The ABC's of a Waldorf Mama: Letters F-J

F is for Fairy Tales, Books and Story Telling

Circle time is the heart of our Kindergarten program at home. It is a time for singing, movement games, story of the week and felt board stories/rhymes. Chook (3) is an active participant and Strawberry loves snuggling in close for the story. Ooffa will wander in and out of circle time but will always be there for our movement songs!

Our story lasts for a week and I use it as a springboard for our creative activities and imaginative play over the week. Sometimes a story inspires more than a week of activity and interest, so I go with it.

I choose my stories based on events in my child’s life, seasonal or related to a festival.

There is no set pattern as to what activities I do on what day, but the first day is always just read the story. Chook loves to take the book off me when we have finished and flick back through it. On the other days, after we have read the story again, we will be engaged in an activity prompted by something within the story.

I try to ‘tell’ stories too. I have found the easiest way for me to remember a tale that I am presenting orally is via the felt board. I love using the felt board to tell fairy tales such as, The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the Three bears, The Three Little Pigs and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Developing listening skills and encouraging creativity is a by-product of telling stories. My children love made-up stories featuring them and experiences from their day. I like to tell these tales at bedtime along with a song and a lullaby, in place of a book. We begin our night time story rhythm by first lighting a candle and then one child is chosen to blow the candle out. Chook has called this time ‘Story Candle’ since he was two and a half J.

G is for Gardening

Children are nourished by contact with the natural world. By experiencing nature through the senses, observing change in plants and animals the foundations for future learning are laid. My teen has a huge interest in science and all things natural. I can only attribute this to the fact he has spent his entire awake life outdoors! From gardening with me from 18 months old to camping and fishing with his Dad from about 3 years old.

With multiple children, under the age of three, I have found it hard to engage them in gardening activities. But I do hope to be more intentional with these activities now they are older. I have a copy of The Garden Classroom and I will be using ideas from it to help us get the most from our outdoor experiences!

Making A Vegetable Garden With Kids ~ Triple T Mum

Garden activities from around the web:

Garden Faerie House ~ Hinterland Mama

Children Planting A Garden ~ Hinterland Mama

Our Newest Worm Farm ~ Hinterland Mama

H is for Homeschooling the three year old

The work of my three year old is PLAY! The place for it to happen is OUTSIDE. The emphasis is on IMAGINATION.

Waldorf Homeschooling for this age is about intentional living.

Our ‘Curriculum’ is as follows (adapted from The Parenting Passageway's post Waldorf in the Home With the Three And Four Year Old ):

• Self-care: brushing our teeth morning and night. Washing hands after going to the toilet and before meals.
• Meal times: Wiping the table after a meal. Cutting up fruit. Sweeping the floor after a meal (winter time).
• Rest time: Work on getting this screen-free.
• Bath time: Finger plays.
• Outside play: Sand pit. Water table. Swings. Play house. Climbing frames. Gardening. Arboretum. Park. Beach. Wetlands. Farm. Using natural objects in play. Dandelion wishes.
• Household Chores and Handwork: This is a time for teaching skills through imitation. There is an open-ended aspect to it and it is a delicate balance between showing Chook how to accomplish a new skill and not doing it for him.Activities such as: Sweeping. Washing the dishes. Cutting up the fruit. Making apple snakes.
• Literacy: Nursery rhymes, songs for what we are doing and songs for playing, movement games, felt board stories, riddles, books.
• The first FOUR of the twelve senses: Sense of touch. Sense of life (daily rhythm). Sense of movement (movement games, learning to ride a bike and learning to swim). Sense of balance (learning to pump when swinging, forward rolls).
• Foster creative play: Set up imaginative scenarios, invitations to play and sensory boxes.
• Prepare for festivals and celebrations: Australia Day, Birthdays, Shrove Tuesday, St Patrick’s Day, Lent and Easter, ANZAC Day, Festival of the Wind, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Agriculture Show Day, Halloween, Christmas & New Year.
• Art: Colour experiences with paint, inks, water colour paints, crayons. Modelling with sand, play dough, salt dough, mud. Gluing collages. Card making. Decorations for festivals and celebrations. Wrapping paper.
• Circle Time.
• Exposure to letters, numbers, colours, names, words, shapes. NOT formal academics.
• Outings: Library. Playgroup.

I is for Inner Work

My journey for some time has been in the realm of Inner Work or self development. This is a life-time journey for us all. For now, it is quite significant in my life and parenting. That is why you will find so many posts on Parenting here! The most important goal in my parenting is to parent with joy and patience. To bring joy to my days with my children I need to take time to nourish my soul and self-care.

Identifying my strengths and challenges, reading widely on parenting and Waldorf education, reflecting on these ideas and bringing them into practice are some of the ways I do my Inner Work.

My dear bloggy friend Kelly, over at Happy Whimsical Hearts shared a post about finding a new rhythm after returning to work, Free Falling {A Tale of Returning To Work}. 

I am also really excited about being part of the Abundant Mama Project and E-Course offered by Awesomely Awake. This is how I’ll be starting off my year of Inner Work!

More on Inner Work:

Inner Work ~ The Waldorf Way

J is for Joy

Parenting through Waldorf brings me a lot of joy. It challenges me to act intentionally and remember that ultimately I am the model my children imitate. This could be seen as a lot of pressure for a parent but it is tempered by the fact that we are on a life long learning journey and that by engaging in our Inner Work on a daily basis, we are doing our best to provide a strong foundation for a children's development into adulthood.

Educating through Waldorf also brings me joy because it speaks to me as a teacher and acknowledges my concerns about formal academics in early childhood. Waldorf talks of protecting the child’s senses, fostering the imagination through songs, rhymes and stories. It values time, giving the child time to ‘wake-up’ and come into their body. Research has found that children educated through play-based programs for the first six years excel ahead of children introduced to academics early.

 

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook & Pinterest where I love sharing new ideas on parenting with joy, creative play and learning through play.
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The ABC's of... series is hosted by nearly 60 awesome blogs from the Kid Blogger Network. Today my co-hosts are writing posts around Mom Tips & Tricks. Don't forget to visit for additional features!

• • Being a Hands on Mom from hands on : as we grow
  • Connecting with your Kids from One Perfect Day
  • Family Field Trips with Kids from Edventures with Kids
  • Fun Healthy Snacks for Kids from Juggling with Kids
  • Kids Party Ideas from Mama Pea Pod
  • Mama Survival from The Dizzy Mom
  • Organized Home from Mamas Like Me
  • Printables from Mama Miss
  • Raising Boys from Boy Mama Teacher Mama
  • Raising Eco-Friendly Kids from Kitchen Counter Chronicles
  • Raising Girls from Mess for Less
  • Raising a Healthy Kid from Living Life Intentionally
  • Raising a Thinking Child from The Outlaw Mom
  • Raising Toddlers from Home Learning Journey
  • Raising a World Citizen from All Done Monkey
  • Simply Celebrating Holidays as a Family from Inspired by Family Magazine
  • Teaching Kids about Money from Carrots are Orange
  • The Family Dinner Table from Connecting Family & Seoul
  • Trying A New Experience with Your Children from 52 Brand New
  • Values for Children from True Aim Education