Escuelas Waldorf: una educación que crece con el niño

31 de agosto de 2024

La pedagogía Waldorf se basa en el conocimiento profundo de las necesidades del niño y en la búsqueda de una educación centrada en la espiritualidad, el arte, la creatividad y la libertad con responsabilidad. En Argentina ya hay más de 30 escuelas que ofrecen este tipo de educación y este número va en aumento. Te informamos sobre esta modalidad de enseñanza que tiene gran aceptación en el mundo y que cada vez más padres argentinos eligen para sus hijos.

Existen varios métodos pedagógicos, pero muy pocos lograron perdurar a lo largo del tiempo e incluso crecer como lo ha hecho el Waldorf. Tal es su consolidación y reconocimiento a nivel mundial, que además de estar aprobado por los sistemas educativos de la gran mayoría de los países, es promovido y apoyado por la UNESCO. Este organismo internacional reconoce que dicha modalidad logra que el niño aprenda sin descuidar los aspectos relacionados con su salud física y emocional.

La pedagogía Waldorf tuvo su origen en el año 1919, de la mano del filósofo alemán Rudolf Steiner y se fundamenta en una concepción del ser humano basada en la Antroposofía (ciencia del hombre). Para ahondar más en este concepto y comprenderlo, debemos tener en cuenta que esta ciencia considera al hombre como un ser tripartito (cuerpo-alma-espíritu) y por lo tanto, cuando de la adquisición de conocimiento se trata, tiene en cuenta al estudiante en todos estos aspectos.

Basada en dichos principios, esta modalidad de enseñanza pretende garantizar un aprendizaje apoyándose en el saber como conquista y descubrimiento. Porque no considera al individuo como un sujeto pasivo que deba ser enseñado y adiestrado, sino como un ser libre que necesita ir desarrollando progresivamente sus capacidades.

El método creado por Steiner divide a las etapas evolutivas del ser humano en 3 septenios:

• Primera infancia (0-7 años/jardín): en esta etapa la actividad central es el desarrollo del organismo físico. El método primordial de conocimiento es la imitación, teniendo en cuenta la voluntad activa del niño.

• Infancia media (7-14 años/primaria): en este estadío el conocimiento del mundo se realiza a través de la imaginación, la cual despierta y activa los sentimientos. Por lo cual el arte y la imaginación son herramientas fundamentales de aprendizaje en el segundo septenio.

• Adolescencia (14-21 años/secundaria): en este período se produce la maduración de la personalidad y se termina de desarrollar la capacidad intelectual. Aquí la búsqueda de lo real y la verdad son los ejes en el camino hacia el conocimiento.

Un eje fundamental de este tipo de enseñanza es el seguimiento personalizado que hace el docente de cada niño, captando así sus aptitudes e intereses y estimulándolo en sus potencialidades. Para ello, los grupos tienden a ser pequeños y en cada septenio el docente es el mismo, lo que permite un alto grado de conocimiento de los alumnos. Además, la mayoría de las escuelas cuentan con un equipo pedagógico-terapéutico capaz de acompañar al niño en su desarrollo, evaluando sus capacidades individuales y generando un esquema de aprendizaje que favorezca su avance, tanto académico como anímico-espiritual. Es por eso que las escuelas Waldorf también son aptas para niños con problemas de aprendizaje o necesidades especiales.

También es pertinente resaltar que en la pedagogía Waldorf lo lúdico se presenta al niño para incentivar distintas áreas según sus capacidades madurativas, como por ejemplo, el conocimiento, la afirmación, la confianza, la voluntad, la comunicación y la cooperación con su prójimo.

Actualmente, en el mundo hay más de 3000 entidades educativas de modalidad Waldorf. En Argentina, cuya primera escuela de esta pedagogía data de 1940, ya están establecidas más de una treintena de instituciones que se rigen por este método de educación.

“Mucho se dice sobre que la educación tradicional está en crisis y en este marco, los padres afirman que no saben qué hacer con sus hijos, que no hacen caso y que se cansan rápidamente de jugar con los mismos juguetes. Mientras que los maestros se quejan de que los chicos de ahora son inmanejables y que con las herramientas pedagógicas actuales no logran satisfacer las demandas”, expresa Laura Oliveira, docente de una reconocida escuela Waldorf de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires y asegura: “Tengo conocimiento de que cada vez más padres eligen este tipo de educación para sus hijos. Incluso en muchos casos son ellos mismos quienes junto a maestros gestionan la apertura de estas escuelas, como ha sido el caso de un jardín en Rosario y en tantos otros puntos del país”.

En cuanto a los límites, la docente opina que son necesarios y que no faltan en las escuelas Waldorf desde el nivel inicial. “La manera de indicarlos es guiándolos hacia donde tienen que ir y ayudándolos a que ellos mismos comprendan la necesidad de participar de lo que estamos haciendo. El que no acepta las pautas es esperado y protegido, no castigado. Se trata de evitar decirles que no”, subraya Oliveira, y afirma que uno de los objetivos es que vean a la autoridad con amor.

Justamente por plantearse entre sus objetivos el desarrollo de la libertad individual, muchas personas tienden a pensar que estas escuelas son poco exigentes y poco estructuradas. Sin embargo, los contenidos que se aprenden no solo abarcan a los de la enseñanza oficial sino que los sobrepasan, tomando los aspectos de la educación artística, artesanal y técnica. Los egresados de los distintos niveles se adaptan con naturalidad a otros sistemas educativos tanto en el polimodal como en la universidad.

¿Cuáles son las características que diferencian a las escuelas Waldorf de las tradicionales?

• El maestro es el mismo durante cada septenio: el objetivo de esto es que el docente adquiera un conocimiento profundo de cada niño, pudiendo satisfacer sus necesidades pedagógicas en cada momento.

• No hay un horario mosaico: esto significa que un área de conocimiento se profundiza durante aproximadamente 3 o 4 semanas y luego se pasa a la siguiente.

• No hay boletín: el maestro evalúa el proceso de aprendizaje a través del contacto cotidiano con los alumnos y da la evaluación a sus padres durante todo el ciclo lectivo. Esta peculiaridad procura no fomentar la competitividad entre los alumnos.

• Se recurre al arte en materias curriculares: el canto, la música, el movimiento y las manualidades son recursos utilizados en matemática, lengua o ciencias.

• Talleres de oficios: los niños participan en talleres de carpintería, cocina, tejido y jardinería, entre otros.

• Alimentos del cuerpo y del alma: en estas escuelas se da vital importancia a lo que se ingiere a través del cuerpo y del alma. Por ello se promueve el consumo de alimentos naturales, evitando las golosinas y la comida industrializada. Y se cuida celosamente lo que los niños escuchan, ven o sienten, brindándoles la contención y el amor para su desarrollo psíquico y emocional.

• Desaconseja el uso de la T.V. y computadoras para los niños: ya que sostienen que todo esto aleja al chico de su tarea principal, que es el desarrollo de sus sentidos de percepción, de su mente y su creatividad.

• Fomenta el respeto por los ritmos y cursos naturales: por ejemplo, un horario regular sano para comer e ir a dormir colabora con los ritmos metabólicos del organismo.

• Los padres tienen una participación muy importante en las escuelas: proveen los medios necesarios para que la institución pueda funcionar. Y participan, junto con los maestros, en comisiones con diferentes tareas.

• Promueven la educación religiosa en la familia y no en el ámbito escolar: estas escuelas tienen una orientación cristiana, como camino evolutivo del hombre. Sin embargo, no dan catequesis en sus programas pero incentivan que esta formación sea dada en el hogar. Por su parte, estimulan a los niños a venerar y contemplar los hechos que tienen que ver con el milagro de la vida, sus ritmos y sus etapas, tales como las estaciones.

Teniendo en cuenta que la pedagogía Waldorf es un método complejo, su conocimiento no se agota en una enumeración de las características que la diferencian de las escuelas más tradicionales. Esencialmente, esta modalidad que plantea la educación como un desarrollo hacia la libertad individual, incorporando la expresión artística como herramienta, tiene como objetivo no solo el crecimiento intelectual sino además una saludable evolución física, psíquica y emocional de las generaciones futuras.

Una propuesta muy interesante en materia educativa. La clave, dicen los especialistas, está en darse la libertad de vivenciarla y constatar los beneficios para nuestros hijos.

“El niño ha de ser recibido con respeto, educado con amor, puesto en la vida finalmente, en libertad”, palabras que sintetizan el pensamiento de Rudolf Steiner, padre de esta famosa pedagogía que cada vez cobra más auge en nuestra sociedad.

Un poco de historia…

En 1919 Steiner visitó la fábrica de cigarrillos Waldorf Astoria, en Stuttgart, Alemania y habló a los trabajadores sobre la necesidad de una renovación social, de una nueva forma de organizar la sociedad, su vida política, cultural y económica. Allí hizo la propuesta del abordamiento del hombre como ser tripartito y sus necesidades. El dueño de la fábrica, Emil Molt, le solicitó así a Steiner encargarse de establecer y dirigir una escuela para educar a los hijos de los empleados de su empresa en este nuevo sentido social. Así nació la Escuela libre Waldorf. La educación que recibieron estos niños fue tan innovadora y evolucionada, que pronto comenzaron a surgir escuelas Waldorf en Alemania y luego el movimiento se extendió por el resto de Europa y el mundo.

Famosos Waldorf

Entre las celebridades que han estudiado en escuelas de enseñanza Waldorf se encuentran: Jennifer Aniston, Kenneth Chennault, Michael Ende, Sandra Bullock, Barbara Becker, Meret Oppenheim, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Linn Ulmann, Kristen Nygaard, Nira Bravo. En Argentina podemos mencionar a Nicolás y Andrés Repetto, Andrés y Javier Calamaro, y Ursula Vargues.

Puedes encontrar el artículo original aquí.

The Six-Year Transformation: Discovering Waldorf

23 de agosto de 2024

The six-year transformation or change is an amazing and tumultuous time in the life of your youngling (and for you!). This time is referred to as the “first puberty,” which gives a great deal of insight into the kind of behavior you might expect during this time. Although it is called the six-year change, it usually happens between the ages of 5.5 and 7 years. This developmental shift is not simply the next step in a linear progression, but rather a full transformation into a different being.

It is likened to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Everything changes for your child…physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally. Her body is changing, her consciousness is changing and her connection to the world is changing.

Let’s start by getting a clear picture of the changes happening, then we can move on to ways to meet and to support our dear one as he works his way out of that cocoon!

Physically, your child is GROWING. His limbs will stretch, he will loose his “baby fat” and those sweet dimples in his hands. He will develop actual wrists, a waist and a neck. This means he will be hungry and may have growing pains. Leg aches, joint aches and even tummy aches are par for the course.

He will also loose his baby teeth and grow his adult teeth. This is an uncomfortable and exciting process. At our meeting, I showed an x-ray of a child’s mouth and jaw at this age and it is full to bursting with new and old teeth. Looking at this photo invokes a pang of compassion…it shows the crowded, shifting space of your dear one’s head! Even his heart rhythm changes during this transformation. All of these physical changes result in your child feeling “funny,” uncomfortable, moody and sometimes even in downright pain. And the physical changes are just one element of this developmental shift. Please hold your child with tenderness and compassion, feed him healthy, nourishing food and make sure he gets good rest. His body is working hard and building!

Intellectually, a new world opens up to your child. Until now, all of his life forces have been focused on developing and building the body. The internal organs are not fully formed at birth. It takes until around the age of seven to complete most of this formation. Once this happens, the life forces are freed up to work on developing the feeling realm and the intellect. Your child will suddenly view the world differently, she will understand more. She will see that adults make mistakes and have more pointed questions about the world. This induces a painful time of the loss of the magic of early childhood. She used to swim in a sea of self-centered fantasy. She was very connected the world and to you. Now she has a more emerging sense of herself as separate and individual. This is exciting and powerful, as well as terrifying! You will feel her separating and this is a bittersweet time for parents. We want our children to bloom and grow, to spread their wings. But ouch…separating from us can be hard to take. Be strong and have courage to allow your young one to go forth and to become the fullness of being she has come here to be!

This new perspective sets the stage for a new round of limit-testing. Everything looks different, so he needs to find the boundaries once again. Don’t be surprised if he tries out new things–inappropriate language, arguing, outright refusal, disrespect, running around in a frenzy, telling white lies–the sky is the limit. Again, this is the time to be strong without alarm. If you hold the boundaries with love and understanding, he will find his center again. We need to approach the six-year changer with the attitude that we have compassion and understanding of what is happening, and that we are here to hold him, to be in charge and to love him unconditionally. We know his heart is still made of gold and that he must try things out to find his way. We will remind him which way to go and help him to get there.

Although her intellect is beginning to bud, she is still not ready for full academics and intellectual explanations. Your dear one still relates to the world best through story and creative pictures. Let her dwell in the magic and wonder of early childhood that still remains for her. First Grade is just around the corner!

Your child’s play used to be inspired from the outside. He used to see an object and it would become something in his mind’s eye and he would play that. Now his play is inspired from the inside. He creatively imagines what he wants to play and now seeks objects to become the scene he sees. He will spend more time setting up his play than actually playing it out. Since this shift means that all comes from within, there are times when he cannot find the inspiration. You will start to hear “I’m bored.” This is ok, in fact it is good! This is a big sign of First Grade readiness. Let him sit with it and struggle to find his inspiration. If he gets too distraught or moves into a frenzy, bring him into your work. Children at this age need real, meaningful work to help organize their energy and motion. Let them help chop vegetables for dinner, set the table, take out the garbage with you, sweep, scrub walls, pull weeds, hammer nails, repair things…whatever you are working on. Your cheerful, purposeful, competent action and energy will guide and ground him. Usually after a little time working with you, he will find his way back into play with his frayed edges smoothed.

Up until now, your child has been a being of pure will. Her will has helped her to learn to walk and talk, to be a human child in this American culture. She has been centered on doing. With the six-year transformation, she shifts into the next seven-year stage of being focused on feeling. She will begin to become more sensitive to the words and actions of others. She suddenly realizes and notices more in this capacity. An off-handed comment that she would have scarcely noticed a few months ago now really hurts her feelings. Many children will say things like “everyone is mean to me,” or “no one likes me.” This is an emotional time akin to adolescence. She is developing feelings, empathy and compassion and can be very sensitive. Please take these statements with a grain of salt. Have compassion for your tender one, but know that things are almost always not as bad as she feels in that moment. This is an important time to keep the communication flowing with your teacher. Check in. One day an incident or two can feel like the weight of the world and the next day, life is beautiful again. Also, please do your best to keep your rhythm. Even if you child says she does not want to come to school, know that this passes once she enters the classroom. You can let me know when your child is having this kind of morning and I will let you know how the day goes. Having all of these new feelings is hard at first. Its a great feat to learn to sort through them, to identify them and to make sense of them. Your rhythm is a great comfort and scaffolding.

With this new awareness of emotion, he will see that his actions can also trigger emotions in others. Children learn that they have power. They can make someone else do something they want with a word or action. They can make others laugh or pay attention with a word or an action. Kindergarteners experiment with manipulation and exclusion, as well as with being goofy or inappropriate. It is our job to help guide this and to hold the boundaries. I let the children know that “those words hurt feelings,” “we all play together in the Sunflower class,” “we will bring our kind ways,” “Sunflower words.” This is another place where children need boundaries and love. I identify their need, name the emotions and give clear, simple words on how to be kind and appropriate and to do what is right. We find compromises and solutions. Sometimes it is hard. Your child might have to wait or share. But these are crucial lessons to learn for a healthy social environment. This is where our stories are a lifeline. When I see certain behaviors emerge, I tell a pedagogical story or faerie tale with a character engaging in the behavior and the resulting feelings and actions of those around him. The character then goes on to take the path of right action, of nobility, and goodness is restored (and he usually becomes the King.) Again, we should not be alarmed by this experimentation. We simply need to guide them to the shining path and give LOTS of patient reminders.

This is also a time of emerging sexuality. We always have a few children “fall in love” each spring. We have weddings, princes seeking princesses. One year, I had a boy find a crown at the start of each play time. He would build a house, set a table with a fine feast and then call out “I need a queen!” And he had a queen in mind. Each day, Sarah would accept and be his queen. She would sit at his table and he would serve her. They were precious! We often had to use our phrase, “we will save our kisses for our moms and dads.” Your children were created to be sexual beings. They need guidance on what behavior is appropriate, starting now! Another phrase heard in Kindergartens around the world is “pants up and skirts down in the Kindergarten.” Again, do not be alarmed. Just inform your dear one of the right way of being with a neutral, firm, loving tone.

Children at this age also begin to talk about God and infinity. Our children are fascinated by the concept of “googleplex.” They want to know the highest possible number. What is the MOST!!?? They are so dear. One child said “infinity is 1063!” and another corrected him saying “No! It means it goes on forever!” They have amazing philosophical and theological conversations. Again, the world is opening up to them. Their minds are expanding.

In the classroom, I manage all of these emerging butterflies in a number of ways. Of course I bring my loving firmness. I make deep heart connections with each child and seek to understand her wholeness to the best of my ability. I hold boundaries and give lots of reminders with a neutral, informing tone. I set the example with my own speech and gestures. I tell tales. I model fine manners, joyful work, compassion for all, wonder and creativity. I give the children many opportunities for meaningful work. We use real tools to hammer and saw to build our own toys and useful items for the classroom and the community. We use our hands to help others, to give. I provide physical challenges on our walks and in our circles. We balance, climb, jump rope, play clapping games, run obstacle courses. We have special, important jobs We serve each other. We practice our manners and “Sunflower words.” Sometimes we make healing pictures for each other. We give hugs and apologies. We celebrate everything we possibly can and we give gratitude. You may have heard our “Thank You” song. We use this song to thank each other for gifts and kindnesses. All in all, we seek to have the “right way of the world” affirmed in our beautiful Sunflower classroom. It can be gritty work at times, but all is well. As we say at the end of each circle, “I dance with the flowers, I sing with the sun, my warmth I give to everyone.”

This is a time of great beauty, expansion, growth, confusion, sensitivity and change. The best way to guide your youngling through this at home, is by meeting him with deep compassion, loving firmness and a strong daily rhythm. Our love and attention will see him through. Let him work, venture out to seek new challenges and be there to enfold him in your arms when he needs it. He will vacillate between going boldly out into the world with a new vision and regressing into clinging and insecurity. He needs to be held between form and freedom, just as he will in adolescence! And know that you are not alone. We are the village. We hold each other and all of our Sunflower children together. They are your nephews and nieces, your family. What a gift we all are to each other.

**

Ms Michelle was Teddy’s beloved Kindergarten teacher at Maple Village Waldorf School.

Are you interested in learning more about Waldorf in the home? I have put together a fantastic workshop (8 Steps to a Waldorf-Inspired Home) that will guide you through every step in the process of incorporating the most beautiful Waldorf philosophies into your home and lifestyle.

From The Magic Onions

Creating Waldorf Spaces at Home

9 de febrero de 2024

Written by Tahnee Moore

Trinus’ Early Childhood rooms are spaces we immediately connect with and feel we would like our children to be in. What is it that we are instantly resonating with? Here I am going to share the pedagogical intention and reasoning behind them so you too can bring Waldorf into your home.

A small child is a total sense organ who absorbs the space deeply and unconsciously and then is shaped by it. It is for this reason that Trinus’ spaces are designed to support the child’s development and nourish their senses.

The lower senses (movement, balance, touch, life/wellbeing) are particularly important for children under 7 years old because this is how they experience the world and develop their brain, physical body and organs.

Rudolph Steiner, the founder of Waldorf pedagogy, spoke about experiences essential for healthy early childhood education:

Love and warmth
Care for the environment
Creative artistic experience
Meaningful adult activity as an example for the child’s imitation
Free imaginative play
Gratitude, reverence and wonder
Joy humour and happiness
And that the adult caregiver is on a path of inner development

Love and Warmth

If we take the experience of love and warmth we can easily see how this lives in an Early Childhood classroom. The furniture is made of wood rather than metal or plastic. Wood holds warmth. The corners are softened and love and care has gone into their construction. Everything is made just the right height so the child feels that they “are just for him or her.”

Then the room is made to feel soft, with gentle silk cloths across the windows or to cover a harsh brick wall. The room may smell of lavender or an essential oil and has a feeling of homeliness. When children arrive their teacher greets them with a warm welcome from her rocking chair. There is always a carpet on the floor and a soft corner to cuddle up in.

Care for the environment

There is always an element of life in a Waldorf classroom, a plant, a fish tank, fresh flowers, etc. The nature table that changes with the seasons. The songs and stories shared may also reflect this. Outside in the playground, the children are shown to care for the plants, to observe the ants, to be excited if a dragonfly is discovered. Our connection and custodianship of the Earth is intrinsic to Waldorf Education.

Gratitude, Reverence and Wonder

Again the nature table is an essential part of an Early Childhood space. It is specially designated table that allows us to admire the beauty, perfection and wonder of creation. When we dedicate a place to put nature’s treasures the children are invited to subconsciously appreciate and marvel at nature’s gifts. How the leaf pattern is formed, the geometrics of a pinecone, the delicate nature of a butterfly wing…

Reverence is also practiced in how we care for our toys, how everything in the classroom has a place, how we set the table, and of course in our interactions with our teachers and classmates.

Each meal we share is started with a reverent pause and a song of gratitude. Of course, the children themselves being in the space of reverence grow up to be reverent.

Free Imaginative Play

The space allows the children to immerse themselves into free individual play. Near the shelves is a big cleared rug, ready to be played upon. Have available for your children toys that support their development. For example, open-ended wooden blocks, dolls with minimal detail, etc. Toys that do not dictate the game to be played allowing the children’s imagination to work.

Having reverence for each child’s individuality and nurturing the expression of that individuality is an essential part of Rudolph Steiner’s work. This is expressed within the classroom space where there are several little spaces: a treehouse, a kitchen, a cozy nook, a doll’s corner… There is always a wooden play stand that can make a new space and be moved around easily by the teacher. The teacher will always be quietly observing the children and create the physical space needed. Her role is to support whatever is living in the expansive, wonderful imaginations to be played out freely.

Meaningful adult activity as an example of child activity

“Children [under 7 years old] do not learn through instruction or admonition, but through imitation. Good sight will develop if the environment has the proper conditions of light and color, while in the brain and blood circulation, the physical foundations will be laid for a healthy sense of morality if children witness moral”. – Rudolph Steiner.

Because children imitate adults at home it’s important to make mini me spaces. Eg if you are an artist you would make a little artists desk, if you are a business person you would have a pretend office. I wanted to gift some practical advice if you did want to bring Waldorf into your child’s play space. Less is more and you don’t need to cover them in countless toys. The more use one toy has, the better. So I suggest the following:

Have a decent amount of Wooden blocks so that the child can construct anything they dream of.
A basket of Silks fabric might be a gift that will stand the test of time. We buy ours from Mercurius.
A good doll is also an investment.
Old clothing for dress-ups
Nature treasures brought back from a walk nourish the child so more than any predetermined plastic figuring.

And the best play is unguided play in nature.

Wooden blocks often become mobile phones and chairs are rearranged to become a car or a bus. Birthday parties are thrown and cakes are made from various toys, the silks can become any costume or prop…

In Trinus the teacher will also be aware that the children are deeply absorbing her activity and role models handwork or other purposeful activity worthy of imitation. Baking, cleaning, mending as activities but also the attitude of the teacher is being imitated. The teacher’s work must be carried out with a joyful song, and a reverent mood.

Within this proper physical environment, the child receives so much through their senses and their inner qualities are nurtured. They themselves are received with reverence, warmth and love and from this space their individuality is nurtured into being.

How To Teach to Add Fractions?

1 de julio de 2023

If you teach your child the math concepts with things they are familiar with it will be easier for them to understand it. We want to provide you with a story to tell your child and to make it live together. All you will need is two empty jars, a Sharpe, and beans. Ready?

Martin and Carolina went to the store and they both took an empty jar.

(Measure the jar, divide it into three, and place two marks with a Sharpe in the jar to make the three parts visual for your child)

$Adding fractions with stories$

They each filled one-third of their jar with beans.

(Fill the jars up to the first mark)

$fractions$

Martin had a great idea to put his beans in Carolina´s jar so they could share what they had.

How many thirds do they have together?

$fractions with beans$

Be creative! And find moments in your child´s day-to-day activities where he/she makes use of fractions. The more children live what they are learning, the easier it becomes for them to learn it.

Let´s make their learning meaningful!

Reading Recommendations

28 de mayo de 2023

This is a great list of stories to tell your children!

You may think that some stories in this list can be scary for your children, but remember, as Miss Marcie says in her article about the importance of storytelling, «What is important to know is that a child will only imagine a picture in his mind that’s as scary as he can handle. For example: if we tell the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff a three-year-old might imagine a troll that’s not much more than a blob, whereas a six-year-old might imagine a hairy, ugly troll with big teeth and ears. A Waldorf teacher will tell a fairy tale to young children with a gentle, pleasant voice, without over-dramatization. Again this leaves the child’s imagination free to picture the story to be as scary or as benign as he can handle.»

The following list has been compiled by Megan Young from Carnegie Rudolf Steiner Pre-School Centre Inc. and they appear in You Are Your Child`s First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin. Her section on Fairy tales and the Young Child is well worth reading (pp. 172-181) Most of the stories are from the Grimm Brothers.

Fairy Tales

Key to age suitability

Kinder (4 to 7 years old)
Class (7-8 years old)

Simple or sequential stories

Kinder

Sweet Porridge (Grimm)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Little Tuppen.
Little Louse and Little Flee
The Turnip
The Mitten
Little Madam
Gingerbread Man
The Jonny Cake
The Hungry Cat

Slightly more complex stories

Kinder

Billy Goats Gruff
Three Little Pigs
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids (Grimm)
Masenka and the Bear
The Shoemaker and the Elves (Grimm)

More Challenge and More Detail

Kinder

Star Money (Grimm)
The Frog Prince (Grimm)
Mother Holle (Grimm)
Little Red Cap (Grimm)
The Bremen Town Musicians (Grimm)
Little- Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) (Grimm)
The Donkey (Grimm)
The Queen Bee (Grimm)
The Snow Maiden
The Seven Ravens (Grimm)
Rumpelstiltskin (Grimm)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Grimm)

Class 1

The Golden Goose (Grimm)
Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle (Grimm)
The Hut in the Forest (Grimm)
Snow White and Rose Red (Grimm)

Classes 1 and 2

Hansel and Gretel (Grimm)

Tales that have a personal experience of suffering or sorrow

Six years old in Kindergarten or Class 1- to match their sense of departure from the heart of early childhood

Kinder and Class 1

Rapunzel

Class 1

Jordina and Joringa (Grimm)
Brother and Sister (Grimm)

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Adversity, An Opportunity to Build Resilience

9 de septiembre de 2020

Written by Gabriela de Erichsen

Since March, Guatemala, and the whole world has been facing an uncertain situation through this pandemic. This situation has affected not only the economic area but also the emotional well-being of all humankind. It is very important for us parents to be strong for our kids. We have to keep in mind that everything has also changed for them. We are all struggling with uncertainty and hopelessness. As parents, if we break, our kids will break too.

Here you can find the entire talk and the highlight of Ms. Petersen´s talk. There is so much wisdom shared and amazing tips for us parents to keep in mind to build resilience in our children.

What is resilience?

Merriam Webster defines resilience as:

The capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation is caused especially by compressive stress.
An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

My journey through this pandemic has been one of constantly having to bounce back and it’s not easy! Bounce back from disappointment, having to totally change the way I do my work, not going home- this is now the longest I have gone without seeing my family, and friends – Cape Town my City.

In her book “The Gifts of Imperfection”, Brene Brown speaks of cultivating a resilient spirit as one of the guideposts for wholehearted living. So I decided to work backward from these things resilient people DO to explore how we can help our children learn to be resilient so they can do the things resilient people do.

She identified 5 of the most common factors of resilient people:

They are resourceful and have good problem-solving skills

They are more likely to seek help

They hold the belief that they can do something that will help them manage their feelings and to cope

They have social support available to them
They are connected with others such as family and friends

I think the biggest lesson we need to learn and teach in regard to resilience is that the only way is through. We cannot avoid it, we cannot escape it…. So how can we help each other through?

One thing that comforts me is that children learn and adapt more quickly than adults!! They are more flexible and resilient than us. They adapt quicker.

There is no step by step on how to guide when it comes to cultivating capacities. Resilience is a skill, a feeling, a confidence, a trust in oneself and in life.

Resilience comes from solving problems, and going through situations, it’s not in your head it’s from or out of what you do.

In my opinion, FAMILY is what is going to teach our children resilience in this moment. And that’s wonderful because we can help all of us get stronger through this. Our children are our mirror! So if we are constantly criticizing, being negative, and complaining, they will learn to do what we do.

Practical tips to keep in mind

Spirituality – knowing, trusting believing there is something bigger than ourselves.

Gratitude practice

Awareness- checking on loved ones, family conversations, and sharing.

Being aware of nature and beauty

Worry jar

Talking about the good and bad AGE APPROPRIATE! We cannot tell a 4-year-old that thousands of people are dying of COVID and expect them to deal with that. But you can say “I also feel sad that we can’t go visit grandma today, it makes me want to cry too.”

Make a point of acknowledging when someone solved a problem no matter how big or small, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY CLEAN UP A MESS! So that becomes part of their vocabulary- I made a mess and I clean it up

Let them see our mistakes

Apologize when you are wrong

Connection
How to express feelings? Because we have to go through: what color do you feel today? What animal? What color is angry? Older ones: draw, speak, write, exercise. What can we do to feel the feeling and then what helps us transform that?

The bad news: Our children learn through the US! So immediately we need to know that we cannot teach them anything that we are not. So, from now on I want you to be thinking about how resilient are you. I want you to start thinking about how you can grow your resilience because that will be the most powerful gift you can give your children.

What are we going to do?

I personally loved how Ms. Pettersen ended the talk by saying, “The ball is in our court now, what are we going to do with it?”

And remember, we all go through dark times. And what gets us through is hoping and praying for that light at the end of the tunnel. And that light at the end of the tunnel is our presence now, having life, health being able to wake up every morning, and having our loved ones near and safe.

What Are The Benefits of Crafts?

14 de julio de 2020

Written by Julie Moon

As Ingun Schneider remarks in her article “Supporting the development of the hand,” many children today are using their hands almost exclusively to manipulate electronic devices such as computer mice, and are increasingly unable to hold a pen/pencil with any confidence or skill. Traditional craft skills such as knitting, are not widely practiced. The consequences of this are alarming. A great deal of research is published today which makes a clear case for the link between ‘nimble fingers, nimble minds’- that is, the relationship between healthy neurological development and the engagement of the fingers in fine motor activities. The more we take into account that intellect develops from the movements of the limbs, from dexterity and skills, the better it will be (Rudolf Steiner, The Renewal of Education).

Working with this picture of human development- that thinking grows out of movement and dexterous skills developed through activities such as craft- Waldorf educators work to bring craft throughout the curriculum. Our craftwork includes knitting, weaving, sewing, and woodwork.

The brain discovers what the fingers explore. The density of nerve endings in our fingertips is enormous. If we don’t use our fingers, if, in childhood and youth, we become finger-blind, this rich network of nerves is impoverished – which represents a huge loss to the brain and thwarts the individual’s all-around development.

If we neglect to develop and train our children’s fingers and the creative form-building capacity of their hand muscles, then we neglect to develop their understanding of the unity of things; we thwart their aesthetic and creative powers. Today Western civilization, an information-obsessed society that overvalues science and undervalues true worth, has forgotten this (Matti Bergstrom, professor and neurophysiologist).

Recent neurological research tends to confirm that mobility and dexterity in fine motor muscles, especially in the hand, may stimulate cellular development in the brain, and so strengthen the physical instrument of thinking.

Craft begins in the early years with the children consciously using their hands, and refining the movements of their fingers – improving fine motor skills. Finger knitting is the beginning of the knitting curriculum; sewing is refined year-by-year (Margaret Skerry – a former teacher at Sophia Mundi school).

The crafts of ancient peoples were part of everyday life and they were made with a disciplined attention to detail, loving care, and artistry. Joy seemed to be in the making and our children also find joy, challenges, and a sense of achievement in their craft lessons!

Sometimes we might get the sense that crafts are a waste of time and would like to see our child more involved in information-involved activities but we have to keep in mind the amazing neurological impact that it has on our child.

Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior

21 de mayo de 2020

Stories live in us, they become us. When we think about our favorite books as children there is a part of us that wants to both claim that story as our favorite and share it with others. The stories that we hold so dear and carry within us also shape us. It could be as lighthearted as aligning with your favorite house in Harry Potter (is anyone not in Gryffindor?) to something much deeper, an archetype of a prince or princess, and a happy ending from a fairytale.

Steiner recommended we tell age-appropriate fairytales to children to feed their soul with images that they can aspire to and that will guide them as they encounter life. For children under the age of 7 pictures from stories are the only way they can truly understand the world. They are literally thinking in images and not in concepts.

Imagine you have a four year old who is always walking in and taking things from an older sibling’s room. You could try telling them that it is an invasion of privacy and that this makes the older sibling not feel very nice.

Or,

You could read them the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. Then say in a jolly voice, “don’t be a Goldilocks and go into your brother’s room.” The small child now has an image to draw a deep understanding from, especially in the context of social realms. Stories are powerful, fun and effective in shaping our lives. They speak to the soul.

When dealing with the inevitable challenges that we encounter raising children it makes sense to use stories to support them (and save ourselves from constantly repeating requests!).

“Healing Stories For Challenging Behaviour”, By Susan Perrow is a treasured Waldorf Teacher Resource for this reason. In her life’s work Susan has supported many children and parents with stories to successfully transform: nightmares, bedwetting, trauma, disrespectful attitudes, whinging, pinching, biting grief, teasing, being disruptive and so many more!

The stories in Susan`s Perrow book are tried and tested magic and incredibly inspirational and easy to work with. If the story that you need is not in there, she has also offered the tools so you can easily write your own story.

A very brief overview, you need:

A metaphor: A wild horse.

A journey: The wild pony has no friends.

A resolution: A magic brush is found and the wild pony loves to calmly groomed. He makes friends with the little boy who grooms him.

Animals work best for small children and if they say, “hey this is like me” you can smile and leave them to ponder that.

Here are a few more tips to help you with creating your own stories by HARSHITA MAKVANA:

Understand the listener: The first and foremost step is to understand your audience: knowing what they want will help you create and narrate a compelling story. So ask yourself what your child likes: superheroes, prince and princesses, aliens or historical figures?

Construct your message: The next step is to define a message that you want to convey through your story. What should the children take away from the story? Is there anything specific you want them to learn from this story? Build your stories based on these questions.

Include creative words: The usage of innovative and impressive vocabulary works best when you are narrating a story to children. But limit the usage of words that are difficult to comprehend for a child.

Expressive style: Keep the listeners enamored by telling the story eloquently and dramatically. Be energetic, get emotional and go with the flow. Create a thrilling experience filled with suspenseful and surprising incidents if the story warrants it.

Timing: The importance of timing in storytelling and the effect it can have on the children cannot be stressed enough. Whether it is a campfire story, bedtime story, or just a humorous one to narrate on a rainy day, it has to be appropriate and suitable for the mood and time of the day.

As parents and teachers we have a deep sense of what our children need and the lessons needed to guide them towards success. By communicating this in their language of images we can impart the wisdom, joy and love from our soul to theirs

How can you teach your child the qualities of the four processes?

16 de mayo de 2020

Math has a quality and quantity part. For math to come alive, it is important that the children understand the quality of the four different processes of math first and then we can introduce the quality side. The following story is one way to introduce them to the different quality of each process.

Deep, underground, the gnomes are always busy working to gather jewels for the Gnome King`s Treasure Mouse. Every gnome has to bring in exactly 12 jewels every day, no more, no less, for most of them can only count to 12, but there are four gnomes who can count more, and less, and this makes them act differently. They even look different from their ordinary companions! Two of these fellows usually come home with more than 12 jewels and the other two with less.

Picture taken by Sasha Prosser

TIMES is the name of the first. Yellow as a candle flame, he lights up hidden places so as to find more treasures, at least 2 times more than 12 jewels a day. And he has to make two trips, instead of one, to be able to show off before all the others bragging, “Twice as much I bring to please my King!”

PLUS is the second, fat, green and greedy. He loves to think, “3 and 3 and 3 and 3 are twelve” and as he adds up what he finds, he wants more and more not only for the King but for himself. He fills his hands and stuffs his pants so that they rattle as he approaches the King. When he gives the King only 12 of these pretty stones, the Kings hears his rattling pants and turns PLUS upside-down to get all the rest. Says PLUS, “My pants I pad with all I add.”

MINUS, the third gnome, is blue and ragged. He has holes in his suit and holes in the sack which he carries. The jewels he gathers fall out through the holes as he wails, “Raggedy- blue, what will I do?” He always has less than he should even when he meets one who is always willing to share what he has found and consequently also has less.

Warm-hearted and red as the heart`s blood, the fourth gnome is named DIVISION. When he hears the wailing of blue MINUS, he hurries up to him saying, “With you I’ll share the jewels I bear.”

Now the Gnome King knows all about these four gnomes. He knows that MINUS will always be losing his jewels but that PLUS will find them and add them to his pile. The King knows that DIVISION will have less because he is kind enough to divide up his jewels and give a share to MINUS; and that although DIVISION brings in only a part of what he is supposed to, TIMES will bring in more than he should so that in the end nothing is lost but some is gained.

Picture taken by Julie Blanchette

IF

MINUS loses 8 and has 4 left

and

PLUS picks up the 8 and adds them to his 12

and

DIVISION gives 6 to MINUS and keeps 6

and

TIMES gather 2 times 12

How many jewels do they bring in altogether?

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Written by Gabriela de Erichsen

What is resilience?

She identified 5 of the most common factors of resilient people:

Practical tips to keep in mind

What are we going to do?

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Picture taken by Sasha Prosser

Picture taken by Julie Blanchette

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A unique Waldorf Education in Guatemala.