Working on Research

I am so glad to be on winter break. Near the end of this semester things just seemed to get overwhelming. I suppose holidays can do that to people. Well, anyway, my research project has been gnawing at me since I returned from Sophia's Hearth. I started in on the experiential part right way, thank goodness. so I have about 5 weeks of research to process. My co-assistant and lead teacher did agree to work on this with me, bless them, and we have had two weeks of singing together and about three weeks of eurythmy exercises for 5 minutes at a time. We did these exercises at the end of the day as it was completely impossible to get these in at the beginning of the day before children and parents arrived.

It is a shame though about not getting the exercises in at the beginning of the day...I did finally watch Helle Heckmann's entire video: The Little Ones: Ages 1 and 2 years and was absolutely inspired. There is a whole section on the work of the three or four lead teachers at Nokken. They arrive a whole hour before the children and greet each other with a handshake and look into each other's eyes. After preparing some items for the day (outdoor bedding, the space outdoors, etc) they take time to sit down together and read some anthroposophical work, read the verse of the day and have a moment of sharing about what is going on that day. Helle describes the importance of this coming together and of the mutual respect required of all participants. I was blown away.

I shared the beauty of this video segment with the lead teacher and while we cannot spare all that time at the beginning of the day...she has agreed to start our day with a handshake. I am feeling the difference. I have also finally gotten myself together enough to create the questionnaire for Claire and Kerry and have sent it along to them and I have outlined many items for the research project. Consequently I ordered three books as additional print resources and placed a research inquiry with the Rudolph Steiner Library. (More money...yikes)

Here is a copy of what is going on with the research right now:


Sophia's Hearth Family Center Training Course
Research Project
Roxanne Anthony

TOPIC: Does a daily 5 minute group exercise assist the Teacher /Assistant relationship in the Waldorf Nursery Setting, specifically with regard to harmonizing of energies, building trust, supporting verbal communication?

METHOD of INVESTIGATION: This topic will be mostly investigated experientially I have the opportunity to practice these exercises in the classroom with my lead teacher, Kerry Hoffman and my co-assistant, Claire Mc Connell. I had originally planned to have a 5 minute song for two weeks, a 5 minute eurythmy exercise for 2 weeks and then a baseline of no activity for 2 weeks. We began on Monday, November 15 th. The song we sand was given to me by Susan Weber and it can be sung in rounds:

All things shall perish from under the sky.
Music alone shall live, Music alone shall live, music alone shall live
Never to die.

The eurythmy exercise was given to me by Mollie Aimies. Using knitted balls, the three participants passed the ball to the person on the right, or passed the ball to the person on the left by crossing their right arm over the left. These activities were done alone and then alternating with verbal cues. Afterward, a chanted Nursery Rhyme was incorporated with the movements: Jack and Jill went up the hill.... Half way through the participants would switch from passing to the right to crossing to the left.

A literary search using the Rudolph Steiner Library has also been initiated. The search request pertained to any references regarding Rudolph Steiner’s advice on strengthening the relationship between teachers and assistants in an early childhood or grades setting.

An interview with another teacher/assistant group on how they build their relationship

Viewing of the Helle Heckman video: The Little Ones: Ages 1 and 2 years

METHOD of RECORDING FINDINGS:
1. Questionnaire developed and presented to all participants in the experiential work
2. Video tape of the eurythmy work


PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Helle Heckman video: The Little Ones: Ages 1 and 2 years. 2010.
Online resources: definitions of group cohesiveness
A Teacher's Guide to Working with Paraeducators and Other Classroom Aides, Jill Morgan, Betty Y. Ashbaker
Forming School Communities: The Renewal of the Social Organism, Matthias Karutz
Teachers And Assistants Working Together - Gary Thomas

Helle Heckmann and nokken and the feeding of young children

Helle's dvd was simply inspiring. Her new dvd is entitled...small ones ages one to two years, and is simply astounding. I haven't viewed the entire video yet, but te piece that shpws Helle with a table full of one and two year old children and an assistant, sitting down to snack is inspiring. She really truly holds the form. Thechildren are at ease and know to wait patiently to eat until everyone has been served. Helle is my lead teacher's mentor. Years ago when she took the training, she was paired with Helle. We chatted briefly about Helle's presence with regard to her being so able to hold the form of the mealtime.

Yesterday, i was in the lead position at mealtime, as Kerry needed to step out and converse with someprospective parents. the children had been out of sorts at circle and then at the sitting down at table part following. It took quite alot to bring some degree of peace and order to the group. I found rising within me from my stomach to my throat a type of sternness. Some children and their stools were pulled away from table until their hands could stop banging the table. Finally fire faery came and the children were waiting for their soup to be served. The chaos started to return, but i insisted on quiet at the table. We usually don't insist on complete quiet in the nursery but low table voices instaed. Something inside me felt that i needed to insist on quiet...and i was stern. It seemed to work, they quieted down. Later when we were all outside, i felt a wave of extreme tiredness...it had taken alot out of me to bring that order.

Today when Kerry needed to step out at the same time, it was much easier to hold the form. This time however, she stepped out after blessing. I was not exhausted outside, but energized. I need to think about this some more. Was my etheric drained from the effort of holding the form of the meal? I know i have been getting plenty of rest. Hmmm. I wonder.

Back to the grind

Well, i got back, so excited about sharing what i had learned with my colleagues, but the reality of the daily grind hit me full in the face. We are all so busy...with such full schedules. I personally have children in my care every day but thursday. Yesterday i even overbooked myself and i had. Six children in my care after school. Since it was my first day back, i had energy...but what was i thinking. They all played well and everything was great. But this is definitely not what i would call pacing myself.

Anyway, i haven't had an opportunity to share any of the songs with my lead teacher and co-assistant...let alone the concept i have for my rersearch project. Well actually i did briefly share the research project with my lead teacher...but she gave Me a reality check. She has two children dropped off at 8am. My research idea was to have the three of us have a harmonizing song in rounds for. Five minutes in the morning before we started. And then to see what effect it had on our working togethr more harmoniously. Oh well, what was i thinking anyway...this morning curtis raised a yell out of me as we were struggling with getting ready to go out the door, hence icarrived fiftenn minutes late at work.

Maybe we can sing at the end of the day?

Be like a goat?

Well, I am back in new Hampshire for part two of the Sophia's hearth training course. It is very exciting to be back. 10 of the 12 students are able to attend this autumn session. It is refreshing and invigorating to reconnect with these wonderful women and with my teachers. One of the first lectures was about levity and gravity. This lecture was given by our spatial dynamics/movement instructor, Jane Swain Over the summer we did an exercise with her called the mercury thermometer. This exercise allowed us to see or rather notice where we were personally in regard to our upper and lower planes...were we experiencing too much levity, I.e., blowing off steam, high as a kite, head in the clouds....or were we experiencing too much gravity, I.e., down in the dumps, feeling really low, needing to pick oneself off the floor. Jane had us walk on blanace boards, rubber balls...she had us skate on blocks of wood covered in felt on a smooth cork floor...you should try that some time...you really have to feel your feet.

Time and time again, it came down to the fact that the caregiver of young children must be in a good state in her body. We are showing the child how to be in his body, and we should strive to reach this place of equanimity. For if the caregiver has her head in the clouds...the children in the class might spiral up and out into chaos...a very unsafe feeling place for a young one.

Jane brought the example that we should strive to be like a goat. This was a reference to the old practice of placing a sure-footed, unflappable goat into a paddock with a nervous, high-strung race horse to calm the horse. Just the goat's calm, composed manner was enough to calm the horse down. And if someone"got your goat" they took away your composure. So maybe I should have named this blog "Be Like A Goat" instead of "Be Like A Madonna!"

Carving pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns

"I am a pumpkin big and round, I once grew upon the ground,
Now I have two eyes, a mouth and a nose, where did they come from do you suppose?
With a candle inside shining bright,
I'll be a Jack-o-lantern on Halloween night!"

Curtis was asking and asking when We could carve his pumpkin. I kept telling him that we could once the dishes were cleared and the table ready. Well, whilst I was puttering around, he stealthily acquired the small pumpkin carving tools from the sharps drawer. He had a big square mouth cut out and a smaller square nose which took up the whole "face"area. Then he must have scooped and scooped. He was so excited to show me his progress. I cheered him On. How surprised i was as he is only 5years old. Then he went to work on the eyes. We'll where could they go? Well on top of course...on either side of the stem. So the thing looks like it is screaming and looking up at this thing growing out from in between its eyes.
Quite hysterical...my funny little bug.

The need for refreshment and renewal

As I delve into my studies, I feel I am becoming more self-aware. At the end of last week, I noticed I was losing my joy again. I thought to myself...self,you must be tired and need a break. When I stand back and look at the little people I work with and my own little person at home....and just observe them...notice their behaviors, smiles, ear shapes, etc...I suddenly think, my gosh, they are so adorable....so lovely. When I am tired...and just going through the paces to get my chores finished....I lose my joy in working with them...i don't see their cuteness....they might, I dare say even get on my nerves. I am really trying hard to make enough rejuvenation time each day to stay fresh with these little people. It is hard for me because I am a single mother to a great extent....Big Curtis was never around much when we were together. He is a step up guy in a lot of ways, and really takes good care of curt when he can...but he is often gone for work...and really just takes his downtime or friend time whenever. I, on the other hand, am home-base for little curt and. I love it...but I must be careful to pace myself always. Last weekend I was just overwhelmed with catching up with chores after a long week at work.....it was a beautiful autumn day. My son went on a hayride with the neighbor and other children...what a shame i made that choice. Housework and catchup can wait until the evenings during the weekends...curt and i will enjoy these autumn days together from now on, you can be sure. This past Sunday we did catch up with friends at a farm on a beautiful fall day...I feel so refreshed from this weekend...today at work the children are sweet in their cuteness, I am making full eye contact with them all...and they are joyful in my presence as I am able to bring them joy.

I am grateful for this awareness.

Blessings to you

Autumn Cleaning

Two weeks ago, I had had it. The apartment was dusty and the air felt stagnant. Most was tidy, but could definitely be cleaner. I t was the weekend before my sons 5th birthday and the autumn equinox. He is my equinox child. So little curt was writhe his father a bunch that weekend, so I cleaned with full on vigor. I cleaned the bathtub drain, I washed the linens, I moved furniture around. Well I always move furniture around, but I era
Ly changed a lot this time. I moved my sewing table to the dining room, perhaps i will use it more, and I moved cur's arts and crafts table to the living room. We gave definitely been using that more.

I started to strip the paint from my bay window...what I call the faery window...as we can sit in there and tell stories. I washed down all the cabinets..emptied the cupboards and rearranged the pantry.

It took most of the weekend, but oh what a feeling. Here are the pictures to prove it!
Here is a picture of my entryway.  I received this furniture from my family home and could never find the right location for them.  I like the chairs here.  It is nice to have a place to sit down and put your boots on in the morning.  



Here is a picture of the hearth.  Unfortunately the chimney was closed up ages ago...so I use it as a nature " table"/display.  I love the lighting here as it really has an ethereal glow to it! 



Here are some closeups of the autumnal display.






And here is how I set up the main play area in the living room:









Here is the dining room:

Here is the large sit-in bay window.  I call it the faery window.  I usually have it adorned with silks and use it as a cozy knock for play or reading.  Itbis currently undergoing some renovation...so it's a bit bare.

I moved my sewing table from my bedroom to the living room.  Perhaps I will get to those sewing projects now.

In the kitchen, on the work counter sits a garden gnome, next to the garden tool caddy. 
Here is a longer view of the kitchen


Here is curt and greg's bedroom.  The linens were being laundered.  

Some closeups of their room are as follows.
Here is the mamas an chair, which we call the womb chair.  We snuggle up in here after bath and read our bedtime tale here.  This was another orphan piece of furniture which could just not find it's rightful home in the apartment.  This seems like a good place.  

Here is another meditative place...the bathroom.  Candles and incense are lit every night at bath time...lights are closed...it looks beautiful.


Well, that's the entire clean as can be apartment. I feel so refreshed and organized.

Happy autumn to you.

Steiner's Theosphy

I am grateful to be able to attend the first half of my school's Faculty Meetings on Thursday afternoons. This year's meeting is devoted partially to study. Part of the first half is used to read sections of Theosopjy. Steiner's works can be really hard reads for me, but this one seems a bit different. It seems that since this is the third or fourth book of his that I have stumbled through, that it is becoming dare I say easier to read. For one thing there is repetition of ideas. For example the four-fold human being is being discussed. The ether, astral, ego, and physical portions of the human being. I have been exposed to Steiner's explanations of these bodies in Education of the Child, Cosmic Memory, Study of Man. each time I am exposed to these difficult to grasp concepts, it seems I am meeting an old friend. I feel less uncomfortable. yes that's it...at first I felt uncomfortable because I was so clueless as to what was being discussed.
in Theosophy I took the time to read the preface. The writer discusses exactly how one must read Steiner's works and why Steiner wrote in such a difficult to understand manner. he says,"It (reading Steiner) demands the careful and exacting training of faculties that are for the most part dormant in the human soul today....It's readers will have to work their way through each page and even each single sentence the hard way. This was done deliberately;it is the only way this book can become what it is intended to be for the reader. Simply reading it through is as good as not reading it at all. ...This book is consciously written in a manner that requires enhanced activity by the reader....To become inwardly active to an extent far beyond that required by most reading is the challenge of Rudolph Steiner's books. "

It almost feels like exercising. I am developing muscles to understand better. If I go a few days having not read anything "Anthroposophic" I feel my muscles weakeningg...I start to fall of course in my thinking and being. it reminds me of the meditation work I had done for a while with a type of Yoga. the more works and teachings I read of the spiritual masters , the more I stayed on track...but that work was way too ascetic and rigorous. I felt I could not live in the real world and study that degree of yoga meditation. Anthroposophy seems to allow. Even enhance my everyday life, especially, most especially my work with young children.

Things that I have read just seem to come up for me in the moment of my interactions with them. For example, in Kingdom of Childhood, I read that we are so far off if we become annoyed with a child's behavior. We need to look at ourselves and see where our own headspace is...or rather look at the energy of the room and see what is amiss. Also, if a child's behavior is particularly off we ate wrong to feel anger or annoyance, but rather compassion for this being of light who is trying to manage reinsertion into the physical realm.I am paraphrasing of course and shedding my own insight on those words..but that is what comes out for me...and I often hear these words when a child is really struggling against me over something. In the past I felt I was being wishy-washy by not using my will to sternly guide them where it was they needed to go...but I am finding my way now without the"stern.". There is such joy and compassion in my work now, yet the children still feel the will that is speaking to them respectfully. I was trying to imitate other teachers ways of working with the children in those challenging moments, but was missing the mark. I still have a lot to learn..It is like learning how to float at first. I can do it for a little then I start to sink again. there is a constant remembering I need to enforce in my practice.

Deep stuff my friends.

emmi pikler

I recently finished reading my group s assignment. this particular reading is a journal of the sensory awareness organization containing a rare english translation of some of piklers writings. alot of her writings have been translated into french and some others but not english. this particular review took several of her writings across the span of her life and used the excerpts to create an article or synopsis of piklers work.

she was atruly remarkable woman. what i found impressed me most was her courage. she held a belief in proper development of children in the early years which she tested for validity on her own child. then she advised parents in her pediatric practice to use her methods on their children. Finally she was able to have her methods strictly adhered to on a large scale in the loczy facility. i say i admire her courage because at the time the general public scoffed at her. even regarding her private patients others believed the parents did not truly follow piklers advice in the privacy of their own homes. and therefore they found piklers claims unfounded. once loczy was in place pikler was able to publish her findings with more scientific proof because the environment the children were in was strictly managed.
piklers findings basically discuss treating children with respect having them learn through self initiated movement bringing them joy. her findings prove that if these methods or philosophies are followed children will move i
at a higher level. what i mean by that is when those children learn to walk through self initiated movement they really learn to walk very very well. these children have grace and balance which rivals their peers who have been taught to move. according to piklers findings children innately know what they need to do to eventually walk upright. if achild is born with a weak back the child will naturally spend more time on the floor on their bellie

y strengthening the back. where as other children with a stronger back will spend more time in another position.

Starting the year off right

Well tomorrow is the end of the first full week back to school.   My time at Sophia's Hearth was so well-spent.   I felt I was foundering all year last school year.  I just couldn't find my groove.   The Sophia's Hearth program really seems to have set my feet in the right direction.  The Lead Nursery Teacher, Kerry has taken last year's experience and made a bunch of changes, that dare I say at the end of the first week seem to have made a monumental difference.
1. There are no special needs children in the class
2. There are no more than 12 total children per day (2 assistants on those days)
3. The three-day children come Mon, Tues, Wed...Therefore the beginning of the week has more children instead of the end of the week when the teachers are tired.  
4. Thursday and Friday have only 9 children (1 assistant)
5. Bathroom time:  about 2 to 3 children only per assistant in the bathroom...instead of 5 per assistant
6. a love-seat sofa is in the classroom and some extra tables are no longer there
7. the snacks follow the grain of the day

These changes in addition to the work I did this summer seem to have really centered me.  I feel so much calmer, centered and plain...upright with good head space!  We have a large percentage of brand new to school young ones and I have to say there really wasn't a whole lot of crying.  This is my third year in the nursery and this year boasts the least crying in the first few weeks.   Last year I felt the crying (really loud, crying jags) went on for a month.  Actually I think it almost did.  

Here is the picture of the class last year...doesn't it look like ALOT of children and adults (and some of the children are missing)?

What resonates for me  from training is the concept of checking in with yourself.   It is so important to know where I am on the inside because I am working with children.  I have set a regimen for myself..Up at six..read verse of the day and meditation for the day from Spiritual Insights.  Then 30 minutes of Yoga.  I am particularly fond of Sharon Gannon and David Life's Jivamukti Yoga and have studied with them via DVD for 6 years now.  I use their Class for Busy People  (audio on my Ipod) on school mornings.  Curt usually gets himself up between 630 am and 7 am..He will hang out on the couch while I finish stretching.  We'll talk and cuddle.  Then I make us breakfast and we get dressed for the day and then are out the door.  (Dirty breakfast dishes wait in the sink until I come home>)  Lunches are packed the night before.

Then I get us to school between 8 am and 8 15 am.   School ends at 315pm.  After school, we have snack at 3 30 pm and outside play in the garden at home.  Dinner happens at 5pm... then bath time, book-time and bedtime at 7 pm.   This spiritual work in the morning is really getting me in the right frame of mind for the work and for my time with Curt.  

Then I am attending the first half of Faculty Meeting once a week and the Book Study is on Theosophy by Rudolph Steiner.  I am also reading Cosmic Memory by Steiner....and a bunch of other books that were required reading for the summer course.  I hope to finish them up soon and blog about them so I can start the required reading for the November Session at Sophia's Hearth.  I feel so immersed in study and I actually like it.   Steiner is a crazy read.  I was delving into the prologue to Theosophy during my break today and the author  was discussing how there is an actual way to read Steiner's writing.  How it reaches you on many levels.  The metaphor he used was that of a cookbook...One can read ...add a cup of sugar and stir in melted butter then add cinnamon and one is just getting the ingredients list in their head.  This is akin to..the body is composed of the etheric, the physical, the astral..and just making a mental note of the names.  But one can go beyond the cookbook knowledge and feel a metamorphosis on a larger scale.  Steiner ..the author continued, wrote in a way difficult to browse through so that the reader would be forced to higher levels of concentration.   Well I am paraphrasing..it was all much more articulate in the prologue.  I think I am feeling a change stirring.  
Namaste

Hoop Houses

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.   School began on September 9th and that has pretty much trumped everything.  Also, the summer gardens have been ending.  I am very lucky to live in a cooperative apartment community where we have a fairly large common backyard and courtyard.  The backyard is available for garden plots and also has a nice area for the children complete with sandbox and jungle gym.  There is also picnic table seating and benches.  At the school where I work, last year's 3rd grade teacher had made cold frames for the children's garden plots.  They were way out of my league.  They were made from wood and old glass windows. Also the frames were cut on an angle.   But I really thought it would be great to have some fresh lettuce in November...so I thought I would look it up.  God Bless Google..I found this video on YouTUBE:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6bWeYCV53A.  After watching this, I really truly could envision myself creating one of these.  I even day dreamed about it.  I truly believe that is part of exercising the will...going through the "motions" in your head and seeing yourself doing what you want to accomplish.

Well young Curtis and I made a trip to Home Depot and got all the necessary tools and materials.   And I have to say I am pretty pleased with how the hoop house turned out.  I purchased the wrong width plastic sheeting, and had to overlap three strips of plastic...but I will tape those seams shut once the really cold winds start to blow.

Here are some shots of the hoop house and the backyard in general.  Enjoy:

The finished hoop house (There is actually lettuce sprouting up.  I also planted some Zinnias.  Wouldn't it be great to have some fresh cut flowers when it is chilly outside.

Here is a picture of the garden plot before the hoop house was placed upon it.  The wheelbarrow is full of the old vegetation from the summer garden.

This is Curt's garden .  One of our generous neighbors let him garden on the unused half of her plot.   Here are the resident garden gnomes. 

Here is the play area....The sandbox, benches and kinder gym.  

The cheap Adirondack knock-off chairs that are oh so comfy after a long day in the Waldorf Nursery.  It is great to just kick back in one of those with some knitting and watch the children play in the garden.   

I am really proud of this.  I had the idea to make these little vine houses for the children in the spring and even purchased the fake bamboo for the project..but it got so hot so quickly...I just didn't get to it.  But a neighbor asked me to water her gardens for three weeks this summer.  I agreed and one of the gardens was a potted garden that was overrun with morning glories.  Then I had a eureka moment.  So I set up the little pole house and started to train the already well-established morning-glories ..and lo and behold they took off.  The children love this little "hidey-hole."  

Here are the remnants from our corn and pumpkin garden.   The corn came up..about 14 stalks  and we even got some small stunted but delicious corn and two tiny pumpkins.  They look very nice on the nature table.  I hope we get some real pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns next year.  

Here is Curt and the "robot" he made from some bricks we found and dug out in the backyard.  There must have been a border a long time ago near the fence...but these bricks were buried and overgrown by the existing plantings there.  Curt found them and we spent two hours digging them up the other day...what fun.  Now if I could just convince folks here to let me put down a brick patio and place a very safe fire pit on there...we might truly have some autumn ambiance in the garden.  

See that octagon picnic table in the background...it is sooooo cool.  There is another garden gnome.  How did he get up there?  

I am so grateful for the green space here.  I grew up in the heart of the city and never had enough green space.  It's a shame the Curt and I are about the only two residents who regularly come out into the backyard.  The rest like to hang out in the court yard.  The courtyard has a concrete walkway...grass and trees and benches.  It is very nice...but there is a bit of an echo as it is surrounded by three four story buildings...and while the concrete is great for riding bikes...I prefer to have grass under my feet.  Oh well.  Curt and I do love the backyard...we have been known to spend 4 hours at a time out there.   

Blessings.

The Waking of the Human Soul and the Forming of Destiny

An excerpt from this book is printed in Spiritual Insights from WECAN Press.  This is another example of a recommended book from the Sophia Hearth Training Book List.  I am really finding this book fascinating.  After Yoga Practice in the Morning, I try to find the time to read the days verse from Calendar of the Soul and an excerpt from Spiritual Insights.  "And if we add a third phrase to the prayerful form, 'For my thinking I am grateful to the angels, and for speech I thank the archangels.' Then it would be, 'For my place within the sphere of physical and moral forces in earthly existence, I thank the archai, who have themselves received this power from even higher beings.' " ..."But the point of real importance is that, during sleep, we shall approach these three hierarchies of the angeloi, archangeloi, and archai in a worthy way."   The text goes on to say that how a human relates to these angeloi depends on how they act in their waking life...with regard to thinking, speaking, and right use of movement and moral will.  

These concepts really speak to me.  I have had an affinity for angels from a very young child.  I would have imaginary play with angel friends.  I hope to connect with them again as an adult.

Today involved a very very trying morning at the Cape May County Zoo.  I thought it would be a nice outing for myself, my soon to be five year old and my mother.  Well my Curtis was in a foul mood from the morning, and had a full blown temper tantrum in front of the giraffes.  I said many silent prayers to the angeloi.  After about a 30  minutes of me waiting patiently on a bench nearby while he screamed unreasonable demands at me. This was then followed by me moving him closer to the bench out of people's way whom he had starting throwing kicks at and telling him that this was a safe place to cry in.  I remained clam...I spoke softly...Finally I got him into my arms and he started to calm down.  Then I told him we needed to leave the zoo.  He didn't like that as we were only a third of the way through....but that's what happens when there's rudeness and tantrums...we leave.   He was calmer as I carried him on my back to the van.   Also, my mother did not interfere...which was definitely an act of god.   Thank you, angeloi, for helping me help Curtis.  

Suction cup ladybug toothbrush holder

I recently purchased three of these toothbrush holders for my family's toothbrushes.  My youngest son was at home when they arrived by mail as well as the two girls I babysit regularly...one 4.5 years , her sister 2 years.  The three of them were in awe after I assembled the holders and suctioned them to the tile wall.   The older girl said,"It's good that you bought these."  She really likes things neat and organized.  My boy loved the mechanical nature of the product.  How..when you put your brush in as shown in the photo...the ladybug closes up.  just tug lightly outward and the ladybug opens to release your toothbrush.   No more tossing toothbrushes in sink when finished...now my boy rinses his brush with care and places it back into his ladybug.   


I love them because I buy the recycline preserve toothbrushes...made from recycled yogurt cups...and they are too large for the permanent toothbrush holder grouted into my tile wall.  (http://www.preserveproducts.com/).  Also the ladybyg keeps dirt off the tooth brush especially cat hair.  Very cool.  I really wanted the Hello Kitty version but I try to stay away from characters...but I do adore Hello Kitty.  I even made a knitted Hello Kitty bag for a child's birthday...then I made one for my little boy because he is fond of her as well.

"It is an erroneous belief of our materialistic times that very young children should learn to decide for themselves." -RS

This quote is from page 45 of The Education of the Child.    I find alot of truth in this statement with my own children and with the children in the Nursery class I work with.   It is really hard when I am hanging out with another parent who constantly gives her child choices.   After awhile it starts to drive me a little crazy.   Then the choices spill over to my child who is there playing with her child..and then it is ," Curtis , do you want to do this or that....ok...you chose that now the other child will do this when you are finished that and never the two shall meet.  This was done in an effort to resolve conflict.   I just am clueless as to how to handle this situation tactfully without upsetting the other mom who is clearly a great, loving mother...and a cool person to boot.   Even in the woods this mom asks the child which direction at the fork in the word he wants to go....Negotiation, asking...I am no whip cracker but I was starting to really lose it.  How does one tactfully go about saying,"  You are really giving that child way too many choices" ?  In training this past summer...it was noted that a teacher..."can never have too much tact."   And that this is a sacred bond between this mother and this child...I guess what really gets me is that in that space it was effecting my child.....and I felt helpless to change that.  Perhaps I could have said ....I don't offer choices like that....?

Steiner goes on to say after this quote..."During this period of childhood, [first seven years]  children should learn through authority....By freeing the child from the limitations imposed by authority, you rob the etheric body of the possibility of a well-founded development."

My Stroke of Insight by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

This book was recommended reading in one of the movement lectures with Jane Swain.   The full title of the book is : My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.  Of all people in this world to have a stroke...this woman, a neuro-anatomist,...takes a stroke.  and is actually able to heal her mind and come back from it..not the same person...but  dare I say a new and improved person with higher cognitive functioning.  And then writes a book detailing her experience.  The book was mentioned  with respect to the work of Emmi Pikler, the late Pediatrician from Budapest.  Pikler's work focused on deep respect of the child...most especially the very young infant...or rather how not to treat the infant as an object or a piece of laundry that needs to be maintained but as a true individual...a soul with flesh.   Dr. Taylor after her stroke, reverts in many ways to an infantile state.  As her left brain was injured...she lost the ability to speak, her vocabulary, her ability to sense herself as a solid object with boundaries, her ability to decipher symbols representing words or numbers, her ability to perform mathematics.  Most interestingly she lost what she terms, "her story-teller"  or rather the chattering voice inside our brains which constantly reminds us of who we are, what our likes and dislike are, what time it is, what needs to be done next etc.  I was immediately reminded of the "monkey mind"  that one is asked to observe without interaction during meditation practice.  So Dr. Taylor lost alot of the information or access to the information she had accumulated all her life.   She was left in what she describes as a really beautiful place where she felt total oneness with everything she encountered.  She was not hurried, she was enraptured by various objects in her environment.  She was acutely aware of the vibe present from various individuals.  She could intensely feel if someone were impatient with her or if they were ignoring her and just going through the motions of her bodily maintenance.  She also acutely felt the warmth and radiance of those that projected true love and caring for her.  To save herself from the trauma of the bad vibe experiences, she would just shut down so as not to interact with those individuals.  She couldn't get up and leave their presence as she was unable; she could not voice what their presence was doing to her; so she would just shut down from the inside.  
We as caregivers to the young child would do well to take these insights into our being.   These  young children who are mostly sense organs, still experiencing the oneness with all, are so effected by our inner intention.   The idea that I need to check in with myself constantly to see where I am is a bit daunting.   However, am I changing these three children's diapers in a hurry because we are late for outside time and they still need their fifteen layers of winter gear?...And how dare they have just decided to poop when we were at the bathroom not 15 minutes ago......
This reminds me of some of the writings of Kim John Payne (Simplicity Parenting) where  he mentions the hurried harried parents of today.   We have our checklists for the day and must drag the children along to our activities and their activities...without having enough time to allow the children to find a pleasant stopping point...a harmonious place where the transition might be easier.  I know I have taken his words to heart a bunch this summer.  I have really simplified my schedule.  When I am alone with my youngest son...or I have him and a few others to care for.....there are no huge outings...just easy transitions from inside to the outside (be it the woods, or the pool, or the garden) with food breaks and rest breaks peppered in.
In Dr. Pikler's philosophy, the time spent on the care of the young child is the most meaningful of our daily interactions with them...That time is when the most eye contact is made, the most loving, soft physical touch is used, the most softly spoken words are voiced...we are filling up the child then with care and love.   How did Dr. Pikler gain such insight into these moments with children?  And here we have validation of her insights from  the insights of a  21st century  stroke-recovered neuro-anatomist.  Indeed, in the infantile state...those times of physical care can be blissful or traumatic depending on the state of the caregiver.  

Dr. Taylor goes on in her book to describe how she so wanted to stay in the state of her right-mind or rather the state of bliss and oneness with the cosmos...but she had to make a great intention to heal her left mind and take back access to those lost information files.  While lots of knowledge came back to her over time, lots of baggage came back too.   She was in a unique place, a third-person sort of perspective, to recognize that which was not her true being...her being of fluid and oneness...and that which was impatience, or judgement, or anxiety.  She made a conscious choice to minimize her neurological stimulus in those areas of her brain and to stimulate the areas that she found acceptable to the new her.  She gives information on how we , without a stroke, can access our bliss space...and be aware of our "story-teller's lies"  and acknowledge them but give them no energy.  

All in all, I found this book to provide a wealth of advice for my work with very young children...And am most glad it was mentioned during lecture.

Rethinking Nursery Children Care

The training brought so many things up for me about how I have been with the little ones for that past two years in my work.  I have been reading a bit of Steiner...talking to my lead teacher and just trying to watch and imitate her and the Kindergarten teachers.  I feel like I just couldn't find myself.  I wanted to remain authentic but "fix" myself so as to work on things...like the volume of my voice, the quality of my speech, the speed of my movements.   I just didn't know which way to go...should I be like this one or that one..who is the model that I should look too?   One teacher always whispers....another teacher sings alot...What is right?  

Now that I have completed Phase I of my training...which to me seems like Finishing School...I learned so much about walking and talking...and the various schools of thought on how best to BE around children (See the first post " Be Like A Madonna").  Now I feel I have solid directions for self-improvement.    Because the bottom line that I got over those two weeks was this...Where I am on the inside is what affects the children...and to be the person I want to be and need to be for the children on the inside...I have to authentically be this person all the time...and physically and spiritually support myself on this path.

Then there is the Nursery Setting itself at the school I at which I work.  Seeing the Sophia's Hearth Childcare Space was absolutely amazing.  Everything was designed to follow the Emmi Pikler Ideals with a melding of the Steiner Indications.   The childcare center there, I believe, can accommodate children that are crawling to 3 or 4 years old.

The area for the crawling children is not extremely large...It is just large enough to accommodate their toy shelf...play mat space and changing table....all so simple.

This space has a half door which leads to the walking children's childcare room.

Here is a close-up of the toys in the crawling children's room:

See here  a view of the crawling children's space as seen from their separate sleeping quarters. There is the split door in the background,

Here is the split (Dutch) door leading into the crawling children's childcare s pace looking from the walking children's room.

Here is the crawling children's changing table

 The walking children's childcare room is a much larger space, with cubbies, toy shelves, a toy kitchen, a sectioned off kitchen and a bathroom.   The changing table in the bathroom is a Pikler type where the children are diapered standing.  According to the Pikler method, once a child is walking they should be diapered standing up. Here is a view of the bathroom with a changing table that can accommodate a taller, walking child. The tub is there in case any children need therapeutic baths.

Here is the toy kitchen with some dolls and baskets.  I also have those colanders..they come from the montessori website.

Oooh.  What a grand idea.   The low hanging hammock.  It is very securely installed into the wall studs.  They prefer the non-nylon mesh kind as the full cloth variety gives a good amount of uniform constant pressure on the child's body...allowing an awareness of the body.

            
AAAh.  The cozy chair.  This is in the opposite corner to the hammock.  If you are sitting in this chair...to your left would be the play kitchen shown earlier.

 Those awesome wooden cubes are made by a local company in New Hampshire ( Whtiney Brothers) .  And the floors are cork.  The rugs are wool or cotton.  I really like the cozy chair idea...I personally find it hard to get comfy on a rocking chair.  Additionally, kids and cat's tails seem to get in trouble with rocking chairs.

A toy shelf for the walking children....wooden bridges and blocks. That's pretty much it for toys.

The walking children's room has two size tables and variable sized stools.  It is important that the children have their feet well-grounded while eating.

Here are the sleeping futons for the walking children.  These futons are about three inches thick and made of organic cotton.  I was told they are about $70 each and made by a company out west.   There is an additional duvet and sheepskin rolled up into each as well as a sleep toy which is made by the staff and is uniform for all the children.

 
I think it was a knitted kitty. About 9 children at present stay for rest in the walking children room. Tents are not made over the futons. They are simply rolled out and ready before lunch and the children just finish lunch and go to their futons.

Weighted blankets are used if a child has trouble settling down. These are relatively easy to make...with sand or beans filled into sewed up pockets in a blanket.

Here is a view into the kitchen from the play area. The kitchen is segregated from the play area according to New Hampshire child care facility guidelines.

What struck me...after I was struck by the wonder of what I was seeing...was what I was not seeing.    I did not see a rocking chair, dress up clothes, play stands, wooden houses with animals or people, push or pull toys, wooden clips, small rocks or shells.

They also do not require that the children bring lunch boxes...They cook lunch for the children as well as provide their snacks.

The simplicity of this perspective on Nursery age childcare was refreshing.   I am always a fan of decluttering or purging as I like to call it.    Maybe this is something to think about for the younger set.  At the Nursery age...i.e., 3 or less years...They really aren't small five year olds...we can't superimpose the trappings of a Waldorf Kindergarten onto a Waldorf Nursery...or can we?    I suppose that is the question I am holding.