I've Been Waldorfed!

Being a first time mom to a toddler, I am currently learning the in's and out's of local school options, play dates, and children's activities.  I originally planned to keep my daughter home and to start school at the pre-school level.  Oh, how soon did I discover that toddlers get bored with Mommy on occassion.  Sure, we're fond of the local library with its plethora of kids programs, tiny tables and chairs, and huge selectio of board books.  And, yes, we have more parks around us than any one person could ever use.  But, I felt that my daughter was giving me cues to branch out a bit.  So, a friend told me about a school that offered Parent-Child Classes.  The parent attends the class along with the child.  (Let me also say that you know you've got a kindred spirit on your hands when the first conversation we ever had involded "Waldorf" education...and she knew exactly what I meant.) This was the perfect "in-between" option for us.  I'm strongly opposed to shoving my kids into daycare and I wasn't ready to start at one of the many full-time Montessori schools around us.  What was so great about this option is that it was a Waldorf school offering this program.  Of course it would be!  And, what is so special about Waldorf education you ask? Oh, let me tell you. 

The first thing you'll notice about a Waldorf school is the entire aesthetic.  It has a certain look with it's color palette, it's natural materials, the soft curves to the classroom and supplies.  It's a far cry from the jail-like institutions some public schools resemble.  Then, you notice the children and teachers.  No one is yelling and screaming, kids aren't acting out violent movie scenes, the teachers speak softly and sing little verses to signal a transition in activities.  For instance, I remember when my husband and I toured our first Waldorf school after I convinced him we needed to enroll our daughter.  We were observing the kindergarteners outside (Waldorf kiddos spend lots of time outdoors) and this lovely Dutch lady, their teacher, started singing and the children happily followed her indoors.  It was almost out of Rogers & Hammerstein.  Ahh..this is where I want my daughter.  This is where I want my self. 

After starting last fall, we are even more involved in this wonderful school.  The Parent-Child Classes were even more magical than I anticipated.  Not only do the children play with natural toys that are designed to stimulate their imagination and creative play, but the mothers get to participate in the neatest craft projects.  Last fall, we made our own Waldorf dolls by sewing and stuffing it of wool, embroidering the face, and making it just so. This term we have learned how to knit and we've increased our knitting capabilities.  Knitting is something I've always wanted to learn and now I can scratch it off my life's to-do list!  I can now cast on, cast off, knit, purl, and use double pointed needles for knitting in the round.  My current project in the class is knitting a pair of baby legs/momma arm warmers out of this lovely Turkish wool/silk rainbow yarn.  During class the children have painted with water colors in the Waldorf style, colored with beeswax crayons, felted wool, modeled with natural playdough and gotten their hands on modeling beeswax.  There is a focus during this age with dexterity and creativity development, hence the emphasis on certain art forms.

However, it is the regular rhythm of the class that my daugher loves.  After intentional creative play, the teacher and then the parents and then the children start singing the "Wash Your Hands" song.  One by one, the children have their hands washed with lavender water.  We then start to "Knead the Dough" and begin kneading little balls of bread dough that will be cooked for our snack.  We have our circle time with finger plays and songs that engage the children and change with each of the four seasons.  After our fresh baked bread comes out of the oven, we gather around the table and eat our bread with honey, real china cups filled with chamomile tea, and wipe our mouths with real cloth napkins.  I didn't know how such breakable plates and cups would work with toddlers, but it does in this setting.  We end our class with a nature walk around the wooded campus with the children collecting little rose petals, pinecones, leaves and sticks.  We mothers stop and smell the roses. 

And, for me, I try to take this special Waldorf world back into my home.  After class you can't help but want to eat something organic.  There is a wholesomeness that rubs off onto you.  The last thing you want after this class is to watch TV and eat junk food.  Since starting Waldorf, our family doesn't even watch television anymore, we spend more time outdoors, I buy organic whenever possible, and I am in the process of ridding the playroom of all those plastic noisy toys and switching to wooden and more natural ones.  I am a convert and my family is better off because of it.