Parent Talk Wednesday at 5pm, Library

Dear Dewdrop and Rosebud Families,

My hope is that many of you have received invitations for my talk this Wednesday from 5 to 6pm at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School on supporting young children when conflict arises. If you have not, I am providing a description below. (It has not been uncommon for parents to bring a child slightly older than babe in arms to a parent & child talk in the past. While we welcome babes in arm at our talks, because some many parents may find interest in this topic from our nursery and kindergarten and beyond, it is possible that the room could be crowded, and you may find it hard to have an alert and active child present.)

Stepping in Where Archangels Fearlessly Tread:

Supporting young children when conflicts arise.

Butterfly Classroom, Whidbey Island Waldorf School
Wednesday, January 20, 2009, 5-6pm

Speaker William Dolde will bring together observations from Emmi
Pikler, Magda Gerber, and experienced Waldorf early childhood teachers
to help us find a helpful way to respond when very young children tug,
pull, wrestle, argue, and the like. In addition, he will present a
summary of Rudolf Steiner's description of angels, archangels, and
ostensibly challenging and esoteric concepts such as planetary
evolution. For Steiner, the reason to seek spiritual insight was to
be of service to the people we interact with every day. William will
show a way to use Steiner's images and insights to help ground us as
we support our children in what can be trying circumstances. As such,
the talk will be not only a nuts and bolts description for how respond
to conflict; it will also be an introduction to what might seem
obscure or confusing elements of Rudolf Steiner's work and will
suggest a way to make such thoughts both more accessible and useful.

William recommends attendees read the following two articles as
preparation for the talk.

1.Toddler Conflict: A Closer Look
http://sophiashearth.org/?p=toddlerconflict&all
2.Assisting Toddlers and Caregivers During Conflict Resolutions

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Assisting+toddlers+and+caregivers+during+conflict+resolutions:...-a021230415


For new families, please know that I try to distribute most of my information in a paperless format. We do have the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library, an excellent parent library in our lobby upstairs from the Butterfly Room. As members of our Dewdrop and Rosebud classes, you are welcome to check out books. Please talk to me if you have any questions.

Over the session, I will recommend books from the library. Here are some to start (books in the library are arranged alphabetically by title):

Your Child's Self-Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs has excellent chapters on jealousy, genuine encounter, nonjudgment. This was one of the few books Magda Gerber recommends.

Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber describes her work with Emmi Pikler at Loczy and describes Gerber's philosophy of caring for infants and toddlers with respect.

Emmi Pikler from the Sensory Awareness Bulleting. This thin pamphlet is one of the few translations of Pikler's work into English. Pikler started the Loczy orphanage in Budapest, Hungary. Years later, researchers discovered that children who had lived in that orphanage were thriving when compared to an average citizen. Many European researchers went to study with Pikler, and she wrote a number of books that were widely read in languages other than English. Dr. Benjamin Spock was so popular in America that no publisher thought it worthwhile to put out a translation of Pikler's work into English.

We have 3 copies of this pamphlet. Let me know if you can't find a copy; we have had some discussions about where best to place them (in E for Emmi, P for Pikler, or S for Sensory).

If you do find and read this work, know that Pikler can seem stern and judgmental at time (indeed, the story is that mothers in Budapest used Magda Gerber as a messenger because Gerber was so much more approachable). If you stick with it and read to the end, you will read--perhaps with the relief that I did--where Pikler tells us not to worry about mistakes but to do our best to raise our children.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Information for the Winter Session

Dear Enrolled and Enrolling Families,

Welcome to our winter session of our parent & child classes at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.

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 runs from January 7 to March 5. There will be no Rosebud class on Friday, January 15, no Dewdrop class on Thursday, January 28 and no classes on on February 18 & 19 (both classes still meet 7 times this session--you are not being charged for off weeks).

If it is snowy or icy, call our school 341-5686. If school opens at 10am, we will have class as usual beginning at 10am. If school is closed , we have space for make-up classes on March 11 & 12. I will do my best to contact you if the weather is iffy--please make sure your contact information is up to date with the school.

All current, past, and future families are invited to our spring festival on Friday, March 19.

At 5pm on Wednesday, January 20, adults are invited to an hour long parenting talk in the Butterfly Room on supporting young children in times of conflict. More information will come separately about this talk.

Here are songs and rhymes I will sing and speak during circle time during our winter session. Again, I will adjust if the needs of children call for more gentle partner games or for more vigorous movement. I note that last year so many children requested "Then We Go to Market" in the closing circle that I made it a permanent part of our movement repertoire.

Here are songs and verses I say throughout the morning.


With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

New Session Starting this week

Dear Families,

Please remember that a new session is starting this week--Dewdrop on Thursday and Rosebud on Friday. We have received inquiries from families with children less than a year old. In the past, we have successfully grouped our families to make joyful Thursday and Friday classes (sometimes mixed age, sometimes very similar ages), so please contact me by email or phone (341-4124) if you have interest in enrolling but worry your child might be too old (I've had a reticent 4 year old blend well with much younger children in years past, so we will look at the needs of the child and the group) or too young (I've seen 5 month olds enjoy the mood of a class with many older children, and the parent enjoy the company). We may well be able to create a form that works for you and your child.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

New Session Starts January 7 & 8

Dear Families,

Thank you for coming to our holiday workshop and advent spiral. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Our regular parent & child classes begin on Thursday and Friday, January 7 & 8. Please visit this link or call our school to procure an application.

While our Christmas Festival on Tuesday, December 22, at 10:30am at Thomas Berry Hall at the Whidbey Institute may be on the longish side for some of our infants and toddlers (by the time the choir performances and Shepherds Play conclude, the event may last close to 90 minutes), the Shepherds Play is full of music, mirth, reverence, and foolishness and has been known to charm some of our youngest children in the past. Do be aware that the Shepherds themselves are quite active, and sensitive children might enjoy their physical humor from further back in the audience.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

More details about the Advent Garden

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

Again, you are cordially invited to our Advent Garden on Friday, December 11, at 10am at the Sanctuary at the Whidbey Institute (down Old Pietila Road from the 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 inside the Sanctuary. 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) inside the Sanctuary. 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

Preview of Advent Garden and Holiday Workshop

Dear Families and Friends,

Please note the following two invitations from Vanessa. I will provide more details about the Advent Garden soon--it is open to current families, past families, friends, grandparents, parents, and so forth.

You are invited to attend the Dewdrop & Rosebud Advent Garden Friday, December 11th, from 10 - 11am. This special festival provides an experience to remember to keep our inner light shining during these dark months. Please contact William Dolde at wdolde@gmail.com for more information or if you are planning to attend.

The Holiday Workshop is Saturday, December 5^th from 10am to 3pm here at our beautiful school. The event is open not just to our school community but to anyone who would like to join us, so please encourage friends, family, and neighbors to stop by and enjoy a day of music, food creative work, and enchantment.

This year, we’ll have an array of live music from students, teachers, and parents including the bands Subito and Rendezvous. Tickets will be sold for participation in the various crafts including candle dipping, silk dyeing, wool and wood crafts, and a story and adventure in a gnome gingerbread factory. The Holiday Cafe will nourish hungry elves with delicious food and drink. Orders will be taken for holiday wreaths and there is a raffle to win a cut-your-own Noble Fir.

And our wonderful Holiday Gift Shop will be selling Waldorf-inspired toys, art and craft supplies including wool fiber for spinning, play silks and capes, puzzles, and other well-made beautiful items. The store will also feature the creations of local artisans including Berry Bowen’s handmade dolls, both large and stocking-stuffer size, a limited edition coffee blend made specifically for WIWS by Useless Bay Coffee Company’s own Dez Rock, handmade toys including wooden play stands and cradles crafted by local carpenter Mark Kohlhaas, and more.

For more information about this event, you may contact Kelly Dolde at 360-341-4124.

WIWS Parent & Child Playgroups
Winter Session Starting this January

To Read More from Helle Heckmann

Thank you to everyone who attended the WIWS workshop with Helle Heckmann. For those who would like to hear more about her work, here are some resources:

Articles to read on-line --

Rhythm of Life by Helle Heckmann

An Interview with Helle Heckmann at Nøkken in Copenhagen
(by Roberta Ducharme, who taught Nursery and Parent/ Child at WIWS two years ago)

Books to purchase --

Childhood's Garden by Helle Heckmann
Shaping everyday life around the needs of young children

A Garden for Kids: More News from Nökken by Helle Heckmann

Nøkken by Helle Heckmann

All the above publications can be purchased by WECAN, WECAN Books, and Bob and Nancy's Bookshop.

Warm wishes,
Vanessa
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