NEW Website for the Waldorf Enrichment School!

This can now be found at www.Earthschooling.com

Organization and the Temperaments

NEW! Organization for Homeschoolers AND Organization and the Temperaments

DVD Download-7.50

A free E-Book with charts & organizational ideas comes with this set of TWO lectures. "Organization and the Temperaments" is a 45-minute lecture given at the Eastern Iowa Homeschool Conference in April 2008. The second part of the video shows scenes and details from around the home.

Storytime with Worms

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

The Un-Planned Waldorf Enrichment Day

I had so many plans for today but the best parts of the day turned out to be the things I had not planned at all!

We took a nature walk on the drippy muddy trail and discovered patches of clover, a tulip getting ready to bloom and some daffodils by the creek. We discovered that the water sounded gentle in one area of the creek but it sounded much louder in the area where it was running faster. We all had a pair of binoculars and we saw a Goldfinch, a Robin and a Bluejay! G said, "I can always tell what a bird is before I see it because they always say their names. Like a hawk says "haaaawk! haaaaawk! and a blue jay says "Jaaaay! Jaaaaay!" I thought that was wonderful!

When we came home from the walk we got out the block crayons and colored pencils to draw and color. However, we ended up spending just as much time reading the German names of the colors on the Lyra pencil set and enjoying the different sounds of the language...

After lunch we were going to do some theater and storytelling but then the kids saw my "magic trunk" in the corner (a trunk where I keep a bunch of wooden magic set props that I have collected over the years) and we ended up learning how to use all the tricks in the box and giving shows to each other for 2 hours! Towards the end Sweetie Pie (the bunny) got a little too curious and almost ended up in a magic trick but she was too quick for the magician's hat - LOL! So she ate some leftover apple peels from snack time instead...

So I end the day feeling like I've just been 7-years-old again :) What fun!

Hope you all your schedule changes were joyful surprises today too!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/

http://www.waldorfschoolonline.com/

May Lesson Plan E-Book Ready for Download

The May E-book has been organized and is ready for download. This 200-page E-book contains Waldorf lesson plans for ages 3-11 Preschool through 4th grade and includes membership in the Waldorf School Online and free consulting. The book is indexed and has sections for each age group for verses, crafts, stories & lessons. Although I have been using these plans for years (and adding to them every year), creating E-books from these plans, stories and verses has been a wonderful opportunity for me to re-explore the material.

And May is one of my favorite months! So many of my favorite activities are in May - so many activities with flowers including a guide to edible flowers and what to make with them, ideas for Mayday and Mother's Day, Soapmaking for all the ages, some adorable beginning and advanced crochet patterns, extra Spanish verses and stories for Cinco de Mayo, some original form drawing stories, skills for beeswax crayons and so much more.

And my favorite part - Lessons, verses, crafts AND a planning guide for MAYFAIR! (The guide can help you plan for 1 person or 100 people!)

http://waldorftv.weebly.com/waldorf-lesson-plans.html

And of course, the May Lesson Plans have always (and will always) include:

MP3s of all verses
3 Video Tutorials
3 Original Watercolor Stories by Kristie Karima Burns
Sixth Sense Math Lessons & Sixth Sense Writing & Reading Lessons
Vintage Book Selections Online from my own personal library

Come join us for May!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND

http://www.waldorfschoolonline.com/

http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/

Earth Day - Green Watercoloring & Picnics

What a wonderful Earth Day! It is our second "real" day of spring this year - so we brought our classroom outside and snacktime too! We decided to see what we could do with just the color green and just enjoyed the sun!

How to Tune Your Kinder Harp (Pentatonic Lyre)

This can now be found at:

http://earthschooling.info/thebearthinstitute/?page_id=1373

Introduction to Waldorf E-book - 256 Pages

This can now be found here: http://earthschooling.info/thebearthinstitute/?wpsc-product=august-enrichment-lessons

Waldorf & Natural Healing Book Exchange

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Inspire Me!

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Motherhood is a Journey

This post can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Zarelda's Birthday Celebration

Were you all wondering what has been happening with Zarelda? Well, Sofi did too. But she was just SURE Zarelda would come if she made sure that her home looked festive for her birthday! Zarelda's birthday (apparently) was April 4th. So Sofi decorated with streamers and we went down to the Fair World Gallery (also online) to purchase a gift. Sofi decided that Zarelda would love some worry dolls, because they were just the right size for a fairy!

I decided that Zarelda might like something from ETSY since she shops there so much already so I purchased an art print for her that was JUST THE RIGHT SIZE for her walls! I have no idea why they advertise these tiny art prints as collector's prints - don't they know that fairies and dolls everywhere are always in search of that perfect size print for their house? I chose a fairy print from Mistyisle called "Fairies in the Moonlight".

Sofi also left Zarelda a tea set.

The next morning we found wrapping paper all over and the words TEA? written on the little chalkboard in Zarelda's house! Apparently she loved the tea set but we had forgotten to leave her some tea!

However, she did enjoy the gifts. The dolls were placed all over the house - and one was even on the swing! Zarelda was so happy she left Sofi a picture of what her birthday party had been like!

Doris, at DELDREAMART (ETSY) was comissioned to paint this lovely piece of work. Zarelda really wanted to get Sofi the DRAGON PURSE or the painting of the DRAGONS FIGHTING OVER THE MUSHROOM but they were too heavy for her to carry :)

Enjoy our bithday party album!

How to Make Fairy Wings - VIDEO TUTORIAL

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Steiner and Sleep

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Question: What Age is the Herb Book For?

Re: Question: Kristie I just checked your book out on the link - WOW! Everyone go have a look! It is lovely! Does the printed version include more stories? What age children is it aimed at? I guess it's designed to be read to and to be read by themselves? -Cathy

Thanks Cathy!

I am so happy with the book and the class that did the watercolor paintings did such a good job! The book is aimed for children ages 3-7 to be read to or 7-9 to read TO them or from ages 9-11 as a MAIN LESSON guide. Each book has one herb story in it and is designed for the following:

1. As a story book/picture book to inspire: Our kids are used to seeing these wonderful illustrated books but this book is also gorgeous but illustrated by children slightly older than them (and their teacher) so in this way, children are SEEING on a daily basis Waldorf Watercolor painting, which prepares them visually for what they will be doing when they are older. Imagine the difference in a child who is introduced to Waldorf watercolor painting WITHOUT ever having seen any examples they can grasp (this book has examples that range from simple to professional) and the child that sees books from a young age filled with Waldorf watercolor paintings!

2. As a teacher guide: As a teacher you can use the book as a guide to do this as a main lesson with your own child. Two free E-books are available with the book if you need help with Waldorf watercolor painting. Using the story and the watercolors in the book you can guide your own child through the lesson.

3. As a gentle introduction into the world of herbs. Through the story you learn about the uses of one herb, you can use the recipe at the back of the book and explore the herb in more detail, using the book as a starting point. Even as an adult learning about herbs it is recommended that you learn about only ONE HERB at a time, at a rate of about ONE HERB a month. That is another reason I put only one herb per book.

The reason I decided to publish this as a book, rather than an e-book, is because of the paintings and its usefulness as a "first Waldorf book" for children. There are very few Waldorf storybooks available for children. There are a lot of Waldorf-like or Waldorf-y storybooks, but this one actually uses art that the children will be creating later in their education.

4. To be held, treasured, and loved...to be experienced over and over. I am excited for my own children to have this on the counter and be able to read the story and browse the pictures every day. I imagine it will have a wonderful subtle effect on them over time! Sofi has already been inspired by the pictures and is looking at them every day and wanting to make them!

Hope this helps!
The Book is in my ETSY shop now :) or you can pay directly via Paypal or Amazon payment link (ask me for the link).

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10746408

By the way, I can sign the book before I send it out if you want me to and I can include an inscription as well. I won't do this if you don't ask, however, as you may want to include your own inscription OR leave it blank.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
Mother to Mosi, 13, Sunii, 11, Sofi, 9
Living in Des Moines, IOWA after travelling the world :)


http://www.waldorfschoolonline.com/
Enrichment Curriculum, Video Tutorials, E-books, Consulting & More
http://www.herbnhome.com/
Naturopathic Healing Classes & Consulting
http://www.buyaunicorn.com/
Knitted Herbal Healing Unicorns
http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/
Free video tutorials for crafters & homeschoolers

Let's show our support! Please help!

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

What's Good for the Gosling...

What’s Good For the Gosling…
By Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/
Permission to reprint this article is given to anyone who also includes my name and website in the reprint.


Have you ever heard the term “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander?” (It means, basically that what a man can do, a woman can do to or what is good for the man, is also good for the women)

I would like to coin a new phrase and dedicate it to Waldorf schooling: What is good for the gosling is good for the goose.

Over the years I have heard so many parents reflect that sentiment – even myself. When I attended the parent-child class with my children in the Chicago suburbs I used to joke that I was going for me and they were just along for the ride. At my Waldorf enrichment school overseas many mothers commented to me that they were surprised how much THEY looked forward to coming to my program and just the other day someone commented that they didn’t know who was getting more out of Waldorf – their kids or them!

This is one aspect of Waldorf education that makes it so appealing and healing at the same time – it encompasses each person as a holistic being. In striving to be the best teachers we learn the skills of inner work and meditation, in creating paintings with our children we can sometimes heal ourselves from our own rushed childhood years. In teaching a main lesson on mythology our own fire for learning is re-lit and in taking nature walks we re-learn appreciation of nature from our own children.

In noticing the ways that Waldorf can be good for us as well as our children, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the teaching methods as well as for the efforts we put into our teaching hours. We can also discover new and wonderful things about ourselves and enrich our own lives.

This week, our show on The Waldorf Channel was about a parent making a main lesson book (see http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/ - click on ART). As a parent we are also learning and a main lesson book can be something that we can use to record that learning, express ourselves, honor what we are learning and create a sacred space for it. As a baby we are cheered with each new skill we learn. Our first laugh is rewarded with praise and photos. Our first steps are rewarded with hugs and squeals of excitement from the adults around us. However, when we learn something new as an adult how often do we get praised for it? Keeping your own main lesson book can be a way for you to honor that.

The reason I call it a “main lesson” book rather than a journal is that I want to emphasize that the scope of the book is to record lessons and processes rather than a mixture of lessons, photos, and experiences. A memory album is a record of the past. A journal is a record of our inner thoughts and experiences. A main lesson book is a record of lessons we are working on now – academic, artistic & spiritual. In my main lesson book this week I have written out two of my favorite quotes and decorated them with a flowery border. The next page is a mandala meditation I did when I needed to work through some frustrations. Mixed in with those kinds of entries is a page I did with the kids on herbal form drawing and another page on a story we created together.

Another area of Waldorf we can learn from is the skill of rhythm in our lives. Modern society teaches us to schedule things by the hour and accomplish as much as we can in one day. We are told that we must be on time to work, on time to school and on time to everything we do. We are given cereal so we can rush through breakfast, frozen meals so we can rush through cooking and cars so we can drive quickly to wherever we are going. In this rush we often lose our sense of rhythm and can become quite overwhelmed and confused.

In Waldorf education, rhythm is a central part of the day. In Steiner’s writing it is hard to find a lecture in which he does not refer to rhythm and cycles – of the day, of the month, of the year, of the life and even of the life of earth & mankind itself.

In his lecture, The Christmas Festival (at: http://tinyurl.com/2baklv), Steiner says, “Man seems to become more and more akin to the great rhythms of Nature. If we think of all that encompasses the life of the soul, of the course of the Sun and everything that is connected with it, we are struck by something that closely concerns us, namely, the rhythm and the marvelous harmony in contrast to the chaos and lack of harmony in the human soul. We all know how rhythmically and with what regularity the Sun appears and disappears. And we can picture what a stupendous upheaval there would be in the universe if for a fraction of a second only the Sun were to be diverted from its course. It is only because of this inviolable harmony in the course of the Sun that our universe can exist at all, and it is upon this harmony that the rhythmic life-process of all beings depends. Think of the annual course of the Sun. — Picture to yourselves that it is the Sun which charms forth the plants in spring time and then think how difficult it is to make the violet or some other plant flower out of due season. Seed-time and harvest, everything, even the very life of animals is dependent upon the rhythmic course of the Sun. And in the being of man himself everything that is not connected with his feelings, his desires and his passions, or with his ordinary thinking, is rhythmic and harmonious.

By realizing this within our children and ourselves we realize how important “little things” like morning circle time, regular meals, regular bedtimes and regular routines are to our holistic well-being. There are many theories today that most psychological issues we deal with as a society are greatly attributable to our lack of rhythm. Depression can often stem from days, months or even years of sleep deprivation (example: http://tinyurl.com/3x6atf) . ADHD can become manifested when a child or adult is exposed to an environment lacking in rhythm (example: http://tinyurl.com/3c47pc) and many illnesses, especially of the digestive system, can be directly related to our habits of eating out of rhythm with the seasons and with our own physical needs.

However, although we may spend hours planning the rhythms of our child’s day, we sometimes forget our own. While we definitely reap the benefits of the morning circle time and other rhythmic routines we sometimes forget that our own routines often need a rhythm. In the same way we schedule a different activity for each day (bread making on Monday, painting on Tuesdays, etc…) we can also schedule our own chores in this way.

In my personal situation, I schedule both my household and my business duties in this way. On Mondays I clean the animal cages and change the sheets on the beds. On Tuesdays I scrub the kitchen floor and clean the bathrooms. The list rotates every week. In my business I have a similar list. On Mondays I list things on Ebay, I do home and business related shopping and I ship any weekend orders I have. On Tuesdays I do finances for the home and the business and on Wednesdays I write BLOGS, articles and do my main work on the Waldorf lists. On Thursdays I see consulting clients and on Fridays I have office hours for students from my natural healing classes.

In the same way I also have a rhythm to my day, which reflects the rhythm of breathing in and breathing out that the children follow. After spending some time on breathing in (E-mail, gardening, doing dishes) I make sure that I spend some time on breathing out activity (ie: running errands, lessons with the kids, healing work)

I also make sure my day contains the three elements of head (writing articles or mental work), heart (chatting with friends, being with my kids, partner and pets, meditating) and hands (knitting, baking, creating something). The morning is a natural time of awakening when a person can best function in creating projects & writing. Afternoon is naturally the peak of the day when more physical activity is required, such as a walk. Many people who ignore this natural rhythm can experience a “low” or feeling of fatigue daily sometime in the afternoon. The evening (and early morning before the sun comes up) is a natural time for inner work and peaceful activities as a family.

On days when I do not follow these rhythms I can feel the difference in my mood, productivity, outlook on life, ability to work and levels of inner peace and balance.

If you reflect for a while you will find that there are many ways in which you can incorporate Waldorf into you own life as well as your child’s life. If you have any inspirations that work for you please share them with the group at:

waldorfschoolonline@yahoogroups.com


ADDITIONAL NOTES

This article was about using Waldorf methods for adults as well as children. If you would like to read more about Waldorf and rhythms an article about Waldorf and Rhythm can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfschoolonline/files/ (Click on Waldorf Basics)

Soul of man!
You live in the heart-lung-beat
That guides you through the rhythm of times
To the sensing of your own soul's being:
Practice spirit contemplation
In equanimity of soul,
Where the surging
Cosmic creative deeds
Unite
Your own I
To the cosmic I;
And you will truly feel
In deeds of the human soul.

- Rudolph Steiner

END NOTES

1. In some countries where it is very warm or hot it is actually WITHIN the rhythm of that country to take a nap in the mid afternoon, so when I mentioned not napping, I was speaking of only some situations. A lot of rhythm DOES have to do with the environment that surrounds us!

2. Rhythm is something we strive for. After writing the article I didn't want everyone to feel like I always had this lovely rhythm going on in my life. But there is a big difference between having on and not having one. If you have one and then your day gets de-railed by another life rhythm (bad weather, someone popping in for a visit, illness) you have a clear map and road to go back to. If you do not have one to begin with then you are often wandering seeking one both mentally and physically.

The Mandil Method of Recycling

Ok, my name is actually BURNS, but Mandil (my kids' last name) just sounds better in front of method so I've named this after them :)

As I was feeding the rabbit some carrot scraps this morning I realized we have some interesting methods of compost/recycyling around here!

*I peel the kids a carrot every morning for a snack and feed the scraps to the bunny.

*All the eggshells go into the worm compost bin along with old flower stems and other scraps

*The cats are happy to eat any leftover NOODLES and yesterday one of them was caught licking some Parmesan cheese Sofi had spilled on the tablecloth (THAT goes into the wash on HOT cycle!)...does that count as compost/recycling?

* The birds and squirrels outside our front window happily eat any leftover bread, bagles and/or cereals

* The squirrels come and eat the leftover bunnyfood because bunny sorts through her bunny mix and only eats the things she likes.

* The neighborhood stray cat eats leftover meat scraps (but my cats don't like them).

Gosh...all we need now is a goat!

My disposal is feeling a bit lonely lately :)

Blessings & Health,

Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
Mother to Mosi, 13, Sunii, 11, Sofi, 9
Living in Des Moines, IOWA after travelling the world :)
http://www.waldorfschoolonline.com/
Enrichment Curriculum, Video Tutorials, E-books, Consulting & More
http://www.herbnhome.com/
Naturopathic Healing Classes & Consulting
http://www.buyaunicorn.com/
Knitted Herbal Healing Unicorns
http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/
Free video tutorials for crafters & homeschoolers