We chose Waldorf education as it addresses our concerns about societal development, including our disconnection from nature and each other.

Waldorf Playroom Ideas Waldorf playrooms can be beautiful. They can also be very expensive. When I first came across Waldorf, what drew me to it was the beauty. I am in love with the natural materials and the simplicity of the toys.We have a small house so it's important that any toy that comes into

Play is the mechanism by which children learn—how they experience their world, practice new skills, and internalize new ideas—and is therefore the essential “work of children”. - Dr. Vivian Paley from her book, "A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play" Through play, children learn about the world and engage in activities that encourage their cognitive, emotional, and social development. - Dr. David Elkind from his book, "The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier and Healthier Children" When people hear that I am a Waldorf homeschooler, the first question they usually ask is, “What is Waldorf “? The second most times is, “I love your toys, but why so simple? Why open ended? Do they really help”? Well, I am here to say that yes they do help and it's not just Waldorf teachers and advocates who say this. It's also prominent child developmental psychologists, former public school teachers, and linguists who say the same thing- that children need to play, that their play does not need to be tinkered with by adults, and that children need suitable, simple, opened ended toys to play with in order to get the most out of their play. This is precisely where Waldorf, and other educational philosophies, get it right and do it well. What then could be more simple that having a basket full of natural toys in your playroom? You don't need expensive blocks. You don't even need expensive toys. Really a basket of shells, rocks, and pine cones will do! Children can get overloaded by too many toys. It overwhelms their senses and it can diminish their play and focus. I know we've all been there too when we walk in our bedrooms at night and have to tidy it up before our minds will calm down and sleep. It is the same for children. Joan Almon, Coordinator of the U.S. branch of the Alliance for Childhood, and former chair of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, said that "children were most relaxed and played best if the space was fairly simple but pleasing to the senses. It should be calming and lovely, but not so beautiful and complete that the children hesitate to move anything or disturb the order". This is where we as adults can step in and help. We can create environments for our children that are relaxed, beautiful, and filled with natural and simple toys. In a way that they will not be overwhelmed or underwhelmed. We also need to make sure that children can easily clean up their playrooms. Almon goes on to say "Play is a messy business in the best sense of the word, for it is hard to create without making a mess. A good play environment invites you to come in and change it – but it is orderly enough that it is easy to clean it up again. There’s a place for everything and it becomes fun for the children to know where each object lives and put it back at the end of play time." So this Autumn, as your child’s play turn inward and takes place indoors more often, why not try bringing more nature in? Reassess what toys you have in your home and how you have set them up. Does every toy have an simple home to sit when play is done? When you sit in the room do you feel calm or cluttered? If your answer is the latter, than your child might feel the same way too. Over and over again as I was researching why natural simple and open-ended toys were best, again and again, researcher after research said that the simpler the play materials, the more effective they are at stimulating play. And if play if the child's' most "essential work" then ensuring that we bring nature indoors for them and having open ended toys for should therefore be our essential work as their parents. ***********

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

With all the different educational options available to parents today, it can be difficult to pick the right one for your child. This article will provide parents with information about the main different types of

Play is the mechanism by which children learn—how they experience their world, practice new skills, and internalize new ideas—and is therefore the essential “work of children”. - Dr. Vivian Paley from her book, "A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play" Through play, children learn about the world and engage in activities that encourage their cognitive, emotional, and social development. - Dr. David Elkind from his book, "The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier and Healthier Children" When people hear that I am a Waldorf homeschooler, the first question they usually ask is, “What is Waldorf “? The second most times is, “I love your toys, but why so simple? Why open ended? Do they really help”? Well, I am here to say that yes they do help and it's not just Waldorf teachers and advocates who say this. It's also prominent child developmental psychologists, former public school teachers, and linguists who say the same thing- that children need to play, that their play does not need to be tinkered with by adults, and that children need suitable, simple, opened ended toys to play with in order to get the most out of their play. This is precisely where Waldorf, and other educational philosophies, get it right and do it well. What then could be more simple that having a basket full of natural toys in your playroom? You don't need expensive blocks. You don't even need expensive toys. Really a basket of shells, rocks, and pine cones will do! Children can get overloaded by too many toys. It overwhelms their senses and it can diminish their play and focus. I know we've all been there too when we walk in our bedrooms at night and have to tidy it up before our minds will calm down and sleep. It is the same for children. Joan Almon, Coordinator of the U.S. branch of the Alliance for Childhood, and former chair of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, said that "children were most relaxed and played best if the space was fairly simple but pleasing to the senses. It should be calming and lovely, but not so beautiful and complete that the children hesitate to move anything or disturb the order". This is where we as adults can step in and help. We can create environments for our children that are relaxed, beautiful, and filled with natural and simple toys. In a way that they will not be overwhelmed or underwhelmed. We also need to make sure that children can easily clean up their playrooms. Almon goes on to say "Play is a messy business in the best sense of the word, for it is hard to create without making a mess. A good play environment invites you to come in and change it – but it is orderly enough that it is easy to clean it up again. There’s a place for everything and it becomes fun for the children to know where each object lives and put it back at the end of play time." So this Autumn, as your child’s play turn inward and takes place indoors more often, why not try bringing more nature in? Reassess what toys you have in your home and how you have set them up. Does every toy have an simple home to sit when play is done? When you sit in the room do you feel calm or cluttered? If your answer is the latter, than your child might feel the same way too. Over and over again as I was researching why natural simple and open-ended toys were best, again and again, researcher after research said that the simpler the play materials, the more effective they are at stimulating play. And if play if the child's' most "essential work" then ensuring that we bring nature indoors for them and having open ended toys for should therefore be our essential work as their parents. ***********

Der Sommer ist in vollem Gange, deswegen gibt es bei mir heute eine wunderschöne, sommerliche Bastelidee. Ich habe Windlichter mit Blumen verziert und bin davon total begeistert. Dieses DIY gehört...

So, you’ve got a rainbow stacker and lots of wooden blocks all ready for open ended play……. But you need some little people to populate the little worlds your child is going to create! Look no furt…

Weighted dolls feel so amazingly real, and children feel comforted by the solid feeling of the extra weight. The best dolls to weight are the baby dolls, and in this tutorial I am weighting the DreamTime baby from this pattern. I use quartz sand to weight my dolls because, for one, it is in abundance where I live and, for two, I have tried rice and millet and both got eaten - once by mice and the other by weevils! So I find sand the best product to weight dolls. I usually stick to between 200-250gms of extra weight, because any more than that puts too much pressure on the stitching and fabric. Step 1: Find some sand. My backyard is full of it! Put it through a sieve and throw away any sticks or sharp bits. 2. Sew a bag (approx 3.5"-2.5") using the sewing machine on a small stitch, fill with sand to 200-250gms 3. Tightly hand sew the open bit, and soften the corners of the bag. 4. Now the bag is ready to place inside the doll's body. 5. Encase with wool stuffing: 6. Stuff the buttocks of the doll; 7. Push the bag, surrounded by wool stuffing into the lower belly region of the doll's body, then continue stuffing as before: 8. Use a wooden spoon to make sure that body is stuffed evenly. 9. Sew doll as per the rest of the pattern: Your doll is ready! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or leave a message below. _________________________________________

We chose Waldorf education as it addresses our concerns about societal development, including our disconnection from nature and each other.

. In de peuterklas: de kleuterklas . . . . . Kijk eens wat een mooie eetkleedjes we in de klas kregen! De zonnekinderen, helpers van de dag, dekken er de tafel mee! Eerst alle kinderen tellen, dan …

Although all of Froebel, Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf-Steiner are well respected methods of early childhood education have similarities as well as differences that set each one apart.

Antroposofie kind; activiteiten en betekenis Rudolf Steiner Waldorf opvoeding thuis en op school

I have exciting news today… I’m happy to announce that I am bringing back the Discovering Waldorf Education series. So many of you have requested its return as it gave us all such a beautiful, every-day, insight into the Waldorf way. The Discovering Waldorf series is a compilation of articles about the Waldorf way of […]

Build a set of handmade sand blocks for kids without any special tools. A perfect addition to Reggio-inspired and Waldorf playrooms!

Make your own Waldorf inspired felted trees! These are a great felting project for beginners and make amazing handmade gifts for kids.

It is customary to say a morning verse at the start of each day in Waldorf schools, in kindergarten and in the grades. One of the reasons why Waldorf education is so successful in educating kids who excel, is that teaching methods meet students where they are developmentally, in a deep and authentic way. The […]

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and

Steiner-Waldorf education is a holistic approach to schooling developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasizes the integration of intellectual, artistic, and