time, how to handle chores for children of different ages, allowances, feeding the whole family.  How to get all this done so you have time to homeschool, LOL!

Melisa talked about the question of is it possible to combine Waldorf homeschooling with Unschooling or with Classical approaches.

She talked about the differences between providing a Waldorf education at home based upon Steiner’s indications versus attendance at a Waldorf school.

There was so much more that was so interesting, but it might be thought-provoking for you, dear Reader, to look at some of those topics above and think about how you feel about those things, how those things look in your family.

If you have comments, please do leave them in the comment section.  I would love to hear what you  have to say!

In Peace,

Carrie

A Mother’s Job in the Waldorf Homeschool Kindergarten

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It is not your job to be teaching academics quite yet; but it is your job to be laying the healthy foundations for later science, math and reading and writing through multi-sensorial experiences, festival experiences, outside time, nature walks, and gross motor skills.  It is also your job to be developing your own skills so you can show your child how to do things throughout the grade school years.

Lovey over at Loveyland (http://lovey-land.blogspot.com/)  and I brainstormed this list quite a while ago, but I still think it provides some direction and perhaps a plan for mothers who are trying to learn about the different practical elements of Waldorf education:

Child Age 2

Mothers should be working on:

Inner work

Strong rhythms

Storytelling

Puppetry (sewing skills)

Singing

Verses for transitions

Preparation for festivals

Discovering how to get your child into their body – this is VERY important; see post on this blog about this subject:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/01/10/getting-children-into-their-bodies-part-one-birth-to-age-2-and-a-half/

Child Age 3

Mothers should be working on all of the above, plus:

Baking and cooking

Wet felting

Learning a foreign language, preferably songs and verses in a foreign language

Child Age 4

Mothers should be working on all of the above, plus:

Wet –on -wet watercolor painting

Modeling

Woodworking

Child Age 5

Mother should be working on all of the above, plus:

Gardening and preserving food

Simple plant, animal and tree identification  (this will not come in until grades three and above, but it is hard to make up a story about a Willow Tree Fairy if you don’t know what a willow tree looks like or if one grows in your area).

Dollmaking  – some children make a simple doll as a more complex project for the 6 year old year

Child Age 6

Mother should be working on all of the above, plus:

Pennywhistle

Drawing and coloring with block crayons (you will need this for First Grade)

Knitting (will need in Grades One, Two)

Crocheting

Work on memorizing longer, more complex fairy tales for this year and subsequent years.

Hopefully that gives you a place to start,

Carrie

Refreshed and Renewed

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I attended a workshop today given by Melisa Nielsen of A Little Garden Flower (www.alittlegardenflower.com) .  It was excellent, and I hope all of you get a chance to hear her at some point in your Waldorf homeschooling journey. 

She made many wonderful points and provided so many examples and practical, real-life ideas from topics as diverse as chores in the home to dealing with media to Waldorf second grade to Waldorf homeschooling multiple ages of children. 

One thing she brought up at the very beginning of her workshop that I thought was excellent is her idea to get comfortable talking about “the Source” – whatever that means to you, whether this is the Universe, God, a deity, a higher being.  She talked about the importance of a family, including Dads, connecting in the morning by lighting a candle and either saying a verse together or praying together before the day begins.  She talked about the idea of getting comfortable with talking about Saints, not because Waldorf teaches them within the context of the Catholic Church, but because Waldorf teaches them within in the context of the Saints being other-worldly people who did extraordinary things.  She talked about exploring your own ideas of faith and spirituality because as things come up through the grades in Waldorf, you need to know how you feel about things to guide your child.  Are you and your husband on the same page spiritually?  What virtues does your family live by?  What are you so uncomfortable about and why?  Perhaps you need to explore that, so you can be clear with your child as he or she progresses throughout the curriculum and studies  – the Waldorf curriculum studies the teachings of nearly all the major world religions and religious/spiritual figures.  She outlined resources and suggestions for inner work throughout the grades and provided many examples of her own spiritual work.

I brought up to her that in the past I have had atheists ask me if they could work with Waldorf education at home.  My answer has always been that Waldorf is based upon the acknowledgement  that the child is a spiritual being on a spiritual journey in this earthly place.  I think if one does not believe in the spiritual dimension of human beings, this would be a difficult curriculum to work with.  Melisa brought up that if a family is drawn to Waldorf but has no professed spiritual beliefs at all, perhaps that family should examine why they are being drawn to Waldorf education.  Many families that are drawn to the Waldorf curriculum have been hurt by organized religion in the past, which is unfortunate, and Melisa pointed out the great capacity of Waldorf education to heal the whole family.  We talked about how our religious baggage should not be passed on to our children.

For those of you contemplating the role of religion on the Waldorf curriculum, the best article I have seen regarding this was from Renewal.  At first I could not find the article, but then I finally tracked down a copy of it here on Donna Simmons’ website:  http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/article_is_waldorf_education_christian.htm

There were many other thought-provoking discussions at this conference.  There will  be an audiotape of this four-hour workshop in Atlanta available for sale through Melisa’s website at some point.  I highly recommend you all get it and listen to it as she tackled so many important subjects that will truly influence how you parent your children, take care of your husband, and set the tone in your home.

More to come,

Carrie

SpankOut Day USA

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SpankOut Day USA is coming on April 30th!  It is a wonderful chance to educate and show teachers, parents, and others that spanking is harmful and positive alternatives exist.

To find out more information about SpankOut Day USA,  please follow this link:

http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=spankout

To find out where corporal punishment is still allowed in the United States and steps you can take to stop this, please follow this link:

http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=cando-main

I have many posts on this blog related to no spanking and positive discipline if you hit the “no spanking” tag in the tag box on the right of the screen.  The Center For Effective Discipline has this book on their website in PDF format that may be helpful to some of you – it looks at NORMAL development stages, long-term goals in parenting, the concept of warmth and setting structured, loving limits.  Here is the link:

http://www.stophitting.com/pdf/PositiveDiscipline-WhatItIsandHowToDoIt.pdf

Happy Reading,

Carrie

Sixth Grade Main Lesson Books

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Did you all see these amazing main lesson book creations over here at Loveyland?  For those of you with small children, check it out and be amazed at where your child will go with the Waldorf curriculum as they mature and grow!

http://lovey-land.blogspot.com/2009/02/main-lesson-books.html

Carrie

Celebrations of Spring in the Waldorf Home

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“Children relate to the world around them primarily through what is seen and done.  It is only later that they easily grasp abstract ideas.  So in preparing festivals for children we give priority to the visual presentation and to the accompanying activity.  We have found it best to avoid completely the temptation to explain in words anything to do with the meaning or background to a festival.  It could be many years later that illuminating connections in thought are discovered by the child- but this will be a personal discovery and therefore all the more precious and inspiring.”

-All Year Round, page 42.

Here are some ideas for celebrating Spring within your Waldorf Home! (I did not include Passover and hope to find you a blog to link to with Passover ideas – Loveyland, where are you??)

Karneval/Mardi Gras:  Probably not a true Waldorf tradition celebrated within the Waldorf school, but Karneval is a season of fun in many regions of Germany !  You could consider celebrating at home with cutting out chains of colorful paper dolls and hanging them up, celebrating with  a Karneval party where the children dress up (not in scary costume, but colorful costume!) and there is dancing and singing and food.  Some regions of Germany celebrate with a special kind of  jelly-filled donut for Karneval.

The season of Karneval typically culminates in Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.  Wikipedia has a lovely entry on all the different foods people in different countries eat on this day before Lent.  See this link for further details:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday   In my region of the United states, this night is known to many in the US as “pancake dinner” night for “Fat Tuesday.”

There are many pancake rhymes out there, here is one I remember that I believe is Mother Goose:

Mix a pancake

Stir a pancake

Pop it in a pan

Fry a pancake

Toss a pancake

Catch it if you can

You could have a pancake tossing race as I am told they do in England!

In some Protestant traditions, families make pretzels on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  Here is a recipe I found:  http://www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=2601.    I also found this link regarding pretzels and their role in Lent from a Catholic perspective:  http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0535.html 

Lent: 

According to the book, “Celebrating Irish Festivals” regarding Lent:  “In older times people were expected to abstain from all animal fats during Lent.  This meant no eggs, butter, milk or meat, so the people ate simple meals like porridge, with black tea for breakfast; and potatoes, herring and seaweed for dinner………..In the 19th century the custom changed so that only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were strictly observed fasts.  There was a prohibition on dancing and singing during Lent.  Visiting friends was frowned upon, as were card games; and still today many people decide not to visit the pub during this period……Nowadays, many people choose to give something up for Lent.  This can be a habit, or something like chocolate or sweets.  You could also choose to take up some spiritual discipline during this time.”

I personally like to do more intensive inner work during the 12 days of Christmas and during Lent.  One thing that I have been using for my own adult inner work during this season of Lent is the contemplation of my role  in Social Justice.  I have been using these devotions as found here:  http://images.rca.org/docs/discipleship/LentenDevotional.pdf  Food for thought. 

Maybe you would like to join the Anthroposophical Society during this time to further your foundation for Waldorf homeschooling.  Maybe you will intensify your yoga practice or prayer or meditation life.  I am sure you  will find the thing that speaks the most strongly to you.

Other thoughts for during Lent include Spring Cleaning, and also cleansing your body with such herbs as dandelion and nettle.   There are many wonderful recipes for this in many of the festival books.

The book “All Year Round” has this to add regarding the celebration of Lent with small children:

“In what ways can we develop an appropriate Lenten mood for a younger child?  We could sit together for a few minutes each morning, listening in silence as the birdsong  gains strength from the ebb of night.  We could take time to watch for the moon as it unfolds its rhythmic process between darkness and light.  There are many small, quiet ways in which the adult can offer certain pictures.  We do not mean art reproductions of the Crucifixion, which children can find disturbing, but pictures taken “out of the book of Nature”, or presentations of a symbolic quality.    For example, if an unlit candle stands on the dining room table each day instead of flowers, this can make a very deep impression…….”

St. Patrick’s Day:

The book “Celebrating Irish Festivals” discusses the life of St. Patrick and provides a story about Finn MacCool and St. Patrick, which would probably be suitable for eight-year-olds and up. 

Some children wake up to find a St. Patrick on their Nature Table.  Many families celebrate this day by having green food (yes, the dye, the horror!), making shamrock rolls, hunting for shamrocks outside, sewing little green felt shamrocks to pin to a shirt.  Celtic music is great fun as well.  Some mothers sew a small little green shirt and pants and leave them somewhere for the children to find in the morning, or have a scavenger-type hunt for gold.   I have known parents who even went so far to use green food coloring in the toilets even, LOL!

I don’t know how “Waldorf-y” any of this is, but it sure is fun!

Spring Equinox:  A great time to change the scene on your Nature Table!

Some families set up an egg tree especially for the Equinox and some families do one tree for the Equinox and one for Easter.  Some families wet felt flowers and when they are dry, tack them to their shirts with a safety pin.  Some families use the Equinox to leave out special gifts for the birds to build nests with or make birdhouses or Mason bee houses.  Wet-on-wet watercolor painting on paper cut out in the shapes of chicks or rabbits also comes to mind, as does those simple pipe cleaner and coffee filter butterflies.

 Easter: 

Palm Sunday:  All Year Round recommends making a cockerel to hang over the breakfast table for the children to wake up to and includes directions.

There is also a thought that if you have been using an unlit candle on your table, then you start lighting it on Palm Sunday.

This can also be a day to sow grass seed or wheat grass or start a Lenten Garden in a dish.

For the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, you could make an Easter Pole as a family.  The pole usually is made from a branch that you can bend into a hoop at the top, decorate with streamers and a bread rooster.   Some families also do an Easter tree and decorate it with blown and dyed Easter eggs. Even a small child of age 4 or 5 may be able to take a large-eyed needle to sew some yellow felt together to make Easter chicks for the Easter Tree.

Maundy Thursday may be a day of a simple meal.  In much of Europe, this is a day to eat green food such as herbs and salad.

Good Friday is ideally the day to make Hot Cross Buns and also to dye Easter eggs if you have not done that before this day.  There is a lovely book regarding Easter Crafts, titled simply “The Easter Craft Book” by Thomas and Petra Berger that may give you other ideas.

Some families also plant things on Good Friday, and seeds are nice gifts in the Easter baskets.

Holy Saturday/Easter Sunday:  A day of waiting, stillness, anticipation.  Some families make a bread ring for Easter morning that has “pockets’ in it, and on Easter morning the children wake up to dyed eggs being in the pockets.

“All Year Round” has a simple explanation about the Easter bunny versus the Easter Hare and remarks, “May we make a plea for the reinstatement of the Easter Hare?  He is fast becoming an endangered species, owing to the increasing popularity of the “Easter Bunny.”  The rabbit, with its established communal life and reputation for timidity, presents a very different picture from that of the hare.  The hare is a loner, creating the most transient of abodes.  He is said to be a bold and courageous creature, and his upright stance is characteristic.  His long ears suggest a wide and intelligent interest in the world, and in legend and folklore he is invested with the virtue of self-sacrifice.”

If you are searching for Easter stories, Suzanne Down’s “Spring Tales” has a story about the Hare, the book “Festivals, Families and Food” has two separate tales about the Easter Hare .

As far as Easter baskets go, I know many Waldorf families who put small trinkets in the basket as opposed to candy.  Homemade items and toys are always especially wonderful.

Earth Day:  I don’t know if this is celebrated in Waldorf schools, but it may be fun to celebrate our love for the Earth and the home we share by marking the day in some way.  I have looked at a number of links on the Internet about Earth Day and small children and have not found any of them to be especially appropriate for the under-nine child from a Waldorf perspective.

Waldorf approaches the challenges we are facing in the environment from a perspective and realization that the young child is ONE with the environment; with all the trees, the animals, the birds, and the plants. As Waldorf educators, we work hard to foster reverence and wonder for the great outdoors.

So, my suggestion would be to take part in hiking that day, planting a tree, or if you have seven, eight and nine year-olds, possibly participate in helping to clean up a trail, park or river –IF you can keep the “gloom and doom” out of it and just simply say, “We are helping to keep Mother Earth neat and clean.” No guilt about what the human race is doing wrong yet! 

Remember, holidays and festivals the Waldorf way are about DOING, not the words or the explanations.  DOING.

Yours till next time,

Carrie