Losing my family young seems to have created a strong desire in me to create family again. It has instilled a passion for motherhood in me that I can only describe as ‘ferocious’.
After studying Rudolf Steiner (Founder of the Waldorf school) for ten years, when it was my time to get married and raise a family, I already knew I would home-school my children in a ‘Waldorf’ way, at least for the first 7 years. Steiner’s insight into early childhood education made it very clear for me that the first 7 years are foundational, and that certain distinctions are very important to understand during this special time. (Please read “You Are Your Child’s First Teacher
One thing to keep in mind is that very young children really need consistency of caregivers from birth to age five. This is essential to instil a sense of trust and well-being in small children. If one chooses to put children in a day-care establishment, look for a home-like environment that is orderly, where there is beauty and calm, where siblings can remain together and that is safe and secure. (Go with your gut!)
Childhood is such a precious and important time in and of itself and not just preparation for schooling. It needn’t and mustn’t be rushed.
To enhance my awareness of this critical stage of childhood, I attended annual conferences at GATEWAYS, and CHIRON (hosted by the RUDOLPH STEINER CENTRE in Thornhill T.O.) Under the powerful tutelage of founder GENE CAMPBELL, CHIRON is a noteworthy resource, wherein a team of highly trained and dedicated teachers instruct parents, caregivers and other teachers how to apply Steiner’s ideas which “can be applied to any situation where people have the goodwill to bring them”.
This is probably the most POWERFUL thing I learned there: THE THREE R’s OF EARLY CHILDHOOD.
These little R’s are like Pillars in your beautiful, secure home, and they make soooo much sense!
RHYTHM -how to create daily, weekly, and seasonal routines in the home which fosters security (see my Weekly rhthym for example)Small kids LOVE knowing ‘what is coming next’ especially when they come to know what that will be, and they can count on it. Nap times, bedtimes, mealtimes, bathtimes are all powerful touchstones thruought the day. Just don’t get neurotic about it- flexibility is good!
REPETITION –understanding this helped me cultivate patience and serenity while teaching my children what to do and how through their powers of imitation(I always say young children are wearing special glasses- they see and feel our GESTURES and moods more than hear/translate our words…Therefore, SHOWING not TELLING is more effective. And at this stage their powers of imitation are soooo strong- they literally fire nerve synapses off in their brains when they watch us moving, which is their will to copy. This is good to know because what they see you doing they will learn MUCH EASIER than by reminding which turns into nagging. If you want them to put their toys away at the end of every day, DO IT WITH THEM. How long? Until they are doing it automatically. The reward is so worth it because a few months of putting in the time pays off big when that particular task is mastered forever after! I NEVER have to tell my boys that now, and haven’t for YEARS!)
REVERENCE -a guiding light in developing the respect for my children’s (and my own!) daily striving. (Steiner said that “young children are truly the religious ones for their faith in everything we do and say is absolute, and that we must therefore see ourselves as ‘priests’ around them, striving to offer a model of behaviour that is worthy of imitation”). Whatever children experience goes deeply into their pysche. Lacking the filters we adults erect, they are not able to protect themselves. Everything becomes a part of them, their worldview.CHIRON also helped me to put together a beautiful curriculum for the Kindergarten and early grades which focused on ‘Beauty, Truth and Goodness’ and the ‘right thing at the right time’. Age appropriateness and avoiding over/ inappropriate stimulation were also discussed and emphasized.
EMBRACING THE ‘MAGICAL’ YEARS OF EARLY CHILDHOODOur early years together as a family consisted of simple days: long walks along our dirt road (we lived out in the countryside) to the near-by creek and meadow, visiting our animal friends along the way (horses and cows were our neighbours), allowing for a slower pace of life, a softer orientation. Our home life was focused, natural and calm- without computer, TV or even radio. I am a free spirit by nature and finding a balance between creating the structure and order that young children need, and the spontaneity that I thrive on, was my goal. So what I did was create a schedule as my guide, while allowing for inevitable occasional detours.
OUR WEEKLY RHYTHM/ROUTINE:
MONDAY- we baked bread (pre-raw) both boys loved rolling and pounding the dough- it was a bit messy, but so much fun!
TUESDAY- we went grocery shopping.
WEDNESDAY- other moms and their kids visited us at our home.
THURSDAY- we painted with watercolours and created ‘art’.
FRIDAY- was visiting our friend’s day at a local play group.
SATURDAY- was when we visited Nanny and Nono and cousins or friends in the city.
SUNDAY- was Church and home day; our family day of rest.
NOTE: Having only one thing on the schedule instead of several, kept it really simple and stress-free for me to accomplish. So if I had laundry, or the usual chores of cooking or cleaning, they were done around that one event at my own pace.I found it really helps to have a bit of structure, but not be rigid with it, rather to use it as a guide post and flow with and around it as the day unfolds. That is why Steiner termed it ‘RHYTHM’ as opposed to routine- it FEEEELS more relaxed and beautiful and makes you feel comfortable within it. This has a HUGE effect on your children.* The relationship to their caregivers and their environment is the foundation for healthy stimulation, so keep it simple, keep it real & enjoy your child whatever the day brings.
To read more tips and strategies, please see my manual which comes with my DVD, “RAISING CHILDREN RAISES US,” GO TO : www.rawmom.com/raisingchildren/index.html
Recent Comments