One of the greatest gifts I ever received as a mother was the use of therapeutic storytelling in the raising of my children. From small squabbles or tantrums to moving to a new town to the death of a grandparent to just needing a quiet meditative listening time for all of us, story was my […]
The Gift of Story by Kerry Brokaw Read More »
It is with much fondness and loving memories that I read the offerings in this summer newsletter. Thanks to all who contributed and to all who will read and enjoy learning more about how to bring joy and delight to our children through rhythmical songs and games. As a kindergarten teacher, once I
Letter from Cynthia, Summer 2015 Read More »
As I wait for my new suite to be completed, I have had the time to think about how well I do with transitions and change. Just when I think the move is imminent and I start to prepare myself for the new rhythm we will have in our new surroundings, a delay occurs
A New Room by Sandra Schmidt Read More »
I started working on the autumn circle in July that I would do with the adults and children in my program. I copied the lyrics in a journal, writing them down in the order I wanted to bring them to the children, taking into consideration transitions into the next song, and allowances for large movement
Preparing for Circle Time in a Parent-Child Program By Regin Dervaes Read More »
Thoughts about Circle Time with Older Children by Sharifa Oppenheimer Sharifa shares from her extensive work with kinder-garten-aged children: Circle Time has always been one of my favorite times of the day. What I love is that Circle Time incorporates many of the elements we strive to bring to young children throughout the day, all
Thoughts About Circle Time By Sharifa Oppenheimer Read More »
This spring has brought some changes in terms of our teachers and administrators. However, amazingly, everything feels very much the same as it always has at LifeWays [Milwaukee]. The rhythm of each day and the cyclical rhythms of the seasons provide us all, especially the children, with security. Several years ago, when my now teenage
Change by Tammy Treviranus Read More »
Everyday, in all weather, I take my class outside to play in the garden, to make dirt muffins and mulch soups in our mud kitchen, and to swing in the trees. Always, the day is a new adventure and my children find unbounded ways to reinterpret and reinvent the world of our small preschool backyard
Our Little Earth Worms Love Spring By Adana Whyte Read More »
Mary writes: One of my favorite texts in the LifeWays Early Childhood Training is Karl Konig’s book, The First Three Years of the Child. Konig describes the three major milestones achieved by the child that are unique to humans. It always blows my mind to think about how important the first three years of our
Learning to Speak by Mary O’Connell Read More »
This is the tale of a story born in the back seat of a car under a star-filled sky. As a Waldorf teacher, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the gift of a story coming into my imagination at just the right moment. Sometimes it has been a complete gift from the spiritual world.
A Spark to Reignite the Soul — “Awake All Night” By Paulie Cole Read More »
I was a total and complete basket case. When I first decided to embark on the LifeWays training in the winter of 2007, I was right in the middle of a full-blown authenticity crisis. A new second-time mother with a 7-month-old and nearly 3-year-old daughters, I was experiencing the very difficult learning curve of acclimating
