Waldorf in the Hometag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://12008-05-08T15:23:50ZResources for Nourishing Family LifeMovable Type 4.1The Sick Childtag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2612008-05-08T15:18:28Z2008-05-08T15:23:50ZA mother inquired: Hi, we have a Waldorf co-op and have been faced with some differing views regarding colds, sickness and when to bring and not bring your children. Do you have any waldorf guidelines for colds and sickness to...Rahima
A mother inquired:
Hi, we have a Waldorf co-op and have been faced with some differing views regarding colds, sickness and when to bring and not bring your children. Do you have any waldorf guidelines for colds and sickness to protect or children or philosophies around protecting them I could share with the group?
We have a few of us that feel it is very important to keep our children home to heal when they are sick, keep them bundled and conserve there energy. There are the others who feel like it's important to build the immune system by being sick and feel very comfortable bringing their sick kids to co-op. Any thoughts? We could really use some waldorf mama help! Blessings -JH
ps. Love the Homemaking 101 video you recommended!
Rahima responded:
Thank you for your question! Any time children come together in childcare (or co-ops) there will be increased colds/illness (spreading to the adults as well--bleh). When children are sick they need homecare that nurtures their etheric (life) forces and gives them the calm and support they need to muster their forces.
It sounds to me as if some people are misinterpreting an idea from "Waldorf" that it can be good for children to have the childhood illnesses (chickenpox, measles, etc), because they can strengthen the individual "I" forces as the child's body and spirit fight and overcome the disease. But with these illnesses it is even more importance that the parents be prepared to nurse the child at home (potentially for 8 weeks with whooping cough) and to provide professional help (homeopathics, Anthroposophical compounds, etc) if the child needs help in overcoming the onslaught.
Parents would do well to start practicing up on their homecare skills with minor illnesses, rather than making their children work twice as hard by continuing to take them out when they are sick. There is no advantage to exposing others to colds and flus--everyone has more than enough opportunity for this through daily life.
Our instincts are lacking about what supports the etheric when a child or adult is ill--we tend to go on with "business as usual." This can be a disastrous pattern if the child actually contracts measles, etc. Care during illnesses involves seeing with new eyes and being willing to interrupt our lives long enough to give space for healing. A rule of thumb used to be "an extra day in bed/at home for every day there was fever"--not take antibiotics and return to work or school after 24 hours because you're no longer contagious.
It's not easy to stay home with a sick child--the society and economics work against it. But please don't use "Waldorf" as a reason to bring your children to school/groups when they are ill!
Rahima
Children, Nature and Ustag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2602008-04-28T16:37:23Z2008-04-28T16:50:22ZThe annual fall Waldorf parenting conferences will be happening only in Boulder this year: "Children, Nature and Us" will take place at Shining Mountain Waldorf School Oct. 25-26, 2008. The next conference in Fair Oaks will be in Spring 2009,...Rahima
"Children, Nature and Us" will take place at Shining Mountain Waldorf School Oct. 25-26, 2008.
The next conference in Fair Oaks will be in Spring 2009, and will feature Shea Darian around the themes in her new book Living Passages for the Whole Family (available from our online store at the right). DeAnna L'am will also be doing a keynote presentation relating to welcoming our daughters into womanhood. Both promise to be exciting conferences!]]>
"Children, Nature & Us" (Oct. 25-26 in Boulder) will feature Joseph Cornell, whose books on Sharing Nature with Children have been a classic resource for parents and teachers (if you can't attend the conference--or to get a preview of how creative and sparkly Joseph his--we are pleased to be able to offer his DVD "Sharing the Joy of Nature and Flow Learning." Just click on our online-store on the right, or enter Joseph Cornell into the search engine on the site.
Suzanne Down of Juniper Tree Puppets will again be joining us with "The Greening of Story" (also available as a DVD through our store). We are also delighted to welcome Sharon Lovejoy, who is an internationally acclaimed author on gardening. She has written several books on gardening with children, including Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, Sunflower Houses, and Hollyhock Days.
And we will be joined by Craig Holdrege, Director of The Nature Institute in Ghent, NY and a frequent lecturer on biodynamic agriculture and the Goethean approach to the natural world.
In addition, there will be three dozen workshops on various aspects of the Waldorf curriculum, parenting, and ways to nurture children--and ourselves--in the living forces of nature.
I will miss seeing many of you in California until Spring of '09, and I hope that the year brings blessings and growth for you and your families.
Warmly, Rahima
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LifeWays Principles for Caring for Young Childrentag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2592008-04-28T16:21:23Z2008-04-28T16:36:32ZLIFEWAYS PRINCIPLES FOR CARING for YOUNG CHILDREN AT HOME AND IN CHILDCARE 1. Young children thrive in the presence of parents and other devoted caregivers who enjoy life and caring for children. They learn primarily through imitation/empathy and, therefore, need...Rahima
LIFEWAYS PRINCIPLES FOR CARING for YOUNG CHILDREN AT HOME AND IN CHILDCARE
1. Young children thrive in the presence of parents and other devoted caregivers who enjoy life and caring for children. They learn primarily through imitation/empathy and, therefore, need to be cared for by people with integrity and warmth who are worthy of being imitated. This is the foundation for learning and healthy development.
2. Having consistent caregivers, especially from birth to three years old and, preferably, up to primary school age, is essential for establishing a sense of trust and well-being. ]]>
3. Children need relationship with people of all ages. Infants and toddlers thrive in family-style blended-age care, while older children see nurturing modeled by the adults and experience their own place in the continuum of growing up. Children of all ages can both give and receive special blessing when in the company of elders and youth who enjoy children.
4. Each person is uniquely valuable, gifted with purpose and worthy of respect throughout all phases of his or her life's journey.
5. Human relationship and activity are the essential tools for teaching the young child all foundational skills for life. Infants and toddlers develop most healthily when allowed to have freedom of movement in a safe environment. For three- to six-yea-olds, creative play, not technology or early academics, forms the best foundation for school work and for life-long learning.
6. In infancy and early childhood, daily life experience is the "curriculum." The child's relationships to the caregivers and to the environment are the two most important aspects through which the child can experience healthy life rhythms/routines. These include the "nurturing arts" of rest and play, regular meal times, exploring nature, practical/domestic activities, social creativity, music and simple artistic activities.
7. Young children thrive in a home or home-like environment that offers beauty, comfort and security, and connection to the living world of nature. Healthy sense development is fostered when most of their clothing and playthings are of non-synthetic materials and their toys allow for open-ended, imaginative play.
8. Childhood is a valid and authentic time unto itself and not just a preparation for schooling. Skipping or hurrying developmental phases can undermine a child's healthy and balanced development.
9. Parents of young children need and deserve support in their path of parenting--from professionals, family, and one another. They thrive in a setting where they are loved, respected and helped to feel love and understanding for their children.
10. Caregivers also have an intrinsic purpose and need to be recognized and appropriately compensated for the value of their work. They need an environment where they can create an atmosphere of "home," build true relationship to the children, and feel autonomous and appreciated.
2008 Conferences and Coursestag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2582008-04-28T15:34:58Z2008-04-28T16:03:10ZWaldorf parenting and home schooling conferences this year include: "Children, Nature & Us," October 25-26, 2008 at Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder, CO. Information and secure online registation will be available starting in late May by clicking on the...Rahima
"Children, Nature & Us," October 25-26, 2008 at Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder, CO. Information and secure online registation will be available starting in late May by clicking on the information on the right.
Keynotes speakers will feature Joseph Cornell, whose books on Sharing Nature with Children have been a classic resource for parents and teachers. Suzanne Down of Juniper Tree Puppets will again be joining us with "The Greening of Story" (also available as a DVD through our store). We are also delighted to welcome Sharon Lovejoy, who is an internationally acclaimed author on gardening. She has written several books on gardening with children, including Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, Sunflower Houses, and Hollyhock Days. And we will be joined by Craig Holdrege, Director of The Nature Institute in Ghent, NY and a frequent lecturer on biodynamic agriculture and the Goethean approach to the natural world. In addition, there will be three dozen workshops on various aspects of the Waldorf curriculum, parenting, and ways to nurture children--and ourselves--in the living forces of nature.]]>
"Waldorf at Home" with Donna Simmons, July 18-20, 2008 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Topics include the young child at home, self development as a parent, language arts and storytelling, form drawing, Waldorf curriculum for grades 1-3, anthroposophy, science, and discipline. For more information and registration forms, please email darcieperkins@gmail.com.
June 22-July 5 The Art of Teaching, at Rudolf Steiner College, Fair Oaks, California. Offering one-week sessions on teaching each grade (1-8), plus 3-4 year olds, and Fundamentals of the Waldorf Kindergarten. www.steinercollege.edu or 916-961-8727 for a catalog.
Rudolf Steiner Institute, July 6-26 at Green Mountain College in Vermont. One- and two-week sessions including "The Essentials of Waldorf Education" with Jack Petrash and "The Spirit of Early Childhood" with Joan Almon. www.steinerinstitute.org
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Teens: Surfing the Creativetag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2552008-03-07T15:51:23Z2008-03-07T16:02:22ZInitiation and Ritual for Young Adults: "Surfing the Creative" summer camp with Melissa Michaels and staff I strongly recommend Melissa Michael's two-week summer program for young people aged 16-18. It will take place June 22 to July 6, 2008 at...Rahima
Initiation and Ritual for Young Adults:
"Surfing the Creative" summer camp with Melissa Michaels and staff
I strongly recommend Melissa Michael's two-week summer program for young people aged 16-18. It will take place June 22 to July 6, 2008 at a retreat center near Boulder, Colorado. Melissa's leading-edge work brings together practitioners and young people from all over the world to accompany youth in the transition into adulthood through embodiment practices and contemporary ritual adapted for young people today. To learn more, see www.goldenbridge.org. I've been privileged to be studying with Melissa for the past several years and continue to be impressed with all that she's doing.--Rahima]]>
Autism, ADD, Asperger'stag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2542008-02-27T17:19:09Z2008-02-27T17:26:40ZCreative Therapy for Children with Autism, ADD, and Asperger's - Using Artistic Creativity to Reach, Teach, and Touch Our Children By Janet Tubbs 323 pages from Square One Publishers; $18.95 www.childrensresources.com...Rahima
Creative Therapy for Children with Autism, ADD, and Asperger's -
Using Artistic Creativity to Reach, Teach, and Touch Our Children
By Janet Tubbs
323 pages from Square One Publishers; $18.95
www.childrensresources.com]]>
The statistics are staggering: one in every 84 children is now diagnosed with autism. The number of children with ADD, ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome continue to grow as well. This is a global event that deserves our attention and introspection if we are to understand the cause and treatment of this "disorder."
It is no easy task to find a teaching technique that can truly change the course of a child with special needs. Thirty years ago, Janet Tubbs developed a successful arts-based program for children who had low self-esteem and behavioral problems. The autism explosion was just beginning when Janet was introduced to the works of Rudolf Steiner. Believing that unconventional children required unconventional therapies, she then took her program one step further and based on Steiner's insights she applied it to children who had autism, ADD/ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome.
Her innovative methods and strategies not only worked, but they actually defied the experts. In this new book, Janet Tubbs has put together a powerful teaching tool to help parents, therapists, and teachers work with their children.
The book is divided into two parts. Part One provides an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders and introduces and explains Janet's novel approach to teaching. Her goal is to balance the child's body, mind, and spirit through proven techniques. Part Two provides a wide variety of exercises, activities, and games that are both fun and effective. Each is designed to reduce hyperactivity, increase and prolong focus, decrease anger, and develop fine motor skills or improve social and verbal skills. All are part of a program created to hep these children relate to their environment without fear, anxiety, or discomfort.
A child may appear stubborn and difficult, but that doesn't mean the child isn't intelligent, curious, or creative. With the right treatment, such a child an be reached, taught and set on the road to improvement. The lessons provided in this book may be just what you and your child have been waiting for.
Janet works out of the principles of Rudolf Steiner/Anthroposophy/Waldorf Education. She can be contacted at janet@childrensresources.com
Marjorie Spock, Rachel Carson, Eurythmytag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2532008-02-25T16:06:15Z2008-02-25T16:11:47ZIn memorium, Marjorie Spock, Eurythmist, Sept 8 1904 to Jan 23 2008 Thursday, January 31, 2008, Sullivan, Maine Marjorie Spock died peacefully Jan. 23, 2008, at the age of 103, at her home in Sullivan. Marjorie Spock was born Sept....Rahima
In memorium, Marjorie Spock, Eurythmist, Sept 8 1904 to Jan 23 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008, Sullivan, Maine
Marjorie Spock died peacefully Jan. 23, 2008, at the age of 103, at her home in Sullivan. Marjorie Spock was born Sept. 8, 1904, in New Haven, Conn., the second child, and first daughter, of six children.]]>
The Spock family was prominent in New Haven, as her father was a corporate lawyer there and her older brother, Dr. Benjamin Spock, was later a world-renowned pediatrician, known through "The Baby Book," which changed the way children were brought up and viewed, and known for his work against the Vietnam War. At 18, Marjorie went to Dornach, Switzerland, to meet and work with Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy. This had deep significance for her life, especially her study of the dynamics of human movement, through Eurythmy. After her final return to the U.S., she received her BA and MA degrees from Columbia University at the age of 38. During her studies, she began a prominent career as a teacher and the head of the Dalton Middle School and teacher at the Fieldston Lower School, both progressive schools in New York City. She also taught at The Rudolf Steiner School in New York City and The Waldorf School in Garden City, Long Island.
With her deep understanding of nature and as an avid Bio-Dynamic gardener, Marjorie's work took on an added dimension when, in the area where she and her friend Polly Richards lived, on Long Island, N.Y., the government began aerial spraying of DDT against the perceived gypsy moth epidemic. She and Polly, who helped finance the legal action, brought a case with 10 other people against the United States government for the continued DDT spraying. Marjorie and Polly were formidable leaders for this commitment to the health of the earth. Organic, Bio-Dynamic food was a life-saving matter for Polly, who was in ill health. For Marjorie, the concern was for her friend's health, and the constitutional right as a property owner to keep her land, as she wanted it, free of government infringement.
This team was brilliant, committed and erudite. According to Marjorie, the "government ran roughshod over anyone who got in the way of the new technology. They brushed us off like so many flies." The federal judge, appointed by President Eisenhower, threw out 72 uncontested admissions for the plaintiffs and denied their petitions. From the summer of 1957 to 1960, when the case reached the Supreme Court, Marjorie wrote a report to interested and influential friends of each day's progress in and out of court, each evening after work.
Rachel Carson heard of this and soon got these daily briefings because she realized that the testimony from the experts that Marjorie had found, would be valuable for her own research. This case, along with a massive bird kill on Cape Cod, was the springboard for the writing of "Silent Spring." The trial took only 22 days, and toward the end, Rachel Carson asked for the transcript. They became close collaborators and friends. Though the plaintiffs lost the case, they won the right to bring an injunction in court, so that prior to a destructive environmental event, a full and proper scientific a review had to be made. Marjorie always described it, saying, "We lost the battle but won the war." This became the germinal legal action for the environmental movement in the United States. There has been continuous interest in this case since that time. Recently, Marjorie was interviewed for a documentary on Rachel Carson.
After the case, Marjorie moved to Chester, N.Y., where she farmed, bringing Bio-Dynamic produce to a larger public. She worked closely with Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, the renowned soil scientist, and compost and farm adviser for Bio-Dynamic movement. As a beloved destination since childhood, in 1965, Marjorie moved to Maine, where she lived and worked for the next 43 years as an inspiring teacher, eurythmist, author, Bio-Dynamic farmer, translator and mentor to the many people, young and old, who came to see her. Until last Thursday, she held a study group, which has been ongoing since 1965, and to which people came from all over the state. Visitors, from all over the world, and wonderful neighbors, were always heartily welcomed and experienced wide-ranging and deep conversations, wise counsel and humor.
Amongst Marjorie Spock's writings are "Teaching as a Lively Art," her master's thesis; "In Celebration of the Human Heart;" "Eurythmy;" "To Look on Earth With More Than Mortal Eyes;" and "Fairy Worlds and Workers: A Natural History of Fairyland." The two pamphlets, "Group Moral Artistry I: Reflections on Community Building" and "Group Moral Artistry II: The Art of Goethean Conversation," have had a readership around the world. Her love and understanding of the mystery of language can be seen in her article, "A B C D E F G: The Secret Life of Letters."
Surviving Marjorie Spock are several nephews, grand nieces and Mary Morgan, the wife of Dr. Benjamin Spock.
In the 100th year of her life Marjorie produced, directed and choreographed a video about Eurythmy which was filmed at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor, followed by two short training films at 101 and 102 years of age.
The last few years have been amongst the happiest and most productive, because of the loving help and care that Kim Smith gave Marjorie. Many around the world are grateful for this, as she was then able to work tirelessly for the understanding of the goodness of mankind and for the health of the earth.
A funeral service was held Jan. 26, 2008, at Hammond Hall, Winter Harbor. On Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, at 10:30, a Christian Community service, The Act of Consecration for Marjorie Spock, will be held at New Elm Farm, 27 Lambert Road, Freeport. (Tel: 865-4019). For those wishing to make donations, there are two possibilities: The Foundation for Human Movement Studies (supporting the mission of Spatial Dynamics), c/o Susan Harrington, 47 Spice Mill Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065, The Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, 25844 Butler Road, Junction City, OR 97448.
Rudolf Steiner Institutetag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2522008-02-23T22:38:25Z2008-02-23T22:43:54ZRudolf Steiner Institute will be offering summer courses for parents and teachers July 6-26, 2008 at Green Mountain College in Putney, Vermont. Of special interest to readers might be "The Spirit of Early Childhood: Helping Children Grow Up with Joy,...Rahima
Rudolf Steiner Institute will be offering summer courses for parents and teachers July 6-26, 2008 at Green Mountain College in Putney, Vermont. Of special interest to readers might be "The Spirit of Early Childhood: Helping Children Grow Up with Joy, Vitality and Creativity" with Joan Almon and "The Essentials of Waldorf Education" with Jack Petrash. There are also specialty offerings on storytelling, painting, the Waldorf high school, and much more. For further information, see www.steinerinstitute.org or call 410-358-0050.
Leaky Gut Syndrome, Allergies and Autismtag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2512008-02-19T18:04:33Z2008-02-19T18:17:13ZTHE LEAKY GUT SYNDROME: Allergies, Autoimmune Diseases, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders By Susan R. Johnson, M.D., FAAP A Healing Place For Children, 54 West Grass Valley St., Colfax, CA 95713 (916) 638-8758 www.YouAndYourChildsHealth.org I have learned a great deal from...Rahima
THE LEAKY GUT SYNDROME: Allergies, Autoimmune Diseases, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders
By Susan R. Johnson, M.D., FAAP
A Healing Place For Children, 54 West Grass Valley St., Colfax, CA 95713
(916) 638-8758 www.YouAndYourChildsHealth.org
I have learned a great deal from the Naturopathic and Osteopathic students who have visited my clinic. They have taught me most of what I know about the Leaky Gut Syndrome. In this syndrome, the lining of the colon and small intestine becomes inflamed and allows partially digested proteins to be absorbed into the body. The immune system reacts to these foreign proteins triggering allergy symptoms, autoimmune diseases, speech delays, and behavioral abnormalities. ]]>
Renew Your Life: Improved Digestion and Detoxification written by Brenda Watson, N.D., Children With Starving Brains by Jaquelyn McCandless, M.D, The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity by Donna Gates and Linda Schatz, and Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D.
There are many things about the American diet and Western medical practices which weaken the immune system and result in the Leaky Gut Syndrome. To begin with, exposure to antibiotics, especially in the first two years of life, destroys good intestinal bacteria and thereby promotes the overgrowth of yeast in both the large and small intestines. Yeast in the intestinal tract acts as a parasite and in essence steals many vitamins and minerals before they can be absorbed through the intestinal wall.
In addition, the American diet with its overabundance of and reliance on simple carbohydrates such as candy, breads, and pastas, depletes the body of zinc, magnesium, chromium, and several B vitamins. These simple carbohydrates rapidly convert to sugar and trigger the pancreas to secrete too much insulin. Because insulin requires trace minerals and B vitamins as co-factors in sugar metabolism, the more the body consumes sugar, the more the body's B vitamins and trace minerals are depleted. The immune system as well as the metabolic system and brain can not function well when zinc and B vitamins are deficient.
This typical American diet, often consisting of fast foods such as hamburgers, french fries, sodas, and milkshakes, also lacks fiber and enzymes. Plant enzymes, which naturally occur in raw fruits and vegetables, help break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the food we eat and allow this food to be more readily absorbed in the small intestine. Without a daily diet of raw vegetables and fruit, the body is stressed and overburdened by having to produce these enzymes in the pancreas. The pancreas now is overworked. In addition to secreting insulin for glucose metabolism, it must also secrete digestive enzymes to break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the small intestine. As a result, metabolism becomes sluggish. Now, partially digested proteins and undigested fats and carbohydrates end up in the large intestine, where they ferment and create abdominal discomfort and odorous gas.
Because of a lack of fiber in the diet and the failure to drink enough water between meals, constipation occurs. The increased pressure it takes to push stool out of the colon often causes fecal material to travel backwards up into the small intestine by forcing the valve between the small and large intestine to open. Now yeast, parasites, and unhealthy bacteria set up residence in the small intestine as well and directly block the absorption of minerals, vitamins, amino acids (proteins), and fats. In addition, we often do not eat foods that would provide a consistent source of good intestinal bacteria, such as fermented vegetables and quality unsweetened yogurts.
With the good bacteria gone, yeast overgrows and burrows into the intestinal wall, causing inflammation. Now, instead of partially digested proteins being excreted in the stool, these proteins get reabsorbed back into the lymphatic and blood streams through this leaky intestinal wall. Partially digested proteins, including pollens that are swallowed, act like foreign proteins and trigger the body's immune response (IgG antibodies) resulting in chronic allergies, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune diseases. Once children or adults have developed a leaky intestinal lining, their bodies will react to numerous proteins in food and the environment.
Some of the most difficult proteins to digest include casein from milk products and gluten from wheat, barley, and oats. Breakdown products from gluten are believed to cross the blood brain barrier and cross react with receptor sites for speech, causing language delay and the type of speech patterns noted in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The milk protein, casein, if reabsorbed back into the body is thought to trigger eczema and create allergy-related conditions of sinusitis and serous otitis.
What can be done to heal the body and strengthen the immune system? Here is what I have learned so far:
1) To restore normal intestinal bacteria:
a) Take a good probiotic (usually the best are in powder form and refrigerated). A good probiotic contains resident strains of intestinal bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacerium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium longum (infants need Bifodobacterium infantis). Probiotics should be taken for 4 months after any antibiotic use. In my practice, I recommend PB 8 for older children and adults. Children take 1 capsule at bedtime while adults take 2 capsules at bedtime for four months. The capsules can be placed in applesauce so they are easier to swallow. For infants, I recommend Life Start by Natrens.
b) Consume fermented foods and drinks containing good intestinal bacteria (e.g. fermented cabbage and lactic acid-fermented beverages). Look in the book Nourishing Traditions written by Sally Fallon, for recipes. When looking for fermented vegetables at health food stores, check to see that vinegar is not listed among the ingredients.
c) Make your own yogurt. I make yogurt by adding 1/2 cup of yogurt starter or 1/2 cup of Strauss organic whole milk yogurt to 16 oz raw organic whole milk from a certified dairy. Place the milk and yogurt mixture in a stainless steel pan and heat to room temperature. Now pour the mixture into a pint-sized jar and cover with a paper towel or cheese cloth. Place jar(s) of yogurt mixture into a cooler that contains another jar full of boiling hot water, which serves as the heat source. Close the cooler and recheck after 6 to 8 hours. You now have yogurt.
d) Eat plenty of organic raw nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. They serve as a source of fiber for the good intestinal bacteria which can't survive without them. Fiber also bulks up the stool and stimulates the bowel to contract which ensures regularity. Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It is recommended that 14 grams of fiber (an apple contains about 4 grams of fiber) be consumed for every 1000 calories of food eaten each day.
e) Drastically reduce sugar in your diet and avoid fruit juices, white bread, candy, and sodas. Sodas, besides containing lots of sugar, contain phosphoric acid which leaches calcium from the bones and contributes to the development of osteoporosis and loss of cartilage.
f) Increase alkaline-forming foods such as organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and almonds. Make these foods 80% of your daily diet.
g) Drink an herbal tea which is highly alkaline or tea made from fresh lemon juice. These teas help to discourage yeast growth . In my practice I also recommend drinking Liver Tea from Uriel Pharmacy and/or taking Amara Drops from Weleda Pharmacy which both contain bitter herbs like dandelion and yarrow. Both support digestion and liver function. Chinese medicine also recommends teas made from bitter tasting herbs. Bitter herbs, in general, also stimulate bile secretion which helps with fat absorption in the small intestine and serves as a way for the liver to excrete toxins from the body.
h) Consume plenty of fresh garlic (see my detox mineral soup recipe) since garlic discourages growth of yeast. There also are anti-yeast formulations of herbs that come in capsules. These capsules often contain grapefruit seed extract, garlic, uva ursi, neem leaf, olive leaf, oregano leaf, berberine, and calcium undecylenate from the castor bean. These capsules are often taken orally before breakfast and before bedtime for a period of 15 to 30 days. Another approach is to take natural plant enzymes for three weeks at bedtime, on an empty stomach. These enzymes will help the body break down the cell wall of yeast and destroy parasites in the intestine.
2) To reduce casein and gluten protein sensitivies:
a) First, stop all milk products for two weeks then add back milk products on day 15 and see if congestion increases, eczema worsens, or snoring increases. Naturopathic physicians have taught me that it takes at least two months to clear the casein protein from the bloodstream and the lymphatics, but symptoms will worsen when milk products are re-introduced on day 15. Repeat this same process with all products that contain gluten (e.g., wheat, oats, barley, and rye). Children and adults may need to stay off casein and gluten products for the next four to six months while the intestinal wall heals and the beneficial intestinal bacteria are restored. A great website to help with the casein/gluten-free diet is www.Tacanow.org. When reintroducing milk products, homemade yogurt made from raw organic milk is the easiest to digest.
b) Take supplemental plant enzymes, preferably from organically grown plants, at the beginning of each meal to help with digestion (especially when not eating any raw vegetables during the meal). In my practice, I recommend Metazyme by Nutranomics. Adults take 2 capsules with each meal while children 3 to 10 years of age take 1 capsule with meals.
c) Make homemade almond milk by soaking almonds overnight in water containing unrefined Celtic sea salt (I use 1 tsp of salt per cup of almonds). The next morning briefly blanch the almonds in hot water so the skins can be more easily removed. Using a blender, mix the peeled almonds with water or organic rice milk. Crispy nuts can be made by slowly roasting the almonds in an oven on the lowest setting (Temp < 110 F) for 24 to 36 hours after soaking them overnight in salty water. Almonds are a great source of protein and fat as well as calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals. Good fats like almonds, avocados, and eggs slow the emptying time of the stomach and thereby lower the concentration of sugar that triggers insulin release. Proteins and fats, by themselves, do not stimulate insulin release, and eating complex carbohydrates which are high in fiber also reduces the amount of insulin that the pancreas needs to secrete.
d) Avoid soy milk or any other unfermented soy product. Miso soup is okay because it is fermented. Unfermented soy products block thyroid hormone function, protein and calcium absorption, and have strong estrogen effects. Organic rice milk is okay but it mostly consists of carbohydrates. Homemade almond milk is healthier. With regard to cow's milk, I learned during my training at the Lukas Clinic in Arlesheim, Switzerland that the healthiest milk to drink is raw organic whole milk. Ultra-pasteurized, homogenized non-organic milk is seen as the least healthy milk to drink because all the natural enzymes and vitamins are destroyed by processing, and the fat is disrupted by homogenization. The book Nourishing Traditions also discusses the advantages of raw milk as does the journal Wise Traditions published by the Weston A. Price Foundation.
3) To strengthen immune system so it is not so reactive:
a) Keep hands, feet, and kidneys as warm as the skin over the heart.
b) Consume omega 3-fatty acids from a molecularly-distilled, pharmaceutical-grade cod liver oil. If the oil has been carefully processed, it will not smell fishy. In my practice, I use Nordic Natural Artic Cod Liver Oil, but there also are other goods brands. I recommend taking 1 tsp/day for children 6 years and older and 1/2 tsp/day for children 3 to 5 years of age. For toddlers, I recommend Barleans flax seed oil mixed with butter and used as a spread on toast. Look at the skin and hair for signs of omega 3 fatty acid deficiency. Hair will be coarse and dull while skin may develop sandpaper-like bumps all over the upper arms, back, and abdomen. Sometimes the child needs to be taking a plant-based enzyme with lipase to improve fat absorption.
c) AVOID partially hydrogenated oils and trans-fats. Do not cook in corn oil or canola oil since these oils are heat sensitive and quickly convert to trans-fatty acids. Cook only in coconut oil (high temp), olive oil, or butter (low-med temp). Use ghee if one is sensitive to milk products. Ghee does not contain casein.
d) Eat at least a handful of soaked and slow-roasted almonds every day. Almonds are a great source of calcium and magnesium. Hemp organic protein powder by Nutiva is reportedly a good source of magnesium, protein, and fiber and is recommended in Ayurvedic medicine.
e) Prepare "Detox soup" for vitamins and minerals (see my recipe on website, www.youandyourchildshealth.org).
f) Consider taking a liquid mineral supplement for a few months since an over-growth of yeast in the small intestine may have blocked the absorption of many minerals and vitamins. The supplement should be derived from organic plants and should not contain preservatives, sweeteners, or flavorings. In my practice, I recommend 1 capful per day of Fulvic Mineral Complex by Vital-Earth that is added to a glass of water.
g) Do a cycle (14 sessions) of Therapeutic Eurythmy movement therapy with a trained Therapeutic Eurythmist. Trained Eurythmy Therapists are affiliated with Waldorf Schools, and a physician's evaluation is needed. Any harmonious, non-competitive, rhythmic movements, like walking and hiking, stimulate lymphatic flow and are very beneficial.
h) See an Osteopathic physician for Biodynamic Cranial Osteopathy or a very experienced practitioner in Upledger Cranial-Sacral Therapy.
i) Consider visiting a N.A.E.T practitioner. N.A.E.T. is an energetic technique that reportedly decreases the immune system's reactivity to specific proteins like dairy, wheat, and soy. In my experience, a child's allergy symptoms to a particular protein can be immediately reduced, but the child still needs to follow the guidelines for healing the leaky gut. Otherwise children will just develop sensitivities to other proteins they eat or breathe in from their environment.
j) Be aware of the immune-suppressive effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF). Avoid using electric blankets and be aware of other EMF sources from household appliances, computers, and cell phones. Make sure your home and office are up to code with respect to electrical wiring. Electric companies will screen your home and office with an EMF meter at no charge. Microwave radiation from cell phone towers may also affect the immune system and overall health.
4) Symptomatic relief for allergies, sinusitis, and congestion:
a) Try Homeopathic/Anthroposophic remedies such as Myristica Sebiferra, Berberis Quartz, and Lemon Quince pillules, all from Uriel Pharmacy in Wisconsin. Additional remedies include Sinus Comp and Boswellia capsules from True Botanica. Standard Process also has good herbal supplements.
b) Take a good sublingual (under the tongue) supplement containing B12, B6, and Folate, as well as a whole food complex type of vitamin C (antioxidant). A pharmaceutical-grade, molecularly- distilled cod liver oil such as Nordic Natural also has anti-inflammatory effects.
c) Keep well hydrated by drinking plenty of good quality, non-chlorinated water and decaffeinated herbal teas. As a guideline, it is recommended to drink half of one's weight in ounces of water that is sipped throughout the day. Do not drink too much water during meals, since water dilutes the acid concentration in the stomach and makes it harder for the stomach to break down proteins.
5) May need a dental consult:
a) When children develop chronic allergies as a result of the leaky gut syndrome, the adenoids and tonsils enlarge, obstructing the nasal passages. This causes children to breathe more through their mouths than their noses. Mouth breathing causes the upper palatal arch to increase (high arch) which causes crowding of the upper teeth. Dentists are now trained to use small wire retainers which gently re-expand the upper jaw, reducing over-crowding, tooth extraction, and the need to remove the tonsils and adenoids.
6) Ways to maximize health:
a) Be sure to get plenty of sleep and avoid getting into a second wind at night, remember that sleep before midnight counts as double, walk an hour every day, meditate, sing, plant a garden, breathe deeply, laugh, practice yoga, tai chi, or eurythmy, do things you love like art, music, handwork, etc., put your life into rhythm with regular meals and a regular sleep schedule, reduce stress, slow down (remember less is best), practice being in the present moment, turn off the television, VCR, and computer games, spend more time in nature, work on yourself and work on your relationships so they are win/win instead of lose/lose, forgive yourself, forgive others, find work that you love and do it.
Note: I decided to give the names of products I am using in my clinic but I have no financial interest or connection with any of these products. They are just the best I have found so far. -Susan Johnson, MD
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Teaching Reading, Writing and Spellingtag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2502008-02-16T14:41:20Z2008-02-15T16:51:46ZTEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO WRITE, READ, AND SPELL -- A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH by Susan R. Johnson MD, FAAP www.youandyourchildshealth.org Part I-The Proprioceptive System There is a widely-held belief that if we just start teaching children to write, read, and spell...Rahima
TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO WRITE, READ, AND SPELL
-- A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH
by Susan R. Johnson MD, FAAP
www.youandyourchildshealth.org
Part I-The Proprioceptive System
There is a widely-held belief that if we just start teaching children to write, read, and spell in preschool, they will become better writers, readers, and spellers by the time they reach the first and second grades. This is, however, not true. The truth is that children only should be taught to write, read, and spell when their neurological pathways for writing, reading, and spelling have fully formed. There are many neuropsychologists, developmental specialists, occupational therapists and teachers who are concerned that our current trend in this country of pushing "academics" in preschool and kindergarden will result in even greater increases in the number of children, particularly boys, diagnosed with attentional problems and visual processing types of learning disabilities.
In order for children to be able to sit still, pay attention, and remember abstract shapes, like letters and numbers, they first need to have developed their proprioceptive system. In my clinical practice I see children who are being asked to sit still at a desk who can't yet "feel" where they are in space. They have to keep their muscles and body moving all the time or sit on their feet or wrap their feet around the legs of their chair in order for their mind to locate the position of their body. They also have difficulty balancing on one foot while their eyes are closed. Their drawing of a person is more like that of a younger child, being stick-like in form and lacking hands and feet. These children are often given the label of Attention Deficit Disorder because they appear fidgety in their movements, have difficulty paying attention, and have poorly developed fine-motor skills. In addition, these same children are often labeled as having learning disabilities in visual processing (for example, dyslexia or other types of non-verbal learning disabilities). They have difficulty recalling letters, numbers, and shapes that are shown to them, and they are unable to recognize letters, numbers, and shapes that are drawn with a finger on their back. These children have difficulty remembering the orientation and direction of letters and numbers when writing, reading, or spelling. They often will confuse the letter "b" with the letter "d" and may write the number 2 or number 3 backwards and not even notice.
The proprioceptive system is strengthened by physical movements, like sweeping with a broom, pushing a wheelbarrow, carrying groceries, emptying the trash, pulling weeds, or hanging from monkey bars. When children do these types of activities they stimulate pressure receptors within their muscles, tendons, and joints, thereby allowing their minds to make a map of the location of these various pressure receptors within the body. A connection is made between the mind of children and the various parts of their physical body. In this way children develop a sense of where their body is in space (proprioception), and even if their eyes are closed, the children will be able to feel or sense the location of muscles, joints and tendons within their trunk, arms, legs, fingers, and toes. In addition, as the children move their arms, legs, hands, and feet forwards, backwards, up, down, left and right, they will start to gain a sense of the spaces around them. Now, when these children look at the shapes of letters and numbers, their eyes will follow and track the lines and curves. The memory of these movements will then imprint upon their mind. They will have the capacity to make mental pictures or images of these numbers and letters. They will easily remember the correct orientation of numbers like 2 and 3 when they are writing. There will be no more confusion between the letter "b" and the letter "d". The correct orientation of the letter or number will be seen within the mind before it is written.
This proprioceptive system impacts other areas in children's life beyond being able to sit still and having a visual memory for abstract forms. It also affects their ability to fall asleep by themselves at night and to stay asleep throughout the night. When the proprioceptive system is not fully developed, children will have difficulties falling asleep at night by themselves. They will frequently wake up during the night and then need physical contact with their parents in order to fall back to sleep. Since their own proprioceptive system is not yet developed, lying next to their parent will activate their pressure receptors and allow them to feel their body, relax, and fall back to sleep. For these children, closing their eyes at night makes their body disappear because their mind has not made a connection to the pressure receptors within their muscles, tendons, and joints. This is why so many children want the light on at night when they go to bed. They need to see their body and the spaces around them since they can not "feel" their body when in darkness.
Part II-Reading, Spelling, and Writing
Our current educational system is teaching children to read in a way that doesn't make sense developmentally. Children in preschool and kindergarten are expected to memorize letters and words before their minds have developed the necessary pathways to identify letters, easily read words, and comprehend what they are reading. We are asking these young children to read, when the only part of their brain that is developed and available for reading words is the right hemisphere.
The right hemisphere first develops for reading, usually around four to seven years of age. This right part of the brain allows children to recognize words by sight. It enables children to focus on the first and last letters in a word and the overall length and shape of the word. It allows children to guess at words without paying much attention to spelling or matching sounds to letters (phonics). In contrast, the reading center in the left brain and the connecting bridge-like pathway between the left and the right brain don't start developing until seven to nine years of age (girls may develop these pathways a little earlier, while some boys won't develop these pathways until ten or eleven years of age). It is this reading center in the left brain that allows children to match sounds to letters and enables them to sound out words phonetically. Now they can remember more accurately how words are spelled.
Because the reading center in the right brain sees abstract forms like letters and numbers as pictures, it makes sense to first teach children to read by relating the shapes of letters to actual pictures that children can relate to and draw. For example, the letter "M" can be represented by two mountain peaks with a valley in between. As teachers we can tell children that the sound "M" is the first sound one hears when saying the word "mountains". Other examples might include drawing a king out of the letter "K", a bunny out of the letter "B" or waves out of a "W". What doesn't make developmental sense is expecting children to just memorize the abstract shape of the letter "F" or memorize phrases like "F" as in the word FOX, "B" as in the word BOY, or "C" as in the word CROCODILE. These words do not make any visual sense to the reading center in the right brain. The letter "F" doesn't look like a FOX, the letter "B" doesn't look like a BOY, and the letter "C" does not look like a CROCODILE.
When we push young children to read and they only have access to their right hemisphere for reading, we create learning problems for them in the future. Since children using the reading center of the right hemisphere look at the first and last letters of a word, the length of that word, and then make a guess, they will look at a word like "STAMP" and may guess that the word is "STOP' or "STUMP". If you show them the word, "TGOEHTER" they may read the word as "TOGETHER" but will not realize that the word is mis-spelled. Words like "FRIEND, FIND, and FOUND'' as well as ''FILLED, FILED, and FLOOD'', will all seem the same.
It takes a lot of mental effort to read words using only sight memory. Sight memory was meant to be used for only small words. Children who are reading using only their right hemisphere often are exhausted after reading just a few paragraphs, and can only parrot back words or sentences by memory. In addition, their minds are busy deciphering each word and therefore are not free to create the pictures and actual scenes associated with the words they are reading. This limits their overall comprehension. These are the children who plagerize or copy a text verbatim, word by word, when they are doing a report. This is because they can only recall the exact words they read and therefore can't summarize, condense, or comprehend ideas very easily.
For all of these reasons, reading should be taught in school only after children have developed both their right and left reading centers. This will enable children to use sight memory for small words and the more efficient method of phonics for larger words. In addition, children need to have developed the "bridge" pathway that connects the two reading centers together. When children have developed this connection between the right and left cerebral hemispheres (bilateral integration), they can access both the right and left reading centers of their brain at the same time, and therefore can decide at any given moment whether to read a word by sight, if the word is short (a right hemisphere activity), or sound out the word phonetically if the word is long (a left hemisphere activity).
A physical sign that children have developed bilateral integration and can now read both by sight memory and phonics is shown by their ability to do do the cross-lateral skip (swinging their opposite leg with opposite arm forward at the same time) without thinking or concentrating. This is because movements on the right side of the body are connected to the left hemisphere of the brain, while movements on the left side of the body are connected to the right side of the brain. If children can move their opposite arm and leg at the same time, then the right and left hemispheres of the brain are "talking" or connected to each other. If children can only skip using their feet or only skip extending the same arm with the same leg (the homolateral skip), they are not ready to read, since they can't access both sides of the brain simultaneously.
Children who can simultaneously access their reading centers in the right and left hemispheres of their brain will read easily and will create visual images and pictures in their mind related to the content of what they are reading. They will be able to discuss or write about what they have read using their own words, because they can replay the scenes in their mind and don't have to think so much about the specific words used in each sentence. Therefore, they will have an easier time understanding the meaning behind the stories and books they are reading. Learning to spell will be easier too.
Besides pushing children to read and spell before their minds are developed, we also ask them to hold a pencil and write before they are developmentally ready. I see very young children being asked to write with one hand while they still have overflow movements occuring in the fingers of the opposite hand. Before six or seven years of age, the vertical midline of the child is not fully integrated. When a child moves the fingers of one hand, the fingers on the other hand will also move, often without the child's conscious awareness. Children should not be forced to write until this vertical midline is integrated. If we force children to hold a pencil or pen and write before they have integrated this vertical midline, they will develop a tense pencil grip, a cramped writing style, and a spatially compromised and jerky penmenship. It makes more sense first to teach children to write the small letters of the alphabet in cursive before teaching them to print these lower case letters. When doing form drawings or writing in cursive the right and left hemispheres are both active and working together. Printing of the lower case letters is a more abstract and advanced developmental task that requires the left hemisphere, which often isn't developed enough for this task until seven to nine years of age. Girls may be ready to do this task by age six while boys often can't do this task until after nine years of age.
My greatest concern is that I am seeing more and more fourth, fifth, sixth, and even seventh graders from public and private schools who can't spell easily and are still reading mostly by sight memory. They can now use their left brain to sound out words, but they approach every word they read first by using the reading center in right brain (by sight). For example, when I give these children a sentence to read like "Six byos wnet on a vaccaiton tohgeter and tehy wnet fsihing in a bule baot", they often do not notice any of the misspelled words. Furthermore, when I have these same children read another paragraph where every word is spelled correctly, they often tell me that both paragraphs are exactly the same or only note one or two words where the spelling is different.
My worry is that these children were pushed to read too early, when only their right brain was developed enough for reading. They compensated by learning to read everything using only sight memory. When the reading center in their left hemisphere finally developed, the habit was still to read by using the reading center of the right hemisphere. Therefore, these children first looked at the words in a sentence using sight memory, and if the words didn't make any sense, then they accessed the left reading center to sound out the words. The problem was they weren't using the reading centers in the right and left brains simultaneously. Many of these children still lacked bilateral integration in their physical movements as well as in their reading. For some of the children, reading was slow and took a tremendous amount of effort. For other children, their sight memory was so strong that they could read quickly but their comprehension and spelling were still poor. Neither group of children could easily picture the scenes from the words they read or remember how individual words were spelled.
Many of these children need cranial therapy because of a history of a c-section birth, prolonged labor, induced labor, or use of suction forceps at delivery. In addition, these children need lots of cross-lateral types of movements (where the opposite arm moves at the same time as the opposite leg) to strengthen bilateral integration. Movements like walking or hiking with the arms swinging, swimming the various strokes, rock climbing and playing tennis will all strengthen bilateral integration. Also, specific movement therapies such as Therapeutic Eurythmy, Extra Lesson, Parelli horseback riding, Spacial Dynamics, Bal-A-Vis-X, Brain Gym, HANDLE, and sensory integration therapy will foster the development of these neurological pathways. These movements need to be non-competitive, and the therapists needs to avoid overstimulating the children or activating their fight and flight "stress" nervous systems. For neurological pathways do not form well when children are stressed. Once these pathways and connections are formed, many of these children will need tutoring to re-learn the rules of spelling and phonics and to start using their left brains for reading. Even if these children were taught phonics in the first or second grade, they need to revisit these reading skills because they didn't have access yet to the reading center in their left brain.
In addition, when children feel loved unconditionally (loved for who they are and not what they do), they will work hard to overcome any challenges. As parents, teachers and therapist for our children, we need to BE PRESENT when working with children and experience the joy in each moment. Being fully present with children when doing any type of movement work or therapy will create the most profound healing environment for their mind and their entire Being will flourish.
Part III-Prevention of Learning Disabilities
Overall, schools and parents can support a child's learning by serving healthy foods rich in protein, good quality fats (especially omega 3 fatty acids), fresh fruits, and vegetables, while eliminating partially-hydrogenated oils and trans fats, which occur when cooking or frying foods in corn oil. Adequate sleep will increase the percentage of rapid eye movement or REM sleep. A lack of sleep leads to less REM sleep and therefore, less consolidation of the previous day's learning. Extremely limiting screen time (television, videos, and computer games) and eliminating it altogether on school nights, will keep the mind free to do its own picturing and not stress it with violent images and rapid sequences of pictures that the brain can not fully process. Regular rhythms and routines in eating and sleeping as well as daily activites will promote a more relaxed nervous system for learning.
In addition, children can't learn and neurological pathways can't form as easily when children's nervous systems are experiencing stress. Forcing children to write, read, and spell and giving them "standardized" tests before they are developmentally ready, will stress their nervous systems. Furthermore, children will dislike reading and will not want to go to school. If we insist on pushing writing, reading and spelling before the children's minds are ready, we will continue to create an epidemic of behavior and learning difficulties, especially in our boys.
First grade is the time to introduce lots of form drawing, learn the capital letters as pictures that children can draw, and practice cursive writing by drawing each small case letter in a repetitive series (eg. drawing the cursive form of "c" ,over and over like the waves of the ocean). Over the next year or two, as the majority of children in the classroom strengthen their proprioceptive skills and integrate their right and left hemispheres (as evidenced by their ability to stand on one foot with their eyes closed, remember the shapes that are drawn on their backs, jump rope forward and backwards by themselves, and easily perform the cross lateral skip), the children can be more formally taught to read, spell, and print the lower case letters.
It is time to remove the desks from kindergartens and preschools. Our preschools and kindergartens need to fill their curriculculms with play consisting of lots of sensory intergration activities that will strengthen fine motor movements, visual motor abilities, balance, muscle tone, proprioception, as well as strengthen children's social and emotional development. Activities like imaginary play, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, walking the balance beam, playing circle games, singing, playing catch, doing meaningful chores, painting, coloring, playing hand clapping games, doing string games, and fingerknitting will strengthen their minds for learning. Children need these healthy, harmonious, rhythmic, and non-competitive movements to develop their brains. For it is the movements of their body and their love for learning that create the pathways in their mind for reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, and creative thinking.
--Susan Johnson, MD is an Anthroposophical doctor and Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrician in private practice in Colfax, CA. She can be reached at 916-638-8758 or www.youandyourchildshealth.org.
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Schooling the Imaginationtag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2492008-02-15T16:32:54Z2008-02-15T16:38:22Z"Schooling the Imagination" 1-day conference in the San Diego area March 29, 2008 8am - 5:30 pm Journey School, a Waldorf charter school in Aliso Viejo, will be hosting a one-day conference with keynote speaker Joseph Chilton Pearce and several...Rahima
"Schooling the Imagination"
1-day conference in the San Diego area
March 29, 2008 8am - 5:30 pm
Journey School, a Waldorf charter school in Aliso Viejo, will be hosting a one-day conference with keynote speaker Joseph Chilton Pearce and several Waldorf presenters. The topic is "Schooling the Imagination."
For more information see www.journeyschool.net]]>
LifeWays Trainingstag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2482008-02-13T03:21:13Z2008-02-13T03:30:33ZNortheast LifeWays Early Childhood and Human Development Training 2008-2009 in Freeport, Maine Director: Susan Silverio - 207-763-4652 - silverio@tidewater.net Information Sheet Dates: Session One: July 14 - 24, 2008; Session Two: Oct.10-13, 2008 (Friday evening - Mon. noon) Session Three:...Rahima
Northeast LifeWays Early Childhood and Human Development Training
2008-2009 in Freeport, Maine
Director: Susan Silverio - 207-763-4652 - silverio@tidewater.net
Information Sheet
Dates: Session One: July 14 - 24, 2008; Session Two: Oct.10-13, 2008 (Friday evening - Mon. noon) Session Three: April 17-20, 2009 (Friday evening - Mon. noon); Final Session: July 20 - August 1, 2009
Location: Community Hall, Merriconeag Waldorf School, Freeport, Maine
Sample Schedule:
Opening Night
3:00 p.m. - Registration Open
4 - 5:30 p.m. - Welcome, Introductions, Biography
Weekdays and Saturdays (summer sessions have a Sat. field trip to Spindlewood in Lincolnville, Maine)
Breakfast on your own
8:00 a.m. - Morning Song and Announcements
8:15 a.m. - Human Growth and Development Course
9:30 a.m. - Movement - Spacial Dynamics/Eurythmy
10:30 a.m. - Break
1:00 a.m. - Child, Family and Community Course
12:15 p.m. - Lunch
1:15 p.m. - Clean-Up/Fresh Air Walk on your own
2:00 p.m. - Domestic and Nurturing Arts
3:00 p.m. - Music/Speech
4:00 p.m. - Handwork (snacks available)
5:30 p.m. - Closing Verse
Dinner on your own
7:00 p.m. - (Most evenings have no classes; Open Discussion/Artistic presentation on some evenings)
Core Teaching Staff: Susan Silverio (Child, Family and Community, Domestic/Nurturing Arts), Rachel Ross (Human Growth and Development, Eurythmy), Donna Wenckus (Handwork), Mariah Moser (Music) John Saccone (Spacial Dynamics), Suzanne Down (Puppetry/Speech Development), Elizabeth Sustick, R.N. (Nurturing and Nourishing)Sarah Baldwin (Parent-Child Program Development) and many guest teachers.
Tuition, Mentor, Supply and Application Fees: Tuition is $3400 plus a $500 mentor fee and $300 supply fee. If full tuition is paid by May 1, there is a $400 tuition discount. Please write or call regarding limited scholarship or to set up a payment plan. There is a $50 non-refundable application fee.
Housing: Some guest houses and rooms from $25-45/night. On campus, cots and sleeping bag space, as well as areas for tenting at $10/night. Local bed & breakfasts and hotels.
Meals: Snacks and daily organic hot lunch are included in tuition. Student provides own breakfast and dinner.
Other Possible Costs: Student is responsible for mentor's travel expenses for two-day observation. Student is also required to bring a pentatonic lyre or kinderharp to the training. They are available for purchase through Ted Maehr 831-277-3971, A Child's Dream Come True 208-255-1664 and Rudolf Steiner College Bookstore 916-961-8729 among other places. Required books are available from SteinerBooks 800-856-8664, www.steinerbooks.org; Rudolf Steiner College Bookstore 916-961-8729; or Sunbridge College Bookstore 845-425-0983. The Developing Child: the First Seven Years is available through Waldorf Early Childhood Association Publications 845-352-1690, waldorfearlychildhood.org. Sing a Song with Baby and This is the Way We Work-A-Day can be ordered directly from www.naturallyyoucansing.com or 262-642-5921.
LifeWays North America
403 Piney Oak Drive, Norman, OK 73072
405-579-0999; www.lifeways-center.org
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Naturally You Can Singtag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2472008-02-08T17:27:23Z2008-02-08T17:30:16ZIn Memory of... Mary Thienes Schunemann "Naturally You Can Sing" October 7, 1960 - August 30, 2007 On the 30th of August 2007, Mary Thienes Schunemann passed the threshold. Many of you know Mary through her music books and accompanying...Rahima
In Memory of...
Mary Thienes Schunemann
"Naturally You Can Sing"
October 7, 1960 - August 30, 2007
On the 30th of August 2007, Mary Thienes Schunemann passed the threshold. Many of you know Mary through her music books and accompanying CDs that have helped so many parents discover the joy of singing with and for their children. If you don't know Mary's work, we highly recommend it and have always offered it at our conferences.
For more information please visit her website: www.naturallyyoucansing.com. There you can listen to her last recorded work "I Still Have Joy," which she recorded during Labor Day weekend, and write your stories and recollections of Mary in the Journal.
Her husband, Sven, writes:
Mary explored in her vocal work a spectrum of soul rarely encountered in contemporary culture. Her commitment to healing the human soul through music led her to teach singing to those of all ages - from the very young to parents, teachers and musicians in many contexts.
Mary's humor and lightness of touch penetrated her teaching and led those with whom she taught and sang to a deeper understanding and use of one of our most intimate human instruments - the Voice. She rejoiced in pure music and encouraged all to Sing, yet not only to Sing, but to unlock this sacred gift of Voice in our lives and our world.
Mary was also a taskmaster of sorts, working toward the highest standards for herself and those fortunate enough to work with her, always pushing toward heights that without Mary's touch may well have been unattainable. Through Mary's remarkable work it often seems that the heavens are opened and our consciousness bathed in Divine Light and Love.
Mary lived to influence these times and was deeply appreciated for her gifts of creativity, joy, and unconditional dedication to Singing.
Mary, singer of the heavenly spheres, rest in joy-filled peace.
Mary Lived from the 7th of October 1960 to the 30th of August 2007
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TV Habits Affect Attentiontag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2462008-02-07T16:17:49Z2008-02-07T16:29:43ZAt one of our recent conferences, Tim Burns made the startling analogy that by age five, children watch as much television as it takes to get a four-year college degree. So it's as if we're giving our children a degree...Rahima
Pediatrics found that those children who watched more television when they were 5 and 7 were more likely to show signs of difficulty paying attention at ages 13 and 15. This long-term study followed 1037 children and used assessments from parents, teachers and the youths themselves. It compared reports of attention difficulties in adolescence to the time parents said their children watched TV at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11. In addition, psychologists independently rated each child's attention span and ability to concentrate at ages 3 and 5.
Even after accounting for factors such as gender, cognitive ability, and socioeconomic status, the researchers in New Zealand found that those children who watched more than three hours per day between the ages of 5 and 11 had more symptoms of attention problems as teens than those who watched two hours or less.
--Reported in the Daily Camera, 9/25/07 from an article by Sandra G. Boodman of The Washington Post. ]]>
Rudolf Steiner Librarytag:waldorf2.intercast-media.com,2008://1.2452008-02-06T17:10:11Z2008-02-06T17:18:42ZA wonderful resource for books on Waldorf education and home schooling is the Rudolf Steiner Library, which lends books by mail throughout the US, from its location in Ghent, NY. The Rudolf Steiner Library has over 27,000 volumes and lends...Rahima
A wonderful resource for books on Waldorf education and home schooling is the Rudolf Steiner Library, which lends books by mail throughout the US, from its location in Ghent, NY.
The Rudolf Steiner Library has over 27,000 volumes and lends books for no charge to member of the Anthroposophical Society in America and for a small fee for those who join the library only. Their collection inlcudes all available Rudolf Steiner titles in both English and German, as well a hundred of his unpublished manuscropts of essays and lectures. In addition, it has a wide collection includig waldorf education, alternative health and nutrition, holistic sicenc, Goethean studeis, death and dying, world mythologies, and world religions.
A partial list of the library's resources can be viewed at http://slibrary.anthroposophy.org/Catalogs.php.
For membership materials, call 518-672-7690, or you can email the libary at rsteinerlibrary@taconic.net. The e-library is located at www.rsarchive.org/eLib