Feedback Regarding Computer Use in Waldorf Schools

Posted by Donna Simmons

Last month I wrote an impassioned plea to Waldorf teachers to please stop and consider other ways to work with their classes during this time of shut-down and  distancing regulations. I got quite a lot of feedback, some of which…

A Few Tips for Staying Sane During Breaks from Homeschool

Posted by Gabriel2

Following on from my exuberant plea to let children be children I do of course realize that many parents find the near-chaos (and sometimes, downright chaos) of the summer months to be, well, unsettling, to say the least. What happens…

When Violence Touches Children

Posted by Donna Simmons

Dear friends, I am reprinting part of an article from the wonderful Waldorf Today newsletter about the death of a Waldorf teacher recently in a drive-by shooting in Chicago. Following this I have reprinted an excellent article written by Susan…

Celebrating Third Grade and Native American Culture

Posted by Christopherus

by Amy McGehee-Lee     This is our family’s second time through third grade, and I can honestly say it just gets better every time. We are, of course, using the Christopherus curriculum. It is such a joyful way to…

The Newtown Tragedy : A Simple and Ongoing Response for our Children

Posted by Christopherus

We are so very grateful to Kim John Payne for sharing  this article about parenting, teaching and caregiving in these challenging times.  Click here for a printable copy to share with friends.   By Kim John Payne, M.ED & Davina…

What is the Fate of the Next Generation?

Posted by Christopherus

Here's a sobering article from the New York Times about our new generation of tech and media junkies. Why is this so surprising to so many people? I suppose the faint silver glimmer in this very dark cloud is that…

The Wonder of the County Fair

Posted by Christopherus

This weekend is the Vernon County fair, held at the old fair grounds on what was obviously, once upon a time, the edge of town but has now been swallowed up by our little strip mall (and admittedly corn fields…

The Darkness of The Dark Knight

Posted by Christopherus

Last night I watched The Dark Knight with my 16 year old son. He had seen it in the movies a year ago and raved about it ever since and wanted to watch it with me. So we did. So this…

Is Childcare as Good as Mama-care?

Posted by Christopherus

Every once in awhile I have one of those “Emperor’s New Clothes” moments – you know what I mean. In this story, the emperor is gullible and gets taken in by two con-men who claim to make him the most…

Boy Scout Commandos

Posted by Christopherus

So, think the Boy Scouts are a nice wholesome organization dedicated to providing children with outdoor skills and fun around the campfire, toasting marshmallows and singing Kumbaya? Think again. How about skills such as combating illegal immigrants and rescuing a school bus captured…

Encouraging Inner Listening

Posted by Christopherus

A few weeks ago my 15 year old son, my husband and I watched an Alfred Hitchcock film together ( Shadow of a Doubt) Not a great film but something really made me sit up and take notice. There was a scene…

Early Years Rant 3

Posted by Christopherus

(So if this was a movie, I’d entitle it Early Years: The Rant Continues……!) Do have a read through my original piece on this topic and then the follow-up. There have been many wonderful contributions by readers as well – which I…

Follow-Up – Early Years Rant

Posted by Christopherus

Well, well, well – I have been bowled over by the responses to the Early Years Rant I wrote last month. It seems I have hit a chord. I am honored to be able to hold a safe space for…

Early Years Rant

Posted by Christopherus

Every once in a while a thread on my discussion forum hits me in such a way that I let lose with what basically amounts to a rant…. Most of my “sensitive spots” have to do with issues having to do with societal …

Helping Little Ones with Manners

Posted by Christopherus

Here’s another reworked post from our Waldorf at Home discussion forum…. If this is a topic which interests you, do consider purchasing my talks on Good Manners and on Talking Pictorially to Young Children for more practical help with this!…

The “S” Question

Posted by Christopherus

(This is from a thread from my discussion forum on that great homeschooling nemesis – the Question of Socialization! No matter what form of homeschooling one works with, the spectre of a poorly socialized child will haunt even the most confident…

A Change of Clothes

Posted by Christopherus

Earlier today I had a conversation with a client about Daena Ross’ cd on the Twelve Senses (read my review here). This is an enormously important topic with important ramifications for the health of our children – and we will…

Museum Baby

Posted by Christopherus

A few weeks ago my husband Paul and I went to New York for a family visit. I am a native New Yorker but my mother now lives across the bridge in New Jersey. Whilst in NYC Paul and I…

Passive Learning

Posted by Christopherus

A concern that many people express is about children who do not seem to want to engage in play or who prefer to stand aside and to watch. As our society values a “get ahead” and assertive attitude toward life…

Dependency – Appropriate and Inappropriate

Posted by Christopherus

The time has come in my family for us to start looking at Life After Home. Will my eldest (presently 15) go to college? Might he travel and work first? Or might he go back to England to live? We…

Wonderful Halloween

Posted by Christopherus

What a great Halloween we had in our family! What a wonderful festival – though unless one is a follower of Celtic traditions, I’m not sure ‘festival’ is the correct term. ‘Excuse for fun’ or ‘evening out of the ordinary’…

School or Family?

Posted by Christopherus

From the earliest days of catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, well-meaning proclamations were issued from governors and other politicians or civil servants from affected states that schools would accept children from displaced families. Reporters talking to families or relaying the seriousness of the situation repeatedly…

Katrina’s Orphan

Posted by Christopherus

So many awful images from Hurricane Katrina – the ones involving children stand out for me. A desperate father holding up his three week old baby, crying out for formula. Babies in intensive care whose parents were evacuated. And, most…