Festival Tomorrow at 10am

Dear Rosebud and Dewdrop Families and Friends,

I look forward to seeing you at Relles Hall tomorrow, Thursday, at 10am.  This is the outdoor performance pavilion near the Butterfly Classroom and playground.  If you arrive early, your child can play on the swings and playground.

Depending on how many families attend, the festival will last from 20 to 40 minutes.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

From the Nursery on Silence and Speech

Dear Families,

Here are thoughts I collected for nursery families on silence and speech that you may find of interest.

True, Kind, Necessary

Dear Families,

In our discussion on the night of the Confident Captain, Zen Captain talk I presented a number of weeks ago, we explored ways to communicate with our young children without speech, or with just the right amount of speech.  This is tricky.  There are times we need to talk--perhaps a good deal--and times our silence is most helpful.  I recommend the penultimate chapter from Kim Payne's Simplicity Parenting on Simplifying Information or "Filtering Out the Adult World."  In this chapter, he shares a guideline for speech that comes from any number of spiritual, religious, and cultural streams.  Before we speak (to children or adults), we can ask ourselves if what we are about to say is true (avoiding gossip or hearsay), kind (avoiding criticism; indeed, Payne advises us adults to go on our own put-down diets, to be careful of criticizing, say, a president or politician we don't like in the presence of our children), or necessary (here is where we filter out the adult world of too much information to soon; is their a way to reach our child with our modeling or guidance or an image or gesture).  It is easy to forget, so Kim Payne writes the words "true, kind, necessary" down to remind himself before speaking to his children or others.

What follows are other thoughts I have collected on speaking and not speaking.

Talking, not talking, nonverbal education

"A night full of talking that hurts
All my worst held-back secrets.
Everything has to do with loving and not loving. . .
This night shall pass,
Then
We have work to do."
--Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī as recited by Ashley Ramsden

A number of years ago I was blessed to be able to accompany Ashley Ramsden--a storyteller and performer who teachers storytelling for future Waldorf teachers--as he performed in Monterey and Santa Cruz. He told long stories to assemblies of Waldorf students. He told stories at libraries and performance spaces. He also recited many poems by Rumi (many of which are like stories). To thank me for playing music for him, Ramsden gave me a recording of him reciting poems by Rumi--these performances and my image of Ramsden come to me from time to time. He was an excellent speaker. He was extremely gifted at not speaking as well. His pauses in a story or poem conveyed so much. When I find myself rushing through an Ellersiek game or tale in class, I think of Ramsden and his mastery of the moment.

I also think of Magda Gerber and her concept of tarry time, the time we give our infants and young toddlers to process information. She had observed that it can sometimes take a minute--literally--for our children to, say, register that we have told them we are going to pick them up to change their diaper. At the same time, some toddlers and preschoolers are so quick that they are already anticipating (often joyfully) what is about to happen.

This is all to say that I have observed  both the joys of talking with our children and some beautiful nonverbal interactions between parents and their children, situations in which the parent gave loving and silent witness to the new challenge or discovery a child was making.

As we help our children create community and transform conflict into conversation, we may find ourselves talking a lot as we notice and describe what is working--and help direct children toward another path that seems to work better, whether to say, "Let's try that again" or "I'll put my hand here to keep you both safe" or "You both seem to want those plates." Even while we respect that our young children learn through moving, bumping, dropping, climbing, falling, rolling, and pushing, we can help them move--as Michael Gurian writes in Boys and Girls Learn Differently--towards using words without having unrealistic expectations that a progression to civility will happen overnight or in a week.

As several parents have reminded me recently, we can also cherish those times when we don't need to speak, where the lesson, the reward, the value, the blessing is inherent in our child's activity and our silent, respectful presence is the greatest gift of all. A number of years ago a parent from one of my classes shared this article about silence and presence with me, finding it in harmony with our observation work in our classes. The chapter "Dailiness" from Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry (available in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library in the lobby) resonates with a celebration of doing and not doing, of appreciating the moment without fear that the moment will pass.

Even as we find the need to use words to guide our children throughout the day, we can strive, when the moment is right, to create structure and form with movement, music, rhythm, predictability, and modelling. Dr. Michaela Gloeckler writes about becoming nonverbal educators. In a relatively short number of pages, she provides a picture of three phases of child development and helps inspire us to become worthy of imitation for our children in these early years. She helps link a spiritual picture of human development to practical suggestions for how to be present with and for our children.

With warmth and light,

William Dolde

Why Our Toddlers Seem to Push Our Buttons

Joseph Chilton Pearce on Toddlers

I received a question about balancing our growing children's desire and need to explore with our need to keep them safe and secure, with the sense that parents are guiding the family ship and have not abandoned the wheel.  While healthy and consistent (and age appropriate) limits are healthy, it also helps our child and helps keep us sane if we can find appropriate ways for them to learn about the world--and toddlers learn about the world through climbing, running, tumbling, slamming, wrestling, building, toppling, throwing, splashing, and breaking.  As Rahima Baldwin writes in "Rhythm and Discipline in Home Life," the first Waldorf kindergarten teachers found it most effective to find an acceptable outlet for something she needed to forbid--ideally before the children even thought of trying the forbidden activity.

Using brain research, Joseph Chilton Pearce describes the toddler's innate need to explore and learn in "The Cycle of Competence" and "Will and the Terrible Two."  Because you may need to download and/or print the above selections in order to view them, here is a synopsis of Pearce's argument.  As a book such as The Scientist in the Crib would suggest, from birth children are "wired" to explore and learn about the world, to develop connections in their brain.  The most profound way they do this is in their bonds with parents and other primary caregivers.  Another important way is through free movement and exploration in the environment.  Children do not open and close the cabinets or try to open the oven to annoy us (at least at first).  They are following a divine and spiritual plan to learn about everything.  

Because children have such a strong bond with their parents and and such a strong desire to learn from everything, toddlers find themselves pulled in two directions at once.  Pearce describes how a toddler may pause and look at a parent saying, for example, "Don't touch the oven.  It is hot!" The toddler, after pausing, proceeds to touch the oven, causing pain in the toddler and dismay in the parent.  "He looked right at me and then ignored me!"  Pearce advises us to reframe our way of viewing this.  The toddler's pause and then apparent disobedience are not, Pearce says, a challenge to us, a toddler pausing to say a la Clint Eastwood, "Go ahead.   Make my day."  The toddler, rather, has not yet developed  control of his will yet and is being carried along by two strong forces:  one, always having to explore and learn about everything; the other, wanting to maintain this strong bond with a parent and primary caregiver.  The toddler wants to strengthen the bond with mom or dad--hence the pause--but also feels driven to keep exploring--hence the apparent disobedience.

This does not mean we as parents should let our children turn on the oven, drive our cars, and practice with a welding torch just because these experiences have a lot to teach  (though we may find with less dangerous forms of exploration such as climbing, cutting, and jumping we can find ways for the children to challenge themselves without coming into undo harm).  Limits and boundaries are healthy.  What Pearce and others help us remember is that we should also expect our young children (up to six or seven) to forget our boundaries and need patient reminders.  As Sharifa Oppenheimer writes, when we are redirecting our children or setting a limit, our words will be much more effective at guiding our children when we use the same tone we would for a statement such as, "Here's the towel."  If we steadfastly refrain from transforming our toddlers' need to explore into power struggles, we may find ourselves able to guide them while staying calmer ourselves.  Although it is healthy for children to see a diversity of emotions from parents and learn that it is OK to be sad, glad, angry, and anxious, if we provide ostentatious or explosive reactions to our children's forbidden explorations, we may inadvertently foster the development of a young social scientist:  "If I do this, Dad explodes like this.  Boy, I wonder what Dad would do if I do this!"  

Children do need limits.  It is helpful if we state them positively, telling the child what she or me may do, or--even better--stating in a general way what is the appropriate thing to do.  When mentoring other teachers, I have observed them at a time when a child is disruptive say, "Joe, you may be quiet now," only to have Joe experiment with how long he can be noisy before the teacher does something else.  A power struggle begins.  I have asked the teachers to consider a phrase such as, "This is the right time to be quiet," or "When we are all quiet, the beauty of silence can come" or "It is polite to listen quietly or sing along."  Teachers have reported back that these phrases (and the gesture they implied) have reduced power struggles dramatically and invited more compliance.   When a power struggle does emerge with an older toddler or kindergartner  and our child needs a cooling off period, Rahima Baldwin advises us to leave the room with the child rather than sending them off by themselves (the chapter in discipline in Hold on to Your Kids follows a similar approach).  We stay with the child calmly without lecturing (long tirades tend not to penetrate and may be entertaining) and sit in a calm and boring manner with our child.  After a minute to 3, we say, "Let's go try that again" or "We'll do that again in a polite way" or "The kings and queens have been called to the table.  I'll be queen and you be king."  Young children live and think in pictures, and when we can garner the resources to create living pictures as we guide them, we may find ourselves more effective.

I hope this is helpful.  In a follow-up conversation with the parent who sent me to read Pearce again, the parent reported having adjusted the location of some furniture in the kitchen, permitting climbing in a certain area, and redirecting the exploration there.  It sounded as if the parent and child were both satisfied--the child could explore; the parent could ensure safety; it was no longer a power struggle.

If you have trouble downloading the selections, they are available in Evolution's End, available in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library. 

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Advent Garden, Thursday, December 16, 10am

Dear Dewdrop and Rosebud Families, Friends, Relatives, and Visitors

You are invited to our Advent Garden on Thursday, December 16, at 10am at Relles Hall (the new outdoor performance pavilion) at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.

Follow this link for a brief description of next Friday's festival along with lyrics to many of the songs we will sing. Below is a description I have composed with more details to help you prepare for the festival.

Many Waldorf School set up an Advent Spiral for their early childhood and some elementary grade classes. Traditionally, a class and teacher will enter a darkened space. There will be harp or lyre or other quiet, meditative music. A child or adult portraying an angel will light a candle in the center of a spiral of greens. One by one, children have the opportunity to walk alone or with a teacher, light a candle from the central light, and place it along the path of the evergreen spiral. It is a beautiful event, and like the lantern walk (and festivals and religious holidays such a Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hannukah, Holi, Solstice, and others) helps given an image of strength for the dark months of winter. Our many lights together can light up the darkness of the months ahead.

In teaching parent & child classes, I have observed that some infants and toddlers find great nourishment from an event such as the Advent Spiral if I can adapt it. Our parent & child Advent Spiral will take place in the morning, so the light outside will make it not quite so dark. Rather than having quiet harp music, I will welcome us with some fiddle tunes, and then we will sing songs about stars and from the season together (I will provide lyrics sheets). My vision is that it will still be reverent, just noisier with more space for authentic infant and toddler interjections. Rather than having children walk (or crawl!) alone, families will be invited to walk together, parents holding a child or a child's hand as they walk with a candle for the family. I will walk along in cases where a parent needs two arms to hold a child and wants me to carry a candle.

Although I have adapted this festival, it may not feel just right for every child at her or his particular moment in development. We will be singing and encouraging children to sing. Children do not need to walk alone in front of a group. Children do, however, need to be comfortable sitting on a parent's lap or next to a parent while others walk through the spiral. There will be lit candles, so this will not be an appropriate place for a child to walk or crawl around freely. If everyone arrives somewhat promptly, the festival itself should not take that long, and we welcome families to leave early if it is too hard for a child to sit. Please contact me if you have questions. I have seen some 6 month olds and 1 year olds enchanted by the singing and the light. Some 1, 2, and 3 year olds find this delightful. Other 1, 2, and 3 year olds (and their parents) find it an incredible struggle because the child is at a phase in which she or he needs to be always in motion and sitting and waiting provides more stress than is needed during this busy season.

 

Older siblings are welcome, but please keep the following in mind. This festival is intended for infants, toddlers, and young preschoolers and their families. If the older children can come as a support, sing with the family, and provide structure, it will be lovely to have them. Some older children who have seen an Advent Spiral in kindergarten or their grades class might be frustrated because elements are simplified or missing. In these cases, it may be best to seek care for the older child with another parent or friend. Some older siblings, however, will be moved themselves as they witness the joy our infants and toddlers experience coming together in reverence, and having them along will be just right.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Follow-up to Crayon Discussion

Dear Families,

There were several topics that we discussed last session that I will follow up on during the break between sessions.  We discussed crayons and coloring for young children.  I recommend the book Understanding Children's Drawings by Michaela Strauss, in which the author has studied pictures (scribbles) from around the world and drawn interesting conclusions about developmental similarities in children and how these are reflected in archetypal early forms--the scribble, the swirl, the dot, the cross, the closed circle.  Strauss also notes that it is not necessarily good or bad that a child starts drawing at 18 months or 2 years or 3 years or 4, noting that children who start a little later tend to go through the same developmental archetypes of all children, just a little more quickly.  In class, I reflected that it is fine for our youngest children to draw but we need not worry if our children show no interest in drawing.  Helle Heckmann--master early childhood teacher from Denmark--reminded me fairly strongly in an evaluation that in the first 4 years, our children benefit more from gross motor experiences (the crawling, climbing, tumbling, wrestling, building, falling, and so forth) and that I would want to avoid distracting children from this by having too many fine motor activities such as stringing cranberries together.  I have heard and read elsewhere of the value of allowing our youngest children to move freely and develop their gross motor skills first, and then this will help their fine motor skills when the time is right.

When I began as an assistant teacher in 1997, early childhood teachers in Waldorf Classrooms were beginning to take a hard look at the use of block crayons in early childhood--up to that point they seemed a natural gift for early childhood classrooms: they did not break; no paper to be removed; they seemed to encourage exploration and divergent artistic thinking rather than outlining and perhaps more convergent form making. Remedial teachers such as Ingun Schneider were asking kindergarten teachers to take a second look the the use of thick, block crayons. As Schneider points out in her article on supporting the development of the hand, our arms and shoulders become very tense when we hold a block crayon; they are noticeably less tense when holding a stick crayon and pencil. Remedial teachers began to wonder if the overuse of block crayons in kindergarten classes were interfering with a smooth and natural process of developing pencil grip and learning to write. I remember my lead teacher packing away all the block crayons and purchasing stick crayons to use exclusively.

Not long after this I was fortunate to take a week of classes with Ingun Schneider as part of my training to become a lead teacher, and for me the use of stick crayons for very young children (including toddlers) made a lot of sense. As with any educational system, there are different opinions and streams, and I respect colleagues who make more frequent use of block crayons. That being said, one preference I have for stick crayons (or even sturdy colored pencils) for young children is that they help dispel the illusion that in a Waldorf early childhood setting everything needs to be soft and fuzzy: there are places for lines and angles as in the crosses and scribbles young children make as they work with crayons; and there is space for lines and hard spaces and toddlers work through conflicts as we have read in recent articles on toddler conflicts.

Schneider's article provides helpful insights into how we can help our children develop; she begins with infancy and early toddlerhood. If we can allow our children opportunities to move, climb, roll, crawl, fall, and tumble, we allow them the chance to form the foundations for fine motor development in future years.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Thank You for the Session, Looking Ahead

Dear Families,

Thank you for bringing your children, your work, your joy, and your good will to our fall session.  It was wonderful to be in the presence of you and your children, and I look forward to having you join our classes in the New Year--at which point we will have both Thursday and Friday classes.  You may register for either day, regardless of your child's age.

Thanks to families that attended Monday's meeting on a dark and stormy night.  It seemed just right to have nursery and parent & child families together--making the group the right size for sharing and discussion.  I plan to gather us with interested nursery families and community members two or three times in the new year for various lecture and/or discussion topics.  If you have other thoughts or ideas or topic inspirations, please share them.

You are all invited to next Wednesday's Advent Study in the Butterfly Classroom at 7pm, November 17.  It will be led by other faculty members and help share a bit about the Advent season, ideas for home, and more.  With apologies, I will not be present; I will be at another meeting at the time.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at our lantern walk.  Please review a past blog post if you forget your invitation time.  First, it is a lovely event, and I want you to feel welcome.  It also has some unique scheduling needs to make it run smoothly, and I want to clarify or repeat 4 points.

1.  Please arrive as close to your actual start time as possible.  If you are early, your car's arrival may interrupt a quiet moment at the end of the previous group's lantern walk.

2.  Please park in the parking lot on the right once you turn into Old Pietila Rd.

3.  We will have lanterns for you.  Because I will be leading the walk, I will not hand them out.  You may take any of the lit paper lanterns that do not have a name tag (those are designated for specific nursery children).

4.  To make best use of the outdoor space (Relles Performance Hall), we are replacing our traditional puppet show with storytelling and a tableau.

We will have our parent & child and community Advent spiral on Thursday, December 16, at Relles Hall (same location where we will gather for the lantern walk).  This will take place at 10am and last for about half an hour. There is no school for kindergarten siblings of our parent & child children that day; older siblings are welcome to join us and watch or support their younger brother or sister (kindergarten students will have their walk the night before).

Expect in the coming weeks blog posts about topics we have discussed--crayons and hand development, painting with children, sharing.  Please let me know if there are other topics you'd like me to write about.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Lantern Walk invitation

LANTERN WALK
The sunlight fast is dwindling,
My little lamp needs kindling,
Its beam shines far in the darkest night,
Dear lantern, guard me with your light.
~ M. Meyerkort
Dear Early Childhood Families,

As winter approaches we will kindle the light within us all at our upcoming Lantern Walk on Friday November 12th. We will gather our courage for the dark days ahead as we walk into the night with our shining lanterns guiding us. The lanterns are a symbol of our inner light that must be kindled during the long winter months ahead.

There will be three lantern walks, one at 4:30pm, 5:30pm and 6:30pm. Please check the end of this letter to see which lantern walk your family is scheduled to attend. Siblings are welcome if they are able to support a reverent mood and stay close to their parents at all times during the festival, including the walk where they should be by the side of their parents. They can bring their own lanterns if they have one. If you have a conflict with the lantern walk you are scheduled to attend please swap with another family and please inform your teacher. We are not able to add children to the lantern walks as they are all very full.
 
Please arrive on time and walk quietly to the pavilion where we will have hot apple cider. Please do not arrive early or late. (This is very important).  The timing of our walks is close and so we have to remain on schedule. Park in the lower parking lot just off Campbell Rd (you turn immediately right as you come into the main driveway on Old Pietila Road).

After everyone has arrived we will watch a puppet play in the pavilion. (Please dress very warmly). The teachers will then lead us on the lantern walk. After the lantern walk we will lead you back to your cars and say goodbye.

This is a quiet and reverent festival and we ask that you help support this mood by quietly guiding your children through the experience.

Blessings


Dyanne, Kim and William




4:30pm Lantern Walk
Ruari and Callum Keith
Viola Butters
Corey Lindstrom
Phoebe Holland –Thompson
River Stephens
Beatrice Zabel
Leon Kohlhass
Cooper Patty
Yarrow Batiste
Olivia Sichel
Atam Zimmerman
Walden Sagmeister
Ianna King
Sara Teevin
Sylvia Anton – Erik
Benjamin Cone
Ian Woodrow

5:30pm Lantern Walk
Josephine and Jack McAuliff
Julian and Soren Walston
Kailey and Alena Henderson
Wilder and Grace Yanz
Sonia and Gabby Toombs
Michael Cardosa
Ada Faith – Feyma
Annie Kate McDanniel
Edythe Donham
Anna and Thor Umlauff

6:30pm Lantern Walk
Crispin Dolde
Slater Canright
Forrest Erickson
Briar and Miles Morgen
Zachary Rosenberger
Sam Simons
Genny and Joey Edmonds
Ava Johnson
Amanda Kehl
Kiera Sherman
Josephine Chia
Sterling Gardiner
Natascha Graner
Hugo and Rain Costello
Sierra and Nicholas Muller

More background for November 8's talk

Dear Families,

Here is another document as background for my talk on November 8.  It involves ideas to inspire us to plan for our time with our young children.

Expect an invitation to the lantern walk on Friday, November 12, soon.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Public Talk, Monday, November 8

On Monday, November 8, I will host a parent evening in the Butterfly Classroom from 6:30 to 8pm.  This is open to nursery and parent & child families as well as to others in our school community and the Whidbey Island, Mukilteo, and Everett Communities.  While I will direct my talk toward parents of young children, some insights may be of interest to parents of older children as well.

The topic will be

Confident Captain, Zen Captain

Guiding Our Family Ship Through Calm Waters

and Wandering Rocks

As parents and teachers, we find ourselves presented with a wealth of resources on how to parent, how to teach, how to discipline, how to speak to our children.  At times it often seems we have too much information and would wish for clarity and simplicity.  Should we be stricter?  Or are we being too strict?  Are we giving enough choices or too many?  Many well written articles and books seem to contradict one another:  some argue that what our children need most is form; others petition for giving our children freedom.

Our children, of course, need form and freedom, and--here is the rub--every child or group of children needs a different mixture of the two at different times.  Using the metaphor of a captain at sea, William Dolde will gather insights he has gained from teaching, from reading, and from his own mistakes (shipwrecks) to suggest ways we can find a balance that works for individual families.  The captain has to be confident to gain the trust of the crew; the captain has to be competent.  Yet the captain must also be flexible and respond to the winds and the waves.  The captain must also be observant and friendly to the crew; otherwise, the captain invites mutiny.

As preparation, parents may wish to read the following selections I have put together.

"Beyond Personal," my summary of a way of speaking described by Polly Berrien Berends in Whole Child/Whole Parent.

Here are some general thoughts on speaking to toddlers that I have collected.

Sometimes the seas are rocky.  Here are thoughts I collected on how to speak to a young child during times of tantrum and other intense times.

With Warmth and Light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Articles on Toddler Conflict

Dear Families,

As I mentioned in class, I have no intention of swamping parents with reading material.  It happens that I have had a number of meaningful questions and comments from parents that remind me of articles to distribute.

Here are two articles about conflict among young children.  The first comes from Sophia's Hearth, in Keene, NH. 

Sophia's Hearth (named to remind us of the wisdom that comes from domestic activities such as baking and cleaning in the heart of the house) was founded by Susan Weber, a Waldorf kindergarten teacher who wanted to help bring the gifts of Waldorf early childhood education to very young children.  The story goes that Weber, along with kindergarten teachers Cynthia Aldinger and Rena Osmer traveled the country in an old station wagon (some of these details are probably getting embellished with years), looking at infant and toddler care centers and parent & child programs.  Finally, they arrived in Los Angeles and the RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) classes of Magda Gerber.  Instantly they felt a connection could be made.  Weber went on to train with Gerber (and at Loczy in Budapest, Hungary, where Gerber picked her up wisdom) and to create Sophia's Hearth as a place to train parents and teachers, hold Waldorf parent & child classes, and to create a model childcare center for children birth to three.  Weber makes a clear link with the work of RIE in all her literature.  I find a number of the other articles on the Sophia's Hearth website helpful.

The second article about conflict is by RIE instructor Beverly Kovach.  Her article is addressed to caregivers (adults working children in larger group situations).  In our mixed age parent & child classes, we have more adults and children of different ages, so our careful observation may inspire us to intervene more than a caregiver might in the classroom described by Kovach.


Kovach was one of my instructors when I took my RIE 1 training in Los Angeles.  The Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library has a number of books by RIE founder Magda Gerber.  1, 2, 3 . . . The Toddler Years, also in the library, has helped many parents of young children through times of biting, hitting, separation anxiety, sibling rivalry, and the like.  Many elements of Gerber's work resonate with what we provide in the Waldorf classroom; there are some variations.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Good job and praise

Dear Families,

Thank you for your presence in class this morning.  It is wonderful to observe the joy and engagement of our children as they work and play.

Some of you heard a discussion about the phrase "good job" and how praise can inhibit learning.  I mentioned two articles and am making them available below.  Too much global praise (good job, good girl, great job, you're so smart) can make a child risk averse and less likely to prosper academically, emotionally, and socially. I have published links to these articles before, but I offer them again here to make them easy to find.

This article from New York Magazine offers a parent's perspective on the research.

This article from Scientific American Mind is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher mentioned in the previous article) and is a bit more formal in nature.

Parenting and teaching is an art, and we are always moving toward balance.  I would be remiss if I suggested you should never praise your child.  Specific, appreciation of a child's effort and loving and perhaps silent witness of our children's achievements every day are wonderful.  Without worrying too much about it, the more we can be fully present in the situation and describe what we actually see ("You put on your boots all by yourself.  It took a while, but you kept trying") rather than leaving the present moment with an evaluative statement ("You are a good boy.), the more we help our children stay in the present moment, learn from it, and develop in a graceful way.

Next week I will write more on this from the perspective of discipline and guiding our family ship through the waves and currents of the day.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

course for parents from our librarian

Dear Families,

      MaryBeth Dickerson, who runs our Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library, has let me know about a course for parents.  I am providing the description of the course below, and how you can sign up.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

It's only a few days away and I am really excited about the
upcoming 6-week telecourse,"Essential Elements of Early Childhood".
I had such a great conversation last week with Rahima Baldwin
Dancy, author of, You are Your Child's First Teacher, I've decided
to play the overview/introduction we did for this upcoming series.
This call is free, so jump on early to get a spot!

Here is the free registration link http://www.elementsofearlychildhood.com/preview.htm

Once you are registered, you will receive the call information in your email.

You will also have instant access to the call we presented about a week ago,

 "3 Ways to Create a Nourishing Home for Your Child"

It was given by 3 Waldorf early Childhood teachers and chock full of tips!

http://www.elementsofearlychildhood.com/preview.htm

Donna

 http://thewaldorfconnection.com
donnaashton@thewaldorfconnection.com

230 Melrose Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA

Children's Questions

Dear Families,

Our discussion at the snack table today about images of Mother Earth and Heavenly Knights brought to mind this article by Cecil Harwood on responding to children's questions.  While a number of the children in our class are perhaps a little younger than the age described by Harwood, it might be helpful to be prepared.  Harwood describes ways to respond to children in ways that nourish where they are in their development.

While we did not discuss it today, the topic of responding to children's questions reminds me of another part of life with young children.  When and what point is it appropriate to ask young children questions or to give them lots of choices?  I was blessed to work with Hari Grebler a Waldorf trained RIE teacher in Los Angeles (next week I'll provide more information in RIE).  For Grebler, as for many RIE instructors, we help infants and toddlers when we provide them safe and secure and predictable environments that allow them to experiment and strengthen themselves and progress in their own way and in their own time--rather than trying to rush them along on a schedule so that they get ahead.  Grebler found it important to allow children's minds to develop in a beautiful and unhurried way.  According to Grebler, when we ask young children lots of questions ("What do you like?" "What did you do in school today?" "Do you know why I'm upset?" "What's the capitol of Oklahoma?") or give them lots of choices ("Do you want to eat dinner now or later?" "Which coat do you want to wear?" and the like), we are asking them to use an intellectual muscle that has not been given the proper amount of time to develop.  It would be like forcing a child to walk before she or he is ready.

That being said, I find in other ways it is important to give our children lots of choices.  Rather than telling a child how to use this or that toy (or to play with the toy and not the box), if we observe that they are being safe and engaged, we can let them explore in a variety of ways.  I wrote this article about choices in response to this contradiction I observed.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Jars and missing bear

Dear Families,

     I look forward to seeing you in class Thursday.  If we have extra soup--as I expect we will--I will be happy to send home jars with families.  It would be a great help if you can bring in extra jars (empty spaghetti sauce jars, pickle jars, and the like).

     My 7 year old helped decorate for last Friday's festival.  He used a scarecrow teddy bear his grandmother sent him.  It was on the counter in my classroom.  We could not find it when the day was over and wonder if another family inadvertently picked it up thinking it was theirs.

Thanks,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Songs before snack time

Dear Families,

Here are the words to the rhymes and songs we sing before snack time.  Many of the verses and songs I use come from Wilma Ellersiek.  In the 1950s, Ellersiek was alarmed as German kindergartens strove to keep up with America and became more academic.  She felt this cognitive pressure at a young age would have a negative effect on children as they grew up.  Ellersiek--who had been a music and drama and movement teacher at the university level--began to create a series of games and songs--some out of nonsense, some in imitation of nature--as an antidote to the stress of early academics.  Researchers in Germany soon discovered that academics too soon did not work to make strong students in later years, and play-centered kindergartens returned.  Ellersiek, however, continued her work.  She was a keen observer of nature and of children.

The story goes that in the Black Forest, Ellersiek (who initially had no affiliation with Waldorf education) net Klara Hatterman, who had been a Waldorf kindergarten teacher for decades.  The two hit it off at once, and Hatterman began bring Ellersiek games and rhymes not only to her own classroom, but also to other Waldorf early childhood teachers world wide.

There are now several books published in America that contain the songs and finger games of Wilma Ellersiek.  Ellersiek loved young children, and she was thorough.  Her directions are involved, even intimidating.  I find it easiest to learn the games with another adult guiding.  For this reason, I find it helpful for me to offer a number of Ellersiek games and rhymes in my classes.  Other traditional fingerplays and songs and verses are also wonderful, and one could teach a fantastic Waldorf parent & child class never using material from Ellersiek.  That being said, I find that young children tend to adore her games, and I find myself adding more and more of her verses to my repertoire as the years progress.

To read more about Wilma Ellersiek, visit this link.  You can also read more about her and Waldorf education in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library (upstairs from our classroom).  As part of our classes, you are welcome to check out books for parents and children.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Welcome to the Fall Session

Dear Families,

Welcome to our Fall session of our parent & child classes at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.  I look forward to seeing you from 9 to 11am this Thursday, September 23, for our first Dewdrop class of the fall session.

For families new to our program, this synopsis of the parent & child morning may help provide a sense of what your child and you will experience each week. We try to make the class meet the needs of the children and parents, so I will adjust the rhythm if, for example, the class has more younger or older children. Over the years, I have witnessed children of many ages thrive in a rhythm like the one described.

Here is additional information about our program:

Our classes take place in the Butterfly Room, the first room you come to when you go down the stairs in the main building.

Vegetables and Extra Clothes -- We will make vegetable soup and bread every week; children love to explore, play, and help when their parents and teacher join together in community work such as cooking. Please bring a vegetable if possible. Our classes try to make activities such as washing dishes inviting for children (and their parents). While I try to keep splashing to a reasonable level, your child may get very wet. Please bring a change of clothes.

Children will do well to have slippers or thick socks--we try to leave our wet and muddy boots out of the play area.

All current, past, and future families are invited to our Autumn festival on Friday, September 24, from 9 to 10:30am.

Here are songs and verses I say throughout the morning.  After we have had a week of class and I have confirmed that my Autumn circle feels right for our children, I will share those lyrics as well.


With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Corrected Autumn Festival Invitation

Dear Families,


Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Parents, Grandparents, and Friends are invited to our Autumn Festival on Friday, September 24, from 9 to 10:30am.

As summer changes to fall, days shorten, and the frost and cold of winter approaches, we as humans need strength and courage to help us stand upright through the darkness of winter. Different cultures have received inspiration from the meteor showers (heavenly iron, shooting stars) they observed around late September; the iron from the stars of heaven gave people strength. In various cultures and religions, this comes forth as a tale of a hero--a knight like St. George or Archangel Michael conquering or taming a dragon. For Rudolf Steiner, this battle between a knight and a dragon goes on inside each one of us--the dragon is not some Other out there to be excluded, but, rather, that part of ourselves that we need to confront, acknowledge, and tame so we are ready to be free individuals capable of serving humanity and the world.

Explanations of a psychic battle inside each of us or battles with dragons can be too much for children birth to 4, who, rather, find seasonal inspiration as days shorten and nights lengthen by looking in wonderment toward the stars. An early childhood teacher could simplify the celebration of Michaelmas toward an examination of stars--singing "Twinkle Twinkle" and cutting open an apple to reveal the star come to earth on the inside.

On Friday the 25th parents and children will gather outside to play and share a snack (Nursery children and I will have baked extra bread and made extra soup in class that week). We will also have a harvest dance to tune of the fiddle. Then we'll go inside for a puppet show. After that, we will walk to the woods to meet (as a surprise for the children) a knight from the stars and Mother Earth--they will both present us with gifts. After the walk, children and parents will depart with their gifts.


Again, this festival is open to current nursery and parent & child children and to all families in our community with young children.  Please contact us at 341-5686 or enrollment@whidbey.com with any questions.


Parents of children of all ages are invited to a joint faculty, parent, and community study at the pavilion at WIWS on the night before, Thursday, September 23, from 7 to 9pm.  William Dolde, our parent & child teacher, will address adults at that study.  He will guide the community in singing, talk a bit about Rudolf Steiner's description of Michaelmas, and tell a longish fairy tell that resonates with the themes of Michaelmas.


With warmth and light,


William Geoffrey Dolde

Missing vest, date correction

Dear Parent & Child Families, Friends, and Community Members,

       I apologize if I provided the incorrect date for this Friday's Autumn Festival for young children.  It will occur this Friday, September 24, from 9 to 10:30am, at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.  It is an outdoor festival.

       A white vest was left at our sample parent & child class last last Thursday.

Respectfully,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Invitation to Our 2010 Autumn Festival in 2 Weeks

Dear Families,


Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Parents, Grandparents, and Friends are invited to our Autumn Festival on Friday, September 25, from 9 to 10:30am.

As summer changes to fall, days shorten, and the frost and cold of winter approaches, we as humans need strength and courage to help us stand upright through the darkness of winter. Different cultures have received inspiration from the meteor showers (heavenly iron, shooting stars) they observed around late September; the iron from the stars of heaven gave people strength. In various cultures and religions, this comes forth as a tale of a hero--a knight like St. George or Archangel Michael conquering or taming a dragon. For Rudolf Steiner, this battle between a knight and a dragon goes on inside each one of us--the dragon is not some Other out there to be excluded, but, rather, that part of ourselves that we need to confront, acknowledge, and tame so we are ready to be free individuals capable of serving humanity and the world.

Explanations of a psychic battle inside each of us or battles with dragons can be too much for children birth to 4, who, rather, find seasonal inspiration as days shorten and nights lengthen by looking in wonderment toward the stars. An early childhood teacher could simplify the celebration of Michaelmas toward an examination of stars--singing "Twinkle Twinkle" and cutting open an apple to reveal the star come to earth on the inside.

On Friday the 25th parents and children will gather outside to play and share a snack (Nursery children and I will have baked extra bread and made extra soup in class that week). We will also have a harvest dance to tune of the fiddle. Then we'll go inside for a puppet show. After that, we will walk to the woods to meet (as a surprise for the children) a knight from the stars and Mother Earth--they will both present us with gifts. After the walk, children and parents will depart with their gifts.


Again, this festival is open to current nursery and parent & child children and to all families in our community with young children.  Please contact us at 341-5686 or enrollment@whidbey.com with any questions.


Parents of children of all ages are invited to a joint faculty, parent, and community study at the pavilion at WIWS on the night before, Thursday, September 23, from 7 to 9pm.  William Dolde, our parent & child teacher, will address adults at that study.  More details will follow.


With warmth and light,


William Geoffrey Dolde

Sample Class This Thursday

Dear Families,

You and your children birth to three are invited to join us for a free parent & child class this Thursday from 9 to 11am in the Butterfly Classroom at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.  While parents and teacher work together to peel and chop vegetables for soup, knead bread dough, and churn cream into butter, children are welcome to help with the work or play and explore in the classroom.  We fill the morning with song and music--and provide partner games, finger plays, and simple puppet shows intended to delight young children.  Please rsvp to 360-341-5686 or enrollment@whidbey.com.

Our fall session begins next Thursday, September 23.  You may obtain an application at school or by visiting this link.

Thursdays and Brochure for 2010-2011

Dear Families,

Follow this link for the brochure parent & child classes for the 2010-2011 school year.

Here are two items to note:

1)  Dewdrop (Thursdays) and Rosebud (Fridays) are both mixed-age classes, welcoming children from as young as parents feel comfortable (my sons started at age 6 months) to young 3.

2)  Because classes tend to fill up as the year progresses, in the fall we are beginning with one class a week on Thursdays, called Dewdrop.  We hope that returning families from Rosebud are able to join us on Thursdays in the fall.

It is most helpful if you send in your application to reserve your spot.  At the very least, please let me know your intention to enroll if that is clear.

Thank you,

William Dolde

Dress for Rain

Today's festival includes a puppet show about the Mossy Men; they bring rain and moisture to help the plants thrive.  It seems the Mossy Men are active at present on Whidbey Island.  Most of our festival today will be outdoors; while there are covered places, do dress yourself and your child for cooler, wetter weather.

I will have warm soup and rice available starting at 9am to warm you from the inside.  I look forward to seeing you today.

William Dolde

Next Wednesday's Talk

Form, Space & the Philosophy of Freedom:
Looking Toward Tolle & Steiner to Guide Our
Parenting & Teaching

~A Lecture by WIWS Faculty Member William Dolde~

Wednesday, May 26th, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
in our Butterfly Nursery classroom, lower level

In this lecture, Mr. Dolde will use some of Eckhart Tolle's concepts to navigate one of Rudolf Steiner's foundational works, The Philosophy of Freedom. Dolde will suggest ways in which the work of both Tolle and Steiner can guide us in our work with children, whether as parents or teachers. The concepts of form and space, important in the Waldorf classroom, will be used to build a bridge between the two conceptual frameworks.





                 




Eckhart Tolle      Rudolf Steiner

FFI:  Sheila Weidendorf, Enrolllment Director
360-341-5686

Tantrums

Dear Families,

     I had a request last week for support for parents about supporting a child through tantrums.  I will likely touch on this next Wednesday, May 26, during my talk weaving together Tolle and Steiner and Waldorf Education.  For myself, I find the image of a captain at sea useful when teaching or parenting; while I cannot control every element (or I would be like monomaniacal Ahab or a captain doomed for mutiny), I can still be in charge and work with the wind and elements to keep the ship on course.  If a captain is too stern, he is likely to be thrown overboard; too weak, he is likely to be thrown overboard,  I seek just the right balance.

      Here are 3 articles I have written in the past couple of years relating parenting and being a captain.


1)  This article helps us plan our day's journey with our children to make the storms of tantrums less likely or severe (while we should always abandon hope of living tantrum free; there is great beauty and power in making peace with this aspect of development, too).

2) When the storm of a tantrum does occur, here are some ideas to help you and your child pass through the storm with resilience.

3)  As Eckhart Tolle reminds us (and many Waldorf teachers and others already put into practice with grace and effectiveness), there is incredible power in saying yes to what is, into accepting what is now rather than resisting the present moment (this does not mean caving into a toddler's demands to get a tantrum to stop; we still are the parents; we accept our need to parent through what might seem a trial with the same surrender and equanimity--even as we may be need to be firm in holding limits--as we would during an ostensibly easy time with our child).  Related to the sea, here are some reflections about my own journey toward acceptance of the now that I wrote last year to my nursery families.  It is called Falling Cradles, Pirates, and Sewing Up the Wolf's Belly.

It may be that after next week's talk, I will need to create a new series of metaphors about Zen captains.

Although our final classes are next week, May 27 and 28, all families, whether currently enrolled or not, are invited to our Rosebud/Dewdrop/Nursery summer festival on Friday, June 4, from 9 to 10:30am.  We will share our traditional feast of soup and bread, dance our farewell dances to the Maypole, see a puppet show about the Mossy Men, felt, and welcome our bonfire cloth for summer dances.

With warmth and light and thoughts of summer fire,

William Geoffrey Dolde

A Walk Through the Grades Invitation

A Walk Through the Grades
 Whidbey Island Waldorf School
Thursday, May 27th

8:30 – 10:30 a.m

8:30 Gather in Lobby for Coffee & Program Overview
9:00 Grades’ Classroom visits begin in sequence
10:00 Gather for Q & A

For more information or to sign up for our tour of the Grades,
please contact our Enrollment Director, Sheila Weidendorf
(enrollment@whidby.com or 360-341-5686 x 12).
At Whidbey Island Waldorf School we meet the children
where they are, challenging them intellectually,
inspiring them creatively, and gently guiding them socially.
Whidbey Island Waldorf School
6335 Old Pietila Road
Clinton, WA 98236

and here is a web link to the flyer

http://www.wiws.org/docs/Walk%20Through%20the%20Grades%20Flyer.pdf

Staying in the Now

 I am not a judge or a critic.  My favorite song is the one I am writing today or tomorrow.

Duke Ellington

Dear Families,

      In 2004 I was fortunate to attend a two week RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) intensive in the home of its founder, Magda Gerber, in Los Angeles.  So much of our observation and conversation and work there focused on the idea of supporting our infants and toddlers where they were in the moment--at their stage of development--rather than trying to move them along to the next activity or toy or event.  I remember one activity in particular:  we as adults were to go around Magda's house and begin playing as if we were young toddlers with the play objects that had been placed around.  The 4 instructors then came and interacted with us in 4 different ways

1)  One praised us and kept calling me, "Good boy!  You're so smart"
2)  Another kept trying to coach us to do better and more with our toys.
3)  Another kept quizzing us about often unimportant issues "What shape is that?"  "What color is that"
4)  The 4th just stayed pretty far back and watched.

The intrusiveness of the first 3 was fairly easy to predict and experience.  What I found surprising was that I was pretty aware of the 4th (who reflected that I seemed to stay engaged in my play), and her presence distracted me from the play.  It may be that a toddler might not notice, or may notice all the more, us even if we are trying to give respectful and sacred space to their explorations.  At a class we were observing during the training, two toddlers became embroiled in what could become a conflict, and the instructor noted that all of our attention--even though silent--might be fueling the conflict, and it might free the toddlers if we shifted our attention elsewhere.  We shifted, and the toddlers relaxed and worked out their struggle (with older children I think of Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods and children's need for secret spaces beyond the vision of adults).

There are plenty of other times, however, when staying out of the way is not our best option--when we need to be close (the practicing to be an Archangel pose from my last talk) to prevent biting or other possible harm, when--as happens more frequently as children move into the nursery years--we ask children to try things again if their play excludes or ostracizes another child, when a child is really upset because she "had that toy first!" (even if only in her mind, which is a very real experience), or with attentiveness we realize our growing child does need scaffolding or support to help him or her progress gracefully toward the next step of the journey.

Last week in our Dewdrop and Rosebud classes I watched as discretely as I could the intense and delightful focus and presence our children showed during play, or my finger games or violin, or at other points during the morning.  It made me reflect upon Magda Gerber, Waldorf Early Childhood Education, and Eckhart Tolle.  It seems to me that the awakening work Tolle guides us toward is something we already had in early childhood--the ability to be fully present in the moment--and I wonder how much of this work we can offer our children from the start.  While we do not necessarily need to read Tolle's books as bedtime stories, I find it helps me a lot--as I decide when to step in and how much help is needed--to keep a long term goal of nurturing our children's ability to be attentive, aware, and content in the moment in mind (indeed, our school's mandate seeks to support the evolution of human consciousness).  This helps me to find the right words--or to realize that no words are needed.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

p.s.  While I love the Ellington quote, my hope is that if tomorrow's song is our favorite song it is because we know we will be present and aware when composing it tomorrow (rather than, say, letting our attention drift from the work of the present moment with the idea, "This isn't great, or important, or real, or fun, because the real work and joy will come tomorrow").

In Waldorf books on play in early childhood

Self-Esteem and Presence

Dear Families,

    As I prepare to speak about Eckhart Tolle, Rudolf Steiner, and Waldorf education, favorite chapters and articles come to mind which I wish to share.  I have recommended "Genuine Encounter" from Your Child's Self-Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs, and I do so again.  We have several copies in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library.  Rather than send you a pdf that is hard to read, I am sending you three excerpts from the book from this web-site.  If you scroll down past the table of contents and list of praise from critics and journals, you will find 3 brief excerpts from different parts of the book that give not only an excellent taste of the book but also--for me, at least--a reminder to slow down, be present, accept the now, and appreciate with quiet reverence what my child and the children are doing or not doing.

     I can feel like a failure if I decide to provide my sons complete presence and attention every moment of the day.  Briggs and Tolle and others remind us that it is quality, not quantity, that can be so nourishing.  Remembering and finding that one moment to slow down and just watch without judgment, praise, criticism, worry, thoughts of my past or future, is an incredible gift--even if it starts as just the briefest of moments.

With gestures toward presence,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Songs and Verses

Dear Families,

     Per some requests, here are words to the verses and songs I share when we gather at the table.  If there are other elements from the class you would like in writing, please let me know.

Cheers,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Welcome to the Spring Session (starts tomorrow)

Dear Families,

Welcome to our spring session of our parent & child classes at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.  I look forward to seeing you from 9 to 11am this Thursday or Friday, April 15 & 16.

For families new to our program, this synopsis of the parent & child morning may help provide a sense of what your child and you will experience each week. We try to make the class meet the needs of the children and parents, so I will adjust the rhythm if, for example, one of the classes has more younger or older children. Over the years, I have witnessed children of many ages thrive in a rhythm like the one described.

Here is additional information about our program:

Our classes take place in the Butterfly Room, the first room you come to when you go down the stairs in the main building.

Vegetables and Extra Clothes -- We will make vegetable soup and bread every week; children love to explore, play, and help when their parents and teacher join together in community work such as cooking. Please bring a vegetable if possible. Our classes try to make activities such as washing dishes inviting for children (and their parents). While I try to keep splashing to a reasonable level, your child may get very wet. Please bring a change of clothes.

Children will do well to have slippers or thick socks--we try to leave our wet and muddy boots out of the play area.

Our 7 class session run without pause from April 15 & 16 to Thursday & Friday, May 27 & 28.

All current, past, and future families are invited to our summer festival on Friday, June 4.

At 5pm on Wednesday, May 24, adults are invited to an hour long parenting talk in the Butterfly Room in which I weave together the wisdom of Eckhart Tolle and Rudolf Steiner as it relates to being present with young children.  More information will come separately about this talk.

Here are songs and verses I say throughout the morning.  After we have had a week of class and I have confirmed that my spring circle feels right for our children, I will share those lyrics as well.


With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Please prepare for the weather tomorrow

Dear Families,


Our Spring Festival is tomorrow.  As some of you may remember, it was rather chilly last year during this festival.  Because I have a puppet show set up inside the Butterfly classroom, it will not work to have early birds play inside the classroom (and as you may remember, once we get beyond 8 pairs of parents and children, the classroom feels too small).  It would be good for you to have a plan (especially for parents with grades children they are dropping off early) of a way to keep warm until 9am.

I intend to have warm soup, warm rice, bread with and without butter, water, and warm tea available at 9am.  We will eat first and dance later after it has warmed up.  Worry not, however, if you arrive at 9:30am just in time for the puppet show--I will leave the food out for you and your child, and you are welcome to have a picnic after we return from our walk at about 10am while others dance, play, and help tidy up.


With hope for warmth and light and acceptance for rain and cold,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Festival, Sample Nursery Reminders

Our Spring Festival for young children and their parents, grandparents, and friends comes to life this Friday, March 19, from 9 to 10:30am at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.  Everybody is welcome.

On March 25 and 26, I am offering two nursery mini-mornings from 9 until noon for current Rosebud and Dewdrop families as well as others with young children.   We'll experience the joys of outdoor play and work in the woods. 

Meet me and Crispin directly in our clearing by the teepee (this is where we will meet Mother Earth as part of the Spring Festival) at 9am.  Signs will guide you if you don't know where this is. We'll be outside in the woods for an hour (where my current nursery children explore, work, and play with engagement and delight).

At 10am we will return to our playground for another half hour or so, and then go inside for a puppet show in a ring of chairs (rather than at the table as in parent & child), free play with adult work, a shared snack of warm rice, dishwashing, clean-up, and a closing at noon.

  To provide the best experience, we are limiting the sample class size to 8.  Please rsvp to William or the school (341-5686).

This experience is open to younger children and their parents as well.  Feel free to attend even if your child will be too young for our nursery class for the 2010 school year.

William's Summer Program

Dear Families,


     I have received several inquiries about my summer program, and it seems best to provide you information sooner rather than later.  Visit this link to find more details about my 8 week, 3 day, mixed age summer program at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School. 


    In the interest of fairness, I will let you know that this is an independent program renting space from the school.  Please consider it as you would any other summer program on Whidbey Island.


Thanks,

William Dolde

Spring Festival, Friday, March 19, 9 to 10:30am

Please consider attending our Butterfly, Rosebud, and Dewdrop Spring Festival.  Please invite friends as well.

Location:  Outside the Butterfly Classroom and in the woods nearby, Whidbey Island Waldorf School.
Invited Guests:  In addition to current Butterfly, Rosebud, and Dewdrop children and parents, friends, and grandparents, we invite all families with young children to attend.
This is mainly an outdoor festival.  Be prepared for the weather.

Brief Synopsis  This festival provides an imaginative picture of how seasons change to reflect the way young children experience the changing seasons as a vivid drama.   After a puppet show, we will walk to meet Mother Earth, Father Sun, Brother Wind, and Sister Rain; these friendly characters may even give us gifts. After the walk, we will return to the playground for snacks, play, and conversation. If weather permits, I will end our festival with fiddle tunes and dancing outside.

Why a Festival?  There are a number of good books about festivals in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library (in the lobby of our school). Here also is an article written by an experienced kindergarten teacher from Santa Cruz Steve Spitalny about festivals. Although Steve is writing for teachers in this article, he helps us as parents as well simplify and clarify our thinking about marking the seasons of the year to support our children.  Festivals can be seeds of renewal, to help children adults frame the year.

Music  While there may be more songs, here are lyrics to two songs we will sing often.

While the children often find the festival more magical and nourishing if they can have the experience without explanation beforehand, this more detailed description for adults will prepare to help if needed (please do not share with children).

9 to 9:30am  Children and parents come to the playground outside the Butterfly classroom.  Bread and butter, water, and herbal tea will be available in the shelter.  Children play and/or eat.

9:40am I will lead you into the Butterfly Classroom and will present a puppet show (children can keep shoes and coats on; we are going right back outside).

9:50am  William will lead us into the woods to the teepee (the walk is 200 yards at the most).  There, Mother Earth will silently greet us.  She will present William with a fiber pot and plant cosmos seeds into the pot.   Ideally, Mother Earth will present a pot and seeds to each child.  If there are many children, and the waiting seems too stressful, William (and other parents) will help.  It is nice, however, if things do not feel rushed.  Some children, of course, may be intimated by Mother Earth, so a parent could receive the gift for the child.  Be prepared to help your child carry the pot.  We will have extra potting soil and seeds at the end of the walk if, as is possible, your child's pot spills.  We thank Mother Earth.

9:55am (or so) We walk a few more yards to another clearing in the wood.  There Sister Rain will greet us and water each pot.  We thank Sister Rain.

10am (or so)  We walk farther.  Father Sun greets us.  He ties a spring crown around William's head.  Next it is ideal if Father Sun ties a spring crown on each child's head.  If there are a lot of children, William and parents can help Father Sun.  Again, it is nice if we avoid a sense of hurry.  Some children, of course, will not feel comfortable with a stranger putting on a crown; parents are welcome to help their own child with their crown.  We thank Father Sun.

10:05am (or so) Back at the playground, Brother Wind greets us and presents us with a large spring cloth for dancing.  We thank Brother Wind.  Unless it is bitterly cold, William will play the fiddle as parents and children dance with the large cloth from Brother Wind.

10:15am Children play some more, children and parents eat more snack.  Each child is welcome to take home a pot.  There will be extra in case one is misplaced or spilled.  This particular cosmos (which you can plant outside after 6 weeks or so) is supposed to help attract butterflies. to remind you of your time in the Butterfly Room.  Each child is welcome to take a crown home.  If you enroll in the spring session of parent and child classes (beginning ), please bring the crown to class.  We will decorate the crowns with wool roving and embroidery for May Day.  

10:30am  Children and parents depart.  Beginning at 10:45am or sooner, elementary children come outside for recess, and it will be good to leave them space.

Please call 341-5686 or contact wdolde at gmail.com with any questions.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde