EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDY WORKSHOPS: 2013 - 2014
Early Childhood Study A course in professional development for educators, doctors, therapists, care workers, curative educators and parents Course carriers: Thea Kaesbach and Jill Taplin 11-13 Oct 2013 Workshop 6 The Anthroposophical Inner schooling path in connection to education. This workshop will focus on the path towards the source of inspiration. Anthroposophy and pedagogy meet through the understanding of the developing human being. The teacher can become an artist in education through inspirational forces derived from such an understanding. This workshop will focus on the path towards the source of inspiration. -with Christof Wiechert More details and Application: http://www.earlychildhoodstudy.com/workshop5.php for more info and more courses, including summer special events and story telling festival go to: http://www.emerson.org.uk/part-time-courses-0/early-childhood-study/
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2/6/2013 0 Comments On rhythm and breathingIn breathing, grace may two-fold be.
We breathe air in, we set it free. The in-breath binds, the out unwinds And thus, with marvels, life entwines. Then thanks to God when we are pressed And thank Him when he gives us rest. —Goethe 'A key part of working with the young child's need for activity is to understand that activity must be held with a sense of rhythm. You, as the parent, can form your child's days, weeks and seasons so that there is a healthy balance between activity and rest. Think of a beating heart - sometimes it is faster, other times slower. But, in health, it is always rhythmical. So, for health, a young child needs time to run and shout and be exuberant as well as times of listening, resting and being quiet. In Steiner inspired settings and groups this is often expressed in terms of out-breath and in-breath.' (http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/early-years-nurturing-young-children-at-home.html) 'As human beings, we are creatures of rhythm—from the moment we are born, our hearts beat, our blood pulses, and our lungs beat to a steady rhythm. We give children a gift and nourish their healthy development by being mindful of a young child’s need for rhythm, and offering them consistency, and the comfort of knowing what comes next, as we move through our days, weeks, and years together with them. Names of the days of the week are a meaningless abstraction for young children, but the children in my class knew that Rice Day was always followed by Soup Day, and then in turn comes Bread Day, Millet Day and Oatmeal Day.' The children also knew that on Rice Day we painted, on Soup Day we chopped vegetables, on Bread Day we kneaded dough, on Millet Day we colored with beeswax crayons, and on Fridays we polished and cleaned our classroom. It was all part of the “Rhythm of the Week.” Seasonally, the children would experience the “Rhythm of the Year” by preparing for and celebrating the festivals of the year—Michaelmas in September, All Hallow’s Eve, Martinmas, Advent, St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and May Day. Festivals are a much more meaningful way for a child to mark the passage of a year than dates on a calendar.' (Sarah Baldwin) 'The children go through the day in alternate periods of concentration and expansion, as if in a breathing rhythm where there is inhaling and exhaling. In the inhaling or breathing-in phase the child directs his attention to an activity that basically relates him to himself. For little children each breathing-in period (drawing, water painting, and knitting, eating…) is very short because little children can only concentrate for short periods of time. In the exhaling or breathing-out period, the child relates mainly to the surrounding world (free play, free running etc.). For each breathing-in period the child needs a breathing-out period and so a pattern is established. This rhythm is something that you can bring into your home. You have to try to find out when the children breathes-in and when they breathe-out. And when the children are in the breathing-in period, you have to make sure you are present, so the child feels ah, here I feel my parents, they are there for me. After that, for very short time, you can do what you have to do at home and you can tell your child you have to wait because I need to do this. And this will be all right because you know you have been present with the child.' (http://www.waldorftoday.com/2011/11/daily-rhythm-at-home-and-its-lifelong-relevance-by-helle-heckmann/) Resources and more reading on this subject: http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/early-years-nurturing-young-children-at-home.html http://www.iaswece.org/waldorf_education/what_is.aspx http://www.erziehungskunst.de/en/article/early-childhood/the-breathing-day-of-the-small-child/ http://www.erziehungskunst.de/en/content/early-childhood/ 1/6/2013 0 Comments Summer verses and songsSummer Verses and Circle
Full early in the morning Awakes the summer sun The month of June arriving The cold and night are done The cuckoo's a fine bird She whistles as she flies And as she whistles "cuckoo" The bluer grow the skies ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Come out, come out this sunny day The fields are sweet with new mown hay The birds are singing loud and clear For summer time once more is here So bring your rakes and come and play And toss and tumble in the hay The sweet wild roses softly blow All pink and white the roses grow The nodding daisies in the grass Lift up their heads to hear you pass Upon this happy, sunny day When you come out to make the hay. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The summer's warm showers are falling like mist My face and my hair by their soft touch are kissed The dry thirsty ground becomes fragrant and cool On every green leaf lies a small shining pool Earth blossoms again I do love the rain. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Come bright butterfly, close to me Your beautiful wings I should like to see You fly like a bird, you sip like a bee But you're really a flower the wind set free ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Sunshine Fairies Circle Dance We are the sunshine fairies And with our sparks of light We shimmer and glimmer in the air Hugging flowers with colours so bright (Begin standing in a circle, children hold out their arms at their sides and turn in place clockwise as fairies. Stop and flick fingers as sparks. Hold out arms at sides, flutter fingers, then turn in place anti clockwise; hug self and rub hands up and down over folded arms.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Butterfly Game Dancing among the flowers with dainty painted wings Flits the golden butterfly, joy to my heart she brings Stopping only for a rest to sip the morning dew Then flits and flutters off again Butterfly, I can't catch you! (Children sit in a circle with hands held up and cupped on top of head acting as flowers. Butterfly dances inside the circle, flitting in and out of the space between seated children. Butterfly stops behind one child in circle for a rest, bends, and sips dew by tickling a flower in the child's palms. Flower child jumps up and chases butterfly back to his place, then becomes the next butterfly. Repeat game with new butterfly.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Over in the meadow Over in the meadow, In the sand in the sun Lived an old mother toad And her little toadie one. "Hop!" said the mother; "I hop"said the one, So they hopped and they hopped In the sand in the sun Over in the meadow, Where the stream runs blue Lived an old mother fish And her little fishes two "Swim!" said the mother; "We swim!" said the two, So they swam and they leaped Where the stream runs blue Over in the meadow, By the big oak tree Lived an old mother bird And her little birdies three "Fly" said the mother; "We fly"said the three So they flew and they flew Round the big oak tree Over in the meadow, In the reeds on the shore Lived an old mother muskrat And her little ratties four "Dive!" said the mother; "We dive!" said the four So they dived and they burrowed In the reeds on the shore Over in the meadow, In a snug beehive Lived a mother honey bee And her little bees five "Buzz!" said the mother; "We buzz!" said the five So they buzzed and they hummed In the snug beehive Busy Bee I am busy busy, busy, says the bee I shan't be home for dinner nor for tea it takes me hours and hours to visit all the flowers I am busy busy, busy says the bee Happy Summer! |
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