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Waldorf Early Childhood Education class
bensmommy | | 
0
This week was a beet and lima bean soup, in honor of Valentine's day. The children took a tiny heart cookie cutter and stamped out a slice of beet to top-off their bowl. Now we've established that my son never eats the soup, but he did eat the heart-shaped beet. I see a cassanova in my future :)
The instructor of our class, Lalla Carini, has made mention several times of the book SIX POINT PLAN FOR RAISING HAPPY HEALTHY CHILDREN by John Rosemond. She mentions that the tone of the book does not necessarily match our San Francisco style but that most of the information in the book is right on. She read us a passage that we brought into discussion. The passage had to do with the amount and kind of attention that we give our children versus how much time and kind of attention our parents gave us, their parents gave them, etc. Finally, thankfully, there seems to be an awareness being brought to this 'over-parenting' trend that has come about. And I know for myself that my son wouldn't hurt from some healthy neglect every now and again. It was interesting how other parents spoke up in this discussion, about how they were treated growing up, by both mothers and fathers and other siblings, and how that may have influenced their parenting today. The moral of the story, at least from what I understood, is that we are the parents now. It is up to us to find our own attentive quality. So what kind of parent are you? A doter? Hands-off? Somewhere inbetween?
And now for a soup recipe, by popular demand, my favorite so far...
Cream of Spinach and Sweet Potato Soup
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 T minced garlic
1 cup spelt flour
1.5 quarts vege or chicken stock
3 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
10 oz fresh spinach leaves, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups skim milk (though I used whole)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
salt and pepper
In a large, heavy pot with cooking spray or butter, coat onion, celery, red bell pepper and garlic over medium-high heat until veges are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in flour and gradually add broth, whisking until soup is blended.
Add Sweet Potatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add spinach, milk, green onions, sald and pepper, cooking until spinach is wilted and soup is well-heated and thickened, about 5 minutes.
Yum Yum and one more YUM.
Enjoy.
And remember, registration for these classes is next week and they will fill up FAST.
Visit http://www.sfwaldorf.org/programs/earlychildhoodprogram.asp
Happy Sunny Break,
Jessie
Waldorf, early childhood education, rhythm, parenting (all tags)
Waldorf Early Childhood Education class - nutrition and space
bensmommy | | 0
I missed a post last week so there is a lot to cover now!
We've been celebrating festivals of other cultures - made dumpling soup for Chinese New Year last week and sushi and miso this week. I love the sushi as a portable snack for my son. It's easy to pack all sorts of nutritious bits in there!
Last week we discussed a bit about nutrition. I have nutrition training so not much was new to me but it's great to be reminded of the basics, especially in terms of feeding our children. Here are a couple of my favorite tips (though we were given many more)
1. Create a schedule for eating. Once the child's body is used to the time they are eating, they tend to eat better. And make a ritual of it. Light a candle, say a prayer, fold a napkin a certain way or whatever. Just make some recognition that this is quiet eating time.
- General guidelines - Breakfast: Whole grains, fat and protein. Lunch: Fats and Protein. Dinner: More grains and vegetables, little to no fat and protein, for healthy liver function.
- Try to get greens in there. Cover them with butter or cheese or grind them into pancakes or some other form. Whatever works. Get them in there!
Those are just a few. If anyone has more questions, I'm happy to offer what I know.
Secondly, the notion of "space" has come up both in this class and at another lecture I attended "Movement in Childhood". A couple of key points here...
- Have a space for your child in the home. Make this a warm and welcoming space. If you ask them to "go play alone" for awhile, bring some things out for them to get them started. This will help them get engaged.
- The space around the child is just as much theirs as their body. Coming in with a pointed finger is an invasion of the space. Instead of coming close and saying "don't go past those trees", stand next to the child, point out to the trees and say "you can play all the way up to those trees". That leaves the space open for them to explore.
Something to chew on. I certainly am.
Have a great weekend,
Jessie
waldorf, early childhood education, nutrition, space, ritual (all tags)
What I learned in Waldorf this week - Discipline
bensmommy | | 0
I can go on and on about my lessons this week. And I finally made the recipe that we made in class in my own home because the creamy spinach and sweet potato soup was THAT good.
We talked a a bit about discipline this week. My son is a pretty mellow guy and I realized that after our discussion this week, which was somewhat of a review from a few months ago when I took my first class, that his behavior has dramatically improved and I think through some of the advice I gained from Lalla and Waldorf. Children have no sense of boundaries. They are not even 100% in their own bodies so when their hand reaches out to grab something, they almost don't associate their own, physical hand with that action. Once I understood that, I started to see how so much of my sons actions seemed as much a surprise to him as they were to me. So what have we done? When children get in each others space and they start grabbing or hitting each other, just put your arm in the middle. This indicates to them a "boundary" that they don't otherwise see. When they are aggressive, instead of answering with aggression, stroke their arms. I may be repeating myself but many things came clear to me this week.
And one parent made a nice comment about "time outs". I inadvertently gave my son his first time out the other day, more for me than him, really, and felt bad about it. Disciplining is not my strong suit. But this parent had learned in a yoga training that the time out really helps the child to step away from the situation and breath. The space and the breathe can really help to ease the situation. And as far as I'm concerned, the sooner the child learns to step back and take a breath, the better!
And there's my story for the week. Really there is so much more because I went to a 2 hour discussion about 'taking charge', but those details may have to wait for another day!
Take care,
Jessie
Waldorf, early childhood education, rhythm, discipline (all tags)
What I learned in Waldorf this week - Participation
bensmommy | | 0
This week was ANOTHER yummy soup - leek, parsnip and ginger soup, topped with creme fraiche. And instead of our usual whole wheat buns, we made popovers, which is great if your child doesn't get near eggs!
We did some review of topics covered in our previous discussions and one really rang true for my son and I. It has to do with participation. The more I started involving him in my 'chores', the more he felt useful and engaged. It has become such a part of our day that I can hardly remember having to struggle to get things done in the house. He has jobs and I have jobs. He wipes the kitchen table, sets the plates and silverware out. He helps rinse the vegetables for the meal, chop the vegetables, stirs anything that needs stiring, hits the button of the food processor, etc. He even takes a broom after we are finished (which tends to turn into more of a mess, but it's the thought that counts). It makes so much more sense to do these things together, rather than play play play with toys and such until it's time to 'get things done'. Why not do both? We've incorporated some of the songs we've learned with Lalla in our class and made up some of our own. I have to say, moving from play into work is pretty smooth sailing! And from my own experience, I see that if he is getting impatient with his work, I just need to focus 100% on him for about 5-10 minutes before he'll keep himself engaged again. And he's only 2.5!
And since many of you have been asking...
Here's where you can sign up for these classes...
http://www.sfwaldorf.org/programs/earlychildhoodprogram.asp
They have a listing of the current classes, which will end in March. I think almost all of them will repeat in the Spring. Keep checking for the new schedule and registration dates.
Bye-bye sunshine, hello winter rains,
Jessie
What I learned in Waldorf this week - Warmth and Sleep
bensmommy | | 0
Hello all,
This week we cooked a delicious soup with chestnuts, apples, leeks and celery root. The children had a great time chopping the vegetables and scooping the insides from the pre-boiled chestnuts. The result... again, delicious! My son is in an anti-soup phase but mommy makes sure to eat his share :)
In our discussion we talked about making sure that our children are warm enough and to steer clear of our "democratic parenting" in this situation. If their hands are cold, their bodies are cold. My son tends to have a fit if I try to get a thick jacket on and FORGET about having a hat on for more than 5 minutes. And yes, his hands tend to be cold and when asked he answers "I'm fine. I'm not cold." I have started being more forceful and he knows that if it's cold, there will be a jacket! I am so thankful to be away from that at the moment. My favorite thing about California is tank-top weeks in January!
In the discussion about sleep, we discussed the importance of having our toddlers in bed at 7pm. Not only is a good nights sleep essential for the development of children, it is also essential for the relationship of the parents. Though my son tends to sleep really well from 9pm to 8am, it is true that my wife and I almost never see each other since we ourselves tend to be ready for bed at 10! We are slowly slowly trying to change our evening routine to get him in bed earlier, especially now while it's dark early.
And on a random note, in these Waldorf classes, there is a song that goes with most everything - taking off our shoes when we arrive, washing hands, kneading dough, playing, cleaning, coming, going, etc. I have started using these songs at home and after the first or second word, my son will drop what he's doing and pick up the broom, the sponge, his toothbrush or pretty much anything I sing towards. What a blessing this has been. And it keeps me from losing my cool as well.
Happy Tank-Top January,
Jessie
Waldorf, early childhood education, rhythm, sleep, warmth (all tags)
What I learned in Waldorf this week
bensmommy | | 0
Hello,
Another good lesson was learned in my Waldorf Cooking/Observation class this week. Besides making a delicious sweet potato and coconut milk soup and japanese rice balls, we discussed a topic I brought up - discipline with rough boys. I have a two year old who tends to take his pent up energy and excitement and turn it into hitting. It's clear he doesn't mean to hurt and he always feels remorse when he sees that the other child (or adult!) is upset or hurt by his action. So I put forth the question of what to do after that.
Like most parents, I tend to look him in the eye and explain why hitting is inappropriate and unnecessary. Small children, however, learn through physical action rather than words. Lalla, our Waldorf teacher, showed that by taking the child's hand in ours and stroking it gently will get the idea of "gentle" across far more than the word will. So when the child is getting aggressive, do not meet that aggression but rather PHYSICALLY imply gentleness by stroking their arms or hands. I have put this to action over the past few days and have already noticed a difference. And this morning, he was stroking my face as we woke up!
Thought I would share,
Jessie
Waldorf Early Childhood Education class 1
bensmommy | | 0
Hello! My 2 1/2 year old boy and I are now taking our second "Observation" Class through the San Francisco Early Childhood Education program run by the SF Waldorf School. I find myself bringing this up in conversation with many people and hoped to share bits of my experience with you every week, based on activities and discussions we have in class.
This week was the first of 10 classes. Every Friday, we meet (about 10 2-ish year olds and their moms and/or dads) up near the Marina. We first come in, take off our shoes, wash our hands, and sit at the table to knead bread. This class has extended into greater cooking so this week we were taught how to help our little 2 year olds how to chop vegetables with a knife. After the food is ready to be cooked (the bread is put in the oven and the vegetables were put on the fire for a soup), we all make our way upstairs into a large playroom. There are many toys, all made from natural materials - wood, metal, cloth, etc. The children then are free to play while the parents discuss some 'issue' either brought up by a parent or by our teacher, Lalla. We then convene again for songs in a circle, make our way back to the eating area, wash our hands, say a blessing for our food, and enjoy our bread, soup, cheese and some bread.
This week, being the first week of this new group, the returning parents shared a positive experience that they had integrated after the last series. I was most impressed by one mother who said she started staying home more with her son, as in, not planning a hundred and one activities and classes to keep him occupied. Rather, making household life an activity in itself - to engage him in cooking, cleaning, playing in the home, resting in the home. On top of that, these activities, by nature, follow a timely rhythm. There is time to play, time to cook, time to clean, etc. This rhythm provides confidence and reliability for the little children. They are also participants in their life, not just being taken here, there and everywhere.
That's my word for the week. As more things pop up, I will share. I really am finding this quite helpful and relaxing!
For more about these classes, visit http://www.sfwaldorf.org/gradeschool/earlychildhood/parentingtoddler.asp
The latest block just started but keep checking for the new schedule in the early spring!
Enjoy the weekend,
Jessie
