This craft activity is one that I have been putting together since last year, but with Spring upon us again, it felt like the right time to share it. This felt butterfly pairs beautifully with a transformation story about a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly is a story that children love. The transformation story is an important one for them to experience, as it will have parallels to their own life; it signifies the changes th

Attending a Steiner school as a child I was always in awe of the seasonal table. A small space in the classroom dedicated to celebrating the seasons and changes in nature. Everything was carefully selected; the colour of the cloth, the small figurines, a beeswax candle which was lit at story time and the many objects collected from nature. Over the school year the table would gradually change; shells and rocks were replaced with autumn leaves. Brown leaves were moved aside to

This topic is where my passion for music education and love for Waldorf combine. Verse and song form an important part of the daily rhythm and routine in Steiner kindergartens. A simple song can let the children know that it is time to pack up and another can have them rushing to the sink to wash their hands. Music in the mood of the fifth is a type of music based on indications from Rudolf Steiner. This post focuses on more commonly known nursery rhymes, but if you’re inter

If you have ever visited a Steiner playgroup or kindergarten you may have experienced music in the mood of the fifth. This style of Steiner music has an ethereal, expansive quality. It is thought to best reach children in their dream consciousness. This musical style is based on indications from Rudolf Steiner as to what is most appropriate for young children in the early years. Although I have been teaching and playing music for many years I had never come across this type o

The warmer spring weather and lengthening days has encouraged us to spend more time outside. More time in the mud, digging in our half-finished backyard, weeding in the veggie garden and exploring our local parks. Last week we got our hands dirty and made charcoal paint. See our simple process at the end of this post. Exploring our local park with a friend Fostering an appreciation for nature Our term with Eco Explorers bush playgroup has developed my son's love for the outdo

There’s something special about the start of spring. The increasing morning light, growing activity of the birds and the butterflies emerging. Celebrating the seasons with our children can enrich their lives, as well as our own. Creating a theme for the season is one way in which to do that. These simple butterflies have tied in beautifully with our theme for this season. I have been telling the magical story of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly for a few weeks now

Toddler Crafts | DIY Card Making I have been involving my 2.5 year old in birthday celebrations for a few months now. Before attending a birthday celebration we talk about who's birthday it is and make a card for them. Up until now the cards have been very simple - a watercolour painting or crayon drawing folded in half with a message written inside. Although this card was still simple to make, it was a bit more involved. We got to practice our drawing and scissor skills, th

The middle years of childhood can bring many challenges; the nine year change, the start of puberty, the tween and early teen years... How can we assist our children through these changes and nourish their developing senses of smell, taste, sight and warmth? Read on to find out more… The Four Senses of Middle Childhood The four senses of early childhood helped us to relate to our own body. The four senses of middle childhood (7-14 years) help us to relate to the outside world

We all know what it's like to feel out of balance. We might snap more quickly than usual, a 10 minute task can take an hour or we may walk into a room and look around wondering what we came for... No one enjoys feeling out of balance - our children included. What if we could work with our child's sensory needs to help them feel more in balance? Sensory development from 0 to 7 Steiner explained that each of the 12 senses and it’s development is associated with a particular lif

Have you heard of the 12 senses? Steiner often spoke of the 12 senses in relation to healthy human development. Having a better understanding of these senses can help parents to support healthy childhood development. Read on to discover more… What are the 12 senses? According to anthroposophy, the 12 human senses are the way in which the soul experiences the external world. Humans don't relate to the world only through the 5 senses which are normally considered; rather Steine

This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on self-directed play. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here . Self-directed play or free play forms a key pillar of the Waldorf kindergarten program. Steiner often spoke of the importance of free play in encouraging healthy childhood development. As academics are pushed on increasingly younger children there is a danger of p

Winter solstice is a special time of year. In the Southern Hemisphere the path of the sun is farthest north and provides the shortest amount of day light; making the solstice the shortest day of the year. In Australia this occurs around June 21, and in the Northern Hemisphere it falls near December 22. This day is celebrated in many cultures and is often seen as a time for rebirth. Steiner spoke to the way in which humans from earlier times lived in harmony with the seasons.

This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on the art of storytelling. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here . What is storytelling in Waldorf Education and why is it important? I have very fond memories of story time in my kindergarten years. Eyeing off the story table each morning to see which objects had appeared overnight and what hints they held for today's story

This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on the element of song and verse. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here . Singing with your baby or toddler can have a profound impact on language development. When my son was first learning to speak I noticed that many of his first words came out of songs or nursery rhymes which I had sung to him. Song and verse benefit lang

This post is one part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will focus on a 'time to work' by baking bread. For an overview of the 5 aspects, click here. Children love to make form. It doesn’t matter whether it is building sandcastles, squishing mud or modelling clay – they love to create form out of malleable material. My toddler is no exception - he could play in the sandpit for hours! Another way to

This post is part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will be focusing on the element of creating art through painting. For an overview of all 5 aspects, click here. The style of painting done in the Waldorf kindergarten program is called wet-on-wet watercolour. It utilises liquid paint, which Steiner referred to as ‘liquid colour,’ on heavy paper which is pre-soaked in water. This creates an effect

This post is part of a series on how to incorporate 5 aspects of the Steiner kindergarten program into your Waldorf home. Today we will be focusing on the element of creating art through drawing. For an overview of all 5 elements, click here. This post includes affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through my link I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Drawing in the Waldorf preschool is an unguided process. There are no black lines to 'c

Walking into a Steiner kindergarten is a unique experience. The room is warm and inviting, the furniture has rounded edges and the walls are painted a soft pink called ‘peach blossom’. Toys made out of natural materials are displayed on low shelves, bread is baking in the oven and the children are playing freely or assisting the teacher. There is a gentle rhythm to the day, with one activity flowing easily into the next. Although we can’t transform our home into a Waldorf pr

The Morning Circle is the first formal activity of the day in a Steiner kindergarten program. It is a sequence of verse and/or song accompanied by actions. The activity is led by the teacher and gestures are copied by the children. The same morning circle is repeated every day for 3 weeks and by the end of the 3 weeks most children will be able to recite the verse and complete all actions. The Morning Circle can be used daily in the home environment to bring attention to the

Step-by-step instructions | Toddler friendly I have such fond childhood memories of Easter. The smell of hot cross buns baking in the oven, painting and dying eggs, creating Easter baskets and, of course, the Easter Egg Hunt. First thing on Easter Sunday morning we would rush outside to see where the eggs had been hidden; filling our baskets to the brim and pushing each other out of the way. Creating Easter baskets became a yearly tradition and it is something which I plan to