A newsletter of the Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education. N0 46 - Spring / Summer 2011
Illustration by Jan Lillie from “Creole the Crab� page 28
ISSN: 1837-705X
Inside: Childhood... the essence of humanity Unborn-ness Vital Years 2011 Latest News Recipes and Activities Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
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Dornach World Early Childhood Conference April 1-5, 2012 In the week before Easter next year the World Early Childhood Conference will take place at the Goetheanum in Dornach. The conference is being prepared by the Council of IASWECE together with the Pedagogical Section. ‘The Journey of the “I” into Life - a final destination or a path toward freedom?’ Lectures, artistic and practical workshops with presenters from around the world, research reports and podium discussions will explore the question of how educators and caregiver can contribute to the healthy conditions for the child’s incarnation. What are the conditions that support the child’s ability to come to his or her own self and to transform existing conditions out of the most profound intentions, rather than merely conforming to what exists? These questions relate to all stages of the first seven years of life - from the child from birth to three to the six-year-olds and the transition to school. An entertaining evening program with music, eurythmy and humor will help conference participants prepare for the next day in a dynamic way. A conference flyer will be sent to all kindergartens in September. The complete program will be available on the IASWECE website at www.iaswece.org. Registration will be online only. There will be a limited travel support fund.
Dear Readers, Star Weavings continues to be a resource for early childhood teachers in Australia. In addition there has been an increasing level of interest from overseas, particularly New Zealand, with regard to subscriptions and content contributions. Subscribers include Steiner schools and teachers working out of anthroposophy and an increasing number of playgroups, child care services and parents who are either working with or keen to learn of Steiner’s indications for early childhood. Bernadette Raichle’s article ‘Childhood… the essence of humanity’ is a timely reminder of the importance of wholistic care for the child from birth to three years. It suggests that we, in Waldorf communities, answer the call to the needs of contemporary family life. I believe this dynamic in our society is an opportunity for expanding and extending our support for carers of young children. To this end Star Weavings will continue to include content regarding the birth to three year old child development. It is heartening that the Association is prepared to include Keynote Speakers from around the world to share their knowledge of the birth to three year child, as well as children up to school age. I encourage those working with this younger age group to join the Association, as a significant proportion of membership income funds the costs of the Keynote Speakers at the Association Vital Years conferences. This issue of Star Weavings has a rich blend of philosophical and practical articles, as well as stories and songs relating to the seasons of Spring and Summer. Stories from initiatives in Africa and China are inspiring and highlight the opportunities for teachers to get involved. More information can be gained from the International Early Childhood Association (IASWECE). In addition to subscribing or purchasing back issues with the order form included in this issue, you can also use the editor’s website www.avenuesforchange.com.au I have provided this service to the Association without taking any margin on each sale. Enjoy! Vicki Kearney Editor
Since 2008 Star Weavings has been published in Brisbane, and Vicki has been undertaking the tasks of gathering articles, editing, publishing, administering and distributing the association’s newsletter. During this time I have acted as local consultant, discussing with Vicki the content, selection of articles available and general matters of style and direction, while the Core Group has given us guidance, feedback and direction. At the next Core Group meeting in May 2012 Vicki and I will join them for a review of progress since taking over the publication in 2008. In past issues I have written the “Dear Reader” greeting, and felt that readers would appreciate hearing from Vicki in this issue. Connie Grawert Star Weavings Consultant
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Contents Issue No. 46 – Spring / Summer 2011 Your contributions • Articles of interest and current debate • Anthroposophical inspiration • Articles arising from work experience, research or observations • Coming events and reviews • Practical ideas and resources Published – twice yearly in March and September Deadlines – Jan 15 and July 15 respectively Editor – Vicki Kearney Star Weavings Consultant – Connie Grawert Illustrator – Jan Lillie
Star Weavings grew out of a need to strengthen communication between those working with the child under seven, both in Rudolf Steiner Schools and in the wider community. The weaving image was chosen to represent strength through a common foundation of Rudolf Steiner’s indications (the warp), and enrichment and enlivening through individuals sharing of their work (the weft).
Notice Board......................................................... 3 Childhood...the essence of humanity..................... 4 Reflections and Sharing from Bernadette’s lecture..................................... 11
Graphic Design – Michelle Brown of Jel Graphics www.jelgraphics.com.au Printed – in Brisbane, Australia by Panther Print www.pantherprint.com.au Advertising – $30 page, $55 page, $100 full page. Email avenuesforchange@gmail.com or post ad in its finished format to: Star Weavings P.O.Box 446, Samford. Qld. 4520 Subscription – $45 for four issues includes postage ($60 overseas) $10 single copy, excludes postage Cheques made payable to Star Weavings Subscribe online at www.avenuesforchange.com.au Mail subscriptions, advertising & editorial – Star Weavings, P.O.Box 446, Samford. Qld. 4520 Email: avenuesforchange@gmail.com Phone: +61 7 3289 3602 The Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education welcomes members. Enquiries to: Chairperson/Secretary – Leanne Moraes (03) 9726 7990 Treasurer – Heather van Zyl: heathervanzyl7@gmail.com
Unborn-ness....................................................... 12 Vital Years 2011................................................... 15 An Anthroposophical Approach to Childhood Illnesses ........................................ 16 song:
Spring Morning Circle................................ 19
Moondew Playgroup........................................... 20 song:
My Household Morning Circle.................... 22
Toys..................................................................... 23 Report on the Samburu Students........................ 24 Mentoring in China.............................................. 26 Bushwalk Playgroup - Under the Sky ................. 27 Creole the Crab................................................... 28 Little Mermaid...................................................... 30
Regional Representatives:
The Rhythm of Life.................................... 32
Book:
Trust and Wonder...................................... 33
Brioni Pridham
(08) 8388 8260
VIC
Leanne Moraes Sandra Busch
(03) 9726 7990 (03) 9728 5478
WA
Ute ten Hompel
ute_tenhompel1 @aapt.net.au
craft:
TAS
Annette Fuhr-Evitt
(03) 6234 7005
RECIPE: Brown
Sydney region, Southern NSW and ACT
Renate Long-Breipohl
(02) 9476 6222
song: Spring
Song.............................................. 37
FORM: Rudolf
Steiner Individual Membership........ 40
NSW
Lana Risi
(02) 6654 8082
Marilou Arullo
maraullo @optusnet.com.au
(Mid & Northern)
NE Australia
Opinions expressed in this Publication belong to the respective authors and are not necessarily the opinions of the editing team or of the Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education.
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Book:
SA
Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
Hand in Hand...................................................... 34 Ladybirds................................................. 35
FORM: Star
rice and buckwheat pancakes...... 36
Weavings Subscription....................... 40
Star Weavings uses Greenhouse Friendly™ ENVI Silk & Uncoated Carbon Neutral Paper Envi Silk & Uncoated Carbon Neutral Paper are Australia Government certified Greenhouse Friendly™ Products.
Notice Board Building Community www.waldorfbooks.com Susan Perrow has developed the art of pedagogical stories to a luminescent degree. In her beautiful book she offers dozens of stories, some her own, some traditional and retold by her. Each story carries with it the seed of healing for just about any childhood problem, from unruly behavior to deep grieving. Her voice is one of warmth and caring, her stories are richly engaging to young and old alike. Having her book at hand is like having a medicine chest filled with homeopathic remedies for all conditions - and, like homeopathy, Susan’s stories are guaranteed to produce no unwanted side effects. Healing Stories includes chapters on creating stories and on the art of storytelling, as well as stories selected for their ability to heal. This is a resource that is so vast in its usefulness that we predict it will become one of the most sought after parent/teacher resources ever printed. Dear All, We would like to say thank you for all the wonderful wishes, blessings and thoughts. It is just fantastic to share our joy and happiness with everyone. We have been blessed with a little star and we can’t take our eyes of him. He is doing really well. Petra (Betschart) and Stu with Louie Revised version of Lebkuchen by Petra Betschart (For next Christmas!)
Seeds For Future Learning by Ellon Gold Written for and delivered at ‘Metamorphosis for Learning – Growth Principles of the Steiner Education Movement’, a series of lectures at Periwinkle Preschool on Saturday, May 14 held as part of the worldwide celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s birth. Unfortunately this wonderful article could not be included in this issue as it was already full to overflowing! but please email Jenny Edney frenchpress@bigpond.com and she will send you the whole Periwinkle Preschool winter newsletter.
In June 2011, after more than two years of living with the challenge of cancer, Bettye Palmer crossed the threshold into the life after death. Bettye chose, for the 2011 Vital Years Conference participants, this morning verse that Rudolf Steiner wrote for mothers. The sun’s light floods
Ingredients: 700ml Milk 100 g Butter 2 big cups Sugar 2 tbsp Cacao 3 tbsp Spice Mix
Through widths of space;
4 tbsp Honey ½ cup of Oil 1 tbsp Bicarbonate soda 1 kg Flour
The birds’ song rings Through heights of air; The gracious plants Spring up from earth;
Grow Biodynamic Contact Dick Marriott for workshops and consultations Ph: 07 5485 0938 Email: dandsmarriott@bigpond.com Cityfood Growers www.cityfoodgrowers.com.au Online: Access a world of integrated gardening content, using organic and biodynamic methods Training and Consulting: Biodynamic gardening workshops and other urban agriculture services Ph: 0401 156 532 Email: peter@cityfoodgrowers.com.au
And human souls Lift up their thanks To spirits of the world. We are left with the inspiration to continue the ‘Gabriel’ work founded by Joan Salter and clothed with new dimensions given to us by Bettye. By Paulene Hanna
Suggested Spring planting for your food garden... lettuce, climbing beans, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.
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Childhood . . . the essence of humanity. By Bernadette Raichle
Today, there is an added dynamic to Waldorf Education as we have known it; this is the care of infants and very little children. In years gone by, the early steps into life, this first maturing into life more often than not happened in the child’s home, with mother and father looking on with loving guidance… the child entering kindergarten at around four or five years of age. The parent in choosing the Waldorf Kindergarten has by and large made a conscious decision, ‘this is what I want for my child’. It is during these years that the child and the family grow into the community of the school. Who would have thought that the time would come when we needed to embrace the circle of care and responsibility that has been solely the domain of the child’s parents? Today, we are living in a very different world. For many little children, their first years of growing up will happen partly in the home and partly in the childcare environment. For the child where both parents are in the work realm - for whatever reason - a threshold presents itself much sooner; the threshold from the home to the care environment. A common definition of the word ‘threshold’ describes a place where boundaries meet; an entrance way or doorway… as well as an activity that suggests being at the beginning or at the end of something. This realm of caring for the very young child has created a threshold for many adults. For some it is as 4
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if the very ideals of these early years are being compromised. A great deal has been asked of us in responding to the emerging needs of the modern family. We are asked to change our very way of thinking and to evolve something new! The gateway is often used to signify or to express threshold experiences. We talk about the gateway to birth… to the spiritual world. In Japan, the entrance or approach to the shrine or temple is marked by one or more gateways called torii - large, simple but beautiful wooden structures that signify the transition from the regular world to that whole ground representing the spiritual world. I have long held the symbolic gesture of the gateway as a powerful one; for example, the entrance into the day nursery one moves from one physical space into another physical space - this one imbued with spirit, a mediating environment allowing the very young child to unfold in the sacredness of the consciously held space. This is both a physical and a spiritual experience. Care of infants and little children in out of home environments, whether home care or centre based is naturally about the child, yet it is more. Whilst the nurturing care of the little child is the heart of this work, in order for this to happen it is about the development of the Early Childhood practitioner that is paramount if we are to offer an environment that holistically caresses the child into life during these most vulnerable formative
years. It is on this journey that the adult - in the childcare realm, also meets certain gateways with courage. The two words ‘Know Thyself ‘ is a meditation worthy of contemplation, particularly when one is required to work with a group of people as is more than likely the case in the childcare setting. It is the element of being human and of relationship which stands at the fore. We could describe this new field of endeavour as relationship-based care, yet another way to describe this work is ‘çonscious care’. It is with consciousness that we carry out our daily task in all that we do in caring for the infant and very little child. The EC practitioner’s task I refer to as a ‘vocation’. The word vocation means a ‘divine calling’. To care for infants and very young children is indeed a divine calling and very aptly describes this endeavour. From the inspired realm of spirit, we assume this modern day ‘duty of care’ to the youngest and most vulnerable in society; enfolding all in the art of homemaking. Without the inspired realm of spirit, this remains work, which is often seen as tedious and boring. The care of the very young child is all-encompassing; all that touches the child in every sense needs to be consciously upheld. In looking at the care environment, it is the healthy and harmonious transition that we strive for, both for the parent and for the little child rather than a threshold experience. The word ‘transition’ simply means… to pass from one state
to another. The changing needs of contemporary parents reflect a changing consciousness in the human being. One could say that the consequence of this has negative connotations for the physical and soul/spiritual life. On the one hand there exists this drive into a materialistic way of living and life in general where what we have is never enough. This is where humanity sits at this present time. In every cloud there is a silver lining and this rather bleak moment in time demands that something positive arises, that something new evolves - something which in the long term can bring a change in consciousness and support to the modern family. I have long felt that the role of childcare from an Anthroposophical perspective has far greater significance which its duty of care to the very young child is in itself of great importance. Essentially the role, within this realm, is to provide the example to the parent, in freedom, where the child herself, through what is received in the childcare environment educates the parent to new possibilities. The conditions for life, to humanity are built in these first years of life. The child is born out of the spiritual world and born into the physical world. Just as the little child may be bathed in the soul mantle of the mother in the home environment, so too can the day nursery itself develop a mantle of warming, conscious care that enfolds the child - a twofold path where mother and day nursery together bring strengthening forces; a partnership of care and one which I may add, many mothers need today, even though they may not recognise it initially, this partnership of care. This twofold path of becoming is mediated through the relationship in the broadest sense, but specifically the first and most important being that of
the attachment relationship; this special and specific relationship that the infant develops with her primary caregiver, usually the mother, along with the secondary relationships that surround the child. It is the healthy development of ‘attachment’ which will confirm the child’s view of the world as a loving and good place and which will allow the child to become truly a citizen of the world. Becoming human requires a twofold path; the first is the path of incarnation, of taking possession of the body. This unfolding in development, little by little, day by day can be experienced in the motor stages i.e., focusing, grasping and walking. Here, the healthy development of the four bodily or physical senses - touch, life, self-movement and balance play their part. It is through these four basic senses that the soul within the physical body seeks to orient itself in space. Within the last century, the incarnating soul has been increasingly subjected to drastic disorientation in its relationship to space. The natural surroundings of our landscapes have changed. What used to be made from wood is now concrete, plastic and synthetic - from nature to sub-nature. We are also affected by that which is unseen in the electromagnetic fields that weave around and through us. One could say that the incarnating soul is ‘çlothed’ in environments of an illusion rather than natural reality. Without a natural and appropriate environment, the child’s innate sense of learning about the world through imitation will be fraught. Rudolf Steiner indicated “that care will have to be taken that a child becomes an imitator. What has happened in the past in regard to this imitation will have to become increasingly intensive and conscious in the future”. He continues, “One can become
free in adulthood only if one has been an intensive imitator”. Could this be the reason we are being asked to work with the very young child in these times, in a more conscious way, where threats to the very nature of childhood are being imposed on a daily basis? The second path is the path of discrimination; the path whereby the child awakens to the environment, where the child learns to distinguish between things and people in his world. These two paths are simultaneous in the journey of life. How can we truly support this? How do we order ourselves and the environment to enable the child to make good this journey of becoming? We need to inform ourselves of these two streams - the first, the incarnating stream is generally well known and well cared for. It is perhaps the stream of discrimination where the child already is beginning to sense, to come to know the world, beginning with the infant’s first smile which we need to become more attuned to. Karl Koenig states, “Ïf you follow this path of discrimination further, you will arrive at a very specific point where imitation begins”. He expresses this by saying, “The curtain of mythical experience is pieced bit by bit and individual things and objects become visible and later discernable through the holes. This begins already in the early weeks following birth”.
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In other words, that which was unknown takes shape and becomes part of the child’s rapidly building sense of reality. It is the environment in its broadest sense and in its smallest detail which will allow for healthy imitation to develop. Nina was 10 months of age when she began in the day nursery and for these very ‘young’ ones, life at Awhina begins initially in their sleeping nursery (or other quiet space) with the primary carer and a small basket of playthings. She has not long learnt to crawl on hands and knees and her circle of exploration is small to begin with; between her primary carer and her cot and the basket of toys on the floor. She recognises her sleeping dolly which her mother has placed carefully in her bed. She points to it as something familiar and crawls back to her carer. This is how it is for the first few times Nina is at Awhina… and gradually her world expands. Just as the child is learning to discriminate through the experiences offered by her caregiver in the environment, so too is the adult discrimination as she becomes more and more attuned to Nina and her sense of well-being and her sometimes hesitant, sometimes ‘full steam ahead’ exploration of the world. Karl Koenig describes very small children as not being as ‘asleep’ or unconscious as we tend to think they are and that they are in fact deeply dependent on what goes on in their environment because they are so much more deeply integrated into the environment than older children or adults. This twofold path is one whereby two distinct steps are taken by the child; the step into incarnation by taking hold of the body, the other is stepping out into the world by means of the process of discrimination. Hence, how we order ourselves
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and the environment to enable the child to make good this journey of becoming has everything to do with the role of the practitioner and the role of the environment - both needs to be developed in order to create a salutogenic possibility for the child. Now Nina is 12/13 months of age she is able to explore at will her safe environment. Each day she travels a little further. Each day a sense of positive expectation engages her as something attracts her, something new to her but not new to the environment.
When an object is ‘noticed’ and is taken hold of by Nina, she will return again and again to it and like an avid explorer she will ‘taste’ it in the broadest sense, all the time ‘touching’ and connecting with her world. Through this exploration of possibilities, discrimination is taking place - she takes hold of elements from her environment, which little by little will paint the landscape of her world. It is this journey along the way which we need to become attuned to - to observe for the wonder that it is! Karl Koenig refers to this second stream as the actual learning stream. What is different for children and their families today? The obvious change is that the mother, along with the father are now in the work realm, so parenting and homemaking which was the sole occupation of the ‘at home’ parent has now been
added to with another full-time occupation. Homemaking is no longer a primary occupation, but rather a necessary adjunct which happens along the way. Through the people I come in contact with daily, I see the stress, the tiredness after a disturbed night. I also see the joy and relief and absolute trust in being able to hand their precious child into the arms of a beloved caregiver. One could describe this as a unique form of co-working! The home of today is almost a transient place for many, rather than an anchor, a sanctuary, a place of respite: transient because life is lived outside the home where sports and other numerous extramural activities fill people’s lives. The workplace in some respects is carried more consciously than the home environment and this is the way it is today for many families. This is unlikely to change in the immediate future, but it will evolve in time and presently the task is to support, to partner parenting, to provide examples of a healthy environment with which to surround the child. There are very few possibilities whereby the parent can experience examples of homemaking in a truly holistic sense. The care environment working from an Anthroposophical image is responding to the needs as they are presented by today’s parents. We meet the family where they are, not expecting the family to meet us where we are. The world has changed, however, the needs of the child remain the same as they always were…..as this quote from Sally GoddardBlythe confirms; “Our twentyfirst century baby is actually the same creature as it was in the stone age times, with the same natural human needs that have characterised homo sapiens throughout the millennia. If he or she is to become a fully- fledged
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adult member of the human race with all the characteristics civilised humans have accrued throughout the ages, we must provide the right sort of environment and experiences.” (Ref: What Babies and Children really Need by Sally Goddard-Blythe)
This is what we as EC practitioners in the childcare realm have been entrusted with; this eminently responsible task of supporting the child to ‘become’ in partnership with the child’s parents. Mostly they are asking for support in their parenting and homemaking, but on their terms. They do not want to be told what to do and how to do It. Today’s parents needs are to be approached in a new way… We need to meet them with our feet firmly on the ground, accepting where they are at, acknowledging the path they have chosen, with empathy and not with judgment. Whether we agree with ‘out of home’ care for the very young child may continue to be debated for some time to come. What is very clear is the reality of the world situation where more and more families have both parents working. Today it is seen as normal for very little children to be raised in childcare environments. Childcare has existed now, in New Zealand, for at least sixty years or so. The latest research from the Commission for Children’s Office shows a 30% increase in the care of the ‘under two year old’ over the last 5 years. Childcare from a Waldorf perspective is still relatively new and its development across the world is rapid. All over the world, Steiner/ Waldorf care environments are being opened. Different models are coming into being. Unlike the Kindergarten model that arose from Germany and which found its way into the world with strong overtones of teutonic
qualities, the childcare model is much more diverse in its presentation. I personally see this as very positive. It brings a new dimension and Individualism, with Anthroposophy as the foundation stone. A shift is needed. Care for the very young child within this paradigm also asks that a shift is made in those more established areas of Waldorf endeavour. Adjustments need to be made to accommodate this new realm. For example, the child who has been in the care environment will have a different transitioning to the school kindergarten than say, the child coming from the home environment. As we see children being accepted into kindergartens at a younger and younger age, debate needs to be entered into as to the optimum age for this to happen. Child development shows that the hygiene rhythms and practices around toileting and independence have not found maturity until closer to four years of age and even later. When the child who has been cared for in a full-time capacity moves from the care environment to the school environment, then the school surely carries the responsibility to ensure that the possibility for appropriate afternoon care is available to working parents. It does not make good pedagogical sense that the child is required to leave the kindergarten environment to return to the original care situation, if this is possible, for appropriate afternoon care for working parents. Waldorf school communities, more and more often, will have parents of young children who are both working. This needs a non-judgement acknowledgement and the will to accommodate these families and their needs; in other words, to support the needs of today’s families.
The day nursery itself is a transition, a bridge where the parent enters with the intention of securing the best possible care for their child, and along the way discovers new possibilities for the future education of the child. Most parents simply want their child to be safely and lovingly cared for, and future educational orientation is not at all present for them. It is this possibility that they are awakened to along the way, through the example. How do we meet and fulfill the needs of the infant and little child in the movement from home? The first endeavour is to create a harmonious transition rather than a threshold experience. The aim is to create a seamless movement from the home to the childcare environment and this needs to happen over a period of time, by way of transition visits. Ideally these visits continue for around three weeks, maybe two or three times a week, longer if possible, prior to the child beginning. During this time, both mother and child come to know and assimilate the environment. They also come to know the child’s primary person or caregiver. It is helpful when these transition visits happen in the garden. This is less of a threshold experience for the child as well as for the children already in the nursery. The mother and child are able to quietly find their way into the inside environment during this outside playtime, exploring and becoming familiar with what will become an extension of the family home. For the baby, the sleeping nursery is a very important space. This becomes the sleeping sanctuary for the child during the first two years or so. It is the child’s primary carer who will introduce the baby’s bed and ‘gift’, the sleeping dolly chosen for this little one.
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The sleeping nurseries are specially prepared spaces, with an almost sacred quality. The beds are carefully prepared ready to receive the child and this loving preparation is engaged in daily. With each visit, the mother and child become more and more familiar with the day nursery. A relationship develops with the primary carer, to the environment and all that happens within the environment. During these visits the child generally remains with the mother. She is not encouraged away and little by little the child will venture out. As the visits proceed, the primary carer assumes a greater presence, greeting the mother and child, spending time during the visit and farewelling when the visit ends. The child, with the mother, absorbs the environment through the senses. So too the environment enfolds the child and his mother. The very smells become familiar; the kitchen, the bathroom, the sleeping nursery and also the garden. The day nursery gradually becomes part of the child’s world, becomes part of the child’s journey of becoming, the child’s destiny journey. One can experience a strong karmic connection which began with the first meeting, the primary carer and this pivotal role in the day nursery. Being human is about relationship… and in the past, time was allowed for the first relationship we call ‘the attachment relationship’ to develop. This time of gently rocking the child into his earthly home as well as the time of adjustment for the mother is not greatly acknowledged today. For the child, this first relationship upholds their innate trust, wellbeing blossoms and the child is able to begin his dance of communication with this new earthly world. Sadly, the world is becoming desensitised to
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the needs of the infant, the mother, the home as a sanctuary, of the need for protection in these early weeks and months. Through the example given in the child care environment, we have the opportunity to bring this element of sensitivity back into this unique time of early childhood. One of the greatest advocates for sensitive care is the child himself. One could say it is the child who will ‘educate’ the parent. The ‘practices’ of empathetic care surrounding the child, will shine through him, to be felt, to be experienced by the parent. This often leads to a question, “My baby is so settled. What is different?” It is this question from the parent that allows for another level of dialogue to be entered into… the parent ‘leads’ with the question, ‘that’ which has already been initiated by the day nursery. Today’s parents, while placing the child in the care environment, from my experience, want to feel in control, exercising their rights as parents, contributing to the dialogue of what is best for baby and young child. Little by little this relationship develops, partners in the dance of becoming, the parents and child’s becoming. What makes this dance possible is trust. We work consciously with this relationship to create a partnership. A partnership mediated by respect and sharing and together, day nursery and parent, we, hand in hand, walk the child into life. This relationship becomes a personal one, an intimate relationship, the younger the child, the closer this relationship. By personal I do not mean that one is any less professional. For many parents, the day nursery may be their only real possibility for true sharing of the ups and down of life and they do this in trust within the warm objectivity that they are met with every day.
My imagination of the ‘day nursery’ is that of a paradise… an earthly paradise where goodness, beauty and truth mediate and bring strength to the child, preparing him for his onward journey. The day nursery is the template of the archetypal home offering ‘unconditional hospitality’, where the child is bathed In the sheaths of care consciously developed and maintained, where the physical space through attention to detail is lovingly attended to, is daily ‘touched’ in consciousness. The environmental life sheath and the etheric nature of the child work in synergy, bringing a breathing quality that speaks to the child, where the realm of relationship and the dynamic of working together, of co-working take hold. The Ego sheath is where the identity of the child care Initiative finds its place; in this realm, live pathways of personal and professional endeavour, where one’s integrity for the culture of the environment is based and where the very practices express the philosophy. It is this fourfold conscious picturing which brings a living quality to the environment. The child experiences this enlivened quality as a sense of warm well-being. It is worth noting that as we see more and more Waldorf childcare environments open up, we are also going to see more people entering this work who may not previously have had a connection or necessarily know anything about Anthroposophy. Certainly this has been my experience over the last sixteen years that Awhina has been in existence. Most childcare environments require multiple numbers of practitioners. At Awhina we work with five practitioners. The practitioners from mainstream who are drawn to work in such an environment may not see Anthroposophy as their path in
Childhood... the essence of humanity continued
life. These practitioners need to be met in a way which allows them to find the essence of an Anthroposophical approach and this comes about firstly through the practical doing. They need to be respected for their way of connection. This is one of the reasons for writing ‘Creating a Home’ …so practitioners new to this way of working could find a path on which they begin their journey; less daunting, less mysterious but certainly no less in its philosophical depth. What does childcare from an Anthroposophical perspective look like? I have visited a number of centres in parts of the world in my consulting work and what I observe are many and varied ways of incarnating this new and very special addition to Steiner/ Waldorf initiatives and which are reflections of the cultural identity living in that environment. From the perspective of the therapeutic/medical approach in Germany, to the classroom oriented space of the Japanese model, the ‘Lifeways’ model of care in the USA, along with the Waldorf/Pikler approach at Sophia’s Hearth and much in between, including the homebased models of care. The initiative of childcare is very individual and will present in many different colours. This will largely depend on the person leading the initiative. What is important is not so much what we are doing but why we are doing it. One such model of care is Awhina…I bring you a glimpse of how this model of care expresses itself. The naming of anything brings a spiritual expression to an earthly endeavour. Awhina comes from the Maori concept to embrace, to offer support - a beautiful metaphor calling on the ‘embrace’ of the spiritual world to support this new Initiative, as
I wished also to embrace and bring support to the family in the modern world. Firstly and most importantly, Awhina is a home, aspiring to the ‘ideal’ of the archetype. For me, the right and proper place for the little child under three years is the environment of the home. It made sense to me that if the child could not be in her own home, then what was needed was the inspiration that the archetype offered. The home has been described as the foundation of society, just as the little child needs our care and attention, so too does the home of today and with it the life of the modern family. These were the thoughts that lived with me at the beginnings of Awhina and they still live with me today. The community of the home however, what lived in the archetype was a certainty - a continuity where every member knew where they stood. The children were raised with this family culture surrounding them and supporting them into life. Continuity, knowing what is to happen next is not the norm today. Awhina is sometimes the only consistency in the child’s otherwise breathless existence; this, the parent experiences as much as the child! Much has changed and roles have changed. The major role change has been that of the woman in the home; the mother who has placed herself in the world, which up to a point in time had been the domain solely of the father. What led her to this path is a story in itself, but essentially a change in consciousness led her into the world and out of the ‘perceived’ isolation of the home. With this stepping out by the mother, the life of the home was changed, the environmental sheaths which give support to the human being in his fourfoldedness have been weakened
and in some cases barely exists. It was with these imaginations that ‘Awhina’ became a living reality. My aim was not to replace the home but rather to attempt to create an environment where these environmental sheaths of health would enfold and embrace all who came into the space; in other words to create a therapeutic environment.
One of the special areas in our work at Awhina is the attention given to professional and personal development of the EC practitioner and the role working together or co-working plays in this initiative. If care of the little child is based largely on the need for healthy relationship, then it stands to reason that, healthy relationships in the day to day working are paramount. In a world which is seeing the human being becoming more and more individualised, this realm of learning to work together with a common goal is often fraught, and needs our time and attention … and along the way personal development slowly but surely gains momentum. Another role of great importance is that of homemaking. The art of making a home is fast diminishing and much time is given to teaching the art of homemaking to the Early Childhood practitioners who come to the day nursery. Homemaking includes the realm of housekeeping and all that this entails. The ‘fundamentals of life’ living in this realm can provide
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Childhood... the essence of humanity continued
the young child with myriad possibilities for learning about the world. In order for this to happen, we, the adult, needs to become more discerning and attuned to the wealth of possibility the home environment can provide. Before the infant or young child comes into the day nursery, we need to know who they are. It is the biography written by the parents that introduces the child. Often this is a therapeutic exercise for the parent, mostly the mother, who reconnects with the child’s path from pregnancy and sometimes even before. She is invited to write as much as she wishes, a book if she wants to. It is this document which begins to bring colour and expression to the little one lying asleep in the mother’s arms, the toddler playing at her feet or the older child who is already playing away from her. It is the primary relationship that is pivotal to the child in the day nursery. At Awhina every chiild has a primary carer who remains until the child leaves. I see, almost daily, the world of trusting security in which the child is bathed in his relationship with his carer. The
role of primary carer brings with it profound responsibilities of personal development. At Awhina there is the role of the sleeping dolly. A simple dolly is carefully and consciously made to accompany the child into sleep and not a play dolly as such. This dolly goes home with the child in the afternoon where it is placed in the child’s bed and returns in the morning with the child where it is placed in a special basket for the older children or in the cot for infants.
The sleeping dolly provides a secure bridge between home and day nursery; a bridge from the earthly world to the spiritual world found in sleep. It is a constant in the life of the little
child until he puts it aside of his own volition. Sometimes it literally falls apart. Sometimes it continues to come back for mending years after the child has moved on from Awhina. And lastly, the multifaceted role of the early childhood practitioner and homemaker - where the needs of the child are known and responded to, as well as the needs of the home, the daily attention and maintenance, the conscious preparation of food, home nursing and gardening all together bring a living quality which touches the child. This is not easy work. It has long days; in many respects it is repetitious and it can be exhausting. It is all this if left in the realm of the physical. The redeeming element of this very special work is ‘that’ which lifts it out of the physical and elevates it into the realm of divine calling and this is where the real work lives, in our meditative work with the child’s angel and with the spiritual hierarchies. The day to day work becomes vocational when we accompany this with our daily inner work.
Remember daily that you are continuing the work of the Spiritual world with the children. You are the preparers of the path for these young souls who wish to form their lives in these difficult times. The Spiritual World stands by you and will help you in this task. This is the well-spring of strength which you so need. - Hubert Hahn
Reference list; Karl Koenig. ‘Being Human.’ William Bento. ‘Psycho-Sophia - Seeking the Wisdom of the Soul.’ Rudolf Steiner. ‘Education as a Social Problem.’ Commission for Children’s Office. http://www.occ.org.nz/media_speeches_ and_submissions/media (Bernadette Raichle is the founder and co-director of Awhina Day Nursery, an independent Steiner/Waldorf Centre for Child Care in Havelock North, New Zealand. She is engaged in consultancy work and Anthroposophical Early Childhood teaching programmes in New Zealand, Japan and the USA as well as at the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy in Vancouver BC, Canada. ‘Creating a Home for Body, Soul and Spirit’ authored by Bernadette can be purchased through Awhina or Anthroposophical outlets.)
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Reflections and Sharing from Bernadette’s Lecture by Simone Hamlyn, from Rainbow Ridge Kindergarten At the 2012 Vital Years Conference, I had the joy of attending Bernadette Raichle’s presentation on “Childhood – the essence of humanity”. Bernadette presented from her years of considerable experience in early childhood care, from an Anthroposophic perspective. During her presentation, she shared photographs of her current childcare/nursery facility “Awhina”, which offers all day care for infants and very young children. The photos depicted children at varying developmental milestones in their growth. They also showed the lovingly created garden and inside space of ‘Awhina’ where the children are cared for on a daily basis. A space deliberately designed to lovingly ‘bathe the child in consciously and constantly maintained sheaths of care’. These ‘sheaths’ are consciously woven and maintained through careful preparation of the physical space, and addressing the physical and spiritual needs of the child through the interactions and intentions held during the daily rhythms and activities. This loving atmosphere is also upheld in the “selfwork” of the caregiver in their relationship to the child and the space they inhabit. Bernadette spoke of an environment that ‘holistically caresses the child’, an environment that evokes the true ‘archetypal’ sense of home. A child centred space, allowing the child to unfold through a gentle awakening of their senses in the safety of a healthy rhythm and routine. An archetypal home life also involves adults engaged in healthy domestic activities, as they tend to the daily needs of the household. This picture of the family home is a changing one in
these times. Often both parents are out working and children are placed into care younger and younger. Children are exposed to technology as entertainment far earlier, and the general busyness of life, means that a majority of daily life for many young children is spent doing things outside of the home. In keeping up with the pace of life, modern parents and caregivers may not realise that what is now deemed ‘normal’ is not necessarily healthy for the growing child. Now more than ever, we need to provide havens for children where healthy imitation can develop. Bernadette referred to Rudolph Steiner’s indication that “One can become free in adulthood, only if one has been an intense imitator” and that “Care will have to be taken that a child becomes an imitator”. From these indicators arises the importance of self-education on behalf of the care- giver. “Know thyself” is at the heart of this relationship based care of the young child - constant striving to be worthy of imitation in all aspects of our being. This responsibility carries an awareness of how our individual presence and loving intention in our feeling, thinking and deeds are woven into the very sheaths that hold and caress the child on a daily basis. Bernadette spoke of the importance of meeting each family from a loving and open space of non – judgement. The need to meet the family where they are, and give them the opportunity to experience this consciously held space out of freedom. Through giving a parent the opportunity to observe their child and the effects of such an environment, a genuine desire to learn more and create similarities
in their home life may arise. The simple experience of spending time in the garden or walking through the centre can touch a parent on a soul level and evoke a yearning for more. Some families begin their journey with ‘Awhina’ while their child is still in utero, while other families initiate the bridge of transition with their child through visits to the garden and/or stopping in to breastfeed on their way home from a trip to town. These simple gestures are ways to familiarise the child with this other ‘home’, creating a gentle and healthy transition. Bernadette showed us a photo of one of the ‘baby dolls’ made for the children. A beautiful hand crafted soft doll that accompanies the child between their two ‘homes’. A doll is made for children who attends ‘Awhina’, and is their companion at rest time. This lovingly made doll can assist with many transitions throughout the day, not just between home and care centre. The doll is also a reminder that the child feels all our intentions and actions. The loving gesture of stitching a baby doll permeates the experience of that child, as does our gesture of making up the child’s bed for rest time with conscious care and attention. Bernadette’s intention for ‘Awhina’ as a haven for children to ‘unfold in the sacredness of a consciously held space’ was certainly felt in her presentation. And the definition of childcare as: “Creating a home for body, soul, and spirit” spoke to our hearts as early childhood teachers and carers. I’m sure I speak for many of us in saying that this presentation reminded us why we are so privileged to work with these beautiful little beings.
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Unborn-ness by Irmhild Kleinhenz, Anthroposophic Health Consultant
At Easter this year, I had the privilege of being present at the agony and ecstasy of the birth of my grandson, Tao, and then on Ascension Thursday, I again had the privilege of being present at the death of Bettye Palmer and then laying out and caring for her body, together with Pippa White and Cleo (Bettye’s daughter), over the three days after her death. So I was able to witness the remarkable thresholds of both birth and death first hand and ask myself: What is this Mystery of the Human Being who descends from the realm of Life before Birth and then enters into the realm of Life after Death? At Bettye’s death, I met Dr Peter Lucas, a great friend and colleague of Bettye and myself, and whom I have often met at the birth of a child.
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I said to Peter that it was the first time that we were meeting at someone’s death and he replied that in filling out the death certificate, he was aware how similar it is to a birth plan. So as we contemplated this event I became aware of how far greater a human being is than simply a physical body. This physical body is the image of a human biography that extends beyond the visible and acts simply as a potentizing vessel for a drop of the human potential that descends from the invisible matrix, the mother tincture, of the spirit. From the realm of unborn potential in which the Power of Thought thinks us into existence, into this life on earth where we are rocked, shaken and stirred so that we can unfold our Karma
and Destiny and then return the fruits of these experiences as a gift of Life, indeed a Gift of Joy to the imponderable Matrix of the invisible Spiritual Life. Just as in the wonderful images from Olive Whicher’s book, “The Plant between the Earth and Sun”, we can get a sense of these formative forces that live and weave between the spiritual and the physical realities. These reveal to us the interplay between the macrocosmic and microcosmic worlds. In the life before birth, we experience ourselves as part of the universal forces, not separate but totally immersed within the whole context of these forces. We are purely Concept and then begin to experience individuality when the moment of conception begins.
So in order to develop a deeper understanding of this experience and to adapt ourselves to meaningfulness in life on earth, we need to follow an Initiation pathway that can give us the profound insights that we need in order to make sense of our destiny and that of our fellow human beings.
this event, that of the interaction of the Sun with the Moon. A remnant of this ancient wisdom still is preserved in our calculation of a pregnancy as nine lunar months.
This pathway, is a difficult and yet rich process where we pass through various thresholds that are like mirrors between the two realms of the visible and invisible worlds of existence. Each of these thresholds reveals a reflection of the cosmic influences that are the foundations for the various stages of our life.
Then comes the next phase in which the child is born and continues to grow through its infancy until it reaches the stage in which it can say “I” . This phase of infancy is the reflection of the interaction of the Sun with the Planetary system, the sun and its encircling planets, with the exception of the moon. The forces that are involved with this process are those that affect our life between death and a new birth, the astral forces.
At the moment of conception, the physical body begins to develop . This event is purely the reflection of something that is continually happening to us on a spiritual level, which is the cosmic interaction between the Sun
The child before us is a messenger from this imponderable realm of unborn-ness and when the child is before us, we should feel a deep sense of humility for the great tragedy of birth. For indeed, it is a deeply painful
The child before us is a messenger from this imponderable realm of unborn-ness and when the child is before us, we should feel a deep sense of humility for the great tragedy of birth. (female) and the Earth (male). As an individual approaches a new life on earth, there arises within that soul, an image of the physical world through the soul of the mother, and the father is also perceived mainly through the soul image that the mother holds within her of the child’s father. The next stage of human development is the embryonic phase, in which the formative forces of the etheric body are constantly weaving and moving to bring about the remarkable activity of the internal organs. This is again a reflection of a far greater cosmic process that has preceded
experience to leave that home in which we experienced pure bliss. That place where we felt connected to everything, as part of all existence. The child we have before us, particularly those that are difficult and shout a good deal and make a lot of trouble, revels to us the struggle and the martyrdom of the soul that has descended into life on earth. And so it is very important that we retain a sensitivity for this incarnated soul, being careful not to divert that soul from the period of life in childhood that is deeply engaged with assimilating those forces that have been brought from the spiritual world as a gift.
As educators and parents, we must be very careful not to disturb these forces by developing within us the strength to be able to support and carry an image of the child’s destiny within our hearts. The final threshold is that of the end of childhood, when we have finished our education at school and are ready to enter into adult life. This period is the reflection of the interaction between the Planetary System and the Starry Heavens, the Constellations and beyond. Our subsequent development now belongs to the invisible world and can be taken up in freedom, so that we can enrich that in our soul that has its connection to the truths of the supersensible worlds. In those early childhood years the child is so very permeable to all of the opposing forces from the external world. The child is much like a sack of flour, receiving and retaining all the impressions made upon it in those years. This is because in the time before conception, in the unborn realm, we did not have any curiosity because there was no objective reality, only a subjective one. It is only after the change of teeth that the child actually develops curiosity. Therefore it is important again as an adult not to impose artificial means of stimulating the child’s curiosity prematurely, in fact it is the best way to hinder that child’s natural innate sense of curiosity for later on. We as adults, parents and educators really need to live with the question: “How can I find the necessary courage to meet the child through education and healing?” We can begin by looking at the whole child, that is to say, the adult and the old aged person that are hidden within the child before me. In this way we can
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Unborn-ness continued
develop the right Paedagogic attitude. That is the capacity to “walk alongside” the child, permeated with that which Anthroposophy can inspire me with as a force of love directed through interest and warmth, so that what is God-given within the child can be revealed. The Initiation path for the educator and the pedagogue is then a constant determination to practice those exercises which can give us access to the three important realms of reality and truth. The physical world around us (largely Maya) which extends back to the moment of conception, then the life before conception and even further back to the life after death. In order to tread the path of Initiation we must develop specific
of the movement of the etheric body that sculpts and forms us as an individual human being. Such meditative practice leads us into an experience of Imaginative Knowledge, where we are able to perceive the rich tapestry of our memory tableau as a rich moving pictorial experience of our life up to the present moment, not only the vague pictures of our memory, but also the impulses that were connected to every individual experience, such as meeting someone. We are able to perceive that behind this meeting lives a certain longing that has led us to this meeting. The second practise is to develop Equanimity in the soul. This means that when we have achieved the first step, we must through the force of soul, remove this memory tableau entirely.
It is an experience of breathing ourselves out and then breathing in the spirit. In this state, we experience the power of thought that created us... skills to acquaint and orientate ourselves with the realms of spiritual reality. These exercises involve three levels that increase our sensitivity for perceiving those realms. The first is Meditation. This requires the steadfast resolve to do this on a regular basis – such resolve becomes a mighty soul force to penetrate the realm of formative forces and perceive how these forces stream into the physical brain and mould it, then into the forces of nutrition and breathing and circulation. These formative forces are involved in the formation of our physical body from conception onwards, they are in fact the etheric forces that are connected to our time organism. When we practise meditating upon a concept beyond our everyday awareness, such as “Wisdom lives in Light”, we can become aware 14
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This involves an experience of sacrifice and suffering, such an intense feeling of loneliness as we have never felt before. It is akin to removing ourselves from the sensory experience of the city into a forest or mountain area where we feel we have abandoned all sense of self. In this state we enter into living in a state similar to that which we experienced before conception, where we prepared our karma and sought out the circumstances in which we could unfold our destiny on earth. We have now entered the realm of “Unborn-ness”. The moment of totally surrendering ourselves into Nothing-ness is felt as extreme pain. We have abandoned our physical body and therefore first experience ourselves as without any identity. We are in fact now in a region of the spirit where we are fused with the spirit and the spirit is the whole
of Nature. We no longer experience subjectivity but are now totally part of the whole of spirit existence. This is similar to how colours fill the eye or sounds fill the ear. It is an experience of breathing ourselves out and then breathing in the spirit. In this state, we experience the power of thought that created us, that thought us. We see our debts to the earth and feel inspired to seek out our next life. This is the process of Inspirational Knowledge. The third stage is the point in which we can go even further back to the Gate of Death and there perceive how the physical body disintegrates after death and how the soul is liberated into the spirit, carrying with it all the essence of a life just lived. This stage requires us to do a daily review backwards in detail, observing our habits and learning to master these so that our will can be invigorated. This willforce enables us to perceive our past lives and there importance to our current life. At this point, the initiate will feel a great deal of anxiety, this is because we are now too strongly attached to our physical body with our Ego. But through the support and direction of the Mystery of Golgotha, we can experience the Christ force within ourselves as it awakens us to Intuitive Knowledge. Modern Initiation therefore involves the acquisition of new spiritual capacities so that through Imagination we can achieve spiritual intelligence, through Inspiration we sense our emotional/social intelligence and through Intuition we unfold our practical intelligence. With these forces, we can go forward as educators, as paedagogues, to walk beside and accompany the child and indeed each other as colleagues and even further as fellow human beings towards a new evolutionary possibility for the future of humanity.
VITAL YEARS 2011 By Ambika Bone Vital Years, the biennial conference of the Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood education, took place at the Wonga Park Conference Centre in Victoria from the 3rd 8th July 2011. The conference was filled to its capacity of 160 places with early childhood and associated colleagues from all over Australia and New Zealand. The morning lectures were also attended by many local day visitors. This year the conference explored the theme of Thresholds in Early Childhood, focusing upon significant points in development at which the child enters into a new state of experience and developmental stage. Vital Years was opened on Sunday evening with a tribute led by Paulene Hanna to our colleague and friend Bettye Palmer who passed over last month. Together we spent some quiet moments contemplating Bettye’s commitment and contribution to Steiner Early Childhood and listening to our musicians playing the harp and the lyre. This was followed by a talk by Irmhild Kleinhinz. Irmhild spoke
about the thresholds of pre-birth and death and the importance of contemplative and meditative practices in our lives for overcoming habitual patterns. The conference hosted keynote speakers from Australia and New Zealand. Renate Long-Breipohl from Sydney Rudolf Steiner College spoke about the metamorphosis of life forces in the development of the young child and the three stages in the unfolding of the child’s will. Bernadette Raichle from New Zealand brought us a picture of childcare from a Waldorf perspective through sharing her own experience of opening and operating ‘Awhina,’ a nursery offering all-day care for infants and young children in New Zealand. Marjorie Theyer, early childhood advisor for the Federation of Rudolf Steiner Schools in New Zealand, presented an overview of the thresholds in early childhood and of how we, as educators, can support transitions in the life of the young child during their 5th to 7th years. Lastly, Andrew Hill from the
Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School led us through the threshold of thinking that occurs in the early primary school years. Conference participants further explored the lecture material in discussion groups after each lecture and also took part in a variety of workshops during the afternoons. The evenings hosted a blend of seriousness with spontaneous joy. On Tuesday night participants attended the Annual General meeting of the Australian Association of Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood education. We travelled to the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School on Wednesday night to enjoy a concert of eurythmy, speech and music and on Thursday we enjoyed an evening of ‘Australian Sharing’ in which participants shared resources, ideas and humour. Inspired and nourished, we now look forward to bringing this inspiration into our kindergartens and daily practice. Ambika works as a Kindergarten teacher at the Ballarat Steiner School
Kindergarten Teacher 2012 Milkwood Steiner School is seeking a dedicated Kindergarten teacher to commence in Term 1, 2012. This is a permanent, part time or full-time position. Eligibility for registration as a teacher in the Northern Territory is essential. Salary is in accordance with experience. Applications close 28/9/2011
All enquiries please contact Jenny Jan: Ph - (08) 8947 0608 or email - info@milkwood.nt.edu.au Position Description and Selection Criteria can be downloaded from our website www.milkwood.nt.edu.au
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An Anthroposophical Approach to Childhood Illnesses By Kaye Keats
The topic of childhood illnesses is wide reaching and controversial in today’s world, and it is also one that is of great interest to me along with the health and development of the young child. Having brought up my family without recourse to vaccination, and having nursed them through various childhood illnesses, I have personally seen the benefits and positive developmental changes that a holistic approach can bring. As a Steiner Kindergartener and now working as a natural health practitioner, I have seen many parents seeking help for their children suffering from eczema, asthma and other allergic conditions who have never succumbed to the normal childhood febrile illnesses. Although modern medicine has made huge advances in eradicating disease and easing suffering, the general health and vitality of our children seems to be declining and there appears to be a shift to more chronic and allergic illnesses and less of the inflammatory illnesses of childhood.
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Fever as the instrument of the ego It is normal for children in their first seven years to experience a variety of acute, inflammatory, febrile illnesses, especially respiratory ones. The main common childhood illnesses seen today are measles, mumps, chicken pox and whooping cough. However, every childhood inflammation, sore throat, earache, fever or rash is a cleansing process for the body and an effort by the child’s spirit to remodel the physical body to make it a more suitable dwelling. Early childhood is the time of the most rapid growth and change and a child will attempt to remodel his/ her physical body many times, breaking down the inherited structure through fever and illness in order to rebuild it anew and imbue it with his/her own individuality. A fever should not be regarded as a dangerous or undesirable process in itself, for it is the body’s healthy response to something foreign or toxic. Indeed, fever is not the problem, it is part of the solution. Giving fever suppressant medication
will only suppress the toxins that need to be eliminated, and healing only occurs when these toxins have been fully discharged and digested by the body. Traditional cultures have long recognized that fevers, purging, and the discharge of pus, mucus and rashes, is a healing response to the underlying illness. Childhood illnesses promote the holistic development of the child, working to support the healthy incarnation of body, soul and spirit. The inflammation is never the real illness, it is just the symptom, and the illness is the attempt by the ego of the child to permeate the physical body with the spirit’s healing warmth and light: “As the body heals and strengthens during convalescence we can usually observe with wonder and gratitude how the soul seems to shine through with a greater light than before. This is the higher purpose and meaning of children’s inflammatory illnesses: to make their body a more transparent vessel for their spirit to shine through” (Philip Incao, 2003).
Polarities of illness in childhood and old age If we look at the different stages of life, we see that illnesses of childhood and those of old age are polarities. In childhood, external heat and inflammations, acute fevers and contagious diseases predominate, while in later life the colder illnesses predominate with deteriorating and more chronic hardening conditions such as rheumatism, arthritis and tumours being the norm, which are more internal in their inflammation. Health in this sense can be seen as a balance between the hot inflammatory diseases of childhood and the cold sclerotic illnesses of old age. It is becoming apparent that too much emphasis on preventing the physiological childhood illnesses can bring about a tendency to develop prematurely the diseases of old age. Conventionally, infections and inflammation are seen as purely the result of invading germs. However we are constantly exposed to germs and pathogens without being continually sick. Germs are not the cause of illness, but they may multiply wherever there is debris and body substance breaking down and being discharged. The immune system cleans up the digested material and pushes it out of the body through skin rashes, pus and discharges – these are the signs that it is working to heal, repair and rebuild. When inflammation is suppressed and the body is prevented from fully discharging its toxins and debris, then the inflammation may recur or there may be a tendency to allergies, asthma, food intolerances and other inflammatory conditions later in life. In contrast to allergic illnesses which may become chronic, infectious diseases are mainly self-limiting. The main visible
symptoms of fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes and vomiting are usually signs of the body’s struggle to overcome the infection and attain a new state of equilibrium and a higher level of immunity. The shift from infection to allergy Prior to twentieth century improvements in sanitation and living standards, children had a high death rate from acute inflammatory diseases: measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria and whooping cough, as well as pneumonia and diarrhoea. These have been the greatest threats to children throughout history and still are in developing countries. But in modern countries, children’s deaths from these diseases have been greatly declining since 1900, and over 90 per cent of this decline happened just before the advent of antibiotics and vaccinations. The body’s immune system is designed to fight infection (bacterial, viral and parasitic), but is also able to recognize foreign substances as allergens. With the advent of vaccines however, the immune system is no longer fighting off life-threatening diseases and due to antibiotics, the immune system in the young child is no longer working in the way it was in the past, in fighting common bacterial infections. As a result, there has in some circumstances been a shift by the immune system away from fighting infections to developing more allergic tendencies. The Hygiene Hypothesis The Hygiene Hypothesis, first put forward by Dr David Stra-
chan in 1989, holds that a lack of exposure to germs, allergens, and parasites increases susceptibility to allergic diseases and weakens the human immune system. There is growing medical research that now supports his ideas that children who experience frequent infections and inflammations in the first seven years of childhood will have stronger immune systems and will be less prone to allergies and asthma than those who do not experience such infections. Research has found that avoiding vaccinations and antibiotics, growing up in a large family, and being exposed to farm or domestic animals in the first two years of life correlates with a decreased risk of asthma and atopic allergies. Illness and destiny One of the main differences between Anthroposophical and Conventional medicine is the view taken of childhood illnesses. Conventional medicine sees childhood illnesses as diseases to be prevented or suppressed and the main goal is protection against contracting the disease, usually by vaccination. By contrast, Anthroposophical medicine views childhood illnesses as an important instrument in dealing with the individual child’s destiny and karma. “To foster overall physical and spiritual health in our children we need to stop seeing illness as the aggressor and children as helpless victims. Children become ill in their own individual way and each illness will have a meaningful part to play in their biography and development.” (Dr Philip Incao, 2004) Balance in health and illness Dr Philip Incao, Director of the Steiner Holistic Medical Centre in Colorado, suggests that health is a balance between acute and
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An Anthroposophical Approach to Childhood Illnesses continued
chronic diseases. He stresses the importance of the difference between healing an illness and suppressing it. Repeated suppression of acute illnesses with anti-biotics, fever suppressant medication and vaccinations may hinder the spirit’s capacity to express itself, and transform our acute illnesses into chronic ones. He maintains that the dramatic increases in asthma, allergies, diabetes, autism and childhood cancer which are occurring in children today are partly the result of modern medicine’s failure to appreciate where the balance lies in health and illness. The efforts by the medical profession to eradicate infectious diseases in children through increasing types of vaccines has tipped the balance and created more chronic diseases and disability in children of developed nations than ever before. Medical practitioners working out of Anthroposophy take a cautious view of vaccinations, especially against the classic childhood illnesses. If a child is treated with vaccination or antibiotics, the external nature of the illness will be eliminated, but it is then important to deal with the karmic effects of the illness in an ongoing way, through the fostering of a spiritual life and education for the child. Nursing the sick child at home Anthroposophical remedies help support the child during times of
fever and illness. They promote the cleansing process and help the illness work its way out of the body, supporting not only the bodily functions, but also the soul and spiritual development, which encourages true healing. An important aspect of the healing process is a quiet and nurturing home environment and good home nursing care as childhood illnesses need to be well supported. Children are often hurried back to health and not given the time to fully recover. Parents may be working and lack the time and understanding of the importance of convalescence. It may seem easier to give antibiotics or fever suppressants so the child can be back in day care or pre -school within a day or so. But if children are not given sufficient time to recuperate, they may become more prone to complications or infections later on. Many parents today seem less confident with nursing their children through infectious and febrile illnesses than parents of fifty years ago. Perhaps they may have lost the ability to trust in the innate healing forces of childhood, and have not experienced for themselves the common childhood illnesses or understood their significance for the child’s health. They also may be anxious about the risks of high fevers and contagious illnesses. It is important that parents once again feel empowered, encour-
aged and confident to care for their children during ill health. Through Anthroposophical nursing therapies and home nursing courses, parents can learn the importance and effectiveness of simple home nursing treatments. Old-fashioned but time-honoured remedies, including compresses and poultices, herbal teas, and therapeutic touch, are all home measures that can be learned and used to support and guide our children back to health, along with a simple, organic wholefood diet and a warm, quiet and nurturing environment. I believe that being able to holistically nurse your child back to vitality and health is one of the most rewarding aspects of parenthood, and that the value of this love and care and the journey to well-being it gifts the child, is immeasurable. [This article is a written synthesis of the author’s understanding of the topic through her readings, course work, experience and practice.]
Bibliography Bott, Victor, Anthroposophical Medicine. 2004. Sophis Books, Forest Row. Cowan, Thomas S with Fallon, Sally, The Fourfold Path to Healing, 2007, New Trends Publishing. Dietz, Vance, ‘Vaccination’, 2004, AnthroMedLibrary, www.anthromed.org. Dudney, Bob, ‘Childhood illnesses: spiritual births’, in Golden Blade, 2000, Forest Row, UK. Incao, Philip, ‘The reason for childhood diseases’, 2004, AnthroMedLibrary, www.anthromed.org. Incao, Philip, ‘Inflammations and infections, their importance in childhood’, 2003 AnthroMedLibrary, www.anthromed.org. Incao, Philip, ‘Tending the flame, childhood fever’, AnthroMedLibrary, www.anthromed.org. Koob, Olaf, ‘The meaning of childhood illnesses’, AnthroMed Library, www.anthromed.org. Madelyn, Rene, ‘Anthroposophical paediatrics’, 1997, AnthroMedLibrary, www.anthromed.org. Studer, Hans-Peter, Vaccination: A Guide to Personal Choices, 2004, Floris Books, Edinburgh. Thomson, John, Natural Childhood: A Guide to the First Seven Years, 1994, Gaia Books , London. Van Bentheim, Tineke, Home Nursing for Carers, 2006, Floris Books, Edinburgh.
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Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
Spring Morning Circle for Wilma Ellersiek’s “Come On Out”
Where “Come on Out” is used in the morning circle, we follow the hand gestures as given by Wilma Ellersiek as we stand in our circle. “Buzz, buzz, buzz” Can you hear the busy bees ? Seeking sweet, sweet pollen From flower, bush and tree. Lady Spring has woken them With her loving, sunlit hand Spreading joy in glades of green As she sweeps across the land. Her voice is like a fairy song Awakening one and all “Come on out” so sweet she sings And nature heeds her call! (Sung to the tune indicated by Wilma Elersiek for “Come On Out”) Come on out, look about, come on out Roses grow by the gate and for you they will wait Come on out, look about. Come on out. See on a twig, a little guest sits, Rocking, rocking in breezes mild. Sings for my child. Come on out look about. Come on out The sun in the heaven does shine: Come out now my child it is time The breeze is sweet with jasmine As tree branches bend and sway Bird song soars on clouds of white While lambs in paddocks play Another baby bird is hatched While worms its parents seek A tip, tip, tap. A crick, crick, crack (sung) Here comes a tiny beak
Welcome, welcome baby birds The world awaits with song The sky so blue, a robe for you To protect as you grow strong Song of :”Come on Out” Come on out….. Echidnea ambles on pre-worn paths He’s quiet and oh so shy He finds his ants and licks them up While black snake slithers by Wallaby nibbles on fresh, green shoots As butterflies flutter by And children in the kindies swing Into the clear blue sky Bulbs push up from Mother Earth Bringing beauty to the land They’ve heard the call of Lady Spring And felt her loving hand Come on out, look about, come on out Roses grow by the gate and for you they will wait Come on out, look about. Come on out. See on a twig, a little guest sits, Rocking, rocking in breezes mild. Sings for my child. When up in the sky We see the setting sun The earth is bathed in orange and pink We know the day is done So we crawl into our cosy beds “Goodnight fine friends” we say “Lady Spring will awaken us to greet the new spring day”
I wrote the Spring morning circle after the 2009 Vital Years conference. I returned very inspired by the hand gestures, particularly “Come on out”. I’m unsure what the copyright is in terms of reprinting her song in my morning circle.... however, the children responded so well to this morning circle! Warmest wishes, Simone Hamlyn, from Rainbow Ridge Kindergarten
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Moondew Playgroup By Amber Greene Early in the morning, little children fresh from slumber and coated in ‘moondew’ arrive at our humble abode in the hinterland of the Gold Coast in Queensland. ‘Moondew’ is an acknowledgement of the abundant, exuberant life force that glows in children after a good night’s sleep. With this radiant glow, the children are ready, willing and able to participate in all that life offers, especially the work of play. A Moondew day begins at 9.30am in the outside playground. My husband has lovingly built a ‘reach to the sky’ set of swings, a toadstool cubby house and an undercover sandpit (a favourite), all surrounded by native flowers and rock art. On the lower level, there is room for tricycle riding, wheelbarrow pushing and digging in the tomato patch, visiting the worms and making chalk art on the concrete, should the wish arise. This term, for the first time ever, we prepare our bread dough and roll our buns under the golden sun, kneading and pushing and twisting and poking the dough until we are satisfied with our work. I purchased two sturdy green plastic tables and six stools from Ikea exclusively for this purpose, (sunlight and a daily vinegar rub keeps the surface free of nasties) along with a ‘bubbles’ water bucket where children can ‘wash their sparkle hands’. Beginning our day outside supports those families who are running a tad late, as children are able to enter into the group without feeling out of place or
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disruptive. Around 10.10am, the ‘Pied Piper’ in the form of Miss Amber appears, playing a simple recorder tune to indicate that it is time for the children to remove their hats and shoes and cross the river into the Land of Storytime; thanks to my lovely friend Sandra Frain who willingly shared the gorgeous song that now fills our morning! Storytime is my most precious time of the morning; a time to bring healthy, upright images and inspirations to the children of the group, but it is also the most demanding and difficult. Playgroups, by nature, are unlike school-class streams, in that the age range of children in the group can span from 9 month olds to 6 year olds. My living question is, how do I meet the needs and wants of all the children (and parents) in the group? It requires me to sometimes think outside the square and try new things to capture and contain little bodies and minds during this time. My biggest successes (engagement)
come when I vary my deliveryone fortnight for a seated story (on our little mushroom cushions) with simple props and familiar tunes or songs; another fortnight with a movement circle and lots of repetitive fun phrases. Sometimes, a story can contain a combination of the two. All early childhood educators know the difficulties in working with the two and three year olds, who just want to be ‘in’ life and activity. To require them to sit still for any length of time works against what we know of the sense development of movement and balance at this age, yet slowly we must bring those opportunities to engage in these centred moments, so in time the children will have the skills to be able to participate fully and listen deeply. I tend to have multiples of my story props, (sometimes in a mystery bag by my side) and encourage these little children to hold or move these props in or around the story. Older children often take on ‘roles’ in my story, playing out a part using action and movement. We transition to morning tea with a simple game. My biggest trick has been to ensure my games involve movement and a simple prop- a feather, a key, a shell or a ‘frost’ covered mirror. The Moondew program is rotational over a two-week period, (the games may appear for longer, depending on how the children respond to them) as this builds familiarity and stability, but meets the needs of the parents too, who seek newness and change. Morning tea is provided as part of their fees. Seasonal fruit platters precede the ‘dish
of the day’. This is my gift of nutrition to the families, a preprepared snack or meal, rotating between sweet and savory to meet the constitutional needs of the children using mostly organic or biodynamic “vitalityfilled” ingredients. Children have their own cup and bowl and are expected/encouraged (depending on the age) to wash up their dishes before play, usually with parent help. Indoor play, (which encompasses both my lounge room and our deck also) is the time for creative activity. To augment what is regularly on offer in the room, I have a portable rolling library stand, with deep shelves to hold coloured cloths, knitted fruits and vegetables, baskets of wooden items such as fences and curtain rings and large off cuts of wood. The rug in the centre of the room is sacred for free play, and parents quietly hover around the edges with their work as the little ones delve into imagination. Inside play lasts for at least 30 minutes, longer if possible. My goal now for Moondew playgroup is different than it has been in the past. More than ever, I believe it is the parents who need the nurturing, the nourishment, the support and community. The daily rhythm and offerings of Moondew naturally fortify the children in the group, but there must also be space for the parents to grow, to develop, to question, to seek, to share and to acknowledge. For me,
the way to do this (whilst still holding a mantle of childhood around the little ones) has been to provide each Mama with her own crafting basket. The offering of a craft basket is twofold; Mama keeps her hands busy and is encouraged by her work to allow the child to “breathe out” in their play without Mama needing to intervene (too much!) or instruct. The second benefit is that Mama’s begin to find, and grow their own ‘creative spark’. When mothers can feel purposeful, able and capable through this often-new activity, she grows as a person and as a mother…. A common comment is this: “I’d like to come even if I didn’t have children”. As Playgroup leaders, we have a real responsibility to the parents, and a privilege in working alongside them as their children unfold. It is for this reason, I find hosting playgroups even more personally rewarding than classroom teaching. Moondew began in earnest in September 2009 when my son was 16 months old. My husband and I were firm in our intention for me to be able to be a stayat-home mother, but I longed to share my skills, my creativity, and ‘keep my hand in’ teaching. Our home rhythm has encompassed our two ‘Moondew’ days, and we all benefit. Although I derive no income from the group as such, (luckily, my husband supports my ‘spiritual practice’!), hosting Moondew each week
has brought us many new friends and a grand sense of community, both locally and worldwide. Our Moondew activities, recipes and how-to’s of our weekly crafts, are regularly featured on my blog and people from all over the world are inspired by our humble strivings. On a practical note, there are 11 families in each group, and the children range in age from 9 months to 5 ½ years. Moondew runs in alignment with the school terms, and a term fee of $130 for one child for a 10-week term ($160 for two or more) is charged. This includes all materials, food, resources and a portion of the fee is directed to my ongoing professional development costs. There are two groups, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but regular enquiries and my growing waitlist could easily fill 3 or 4 more! And just for you, a little treat! This toadstool-inspired game can easily morph into pumpkins or stepping-stones over a pond or spring mountains for different seasons. Simply place two soft cushions in the centre of the circle, cover with a green cloth and lay out a set of 6 or 7 ‘toadstool’ (red circles with white felt dots) steps around them in a circle. Two (or three) children jump/step/hop from one toadstool to another, then jump onto the ‘grass’, where the soft pillows cushion their landing.
Please visit Amber’s website www.mamamoontime.com for song words, our bread recipe, crafts, activities and more!
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My Household Morning Circle From Grimms Fairytales Adapted by Brioni Pridham
Song 1
a-a a a e ‘ a-a a a e’ Whither do you go, wither do you go, e ‘ d ‘ e’-d ‘ b a b-d’ e ‘ Are you alone on your journey so? a-a a a e ‘ a-a a a e’ Wither do you go, whither do you go, e ‘ d’ e’-d’ b a b-d’ e ‘ Are you alone on your journey so?
Spoken Whither do you go? To Walpe. a b e’ a Song
To Wa – al - pe.
Spoken I to Walpe, you to Walpe, a d a-b-a g a Song 2 So, so together we’ll go, a d a-b-a g a So, so together we’ll go.
Song 2
(See above)
Song 1
(See above)
Spoken Have you a cradle? How called your cradle? Hippodadle.
a
b e’
a
Song
Hipp – o – da – dle.
Spoken
My cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle, My child wild, your child wild, My man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe,
Song 2 (See above) Song 1 (See above)
Song 1
(See above)
Spoken Have you a man? How named your man? Cham.
a
e’ a
Song
Cha – a- am.
Spoken My man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe, Song 2 (See above) Song 1 (See above) Spoken Have you a child? How styled your child? Wild.
a e’ a
Song
Wi – i – ld
Spoken My child wild, your child wild, My man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe,
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Star Weavings N0 42 - Spring/Summer 2009
Spoken
Have you also a drudge? How came your drudge? From work do not budge. d a b g a
Song
From work do not budge.
Spoken
My drudge from work do not budge, Your drudge from work do not budge, My cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle, My child wild, your child wild, My man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe,
a d a-b-a g
Song
So, so together we’ll go, a d a-b-a g a So, so together we’ll go, a a - a a-b g-a-a We journey along together, a –a –a b d’ e’–a- a Surrounded by God forever.
a
Toys By Carla de Jong
Toys for children should really have these three qualities: Simple, beautiful and well-made.
develop good taste and learn that good things are there to be enjoyed.
When a toy is simple, children can add to it. The more elaborate details there are – which we as adults often label as ‘cute’ – the less ‘room’ there is for children to use their imagination, to pretend and change. That simple cardboard box was just then a boat, all of a sudden it changed into a train and now it is a house to live in.
The ‘ugly’ dolls that came into fashion years ago (and still are available now), don’t convey the message to a child that it is okay to be ugly (as they were advertised), as children do not reflect about themselves the way we do, let alone that they are thinking they are ugly. In fact, ‘ugly’ children do not exist – every child is beautiful and so should the dolls be!
Well-made toys are worth caring for. In the throwaway society we live in, this quality is not fostered enough; we do have to realise that all the good qualities we’d love our children to have when they’re grown up, don’t all of a sudden appear out of nowhere. With dolls, it is this very reason we make a face with no fixed expression; just an indication of eyes and mouth is enough for children to let the doll do whatever takes their fancy – these dolls can laugh, talk and cry. Beauty is something to behold – it creates a sense of well-being and as such it brings joy to children, which is so central and important in their life. In my view there is no place for an ugly toy for a child, as that cannot fill them with pleasure. It only destroys the possibility to
Well-made toys are worth caring for. In the throw-away society we live in, this quality is not fostered enough; we do have to realise that all the good qualities we’d love our children to have when they’re grown up, don’t all of a sudden appear out of nowhere. The foundation for this is laid in the younger years and we as parents and teachers have to set an example for them. When we teach children to care for their toys (and everything in their surroundings) they can develop this quality for later life.
The same applies to the materials toys are made of. It is important that children play with toys made of natural materials. The development of our feeling life is closely connected to the physical feeling we experienced as a child. Children touch everything they see; they really look with their hands as well as their eyes. If that contact is related to natural materials, then they experience something that is real, material that has its own qualities. Synthetic material is dead material, scientifically put together with no qualities of itself (think of the warmth-giving quality of wool for instance). We all would love our child to develop a ‘real’ feeling, but we seem to forget that in order to achieve this, we have to surround them with real materials as well. In the scope of well-made toys, it is also most important that the materials the toys are made of are environmentally-friendly. This is for sure not only important for the child, but for everyone on earth, the whole environment and consequently our collective future. Carla has been making toys for many, many years. She can be contacted via email c.dejong@ bigpond.com See ad. Wooden Toys & Soft Dolls toward the back of this issue
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Report on the Samburu Students Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher Training, Nairobi, April 2011
“most of us have only ever seen the Samburu on the TV – we don’t know what to say to them!” (Note: This was an interesting comparison to the last few evenings of the second week when students were trying on their jewelry, asking all kinds of questions about Samburu life, trying out Samburu dancing and jumping, swapping mobile numbers and discussing possible visits to Samburu land.
Every three years I have had the privilege to run the Storytelling Module in the 10-Module East African Training Course, based at the Mbagathi Steiner School on the outskirts of Nairobi. I have been doing this since 2001, and the following is a report of a wonderful new experience that I encountered on this fourth time round. At the end of the first day of the two week training, I set out on a short walk to enjoy the sunset and the view of the giraffes grazing in the fields near the school. On my return I was met by a very colourful group of seven Samburu men, bedecked in beads and bright red and purple cloths. It was an exciting surprise for me, especially when, with help from the two interpreters, we discovered that the majority of them were teachers who worked with young children (ages 3-5yrs). They came from several
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different desert schools, far to the northwest of Kenya, based on a modular system to suit the nomadic life – large groups at a time attend for 3 months or so then move on. The men had walked and caught buses for several days in order to attend the module (supported by a local Kenyan - Julia Francombe - with funding from New York – what an international world we live in!). This was an historic moment – never before have I had male teachers attend my training. Even during the many times I taught in kindergarten training in Cape Town for the CCE (Centre for Creative Education) only women teachers were involved. After a long chat, the Samburu men were settled into their boarding facilities and returned to the dining room for the evening meal. At first, most of the other African students kept their distance - one even said to me
On Day 2, Francis Lemungesi, Daniel Loisherua and Tom Lelukumani (plus Paul Lemasian as translator) joined my group of 19 women (from all over East Africa) in exploring the why/how/ what/where/when of storytelling for young children. The four men proved to be a wonderful addition to the class. Their enthusiasm and innocence and joy were a delightful experience – they were so proud to be teachers of little children – this was very refreshing as it has been my experience that most African men believe this is ‘women’s work’. The theory sections of the module (particularly in the afternoons when I took kindergarten and primary teachers together for sessions on therapeutic story writing –see www.healingthroughstories. com for more information on my work with this) proved to be very challenging for the Samburu men as they had very little english and although I can speak limited Kiswahili, it was not enough to help out. So they probably didn’t get much out of this, although they sat alert and smiling through every kind of lesson.
This was an historic moment – never before have I had male teachers attend my training.. Even during the many times I taught in kindergarten training in Cape Town for the CCE only women teachers were involved. In the practical sessions – both the making of simple puppets for storytelling (see photos) and the telling of stories (in their mother tongue) – the men performed wonderfully and were very proud of their presentations. They also responded well to feedback. The first story that one of them shared was about a hyena eating its mother! The next one was about two farmers arguing who had the most cows with testicles, as opposed to how many cows had nipples (direct words from their translator!).
Even though the men had come with a translator, the translator wasn’t keen to translate as I was talking (I prompted him several times but this didn’t make much difference as he seemed too interested in listening). So I could only hope that he translated the gist of the sessions in the break times and in the evenings. But he did help with writing out the English versions of the stories that the men were asked to tell in the practical sessions – and I now have some interesting Samburu stories to add to my story resource kit!
We followed this with a group discussion on ‘healthy ingredients for stories for young children’. I encouraged them to think back to the stories that they had heard as children, and sort out what ones could be more suitable. From then on, the next few stories that they shared fitted the listed criteria wonderfully! One lovely moment worth reporting was when I had asked the students to set up story scenes for puppet shows on their desks. I had demonstrated how to use items of clothing (thick jackets etc) to put under the story cloths to build up mountains and hills. When I wandered around to check their work, I found that Francis and Daniel had built a
high mountain at the back of their story scene – I peeked under the cloth and saw they had taken off their thick rubber tyre sandals and stacked them one on top of the other to get the height. It was a little wobbly but it worked! Another moment (that will live with me forever) was when we were handing out the attendance certificates at the Presentation Session on the last day. Tom was at the far end of the hall, decorated in all his beadwork and colours, and chose to proudly ‘Samburu’ jump all the way across the floor (his jumps were so high he almost hit the hanging lights and his phone and pen crashed out of his pocket on the way). He stopped right in front of me to accept his certificate then jumped back! I hope this report gives you some kind of insight into the joys of being involved in teacher training in Africa! Thankyou to Peter van Alphen and Ann Sharfmann (the course founders) for continually inviting me back to run the Storytelling. What amazing work! Warm regards, Susan Perrow
As well as her time working in Kenya this year, Susan spent three weeks in Beijing, running workshops and negotiating with a Chinese publisher for a Mandarin (simplified Chinese) version of her book. The Chinese publisher has renamed the book ‘Stories Know the Way’ - Susan reports being very happy with this choice of title as she feels it captures the essence of her work. ‘Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour’ has also been published in Croatian and Portuguese, and in 2012 Susan has been invited to run workshops in Croatia.
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Mentoring in China By Jane Woodruff I recently returned from mentoring a new Waldorf kindergarten in China. This was my second trip. There are so many of these new initiatives springing up just like mushrooms all over China. Thanh Cherry is currently facilitating trainings for these kindergarten teachers. This week there are 140 people attending training in Chengdhu, and as I understand before that she was in Guangzou and will be somewhere else in a few weeks’ time with another large group of students. The need for mentors, kindergarten teachers, who can give 3 weeks of their time to provide daily support and guidance to these new initiatives, is enormous. Of course the big question is why? Something I asked myself before flying over for a white Christmas in Shenyang last December. I went because I was asked and felt that I would learn from the experience. Intuitively I felt that I would have a deep experience of joy and that is exactly what happened for me. I also felt an inner need to connect with what is happening in other parts of the world. Florian Osswald, Co Leader of the Pedagogical Section of the Goetheanum, spoke about the need for us to be a world-wide movement, connected to the world and carrying the impulse for a spiritual education for the world. I have been very aware in the past 10 years of how the children today are world citizens of the future. They face
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much greater challenges than we can imagine and must be given as much possibility to develop their creative thinking to bring about the changes needed in the world. China is a country that is very old and has undergone many revolutions. On July 2nd it celebrated 90 years of communism and I was there for the celebrations. It is a society where, for several generations children have gone to kindergarten to learn from the age of 3, to learn to read and write before attending school, deprived of play and all the creative possibilities that it offers. My experience of the effect of this is that they, the adults, lack the imaginative capacities that we take for granted. This is what happens when you don’t get sufficient opportunities to play as a young child. But there is another revolution happening in China, one happening quietly and from within. My perception is that the Chinese people are seeking to re-enliven their culture and connect to the world. China is a wealthy and powerful country and the Chinese know how to work together as a people to make change happen. What is missing is connection to spirit and into this big void comes Waldorf education. One of the teachers I worked with in Shenyang told me that before she found Waldorf education she was unaware of the world around her. Every day was the same and she
became quite deeply depressed. Now that she and her colleagues have begun a kindergarten, life is full of meaning and purpose. She has come alive in a real way and brought new life to the children in her care. I have immense gratitude for the 2 months I have spent in China, in summer and winter, in the past 6 months. The Chinese people were deeply appreciative of my visit. The food was exquisite; always new tastes and experiences and the people are delightful. They were touchingly grateful for my assistance for the time I spent in the kindergarten with the children and with the teachers answering their questions. My presence was revered and I return to Australia enlivened and aware of how deeply I know what I know. This was a very special gift to receive. If you would like to register with WECC - the organisation that supports the mentoring of kindergartens in China, contact Thanh Cherry - cherrythanh@gmail.com If you would like to speak to me more about my experiences in China - contact me via e-mail jw6681@gmail.com and we can make a time for a chat. The photos below were taken in Shenyang in winter and Shijiazhuang in summer. Children everywhere are the same; they love to play! Jane Woodruff
Bushwalk Playgroup – Under the Sky By Vicki Kearney
Having become aware of the Nature of Forest Kindergarten model of childcare a couple of years ago, I have been keen to find a way of working with children in nature myself. In the fourth term of last year, along with another Mother, we took 5 children aged from 3 – 5 years to the creek behind the Samford Valley Steiner School in Brisbane. The numbers dwindled over the term and I wondered whether it would continue this year. A couple of weeks before first term commenced at the beginning of this year, I was contacted by a Mother wanting to join Playgroup at my home. As both groups were full, I asked her if she would be interested in coming to the creek. And so began the Bushwalk Playgroup. It is third term now and we have 4 children, aged 3 – 4 years coming along without their parents and another 5 children, aged 7 months – 4 years coming along with their parents. Mostly they are Mums, but we do have a Father and a Grandfather. We also have little Ivy, a puppy who is a favourite with all the children! All the children have their own little backpack with their food and water, a change of clothing and rain jacket. Most times the backpacks finish up in the trolley as the children love to run and explore without them on their backs. I too carry a backpack equipped with a basic first aid kit and extra children’s clothing. I have also acquired a pair of sturdy work boots, ideal for exploring all kind of terrain and in
the rainy season prefer to wear cotton lined gum boots. I also purchased a good quality rain jacket. I carry a mobile phone which is switched off and to be used only in an emergency. I also have a sturdy, reliable trolley which was made by my son. It is an essential item. The chasse is made from steel and it has 4 big pump-up tyres for comfort. We do give it quite a workout, going over stones and ruts, up hills and over bumps. It also carries a lightweight tarp in case of rain, a towel, a pillow and blanket. Children with tired legs or not feeling so well also ride in the trolley. At the creek, we have a couple of spots where swings have been hung and also a see-saw made from a tree trunk and large rock. Otherwise, nature is our toy. There is plenty to explore and generally we following a set rhythm. The group gathers at 8.45 and we finish at 11.30am. By this time, the little ones are tired and ready for lunch and a nap. Not to mention me! I too am still working on my own fitness level and find it quite tiring. But……… it is so much fun. We have not missed a Playgroup day because of bad weather. We walk in the rain, we swim in the creek, we discover and explore. This term we changed route and went to another part of the creek which was warmer in these winter months. We love having the men along and the older people. One week we had great grandmother of 84 years join us.
We always begin the morning with a welcome circle of a blessing, a little dance and our poem. During the morning, we may play a couple of games at a certain spot, or we may not, depending on what is happening and then at the completion of the morning we end with a circle to bless Grandfather Sky and Grandmother Earth and a goodbye verse. Sometimes I feel like I could do more of this, but for now, it is enough. Our group relationships are strengthening and I find the adults are conscious of not only their own child’s needs, but also that of the other children – it is wonderful to witness. I have come to realise that it is the children who take us to the creek, not the other way around. I leave you now with the poem which is said with our hands crossed over our hearts before setting off on our adventures. Hurt no living thing Ladybird, nor butterfly, Nor moth with dusty wings, Nor cricket chirping cheerily, Nor grasshopper so light of leap, Nor dancing gnat, Nor beetle fat, Nor harmless worms that creep. By Christina Rossetti Vicki is keen to hear from others working with the 0 – 3 year old child and nature. Her inspiration also comes from reading Helle Heckman’s book, Nokken, A Garden for Children. She can be contacted via email Vicki@avenuesforchange.com.au
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Creole the Crab by Leanne Logan
Once upon a time, at a beach not far from here, there lived a young crab. His name was Creole, and he lived in a beautiful pool on a rocky sea ledge, not very far from the ocean’s edge. Creole loved his rock pool home - but most of all he loved it at high tide. Every day, in fact twice every day, at high tide, the waves would swept on in, bringing loads of cool salty water, plenty of friendly new faces and lots of yummy nourishing things to eat. Then a few hours later, at low tide, the waves were gone, and life in the rock pool returned to its quiet, calm self. In and out ... In and out ... In comes the tide and out goes the tide ... In comes the tide and out goes the tide.
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As Creole grew, the rhythm of the tide became the rhythm of his life. He simply loved the way the high tide came and went and always came back again; always. It was something so certain, so sure. In fact he loved it so much that he welcomed every high tide with a sea shanty that his mother had taught him to sing when he was a baby crab: (Sing to the tune of: “The Hokey Pokey”) “The tide sweeps on in; the tide sweeps on out The tide sweeps on in; and before you know it’s out. Wave your pincers in the air and sing out loud That’s what the tide’s about.”
Creole spent happy days in his rock pool home. It had everything a young crab could ever want - there was loads of cool salty water to swim in, plenty of slippery green seaweed to slide down, and lots of nooks and crannies to play hide ‘n’ seek in. But as Creole got older, he found one thing was missing - friends. Sure, he loved the blood-red sea sponges which clung to the ledge - curious creatures from edge to edge - but Creole was never sure what was their front and what was their back. Swimming with them was always a confusing game. And sure, he loved the anemones with their pink and blue waving fronds, but they were stuck so hard and fast to the rock pool wall that it
was impossible for them to slide down slippery green seaweed. And sure, he loved the sea stars with their five knobbly legs, but they moved so slowly that playing hide ‘n’ seek with them really wasn’t very exciting. Then one day, when Creole was just old enough, his mother said: “Maybe you need some young crabs to play with. I know where there’s a rock pool full of them.” So the next day, at high tide, when the water rushed in and covered the rocky ledge, Mother Crab and Creole swam out of their rock pool home and, tightly holding pincers, they allowed the high tide waves to sweep them far, far, far along the rocky sea ledge, to another rock pool close to the ocean’s edge. When they arrived, Creole was amazed to find the pool full of young crabs doing all the sorts of things that he loved to do - they were swimming in cool salty water, sliding down slippery green seaweed and playing hide ‘n’ seek in nooks and crannies. Oh, he so much wanted to join them, but at the same time he felt a
little shy and uncertain to leave his mother. “It’s okay, my darling,” Mother Crab said. “Mrs. Spanner Crab is here to watch over you, and I will be back on this afternoon’s high tide to pick you up and take you home. And remember, there’s nothing more certain, more sure, than the rhythm of the tide”. Now Creole thought about his mother’s words for a while and as he thought, he felt that tidal rhythm flowing through his body - In and out ... In and out ... In comes the tide and out goes the tide. And as he felt that rhythm, he knew for certain, that his mother would be back on this afternoon’s high tide to pick him up and take him home. So he gave her a big kiss, and a big pincer hug and he waved her goodbye, and as she swam away, he hummed to himself his favourite sea shanty: (Hum first two lines of sea shanty). The day passed quickly. Creole had so much fun playing with his new crabby friends that he couldn’t believe it when he looked up in the afternoon and
saw the high tide waves rushing into the rock pool - and there, riding on the crest of the highest wave, was his Mum! From that day on, Creole and his mother often rode the high tide waves far, far, far along the rocky sea ledge, to that other rock pool close to the ocean’s edge. After a kiss goodbye and a pincer hug, Mother Crab would swim away and Creole would spend a happy day playing with his crabby friends. Every afternoon, when the high tide returned, Creole’s Mum arrived, riding on the crest of the highest wave, to pick him up and take him home. And if you listened really carefully as they swam home together, you could hear them singing, in their little crabby voices: “The tide sweeps on in; the tide sweeps on out The tide sweeps on in; and before you know it’s out. Wave your pincers in the air and sing out loud That’s what the tide’s about!”
I wrote “Creole the Crab” to ease my youngest daughter’s transition from home life to Kindy. She enjoyed it - over and over - as a story, but also loved to watch it as a simple puppet show. So I took it to our local community preschool, and performed it there. The sea shanty’s well-known tune captivated many children, and later that day I heard a few kids humming or singing it to themselves. Having puppets worked a wonder - with the kids and with my nerves. As all the attention was on Creole and his adventures, I felt like a backstage figure - great for someone like me who prefers not to be in the limelight. To contact Leanne phone 02-66897007 or email geertc@optusnet.com.au Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
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Little Mermaid by Diana Thorvaldson
Once upon a time there was a little mermaid who lived with her brothers and sisters on the edge of the sea. Today, all her brothers and sisters had gone off to follow the schools of fish in the sea and learn about the great wide ocean. But, Little Mermaid was too little to swim with the schools of fish and was left at home, bored and lonely. “I wish there was someone to play with me, someone to keep me company,” she sighed. Just then, a dolphin swam past. “Oh Dolphin, Dolphin will you play with me? Will you keep me company?” said the Little Mermaid. “I’m sorry Little Mermaid,” said the dolphin. “I’m off to search for shoals of fish and to keep an eye on your brothers and sisters.” With a graceful flip of his tail he was off and out to the wide ocean. Little Mermaid sighed and wondered if there was someone else to play with, someone to keep her company. As she sat at the waters edge, a great turtle heaved itself out of the water beside her. “Oh Mother Turtle, have you come to play with me?” asked Little Mermaid excitedly. “I’m sorry Little Mermaid. I have lots of work to do. I’m off to dig a deep hole in the hot sand to lay my eggs. Then I will swim back to the deep cool ocean,” said the turtle. “I see,” said Little Mermaid and off she swam a little way down the beach to look for someone else who had the time to play with her.
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Little Mermaid by the sea Bored and lonely as can be Don’t be sad now Little Dear Lots of new friends are just here! Little Mermaid by the sea Won’t you come and play with me? Along the beach she saw a jellyfish floating with the tides. “Jellyfish, will you play with me? Will you keep me company?” asked Little Mermaid. “Blob blob, blob blob,” was all the jellyfish would say. “Blob blob, blobby blob.” Little Mermaid began to cry a little, “I wish there was someone to play with me, someone to keep me company.” All of a sudden, she heard a giggle and then voices. “Who is there?” called Little Mermaid. “We are!” replied the voices. And out of the edge of the waves came many sea sprites and water babies. “We will play with you!” they said. Little Mermaid was overjoyed and spent all morning playing with her new friends. They showed her how to tickle anemones, make seaweed necklaces and float on the tide. That afternoon when her brothers and sisters returned, she had lots to tell them about her new friends and what she had been up to while they had been at school.
Splash the waves and build sand high Watch the seagulls winging by. Little Mermaid by the sea Now as happy as can be The sun sets at the end of day Thank you for our day of play. Diana Thorvaldson is a mother of two boys and has spent many years sharing her stories with them, with her Waldorf inspired Home Playgroup and Linuwel Preschool. She is passionate about telling traditional stories that still speak to today’s child and creating new stories that bring to life our unique Australian seasons and experiences. Diana can be contacted by email: dthorvaldson@hotmail.com
The Northern Rivers Regional group of the Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Association met on September 4th 2010 at Periwinkle Steiner Preschool. Sandra Frain presented an all day workshop “Building Children’s Life Sense while we discover the Elementals and Hierarchies” Let’s romp in the Kingdoms of Nature with Story, Song, Everyday - Ceremony and Biodynamic activity! The Bio dynamic gardening/ farming activity is called “Tree Pasteing or Painting”. This activity was introduced in the last Issue #45 Autumn/Winter of Star Weavings: pages 18 and 19. A quick summary is that Tree Pasteing is an old time remedy used in many parts of the world. It is similar to healing a cut on a leg by applying a soothing ointment then covering it with a band aid. Tree pasteing helps to heal the plant, stop rot or bacteria from entering, helps grafted trees and regulates the temperature, providing a ‘jacket’ to protect from the heat or cold. Children and all ages can participate in mixing of the paste and the application of it. Thank you to Xiola Nolan for sharing her experience of this “Healing Activity for Children, Teachers and Mother Earth.” Sandra Frain BCS MSC (ED) Living Loving Learning (and Laughing too) Educational Programs for all Ages 43 Azalea Street Mullumbimby NSW 2482 +61 2 66191051 0413 271 308
Sometime ago we had a child in our program who presented with some very challenging behaviors. Although much of my work with children has been with children with disabilities and/or challenging behavior, this little girl, whom we shall call Phoebe, needed support from us on a very deep level. I was both professionally and personally challenged by what Phoebe (age 5) presented to us. There had been little glimpses into how we could connect with Phoebe, such as her love of animals. After an inspiring presentation from Sandra Frain where I experienced for myself tree pasteing, I decided I would invite Phoebe to work with me on applying tree paste to the trees. I created a pictorial image for Phoebe to work with and told her that the bark was skin of the tree. We needed to help heal the trees in Periwinkle’s garden by putting the healing tree paste on them, like a band aid from Mother Earth. The tree paste was medicine for the trees and it would help them to grow strong and healthy. Phoebe wasn’t afraid to get dirty and neither am I, so together we rolled up our sleeves and began! I chose to do this with our bare hands, as I felt Phoebe needed to physically engage with the process. She needed to touch the mix of clay, cow manure and sand, and to feel it as she smoothed it over the exposed parts of the trees. As we applied the paste I sang very softly The Healing Song (Shea Darian adapted by Sandra Frain). I became very attentive and meditative about the task at hand, and Phoebe imitated beautifully. Phoebe sustained interest in this healing work for some weeks and so we kept it up. Weeks
later Phoebe would find a tree at the bottom of the garden with a ‘sore’ and she would yell, ‘Xiola, we have to help this tree.’ And help the trees we did! What I found extraordinary was that this simple process offered this child an opportunity to connect. Through this tree pasteing, Phoebe began to show empathy in a way that she had been unable to do with her peers. She spoke with such love and warmth to the trees, saying things such as, ‘Don’t worry tree. We’ll look after you. We’ll make you better.’ She would come across an insect on the tree and with the greatest delight show everyone in the playground, and then place it gently back on the tree. What is beautiful here is how this ‘healing work’ of tree pasteing was deeply symbiotic. Our task was very practical, and yet it was so therapeutic emotionally for Phoebe to engage in this task. She appeared relaxed and absorbed when engaging in this work. Might I add, it was also therapeutic for me to have found a way to really engage with this child! My work with the young child has affirmed over and over the place that the natural world has in supporting a child to feel connected. For children with special needs, the sense of connection, awe and warmth made in the natural world can be used as the foundations from which to build loving and respectful relationships with other humans. Thank you Sandra for continuing to inspire my work with children! Xiola Nolan Xiola can be contacted via email xiolalily@gmail.com
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The Rhythm of Life Helle Heckmann translated by Jean-Paul Bardou Editor’s note: This is the first part of an article which appeared in Gateways, Fall/Winter 2001. A second part of the original article, focusing on the observance of Harvest, is included in the Autumn section of this volume.
How do we bring to the child childhood’s gifts of total acceptance, innocence, faith, and trust? For me, it has always been through life in nature, its constant changes and transformations, never the same and yet recognizable. For me, the fact of being a human being in nature, working with nature with consideration and respect, has been a means to bring to present-day children (and adults) an experience of forces that are far beyond our understanding, but that ask for our wondering. To be able to see and wonder is a driving force for life forces. Nature celebrations and cosmic celebrations Regardless of where we are on the earth, nature is at the base of our culture and our survival. We must adjust our existence according to the natural forces is deeply ingrained in us. A calling for a religious force that goes beyond all religious denomination is also present in nature. Nature’s celebrations must always be an expression of the surroundings we live in. For me, the cosmic celebrations are another element. They take place at specific times all over the earth, because they express a realm beyond the plane of nature. Let’s take Easter as an example. In Denmark, Easter joins
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with spring. So we mix the two aspects of celebration. A spring celebration expresses appreciation for the arrival of spring after a very dark period. We paint (a heathen custom) and we let the Easter Rabbit hide eggs that the children must find (the hare as a fertility symbol). Then we roll those eggs down a hill so that the hardboiled eggs split in two and the yolks roll out, a symbol for the release and the ascension of Jesus Christ as the being of the Sun. In that manner, we mix a celebration of nature with a spiritual celebration. It works quite well, because we blend many cultural traditions with spiritual cosmic realities. What happens on the other side of the earth? There it is fall, with the Lantern celebration as a Nature celebration, and Easter as a cosmic celebration. It means that for me in that situation (fall on the other side of the Earth), the raising of the Christ force must convey an inner enlightenment, while on the Northern hemisphere it must be an external experience, or how else can it be? How can we practice our seasonal and cosmic celebrations so that they appear as parts of a whole instead of isolated celebrations? I have first chosen to hold celebrations that I feel are relevant for our kindergarten—considering the cultural background of
my children and the environment they come from. I have chosen a daily rhythm that builds on outdoors experience, because many of children are city children with limited movement possibilities— because of traffic, small apartments, and an indoor life based on sitting (computers, television, and so on). We have a delightful garden and beautiful surroundings (swamps, cemetery, and soccer field), although we are located only fifteen minutes by bicycle from the center of Copenhagen. It is quite natural for us to include these areas in our daily life. Every day we spend the first two morning hours outside the kindergarten. We walk twenty minutes, spend one hour at a specific place, and walk home again—simply so that the children get moving. (We have about twenty-five children from one to seven years of age. See Nøkken: A Garden for Children.) On our daily walk, we get an experience of the four elements: the whistling (or lack thereof) of the wind; the warmth of the sun, when it hides or comes out; the drumming of the rain or the splashing of the puddles; the changing states of the earth—wet, dry, planted or not, and so forth. At the same time, nature makes frames around us, and it makes a big difference as to where we are in the course of the year. Each time has its own qual-
ity and each season makes us remember the previous one and look forward to the next one. Nature helps us remember prior experiences and build joy for upcoming ones. That expresses itself quite naturally in the different age phases the children go through in the six years they spend in the kindergarten
The seasons don’t start and end; they are like a wheel constantly in motion. For instance, our children always start singing Christmas songs in the late spring just before summer. They dance around spruce trees (Christmas trees) that have put forth new shoots and look just as if they had decorated themselves the way we, in Denmark, decorate them and dance around them by Christmas. The complementary celebrations take place to a large extent at the same time as the real seasonal celebrations, and that is where all our pedagogical work lies, in the way we carry out the celebrations so that there is a context with the whole course of the year,
a weaving in and out from one to the next, and yet some kind of an orderly sequence, so that the formative forces clearly shine through. The art is to understand nature as a rhythmical breath instead of a beat that ticks separate events. Helle Heckmann is the founder and director of Nøkken, a home-based child-care center in Copenhagen. She is active in teacher training in Denmark and abroad, and has served as a member of the Board of the International Association for Steiner/Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE) and of the International Birth-to-Three Working Group.
Trust and Wonder It is said that human beings learn more in the first three years than in the next thirty. With the utmost reverence for this amazing period of life, a firm grounding in Anthroposophy, and many practical examples, an experienced Waldorf kindergarten teacher and mentor offers the fruits of her many years of living and working with the youngest children. This concise, accessible book is written out of the author’s experience with integrating children under three into a Waldorf kindergarten in Norway. Perfect for a parent/child group study, or for schools considering how to include infants and toddlers in their program, it includes sections on the fourfold human being as a basis for Waldorf education; stages of child development in the first three years; the importance of imitation; the
development of the foundational senses; creating a good daily routine; play and play materials; the physical environment; and much more. Another book published by WECAN is: The Child from Birth to Three “This is another book that I, for one, have been hoping to see for nearly 30 years. It covers a topic that is vital to the health of our children in this time, that of Waldorf childcare for the very young. And, it covers it beautifully and thoroughly, with dozens of wonderful color photos from actual Waldorf nurseries. If you have a young child or want to work with young children, my opinion is that this book is essential, happy, joyous reading.” -- Nancy Parsons
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Hand in Hand ing, is an art for all. Anyone can develop their awareness and skill for movement and it is rich food for the growing child. Ideally I would teach the material in a workshop first and then have teachers take the DVD as a support. As this is not always possible, I have endeavoured to make the demonstrations and explanations thorough and careful, with attention to the details that can make all the difference in how the children take up the movement.
Hand in Hand Disc I for use with 4-6 year olds, was produced about six years ago in response to a perceived need, not only for movement material to use with children, but for guidance in using it. As a Eurythmist, I have long thought there was much content from the eurythmy lesson that could be taken up by teachers or parents. Eurythmy, like sing-
As Hand in Hand I was welcomed enthusiastically, I decided to extend the project creating a new disc for kindergarten followed by a series for primary school years one to seven. Disc II is the first of these. It contains a further collection of poems and verses with movement specifically for 4-6 year olds, although if younger and older children can and will do them, there is no reason to not extend their use. They have
been enjoyed by many groups and I have never tired of seeing the children enter into them with enthusiasm for the content, and the remarkable, innate Will to develop greater mastery of their little limbs. Disc III for 8-9 year olds is now also ready for production and will be coming out soon. There is much scope for increasing the use of movement as a pedagogical medium, particularly in our sedentary age of cars, computers and TV. Years of experience in teaching and watching children leave me with a deep sense of gratefulness for the profound understanding Rudolf Steiner gave of the relationships between movement, speech and physical development. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with others who work with children! Jan Baker-Finch
Sales Information Hand in Hand Disc II is now available for A$80 (postage included) SPECIAL OFFER PRICE Disc I and Disc II Only $95 for both Order via email: janb-f@optusnet.com.au For buyers within Australia direct debit payment is preferred. Payment via Paypal is also possible Currently the DVDs are only available in PAL (Suitable for Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Germany, China, India, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and UK) but by the end of the year they will also be on the market in NTSC format for USA and other countries.
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Ladybirds Oh! Ladybird, Ladybird, why dost thou roam So far from thy comrades, so distant from home? Why dost thou, who canst revel all day in the air, Who the sweets of the grove and the garden, canst share; In a fold of a leaf, who canst form thee a bower, And a palace enjoy in the tube of a flower; Ah, why, simple Ladybird, why doust thou venture, The dwellings of man so familiar to enter? by Charlotte Smith cira 1807
You will need the pattern template, scraps of red (orange, yellow), green and black felt, embroidery floss (work with two strands), wood roving for stuffing and I think that is it. (Oh you might like to use little black buttons or beads for the wing spots.) 1. Cut out your pieces. 2. Sew felt spots, black beads, buttons or french knots onto the wings first. 3. Then paying attention to your As, Bs and Cs, stitching the wings to the side of the head section. Then stitch the funny little V bit which will curve the head nicely. 4. Using red thread (or other coordinating colour), stitch the wings together down the centre back. 5. Find the centre of your base and match it with the centre wing seam. Starting with the curved head end, begin stitching the top and base together. The base will seem too small, don’t
panic! You need to ease your stitching to make the top fit the base so that you get a nicely domed ladybird.
Leave a bit of a gap before you close the stitching and stuff it firmly but not so it is bursting at the seams.
6. Close it up; leave your needle threaded and attached. To make antenna, bring your needle and thread out in an (antennerish) spot on its head and make a small back stitch/knot flush with the spot. Then bring the thread directly up to what looks like a good length and tie a knot in the thread before snipping the thread with scissors just above the knot. Go in again on the opposite side and do it all again. 7. You can stitch your finished ladybird to a little leaf (add a clasp to the back and it is a brooch. Pop it on some black elastic and it is a sweet little headband, or just sit it on the bench and let little hands play with it.
A
B Ladybird wing Cut 2
Leaf Cut 1
Ladybird base Cut 1
C
A
A
Ladybird head Cut 1 B
B
www.motherrhythm.blogspot.com (Ref: Thanks to the Samford Valley Steiner School craft group. Photography by Shannon Morris)
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Brown rice and buckwheat pancakes *Pikelet is dairy free, gluten free option. At Periwinkle we use a double batch of this mixture for morning tea. ½ cup brown rice flour ½ cup buckwheat flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ coconut milk ½ cup oat milk + a little extra to thin to right consistency 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 large egg, beaten Cold-pressed coconut oil for frying To serve: Maple yoghurt (natural yoghurt with a dash of pure maple syrup stirred into it) Fresh or poached fruit • Sift the flours and baking powder into a mixing bowl. • In a separate bowl, whisk the oat milk, coconut milk, egg and vanilla essence. Pour into the flour mixture and stir to combine, adding a little extra oat milk to achieve a pouring consistency. • Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and smear with coconut oil. Pour in tablespoons of pancake mixture. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture a little. • When bubbling, flip the pancakes and cook the other side. • Repeat with the remaining mixture. Notes: • At Periwinkle we replace the oat milk with rice milk to make this gluten-free. • This recipe is very flexible. The brown rice flour can be replaced with wholemeal spelt (or any other) flour; the oat and coconut milk can be replaced with regular full-cream milk. • This recipe is based on the pancake recipe in Jude Blereau’s ‘Wholefood’. (Recipe with thanks to Periwinkle Children’s Centre, Byron Bay, NSW)
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Spring Song R.Everett
Nurturing with the natural - the importance of childhood and play Brisbane based Stockist of Steiner products
Children need time for creative, imaginative play, because it is through play that children learn most readily. They cannot turn on a switch and watch it, they need to touch and handle it. They will combine it with other toys in completely unexpected ways. Children’s imagination (if fostered) runs on high speed and needs little encouragement. Since well made toys will last far beyond us, the memories gained are a bonus. Few things in life today are permanent. We need to cultivate those memories ensuring they remain vivid. Toys that foster the imagination and toys that encourage the sense of creation will help call those memories to mind.
Order our products online (www.natureplay.com.au) or visit our store in Brisbane at Shop 3, 48 Main St., Samford. Nature Play is a stockist of the Star Weavings newsletter.
Call Irene 0439 515 474
Wooden Toys, Gifts, Books and Crafts Open Wednesday to Friday from 9.30am – 3.30pm and Saturday 9.00am - 1.00pm. Main Street, Samford between Samford Hotel and PoolWerx
www.natureplay.com.au Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
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Complete range of the works of Rudolf Steiner and related authors. • Anthroposophy and Spiritual Development • Biodynamic Agriculture
(Art of Healing the Earth)
• Anthroposophical Medicine
(based on Steiner’s view of Humanity and Nature)
• Artistic Therapy • Nutrition and Health • Parenting and Steiner Education Also available • Quality Children’s Books, Art Materials and Toys • Musical Instruments • Weleda/Dr Hauschka Face and Body Care For mail order, catalogue and/or wholesale enquiries: 307 Sussex Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000 ph: 02 9264 5169 Fax: 02 9267 1225 email: rudolfsteinerbookcentre@gmail.com
Wholesale School Supplies Specialising in supplies (both local and imported) for Steiner schools and businesses, including main lesson books, handmade wooden toys, wool, Stockmar, Lyra, Art Makes Sense & painting paper. 2/123 Merrindale Drive Croydon South 3136 Phone: 03 9761 6030 Fax: 03 9761 5596 Email: info@mercurius-australia.com
Visit our website at mercurius-australia.com
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RAINBOW WOOLS 4 and 8 ply Perle Cotton Mohair for dolls hair Merino Fibres for wet felting Corriedale Fibre for dry/wet felting Tapestry Wool Wool Stuffing etc
Carol Olde RAINBOW WOOLS Lt 422 Railway Pde, WINGELLO NSW 2579 Ph 02 48844312 fx 48844313 e: sales@rainbowwools.com w: rainbowwools.com 8, 12, 16 and 20 ply Wool available from Nicola Wilkins—Uralla Wool Room Ph 02 67784226 Fx 02 67784230
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Details Star Weavings newsletter - One (1) subscription of $45 (Overseas A$60) includes 4 Issues over 2 years in March & September. Postage included. No GST charged.
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Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
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Sydney Rudolf Steiner College is a Sydney based adult education college offering Full and Part-Time courses inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner. Teacher Training Courses include the accredited Advanced Diploma of Rudolf Steiner Education (Course Code 6980TAS), a Teacher Training course by Distance (non-accredited) and Early Childhood (non-accredited). Other courses include modules in Visual and Performing Arts, Biodynamic Gardening and individual personal development. Rudolf Steiner developed and taught a path of knowledge he called Anthroposophy or Wisdom of the Human Being which involves a discovery of self, the world and what it means to be human. Our courses delve into education, health, art, agriculture, speech, drama, and movement - some of the many fields in which Rudolf Steiner gave insights and inspiration for the future. COURSES Advanced Diploma of Rudolf Steiner Education (Course Code 6980TAS) Foundation Course in Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education P/T Certificate in Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education Certificate in Foundations of Rudolf Steiner Education – P/T Distance Course Biodynamic Gardening Health and Nutrition Performance Arts Goethean Science Fairytale Writing
Photography by LunasolFoto.com.au
Introduction to Anthroposophy Biography courses (Professional and Personal Development) Short Courses
The college is located in Rudolf Steiner House in the CBD (central business district) of Sydney just a few minutes from Town Hall railway station and (public/private) bus transport. For further Information and Enrolment: Website: sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com Email: info@sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com Phone: (02) 9261 4001 Fax: (02) 9267 2213 Address: 307 Sussex St, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Sydney Rudolf Steiner College 307 Sussex Street, Sydney 2000 NSW, Australia
Butterfly Lying in the summer grass The lazy days so quickly pass. I watch the bugs and slugs and flowers, Often it seems for hours and hours. Once the sunshine made me wink, And in the quickness of a blink, A flower rose into the sky! Oh my, thought I, a butterfly. It flapped it’s gentle angel wings And danced as fairies in their rings. Then like a feather gently fell Into a tulip’s nectar well. (Ref: Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts)
A Fairy went a-marketing By Rose Fyleman
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A fairy went a-marketingShe bought a little fish; She put it in a crystal bowl Upon a golden dish; All day she sat in wonderment And watched its silver gleam, And then she gently took it up And slipped it in the stream.
A fairy went a-marketingShe bought a winter gown All stitched about with gossamer And lined with thistledown; She wore it all the afternoon With prancing and delight; Then gave it to a little frog To keep him warm at night.
A fairy went a-marketingShe bought a coloured bird; It sang the sweetest, shrillest song That ever she had heard; She sat beside its painted cage And listened half the day, And then she opened wide the door, And let it fly away.
A fairy went a-marketingShe bought a gentle mouse To take her tiny messages, To keep her tiny house; All day she kept its busy feet Pit-patting to and fro, And then she kissed its silken ears, Thanked it, and let it go.
Star Weavings N0 46- Spring/Summer 2011
Star Weavings
A newsletter of the Australian Association for Rudolf Steiner Early Childhood Education