Category Archives: Resources

A Review: “In A Nutshell: Dialogues with Parents at Acorn Hill”

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I had a reader from Down Under ask my thoughts on this book as it would be expensive to buy it and have it shipped. 

Let’s take a quick peek at this little book:

It is about 91 pages long, and is formulated in a series of questions that parents ask and the author answers.

The Table of Contents:

(after the Foreword, the Preface, the Introduction):

Our Classroom Environment

Color in the Classroom

Why Curtains?

Teachers’ Dress

The Significance of Candles

Naming the Teacher

No Cars and Trucks?

What About Puzzles?

Musical Instruments in the Classroom

Work and Play at School

The Rhythm of the Morning

Saying, “You May”…

Ironing in the Classroom:  Danger?

Boys and Waldorf Education

Playing Cats and Dogs

Music in the Mood of the Fifth

Can Energetic Boys Enjoy Handwork?

Gun Play at School?

Field Trips?

Fairy Tales for Young Children

The Challenge of Circle Time

Puppetry and “Told” Stories

Children at Home

Colors for a Child’s Bedroom

Older and Younger Siblings

Boredom

Telephone

Bedtime Ritual

Feeding a Child

Swords vs. Guns

TV Away from Home

Barbie

Forbidden Words?

Appropriate Gifts

“What Did You Do in School Today?”

Toys in the Neighborhood

Helping Children in a Time of Trouble – A Few Thoughts

Is the World a Good Place?

In Conclusion

About the Author

 

I have enjoyed this book and there is much food for thought here; however I do think many of these questions can be answered either by reading Steiner’s works or some of the classic Kindergarten Years texts that are out there such as “You Are Your Child’s First Teacher”, “Heaven on Earth”, or “Beyond the Rainbow Bridge.”   There is also a wonderful service available to us with free on-line articles of “Gateways” (a Waldorf Early Years publication) available through www.waldorflibrary.org that frequently addressed these types of questions.  Also, I would encourage you all to join some of the “National” waldorf group lists – Melisa Nielsen’s list homeschoolingwaldorf@yahoogroups.com; Marsha Johnson’s list at waldorfhomeeducators@yahoogroups.com or Donna Simmon’s paid subscription forum at  http://www.waldorf-at-home.com/forums/

On the other hand, if you are planning on enrolling your child within a Waldorf school setting, this work may answer some of the typical questions parents have from a classroom perspective.

Hope that helps,

Carrie

Recorder, Pennywhistle, or Pentatonic Flute?

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This is a great question, and my friend Jodie Mesler has a great post about why she loves the pennywhistle here on her blog:

http://homemusicmaking.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-is-pennywhistle.html

Hope that helps some of you who are trying to decide over the summer which instrument to use or switch to!

I am very busy this week getting ready for the workshop Donna Simmons of Christopherus is doing this week for our regional area. She flies in today, and many of us are excited to hear this conference.  You can see http://peachcobblers.blogspot.com for further details if you are interested.

Be back soon,

Carrie

“Drawing With Your Four to Eleven Year Old”

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This is a book written by Donna Simmons, and people ask me about it all the time.  I think so many parents are intimidated by the drawing part of the Waldorf curriculum, so I thought I would run through what this book has to offer. 

The introduction talks about how this book is a “short introduction to drawing with your child [that] is a very simple and basic glimpse at how parents might take methods used in Waldorf schools and work with them at home.”  What I appreciate here is her acknowledgement that home with Waldorf is different than Waldorf school, and understanding of the intimidation that many parents feel with drawing and the fact that the grades material is taught through artistic approaches.

The next section talks about “Materials” and outlines the specifics of block and stick crayons, pencils, other materials, paper and what suppliers to consider getting supplies from.    She then addresses the question most parents ask which is why do all the children’s pictures look the same in the beginning?  Why do all the children draw the same picture?  She writes that, “An important foundation to Waldorf education is the deeply held belief that it is imperative to work with the child at his appropriate stage of learning.  Young children, up to 6 or 7, learn best by imitation and so when the children paint or draw they do what their teacher does.”  There is further guidance about the use of Main Lesson Books and the drawing that may accompany main lessons in the grades. She also provides notes on outlining and painting and then moves into talking about drawing with each grade.

Kindergarten – there is a small amount of information that probably will not be satisfying to the mother new to Waldorf whose oldest child is of Kindergarten age (because there should be more, right??) :),  but will be perfectly satisfying to mothers who have been through the Kindy phase and realize how drawing is a small part of the daily rhythm at home usually at this point.  LOL.  My main advice to the mother of a Kindergartner is to simply slow down.  The artistic things can be important in the Waldorf Kindergarten at home, but remember, the main focus should be on rhythm, fostering of gratitude, getting your child into their body and protecting those 12 senses, along with the development of YOUR skills in different areas of the curriculum.    Please do see some of the Waldorf Kindergarten posts on this blog for ideas!

First Grade – Donna talks about making borders for the Main Lesson Book, drawing of figures and also an introduction to form drawing. 

Second Grade – Donna talks about the transition to making drawings of more detail and provides examples of Main Lesson Book pages to draw from.

Third Grade – She talks about how to work with drawing in conjunction with some of the Third Grade blocks of building, Old Testament, and provides examples of how to draw animals and the habitats the animals live in. 

Fourth Grade – Donna talks about drawing maps, the use of proportions and blocking out pictures. 

Fifth Grade – Drawing becomes more realistic and challenging in the Fifth Grade Waldorf curriculum.  She talks about free-hand geometric drawings and the role of drawing in the ancient blocks, and of course the drawing that is prevalent in the botany blocks.

She then has notes about “Looking Ahead”.  Sixth Grade is about perspective drawing, and mastering charcoal pencils. She provides several pages of resources regarding Basic Waldorf Education, Form Drawing and Painting, and Drawing.

In short, this little book is about 36 pages long and provides a fine overview of the progression of drawing in the curriculum with color examples and some detailed techniques.  I am personally glad to have this book on my shelf because it is a fast resource I can turn to the know what kinds of drawings I can expect with each grade and quick examples of how this might look for each grade.  Another book I can also recommend is “Drawing with Block Crayons”, which is more intensive in techniques but also requires you to really sit down with the book and work with it – you cannot just leaf through that book and absorb it, LOL. 

I think this book is worth checking out, as is “Drawing with Block Crayons”; however be forewarned you will need other resources for Form Drawing.

Hope that helps,

Carrie

Differences Between “The Well-Trained Mind” and Waldorf: The Early Years

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Someone pointed out to me that The Well-Trained Mind encourages art and stories within their curriculum as well, so what is so different about the two curriculums?  This was a person with very little experience in Waldorf who had never seen a Main Lesson Book or seen how the children create throughout a three-day rhythm in a Waldorf environment as they learn, but I still thought it was an interesting question.

I would like to take moment to address this question here in this post for you all.  This first table is for the pre-school years of The Well-Trained Mind, which encompasses the Waldorf Kindergarten Years of ages 3-6.

  The Well-Trained Mind Waldorf
How to Teach Reading “Talk, talk, talk – adult talk, not baby talk.  Talk to her while you’re walking in the park, while you’re riding in the care, while you’re fixing dinner.” (page  27)
”Read, read, read.  Start reading chunky baby books to your baby in her crib.  Give her sturdy books that she can look at alone. (A torn book or two is a small price to pay for literacy).  Read picture books, pointing at the words with your finger.  Read the same books over and over’; repetition builds literacy…..Read books onto tapes, along with the child’s comments, so that she can listen to you read over and over again.” (page 27, TWTM, page 27)
”After you read to your toddler, ask her questions about the story.  Why did the gingerbread man run away from the little old woman?  Why did all the dogs want to go to the top of the tree in Go, Dog, Go?  Why did Bananas Gorilla take all the bananas?” (Page 27)		 Steiner did not advocate teaching reading to children still within the first seven-year cycle.  The child is seen as needing their energy for growth and development of the physical body until the forces are  freed for memorization.  It is not that the child cannot learn reading at this age, but that the child ‘s growth and development should be protected at this point by the adult.  Steiner felt early memorization, instruction and such came at a price to the child’s future health as an adult.
”Accomplishments that come with forces that are available later on should never be forced into  an earlier stage, unless we are prepared to ruin the physical organism.” Steiner, page 116, Soul Economy.Talking for the sake of talking is not seen as promoting the vital concept of warmth and is also seen as pulling the child into their head with lots of verbal play; but singing, verses, pictorial imagery, oral storytelling  is strongly encouraged.  Talking to your child is encouraged, just perhaps not the running commentary of what you are doing every minute the way TWTM suggests.
Picture books are limited so the child can make pictures in their own mind, and the same picture books and fairy tales and nature stories are told over and over for weeks or a month at a time to work deeply on the child’s soul.  The child memorizes the stories, songs and verses from the repetition, and the stories come out in the child’s play
Use of Television and Videos Limit television and videos. Same, no television or videos preferable
Writing “Very young children (under two) will pick up a pencil and imitate scribbling.  Teach a child from the beginning to  hold the pencil correctly.  Draw lots of circles and loops in a counterclockwise direction……Teach your three year old basic dot-to-dot skills by drawing your own dot-to-dot picture…” (pages 28-29) Some Waldorf Kindergartens do  artistic drawing, but none teach letters or do dot-to-dot diagrams within the Kindergarten ages of 3-6.  Letter and handwriting are taught in First Grade through such artistic activities as form drawing, modeling the letters, drawing objects that begin with a letter and seeing how that turns into the abstract letter.  Pictures that the child draws, such as a house, is seen on an archtypical level.
Math “Start to make your child “mathematically literate” in the toddler years…..Bring numbers into everyday life as often as possible….Once the child is comfortable counting, you can start working on simple math sums – usually during the K-4 and K-5 years.” (page 29) Pre-mathematics literacy is laid early through oral stories, fingerplays, rhymes.  Qualities of numbers, all four math processes, Roman numerals, all are introduced in Grade One.
“kindergarten” for four and five year olds “….it’s a rare five year old who’s ready to do very much paper-and-pencil work at a desk, and a six year old who hasn’t done a formal kindergarten program can easily begin first-grade work.”
”Kindergarten for four year olds accomplishes even less.  Most four year olds have microscopic attention spans, immature hand-eye coordination, and a bad case of the wiggles.”
”In about thirty minutes per day, you can teach your child beginning reading, writing, and math concepts, all without workbooks or teacher’s manuals.” (page 30).		 Waldorf Kindergarten does not focus on reading or writing or math per say at this early age, but strives to lay healthy foundations for these subjects through a variety of sensory and practical life experiences for when the student is ready for academic work in Grade One.  Each year of Kindergarten the student has more complex stories, projects and responsibilities.

Students in Waldorf kindergarten certainly do learn colors, shapes, things such as above, below, on, weights and measurements, pre-mathematical literacy.  Some Waldorf Kindergarteners can read if they have taught themselves, but the focus really is on the BODY at this young age.
Reading for four and five year olds “You should continue to immerse four and five year olds in language, just as you’ve been doing since birth.  Read with them in the “real world”….Get them books on tape…….Susan’s three year old and five year old listened to all of Kipling’s Just So Stories, the original Jungle Book, all of Edith Nesbit’s books, The Chronicles of Narnia, Barrie’s densely written Peter Pan…….” (page 32) Steiner believed children of this age should be in their bodies and reading should come later.The stories mentioned in the WTM quote to the left are wonderful works of literature, but included much later in the Waldorf curriculum at a time when those types of stories would be seen as speaking to a child….A child under the age of seven is living in a world of connection and oneness with things, and stories with strong protagonists the child can identify with (as opposed to the archetypal figures of fairy tales), do not come in until later.
Method of teaching reading for four and five year olds Recommends “The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, by Jessie Wise, contains clear step-by-step instructions on how to teach reading from the very beginning stages, starting with letter sounds and moving systematically through blending sounds into reading real words and sentences.” (page 33)
”Remember, you want the child to read quickly, easily, and early.  Many children are ready to read long before they have the muscular coordination to write.  Why delay reading until the muscles of the hand and eye catch up?” (page 38)		 Live singing, live music, storytelling, drama, all lay a strong foundation for language literacyAnd for the record, Waldorf does not teach reading through a strictly phonetic approach where the child must read three letter words with only short “A” in them to start – the Waldorf approach to reading is whole word, whole language with the letter sounds included.  See below.  The letter sounds are introduced in First Grade, with letter emphasis on word families and reading from the written word of things the child knows very well – songs and verses
Math for four and five year olds Real world math, and “your public library should have a colorful selection of kindergarten-level math books- easy problems worked out with photographed objects.  Get a book every week, and read through it.” See above.

Steiner recommended rapid introduction to the numbers in the First Grade with rapid transition into introducing all four math processes.
Science for the four and five year old “You can supplement beginning reading, writing, and math by doing a science experiment once or twice a week; more formal science study isn’t necessary at this age.” The child is considered from a developmental standpoint  one with nature; the connection between nature and the child is fostered through outside time, building with natural materials, preparing for festivals, reverence for living things
Art and Music Not mentioned The child has a variety of musical and  artistic experiences through wet-on-wet watercolor painting, modeling, play outside with natural materials, music with lyre, singing, Circle Time throughout the day
Gross Motor Skills not mentioned Continually fostered through almost every activity in the kindergarten, including very active Circle times and outside time where building with natural materials is encouraged, nature walks of longer duration
Practical Life Skills not mentioned Fostered through preparation of snack, bread making, gardening, wood working, housekeeping and other experiences
Spirituality Not mentioned in preschool section; mentioned on page 204 as part of Grades section.  “Education cannot be neutral when it comes to faith; it is either supportive or destructive.  The topic of education is humanity, its accomplishments, its discoveries, its savage treatment of its own kind, its willingness to endure self-sacrifice.  And you cannot learn- or teach- about humanity without considering God.” The child is assumed to be a spiritual being from a spiritual place; reverence is instilled through verses and songs, preparation for festivals, gardening and being outside daily in all kinds of weather
The festivals celebrated often have a Christian-Judeo background, but all the world religions are taught within the curriculum throughout the years.   For more information please see post entitled “Refreshed and Renewed.”
Emphasis on Rhythm, Protection of the 12 Senses Not mentioned Very unique to Waldorf and seen as vital to a child’s health – there are many posts on this blog about rhythm!

Protection is a big factor within the early years, with repetition and reverence being hallmarks toward that, along with warmth of the teacher, warm foods, warmth in  the  environment
The role of the teacher  I couldn’t find any direct quotes really, perhaps someone else more familiar with this work can? “Children are entrusted to us for their education.  They are a sacred trust we receive.” (From Soul Economy). 
The view of the child’s academic ability To be filled by the teacher through exposure to print books, to audio books, to concepts and counting The teacher is a guide, an observer and a leader in setting rhythm and health as the child’s development and maturation unfolds.

 

 

As you can see, Waldorf and The Well-Trained Mind have very different premises about what the young child needs in the early years for future health and academic success, although there is brief  overlap on such things as limiting media exposure.  However, the things Waldorf views as most important for the small child – less words, more singing, music, oral stories, outside time, getting children in their bodies, rhythm, protection of the senses, REPETITION of the same stories and things is wanted and promoted – is not even mentioned by The Well-Trained Mind.

They are just very different approaches, in my opinion.  As Melisa Nielsen says, TWTM is a wonderful product if that is the way you want to go.  My addition to this thought though is to make sure this is the way you want to go, the way you see your homeschooling experience reflecting your values and priorities for your child.

Food for thought,

Carrie

More Inspiration for Teaching from Steiner’s “Human Values in Education.”

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Yes, more from what I am reading.  On page 55, this passage made me stop and think:

We see the higher processes abstracted in all the lower stages of the process.  An imponderable relationship arises between you and the students; and the children make real progress in their education as long as you do not get the idea that they are ignorant and you are clever; you must stand before the children, aware that this is a fact in the world, and that you are leading them to believe in something that you yourself believe with all your heart.”

There is the heart of the matter.  Do you believe a child under the age of 7 can benefit by NOT doing academics at this point?  Do you believe a child of the age of 7 needs to approach things through art, music and imagination?  Do you believe in the value of the fairy tales for a 7 year old – that this is what they need for their development of their soul, to see that good always overcomes?  Do you believe that an 8 year old needs to see the  duality of man through the Saints – people who did other worldly things- and the trickster tales?  Do you believe a child in the throes of the 9 year old change needs to hear about the relationship of man to authority in Old Testament stories?

If you don’t believe, what is attracting you to Waldorf?  Why are you considering this for your child’s education?  What healing needs to be done in you so you can teach this and truly believe?

If these questions are difficult, perhaps a one-on-one consultation with one of the nationally known Waldorf consultants could be of assistance to you.  See a list to pick from here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/01/03/waldorf-consultants/

Your children deserve your authenticity and exploration into this matter!

Peaceful journeying to you,

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

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

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

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

Verses and Songs Throughout the Day

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Many Waldorf mothers lament that while they know they should not use head-oriented commands with small children under the age of seven, they just are not sure how to get through the day without doing this.  One way to think about this is how you could use songs and verses throughout your day for transition points.  For example, instead of announcing all day long, “Now, little Jimmy, we are going to do XYZ”, you have a wonderful song or melody to do this that accompanies YOU starting to DO the physical activity.  (Having small children is not to be directed from the sofa!!)  Once you use the same song or verse for the same activity over and over, the child recognizes what goes with what melody. 

I kept track the other day, and here are some of the ones I use with my family that we enjoy, and maybe this will give you some ideas for your own family!  You will find the songs and verses that work for you!

For waking up in the morning, while I go around and open all the window shades:  The song “Good morning, good morning and how do you do?”  and also the song “Buenos Dias, Buenos Dias, como estas, como estas?”  (sung to the tune of “Where is Thumpkin?”)

For making beds:   The song “This is the way we make the beds, make the beds, make the beds, this is way we make the beds on a “XXXXXX” morning.”

For calling to breakfast and lunch – We sing the prayer “Thou Art Great and Thou Art Good”  from Shea Darien’s book Seven Times the Sun.

For washing dishes:  The song “This the way we wash the dishes, wash the dishes, wash the dishes” as above

For getting dressed:  The nursery rhyme Diddle Diddle Dumpling, My Son John

(I also make up songs sometimes for going potty, brushing teeth or brushing hair).

For being called to start homeschool:  I always call children with a made- up tune on the pennywhistle and then play whatever song is the song of the month.  For example, in November I played “The Pumpkin Pie” song and my kids learned it and sung it for everyone after Thanksgiving dinner while I played.  For this month we are learning the song from the play “The Snowmaiden” from “Little Plays for Puppets” book and also a song about dwarves.  After singing we have a candle-lighting verse and we also use the well-known  Waldorf verse that begins, “Good Morning Dear Earth, Good Morning Dear Sun.”

For quiet time:  We sing one of the quiet songs out of Shea Darien’s book Seven Times the Sun

For ending quiet time:  We use that wonderful folk song that begins, “Bluebird, bluebird (or whatever bird you want!)  fly through my window, bluebird, bluebird, fly through my window.”  It is on Pete Seeger’s CD of folk songs

Favorite verse for going outside:  The nursery rhyme that begins, “The grand old Duke of York, he had ten thousand men, he marched them up a hill and then he marched him down again.”

For practical work, I do have verses for wet on wet watercolor painting, baking, handwork, gardening and housekeeping that can be found in A Child’s Seasonal Treasury,

For dinner we rotate between these two prayers: 

Father, we thank thee for this food before us

Give us strength to do Thy Will

Guide and Protect Us in Your Heavenly Path

For Christ’s Sake, Amen.

or this one:

Bless this food to our use

And us to thy (continued) service

And make us ever mindful of thy blessings

Amen.

For Bathtime- Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub

For Bedtime- Prayers (we say four prayers at night)

First we say “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”

Then we say this one:

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

Bless this bed that we lie on,

Two at our head, two at our feet,

Protect us (bless us) while we are fast asleep.

Then we say a quick prayer to the archangels of St. Raphael, St. Gabriel, St. Michael and St. Uriel, (and we list what we are thankful for from the day)

And then at last we say “Our Father Who Art in Heaven”.

This is just a small sampling, and you can come up with traditional verses, songs and prayers that speak to your own spiritual/religious life.   I also make up many songs on the spot and sing.  My oldest thinks my voice is beautiful, which I assure you it is not, but the point is you do not have to be a great singer to do this!!  It is great fun, the kids learn all of this by heart easily, and it is so much better than walking around like a play-by-play football announcer each day.

Just a few thoughts from my little corner of the world.