We Nurture: Waldorf Inspired Parenting

Many of us, as we become parents, have some idea of how we do NOT want to discipline our children.  Then the children begin to arrive, either as our own children or the children in our care or classrooms, and we may find we are not as certain about what we WILL do when challenging behaviors arise.  Rarely is there one tool that solves all situations.  But one tool does stand at the foundation of all discipline tools that are meaningful and appropriate toward the sacred nature of our children.  That is love.  In the LOVE approach to Discipline with Loving Awareness, Cynthia Aldinger shares eight aspects of child guidance derived from the word LOVE as an acronym.  They are Listening, Laughter/Humor, Order/Clarity, Objectivity, Versatility, Vulnerability, Energy, and Enthusiasm, and each of these topics has a number of tools to consider.  In this conversation with Cynthia, we will hear about a few of these tools and the online course where you can explore more.

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org

Music is Glacier Bells by Daniel Birch.

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Farmer John and his wife Betty live in a cozy house on top of a green grassy hill.  Every day, they have lots of chores to do and on this particular day Farmer John must take care of all the chores.  Help comes his way when brother wind, fire fairies, and sister rain visit him even though he's fallen fast asleep.

To discover more about Rosebud Garden please visit farmhousemanna.com and kimberton.org

Time in a natural outdoor setting has so many benefits for children: fostering wonder, encouraging natural observation, building resilience and health, nourishing the senses, and promoting relationships. Recent events have led many early childhood professionals and parents to explore the possibilities of offering expanded outdoor opportunities. With the strengthening power of fresh air and the elements of nature, more time outdoors can be an elixir for adults and children! 

Sign up for the Learning in Nature online course.

Mary O'Connell has been working with the Anthroposophical care of young children for almost 20 years!  In 2002, she opened the very first LifeWays Early Childhood Center in Milwaukee where she served as the director for 13 years. 

Currently, Mary is the Board president of LifeWays North America, she is the training coordinator for LifeWays' extensive onsite and online programs AND she travels and teaches in some of these programs. Mary has taught teachers, caregivers, and parents all over the U.S. and internationally. 

In 2010, Mary co-authored Home Away From Home: LifeWays Care of Children and Families with Cynthia Aldinger, and in 2018 she authored Observing Young Children - A Tool for Meaningful Assessment.  Most recently, Mary started a non-profit farm education program at Paradise Farm in West Bend, WI where she and her colleagues provide outdoor, farm-based education to children and adults.

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org. 

Music is Glacier Bells by Daniel Birch.

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A Buddhist Tale from Ancient India about generosity and loving all the people of the world!

To discover more about Rosebud Garden please visit farmhousemanna.com and kimberton.org

In our last episode with Cynthia Aldinger we heard how LifeWays was founded.  We have Cynthia with us again and we’re excited to hear about the principles and practices of LifeWays.  LifeWays was born out of the need to address the care of young children.  We live in a time where many young children are in full-time care, LifeWays created a model for addressing the needs of the whole child through a strong foundation in anthroposophy and child development.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, Anthroposophy helps build strength through self-development and through striving to be “worthy of imitation”.  It is through focusing on our internal environment that we are first and foremost able to create a warm, loving environment.  Cynthia, tell us more about this LifeWays principle which she calls Self as Curriculum.

Cynthia Aldinger received her Waldorf teacher training certificate at Emerson College in Sussex, England.  She served fourteen years on the board of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America and was a founding teacher of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Wisconsin.  Cynthia is the author of Life is the Curriculum and co-author of Home Away From Home, and she presents throughout North America and internationally, as well as through numerous online courses. A mother and grandmother, Cynthia’s passion is the preservation of the playful spirit of childhood and helping to create environments that provide the comfort, security, and activities found in a healthy home.

Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.  It is a path of knowledge or spiritual research.  Anthroposophy strives to bridge the divide between the sciences, the arts, and the religious strivings of human beings and build a foundation for a synthesis of them for the future. Anthroposophy also holds an impulse to nurture the life of the soul in human beings and in society. Simply put - Anthroposophy means "Wisdom of the Human Being."

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org

Music is Glacier Bells by Daniel Birch

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This story describes the concern of a group of elves during a period of no rain in their forest. It tells of the bravery of one elf, Beecher, who went to search for water to save the leaves from wilting. On his quest, this courageous elf meets many wonders of the natural world.

The Dance of the Elves By Andrew Linnell, Illustrated by Elizabeth Auer

Mercury Press of The Fellowship Community. Discover Mercury Press by visiting their website mercurypress.org

About Mercury Press

"We are a small Non-Profit publisher and print shop located at the Fellowship Community, originating in the 1970s to foster continuing education in the study of anthroposophical literature.  Since many of Rudolf Steiner's significant lectures had yet to be translated and printed in English, this became part of our work and provided material for unfolding the community's spiritual life.
Mercury Press is a "work activity group" providing educational, economic, social, and therapeutic experiences in the editing, printing, binding, collating, and shipping of books to interested English-speaking people all over the world.  This activity, in turn, produces funds which enable us to care for the elderly members at a cost far below more conventional homes for the aging."

In this first episode of season 2, we have invited Cynthia Aldinger, founder of LifeWays North America to tell the story of the founding of LifeWays. She has been dedicated to the work of creating childcare centers that nurture young children in healthy ways as well as training for teachers, parents, and caregivers.  LifeWays also offers numerous online courses for parents, teachers, and caregivers.

Cynthia Aldinger received her Waldorf teacher training certificate at Emerson College in Sussex, England.  She served fourteen years on the board of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America and was a founding teacher of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Wisconsin.  Cynthia is the author of Life is the Curriculum and co-author of Home Away From Home, and she presents throughout North America and internationally, as well as through numerous online courses.

A mother and grandmother, Cynthia’s passion is the preservation of the playful spirit of childhood and helping to create environments that provide the comfort, security, and activities found in a healthy home.

Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.  It is a path of knowledge or spiritual research.  Anthroposophy strives to bridge the divide between the sciences, the arts, and the religious strivings of human beings and build a foundation for a synthesis of them for the future. Anthroposophy also holds an impulse to nurture the life of the soul in human beings and in society. Simply put - Anthroposophy means "Wisdom of the Human Being."

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org

Music is Glacier Bells by Daniel Birch

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Instagram

In this episode, we are connecting you to LifeWays North America, an organization dedicated to revolutionizing the care of young children through what they call the Living Arts as well as the Social Art of Awareness.  LifeWays offers transformational practices that change people’s lives. First, we address the ongoing struggles of people of color in our country because staying silent is not an option!

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org

This is a continuation of the story of Wise Grandfather Turtle.  Meet Lizzie Lizard and Neville Newt as they reminisce about the joys of the summer's past and make plans for the summer to come.  As they emerge from their burrows with plans of their own a wonderful surprise for all the woodland, meadow, and pond creatures awaits.

To discover more about Rosebud Garden please visit farmhousemanna.com and kimberton.org

At We Nurture, we believe that connecting communities builds bridges and building bridges builds connections and also makes it possible to envision a strong world community. 

In this episode, we are building a connection to Steiner Books an online store that offers books on Waldorf education, on child & family, Spirituality as well as Biodynamic and Organic agriculture and books by Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education.

To discover more please visit steinerbooks.org and kimberton.org

Listen and Subscribe to the Sunday Letter Podcast here: steinerbooks.org/sunday-letter-podcast