First Grade Readiness
Resources, Insights, and Tools for Waldorf Educators

Nancy Blanning, Editor

Spiralbound

$21.00

Some history first:

In my more than 30 years involvement with Waldorf Education, I have not encountered a topic that generated more interest, anxiety, misunderstanding and bewilderment than the question of what really constitutes first grade readiness in a child.

In the early days, there was a tendency for educators to draw a line in the sand in relation to a child's age. Which line it was varied from school to school ("must be age 7," "must turn 7 in the first semester," "must turn 7 by the end of summer" and so forth). There was also "must have begun the change of teeth."

Of course, all of this missed a couple of very important points. The first was that Rudolf Steiner never once said that children are ready to learn to read "at age 7." What he said was that "sometime during the 7th year" they become ready - this means anytime after the 6th birthday, not after the 7th birthday. Then, there is the modern fact that (in my opinion) our lives have created conditions wherein child development has become a bit chaotic: children can begin to lose their teeth at, say, 4 years old, but don't seem to mature mentally so far as grammar school readiness is concerned until 7 or 8 years of age. While there are beautiful ways to pull this development together, it did leave the adults in a predicament of not knowing where to look for criteria that would offer the child the best possibilities of sound education.

Later on, there were a variety of coordination and drawing criteria that were sometimes applied, but understood by only a few and contested by others. Given that each school (and sometimes each teacher) had different requirements and assessments, it's small wonder that parents often looked at the process as arbitrary and poorly substantiated, regardless of everyone's best intentions.

Now, my review of this GREAT book:

Happily, all of this is changing through more research and broader understandings of child development needs. I have recently seen in the mainstream press many articles on the needs of young children that would have been at home only in a Waldorf school 30 years ago. And, with increased knowledge and awareness, it has become possible for a true flowering of understanding to arise within the Waldorf movement.

It is a flowering of understanding that Nancy Blanning has brought together in First Grade Readiness. This book is packed with the most comprehensive, detailed, sound and wholesome guidance about what first grade readiness really is and what teachers and parents should look for when considering whether or not a given child is ready to move into the world of abstract learning.

First Grade Readiness is both healing and inspiring. My feeling is that both educators and parents will be heard to sigh with warm relief upon reading it, it offers so much loving common sense and light-filled wisdom.

Read it, use it, share it.

Contents:

• Foreword
• Part One
  • Reflections on First Grade Readiness - Nancy Blanning
  • First Grade Readiness - Joan Almon
  • Some Guidelines for First Grade Readiness - Nancy Foster
  • School Readiness: A School Doctor's Perspective - Bettina Lohn, MSc
  • What are the signs that my child is ready for school? - Michaela Glöckler, MD and Wolfgang Goebel, MD
  • The Transition to Elementary School Learning: When is the right time?
  • School Entry and the Consolidation of Developmental Processes - Audrey E McAllen
  • The Development of Memory and the Transformation of Play - Louise deForest
  • Creating Partnerships with Parents in First Grade Readiness Decisions - Ruth Ker
  • Carrying the Transition to First Grade - Janet Klaar
  • A Transition Group at the Edinburgh Steiner School - Melissa Borden
  • Building the Bridge to the First Grade: How a Class Teacher Can Lead Children Gently into the Grade School - Kim Holscher
  • The Lowering of School Age and the Changes in Childhood: An Interim Report - Claudia McKeen, MD; Rainer Patzlaff; Martyn Rawson
• Part Two
  • Introduction
  • Developing Our Observation Skills for Understanding First Grade Readiness - Ruth Ker
  • The Red Queen: A First Grade Assessment Story - Valerie Poplawski, Celia Riahi, and Randi Stein
    • First Grade Assessment Form
    • The Red Queen Materials List
    • Reverence List for The Red Queen
  • A Therapeutic Educator's Approach: Keeping It Imaginative and Playfully Objective - Nancy Blanning
    • First Grade Readiness Observation Form
    • Equipment List
    • Activities to Support Healthy Sensory Development
  • Observation Forms for the Documentation of Development and Learning
    • Observation Form for Early Childhood Educators
  • Contributors

Childhood's Garden
Shaping everyday life around the needs of young children

Helle Heckmann

Book and DVD

Softbound

$30.00

I have been basking in the glow of both the film and book that are Childhood's Garden every since reviewing them. My, oh my, what goodness lies within!

First, about the film presented on the DVD: Amazing, warm, wonderful, inspiring - I could go on and on with superlatives. The more people who can see it, the better for the world.

The filmmakers managed to blend into the background so well that the children simply go about their day as though they aren't there. And what a day it is! Helle Heckmann has created a true garden for young children (Nokken): they spend 5 hours of their 8 hour day outdoors, rain or shine (this was a summer day - she doesn't mention in the film what they do on truly frigid winter days). They are given the freedom to imitate the work of the garden and more as their child's heart. The little ones (ages 1-3) take naps in specially made cribs that are also outdoors - this is a Danish tradition which I believe should be looked at closely in other parts of the world where it may also benefit children who spend so much of their life indoors.

Nokken offers the children a midday meal which is made from biodynamic grains, vegetables, oils and syrups. The diet has been chosen to provide the children with types of food they are unlikely to receive at home, thus effecting and overall balance in their diets. I'm a bit less certain as to whether her diet would be effective in balancing children's food intake in the US, as my observation in Waldorf kindergartens has been that many of the parents already eat in similar ways and that offering more of the same might prove to create an overall imbalance. However, this, too, should be examined closely -- Helle's approach is sound and beautiful, but her exact solutions for her area may or may not translate well in other situations. Nonetheless, her food is highly nutritious and looked so good I found myself getting hungry just watching the children eat.

In the small book that comes with it, Helle Heckmann expands on things seen in the movie, but not necessarily described in depth. You'll learn more about the thinking and feeling that has gone into every detail of the life she and her coworkers have created for the children in their care. It is packed, simply packed with valuable ideas that carry so much inspiration that I am confident they will live and grow in this world of ours.

Childhood's Garden is one of the most significant, beautiful, healing works to have emerged in the field of early childhood educaiton. Please watch the DVD (invite your friends, make popcorn!), talk about it, read the book - this is must see/read material!

Creating a Home for Body, Soul, and Spirit
A New Approach to Childcare

Bernadette Raichle

Softbound

$25.00

Creating a Home for Body, Soul, and Spirit answers with beauty and love the needs of children everywhere, and conveys a joyous hope to all adults how care for those children.

Because she took seriously the fact that many homes require the parent(s) to work away from their young children, and because she has such a great love for children and our world, she created one of the most beautiful and life-giving childcare centers anywhere.

In Creating a Home, she shares not only pictures of the life of Awhina (her center), but something more: she goes on to relate clear the developmental needs of the fourfold human being and in the most practical terms discusses how it is that caregivers can meet them within young children. Her's is a stirring, heartwarming account that is at the same time clear and deep.

Anyone who cares for children, particularly other people's children, will want to read this book and commit its wisdom to heart. I truly believe that the future will smile in return.

You're Not the Boss of Me!
Understanding the Six/Seven-Year-Old Transformation

Ruth Ker, Editor

Spiral Bound

$32.00

There are few parents and, I think, no kindergarten teachers who have not heard the title of this book shouted at them in fury by children between five and seven years old. In fact, some of us can remember, however dimly, our own frustrated rage as we ourselves shouted these words when we were that age. Perhaps there's something on the human genome that over the millenia has imprinted "You're not the boss of me!" as the inconic phrase human beings must utter before leaving their infancy behind.

Of course, in the face of this imperative resistance, we adult teachers and parents are often left perplexed and frustrated ourselves. When the subject was raised at a WECAN conference, it was joined with such acclaimation that a work group was formed to explore the phenomenon and ways of helping children move positively across this threshold.

The result is You're Not the Boss of Me! - a colleciton of articles and excerpts by kindergarten teachers, sensory integration experts, and medical doctors. It is wonderful! Teachers in schools and homeschools will find so much to help them meet the needs of the six-to-seven-year-olds as they also find ways to take joy in those children who stand at this threshhold. Parents can gain new understanding and lots and lots of friently help and highly useful advice.

Thank you to the WECAN work group for bringing us such a needed book!!

In a Nutshell
Dialogues with Parents at Acorn Hill, A Waldorf Kindergarten

Nancy Foster

Softbound

$18.00

What an absolutely wonderful book! Nancy Foster has not only given us great explanation of just about everything parents new to Waldorf education ever wonder about, but she has gone on to give some of the best parenting advice ever written down. In other words, she has poured over 30 years experience as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher into the most concise, readable and useful wee book every printed on the subject teaching and parenting young children. This is a genuinely must-have book for anyone working with or raising young children.

Table of Contents:

Our Classroom Environment

• Color in the Classroom
• Why Curtains?
• Teachers' Dress
• The Significance of Candles
• Naming the Teacher
• No Cars and Trucks?
• What about Puzzles?
• Musical Instruments in the Classroom

Work and Play at School

• The Rhythm of the Morning
• Saying "You may . . . "
• Ironing in the Classroom: Danger?
• Boys and Waldorf Education
• Playing Cats and Dogs
• Music in the Mood of the Fifth
• Can Energetic Boys Enjoy Handwork?
• Gun Play at School
• Field Trips?
• Fairy Tales for Young Children
• The Challenge of Circle Time
• Puppetry and "Told" Stories

Children at Home

• Colors for a Child's Bedroom
• Older and Younger Siblings
• Boredom
• Telephone
• Bedtime Ritual
• Feeding a Child
• Swords vs. Guns
• TV Away from Home
• Barbie
• Forbidden Words?
• Appropriate Gifts
• "What did you learn in school today?"
• Toys in the Neighborhood
• Helping Children in a Time of Trouble - A Few Thoughts
• Is the World a Good Place?

On the Play of the Child
Indications by Rudolf Steiner for Working with Young Children

Selected and edited by Freya Jaffke

Softbound

$15.50

Freya Jaffke is one of the world's most beloved, knowledgable and effective Waldorf kindergarten teachers -- a gift to every teacher and child she meets. She has gathered together suggestions and comments by Rudolf Steiner which she has personally found to be the most inspiring and most illuminating. While no collection such as this can ever be complete, this one goes straight to the heart of the matter, lighting the way for anyone who cares for or about young children.

Nurturing Children and Families
One Model of a Parent/Child Program in a Waldorf School

Sarah Baldwin

Softbound

$23.50

Sarah Baldwin has created a beautiful portrait of the grace that a Waldorf parent/child program can be -- for the parents, the children and the entire community. She writes from her heart, from her considerable knowledge of children and families, and from her experience leading the Ashwood School's Parent/Child Class. The result is a book that covers all the bases, from why to have such a class at all, to what sort of qualities a parent/child teacher needs, to a detailed description of the rhythms of day and season in her own class. In addition, about half the book is devoted to discussion about parent education, space, publicity, festivals, field trips, birthdays and more. Finally, there are brief descriptions of other Parent/Child classes at other schools.

All in all, this is a beautiful, delicious resource -- one which will inspire and guide anyone interested in young children, families and the fostering of healthy community. Like a small seed on fertile soil, I can see this book growing beyond its covers until it shares its harvest with all who pass by.

Nokken
A Garden for Children
A Danish Approach to Waldorf-Based Child Care

Helle Heckmann

$18.95

Helle Heckmann describes in loving detail an innovative Danish Waldorf childcare center for children ages one to seven. She includes an in-depth look at the physical development of the young child. This book is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, and day care staff. Includes many black and white photos.

A Garden for Kids
More News from Nökken

Paperbound - saddle-stitched

Helle Heckman

$12.00

More loving wisdom from Helle Heckman and her beautiful Children's Garden. In this gathering celebrating 16 years of providing care and a joyful environment to young children. This is indeed a celebration we can all join!

Reports from and thoughts inspired by the successful Danish kindergarten. Includes articles on The Laws of Childhood, Pentecost Time, The Time-Pressured Family, An Outdoor Kindergarten…Why?, Imagination Surpasses Reality, etc…

An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten
Articles from the Waldorf Kindergarten Newsletter
1981-1992

Waldorf Kindergarten Association

$19.95

An Overview gathers together articles that both explain and seek to share the Waldorf Kindergarten experience. In it you will find information ranging from snacks to music to working with young children with a variety of behavioral and learning difficulties. The breadth of the topics and the liveliness of the discussions makes it one of the most valuable resources for our work with young children. There is practically no aspect of daily life in a Waldorf Early Childhood class that is not addressed. An invaluable resource!

A Deeper Understanding of the Waldorf Kindergarten
Articles from the Waldorf Kindergarten Newsletter 1981 to 1992

Waldorf Kindergarten Association

$19.95

The deeper wisdom of the Waldorf approach to early childhood education is the subject of this collection of articles found in the Waldorf Kindergarten Association Newsletters between 1981 and 1992. The breadth of the topics and the depth of the discussions can enrich and enliven both your understanding and your work with young children. Here is an opportunity to discover some of the most successful approaches to working with children with learning and behavioral challenges, to coping with the effects of the multiple strains families are subject to, and to nourish your own inner life so that you have a richness of soul to offer the children in your care. Most highly recommended.

The Young Child in the World Today

The Gateways Series One

Compiled from articles published in the Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America

Softbound

$19.95

Wonderful! Some of the best articles published by Gateways on some of the most pressing concerns of the day.

Topics covered include new health problems of children and youth, sexual abuse of children, ADHD, violence and electronic media, TV and ADD, virtual reality and the child's growing mind, and child development and television.

Putting all these article inside one cover is a great idea - thank you, WECAN!

Working with the Angels
The Young Child and the Spiritual World

The Gateways Series - Two

Compiled from articles published in the Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association

Softbound

$19.95

Working with the Angels is clearly the result of intense, deep, sustained love: the love of each article's author for children and the world; the love of those responsible for publishing each article in its turn over the years; the love of the current editors in gathering all these remarkable insights and experiences together in one place; and, of course, the love of the angels for us.

This is a collection that is almost palpably alive with love and with love's possibilities. And with that, I'm going to let the contents speak for themselves:

Working with the Angels

• Working with the Angels, Archangels and Archai - Helmut von Kügelgen
• Conversation about Angels and Human Beings - Helmut von Kügelgen
• Finding a Connection to the World of the Angels - Helmut von Kügelgen
• The Meaning of Angels in Education and Self-Education - Michaela Glöckler, M.D.

The Destiny of the Child in Our Times

• Working with the Karma of the Young Child - Margaret Meyerkort
• Walking and the Incarnation of Destiny - Joan Almon
• Continuing the Work of the Hierarchies - Werner Glas
• Early Childhood and the Consciousness Soul - Joan Almon
• Threshold Experiences of Children and Adults - Helmut von Kügelgen
• Religion of the Young Child - Elizabeth Moore-Haas

The Gateway of Birth - the Sistine Madonna

• Raphael's Sistine Madonna - Is It Approriate in the Kindergarten? - René Querido
• The Sistine Madonna in the Waldorf Kindergarten - Joan Almon
• The Sistine Madonna - Symbol of the Eternal in Humanity - Rudolf Steiner

The Gateway of Death - Working with Death in the Kindergarten

• After-Death Care in the Home - Beth Knox
• Helping Children in a Time of Trouble - Nancy Foster
• Helping Our Children and Loved Ones at the Threshold of Death - Nancy Jewel Poer
• A Festival for a Threshold Crossing - Patricia Owens
• Birth into the spiritual World - Nancy Blanning
• A Story for Mia - Louise de Forest
• Grandma's Dream - Sheila Rubin
• For Anastasia and Her Dear Grandmother - Cynthia Aldinger

The Inner Path

• Self-Development as a Basis for the Relationship Between the Child and the Adult - Michaela Glöckler, M.D.
• Through the Eye of the Needle - Felicitas Vogt
• The Path of Inner Schooling - Jorgen Smit
• The Spiritual Foundations of Waldorf Education - Michaela Glöckler, M.D.

The Developing Child
The First Seven Years

The Gateways Series 3

Compiled from articles published in the Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America

Softbound

$19.95

WECAN has produced another great collection of past Gateways articles, this time focusing on child development from birth to age 7. Some of the best and most insightful experts in the field are now all gathered in one place, offering their wisdom and guidance together. I am especially pleased to see articles explaining kindergarten and first grade readiness guidelines. The Developing Child is an outstanding contribution to the world of early childhood education; and a resource that can bring a wealth of experience right into your living room or classroom.

Contents:

Stages of Development in the First Seven Years

• The Laws of Childhood - Dr. Helmut von Kügelgen
• Stages of Development in Early Childhood - Freya Jaffke
• The Young Child form Birth to Seven - Dennis Klocek

Birth, Infancy and the First Years of Life

• Child Development: Conception to Birth Embryology
• Making Sense of Uprightness - Bonnie & William RiverBento
• The Wonder of Acquiring Speech - Dr. Michaela Glöckler
• Movement, Gesture and Language in the Life of the Young Child - Bronja Zahlingen
• Supporting the Development of the Human Hand - Ingun Schneider
• Toward Human Development: The Physiological Basis of Sleep - Lisa Gromicko
• Laying the Physical Foundation of the Consciousness Soul - Dr. Jenny Josephson

The Development of Consciousness: Imitation, Play and Learning

• Forces of Growth and Forces of Fantasy: Understanding the Dream Consciousness of the Young Child - Dr. Michaela Glöckler
• The Vital Role of Play in Childhood - Joan Almon
• The Genius of Play - Sally Jenkinson
• Understanding Imitation - Joop van Dam

Readiness for Kindergarten and School

• Kindergarten Readiness - Dr. Elizabeth Jacobi
• The Birth of the Etheric: Transformation of Growth Forces into Thinking Forces - Dr. Michaela Glöckler
• First Grade Readiness - Joan Almon
• Some Guidelines for First Grade Readiness - Nancy Foster

Understanding Young Children

Excerpts from Lectures by Rudolf Steiner

Compiled for the Use of Kindergarten Teachers

Softbound

$15.50

At last in a modern translation, this has long been one of the best resource books available for contemplating the needs of young children. Originally compiled for use by Waldorf Kindergarten teachers and available only through teaching organizations, this retranslation is now available to anyone who cares for or about young children and wants to learn more.