Children thrive when we slow down and do things with a "sense of spaciousness": the attitude that we have enough attention for our task AND the child(ren), and that we have all the time in the world for whatever is happening right now. During the holiday season it can be especially hard to slow down. We still have everything we normally do, plus holiday parties, shopping for … [Read more...]
Celebrating Advent
Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. For some, it's the countdown to Christmas; for others, it's the countdown to the darkest day of the year and the beginning of the return to light. This is a journey that has many different layers to explore and many different ways to explore it. Here I'll give a bit of an overview of the elements that many Waldorf inspired advent … [Read more...]
A Story of Autumn Light
Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived with his mother and his father and his baby sister. He played all summer long in his shorts and bare-feet, feeling the hot sun on his face. Then, one day, the ground started to get cold, and he had to put on shoes. Then the wind started to blow! He was chilly! He had to put on a sweater to keep warm. The leaves started to … [Read more...]
Fall Celebrations: Martinmas
Martinmas (November 11th) is not commonly celebrated in the United States, but it's such a lovely festival that I wanted to tell you all about it. I love celebrating these 'smaller' festivals because they have not been taken over by commercial interests, and you can really shape them to be special events for your family or your class/program. Martinmas in particular holds an … [Read more...]