Gateways

Download the article: Much Depends on Whether People Open Themselves

A Conversation About Angels and Humans

(A conversation about angels and humans is a conversation about children and religion, education and self-education, about birth and death. Cornelia Haendler talked about this subject with Helmut von Kügelgen in Germany. The article and its translation was provided to us by the International Waldorf Kindergarten Association, and has been modified slightly for use here.)

Biographical notes on Helmut von Kügelgen:
In 1916, Helmut von Kügelgen was born in Tallin, Estonia. His first memories and kindergarten experiences were in Helsinki. His school attendance was mainly in Berlin, with two years in Bucharest studying journalism and graduation with a Ph.D. From 1939 to 1945 he was in the war, spending a half year as a prisoner of war.

After that, he spent 30 years as a teacher of the original Waldorf School in Stuttgart, edited the magazine, "Erziehungskunst" (The Art of Education), co-founded the "Freies Jugendseminar" (Independent Youth Seminar), and today is still active as a Board member of the "Bund Freier Waldorfschulen" (Association of Waldorf Schools in Germany) and the Anthroposophical Society of Germany. Since 1969 he has been especially active in the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens, and for some time was director of the Waldorf Kindergarten Seminar in Stuttgart, a state recognized training. He has held many lectures, written many articles, and edited a collection of booklets on the festivals and the inner life of Waldorf teachers. His travels have taken him to kindergartens and schools around the world, where his rich insights into children and spiritual life are much appreciated.

Download the article: The International Waldorf Kindergarten Conference

Since last summer's conference we have received many warm letters from those attending, and the general feeling was that this was a remarkable event on many levels. In total, 401 people registered from 28 countries. Special guests included 25 teachers from South America and eight from South Africa, plus others from eastern Europe, western Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Despite opening days of cool, rainy weather, a warmth quickly began to grow that drew everyone together. Shared meals helped foster communion and communication, and the outstanding food of chef Stephen Chalmers and colleagues added much to the experience. In an evening of shared stories, songs and verses from many different countries, we began to know each other. In addition to the morning and afternoon workshops, the “mini-sessions” held each day during the lunch break enabled participants to hear about new realms of early childhood work or to meet with the lecturers for a discussion time.

Download the article: For the Advent Garden

In preparing for our Advent Celebration this past season, a question arose about our imagery of the apple, candle and star. We all agreed that we’d like to dispense with the recycled aluminum pie plate and multipointed stars which had so ably served as the receptacles for the children’s lighted candles since our first Advent Garden, a family event which preceded the opening of the school, ten years ago. We decided to invest in gold metallic mat board available from a framing shop to cut with mat knives into stars, but the question was, “How many points?”

The five pointed star spoke to us of a certain kind of completion, the image of the upright human being. It was the star which the children know is to be found already within the apple. And yet, with the candle representing the spirit, or the universal, unless it was lit, would the person be wholly human?

Download the article: Making Transparencies with Fleece

One spring, while casting about for ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, I thought of window transparencies. This is an activity in the realm of light and color, which I do like the children to experience; it also provides a “small-muscle” challenge which is beneficial, especially for the older children. In the past I have tried, in addition to transparencies made with flat tissue paper bits, those made with sculptured tissue paper, and the result can be quite lovely. For many children, however, the process -- and this, after all, is the essential aspect for the children -was not very satisfactory. Most of them tended to crumple the tissue paper tightly, necessitating quite a bit of teacher intervention if the end product was to be kept in mind at all. Based on this experience, I wonder whether this type of transparency is better suited to older children.

In any case, the idea occurred to me of making transparencies using plant-dyed fleece (fairy wool), and this turned out to be one of the most satisfying special projects we have tried. The children of all ages (young 4’s to 6+’s) enjoyed the whole process, particularly the handling of the fleece, fluffing it and looking through it at the light. It was interesting to me that some children (in all age groups) made specific designs or pictures (a rainbow fragment, a pet cat in the grass, flowers, a house), while others simply arranged the colors in a seemingly random way. Yet every single child seemed to feel at peace with what he or she was doing and with the end result as well. The transparencies were quite lovely, but the process was from my point of view equally pleasing!

Download the article: Working with the Will

(All of the thoughts shared below come only because of insights and examples shared by Freya Jaffke and Joan Almon. Deepest thanks to them both.)

That the Waldorf kindergarten works to educate the will of the child through imitation is so basic to the pedagogy that one might say, “Of course!” Thus it was a shock, in thinking through remarks offered by Freya Jaffke, to realize that working with this wisdom was personally stalled on a superficial level. Circle time was purely imitative--the teacher moves, sings, gestures and the children watch and are free to imitate. But a question arose. What about the rest of the morning, the more mundane moments?

An objective observation of the morning flow began and revealed some startling things. First of all, we teachers spoke too much. Secondly, the children spoke with the teachers too much. And when the children became engaged in conversation, they (especially the older ones) began to think and their limbs froze. Some of them literally became unable to DO anything.

Download the article: Concerning Restless Children

This article appeared in the Winter 1996/97 newsletter of the Association for a Healing Education and is reprinted with their permission.

To be a teacher nowadays means to be able to deal with restless children. There is often at least one child in a class taking up enormous energies from everyone by constant distraction, irritability and chaotic motion. In its cover story, a recent Newsweek issue reminds us that the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become America's No. 1 childhood psychiatric disorder. (Note 1) It raises questions about the “treatment of choice” with Ritalin and asks “Are we over-medicating our kid?” 1.3 million school children in the United States take this psycho-stimulant regularly for treatment of ADHD; an increase of 250% since 1990.

Download the article: How to Nurture Storytelling

Because there is a natural storytelling urge and ability in all human beings, even just a little nurturing of this impulse can bring about astonishing and delightful results. Children who are encouraged by listening to the stories told by their elders will often create exquisite and profound ones, even at a very early age. Parents who did not experience storytelling in their own families as they were growing up can discover, hidden within themselves, wonderful abilities which have been waiting, perhaps for many years, to come forth. Children, especially during their waking and going-to-sleep times, can inspire our best stories. The springs of imagination well up through them freely. Sitting close to children and looking deeply into their eyes, one often can find just the right beginnings and endings for the stories they need to hear.

A scientist has told or read a story to his son almost every night for years. His son is now twelve, very sensitive, yet full of confidence in many activities. The father spoke about the importance of storytelling in their family. “As long as I keep going, a story unfolds,” he said.

Download the article: The Importance of the First Three Years

Georg Kühlewind is a well-known anthroposophic author and lecturer, His books include Becoming Aware of the Logos, Forgiving, From Normal to Healthy, The Life of the Soul, Logos-Structure of the World, Stages of Consciousness, and Working with Anthroposophy and he has laid special emphasis on the relationship of inner meditative exercises to the development of new forms of thinking. In recent years he has taken a deep interest in the young child, especially in the first three years. With others, he has founded the Logos Foundation to foster child care trainings and other programs to enhance the care of the very young child, especially those in impoverished places around the world. For more information on the Foundation, contact Joyce Reilly, The Logos Foundation, P.O. Box 716, Chatham, NJ 07928. Phone 201-635-4063 and FAX 201-635-1232.

Download the article: Day Care Workshop Report

At the East Coast Kindergarten Conference in February 1997, Felicitas Vogt and Eugene Schwartz gave talks on the struggle of children today to incarnate in a healthy way, especially in regard to their will. They served as the backdrop for many of the workshops, especially this one on the need for day care in our times.

Fifteen of us came together to strengthen our movement's awakening consciousness for the need to offer day care out of the inspiration of spiritual science. Most of those present were already providing day care either in homes or centers; some are involved in pre-school settings. We spent a good deal of time just listening to each other's stories of what it means to be involved in this work. One could sense a real need for the opportunity to develop colleagueship which our Kindergarten teachers have been able to enjoy for years. The day care work seemed to lend itself to a feeling of isolation. The question arose whether the movement really endorsed caring for children under three.

Download the article: After Care in our Waldorf Schools

During the past year a questionnaire was sent to Kindergarten teachers in 120 Waldorf Schools and Pre-Schools on the North American continent. There were 37 responses; 30 of these were from Waldorf schools that represented a fairly equal spread from new initiatives to well-established schools; seven pre-schools and home play-groups also responded. The 30 schools comprise one-quarter of our school population and to many researchers this number is a large enough sampling to allow projections to be made to the whole of the school movement in North America. Once one begins to work with such a questionnaire there is the realization, bordering on frustration, that the instrument could have been designed differently. However, it is what it is, and the survey does give us at least a beginning picture of some of the facets of After Care for young children in our Waldorf Schools. I wish to thank all of the teachers who took the time to participate in this study.

Download the article: An Afternoon Program at Pine Hill

Considering that the children have been in Kindergarten since 8:00 a.m., my approach to the afternoon program is a sane, quiet, restful one. I come at noon to set the table for lunch. The children come in one by one with their inside shoes on, lunch bag in hand and sit down to unwrap their lunch, eager to share their surprises from home. Our group consists of eight to ten children, ages five to seven.

We wash hands as soon as most of the lunches are unpacked, and as I dry their hands, I can get the feeling of how tired or spunky each individual is. When all is quiet, the candles are lit, and we say our verse (in German). We start to eat for a short moment in silence. To guide a table conversation, I will bring an observation or experience in nature from my trip to school. Or I might tell an anecdote from my childhood, which usually leads into lots of stories (that are told uninterrupted!) Everyone loves to share. There are times when I feel (Mondays, for example) that I have a knot in my stomach. But then there are those moments of delightful conversation and wonderful tales, and I wish the children's parents could be part of the conversation and experience the moment with us. I try to remember some of these tidbits, but too often, unfortunately, I forget to make notes.

Download the article: The Ever-Present Media - What Can Be Done About It?

Of the many things that have a negative impact on the young child's well-being, such as lack of rhythm, overstimulation of the senses, and poor nutrition, it is easiest to see the harmful impact of media. When a child who normally watches television, is put into a television-free environment, one sees a significant change in the child within days. After a week or two, parents often say with amazement, “I never knew what a wonderful child I had He seems so different now.” As we seek practical ways to bring greater protection to children, we will need to develop a many-pronged approach, but one area which is ripe and ready to be developed is an active campaign against media for young children. There has been a turning point in the consciousness of Americans regarding media, so that most are now aware of at least some of its negative impact, particularly programs with violence.

Download the article: Clear Star Shining

The first kindergarten teacher at the Hawthorne Valley School was Astrid Barnes. Twenty two years ago, when her own children were quite young, she held a kindergarten for the school in her home. This was similar to how she herself was raised, for her mother had held a Waldorf kindergarten at home in Germany after the second World War. The bombed-out basement of Emil Molt's house, in Stuttgart, was transformed into a safe haven for children's play.

Astrid was a memorable figure for all who knew her - a true master of etheric strength. She worked with a will that was inspiring in our time when connection to that life force is so often misunderstood and left undeveloped. Raised by parents who worked intimately with the formative forces of Waldorf education, she had a heart knowledge of living in the light of Spirit that had been nurtured from birth on. There was a surety and strength of clarity that had a transformative influence upon children and adults alike.

Download the article: Felting as Handwork in Early Childhood

A Will That Works in the Limb

One of the last gifts that Astrid Barnes left for the Peachblossom Kindergarten was a large basket filled with felted hats that the children had made during Advent. Lovingly finished off with a blanket stitch and topped with bells that tinkled merrily as they were carried back to the kindergarten, the hats were a beautiful testament of creative experience that had given the children a sense of wonder and accomplishment.

Wool felting is a dynamic activity for the young child. It combines a connection with the element of water and repetitive motion working in the limbs - the interaction of friction between the two makes the fibers lock on a molecular level. We can realize and give thanks for the gifts of mother earth and our animal brothers and sisters as we experience shearing in the spring or plant gathering for dye in the fall. Fleece can be washed out of doors and dried in the sun by many busy hands. Carding is a rhythmic and peaceful ongoing activity that is very satisfying to the sense of touch in the young child. In the felting itself, there is the magic submersion of limbs into warm water and soapy bubbles that fills the need for true sensory experience.

Download the article: Michaelmas Star Ball

The Michaelmas Star Ball is a variation of a felt ball, weighted in the middle with a rounded stone, and attached to a tail ribbon that streams behind it when thrown. We bring this project at the end of September when the meteor showers of the night skies have heralded Michaelmas.

Materials:

• Medium size (like that of small olives or cherries) stones with rounded shapes creek bed or ocean sculpted are best.
• Good felting wool - fleece that has been washed and carded.
• Dish soap or shampoo, dish tub.
• Thick (1/4 - 1/2 inch wide) ribbon 2436 inches in length for each ball.
• Alum powder and cream of tartar for mordanting.
• A marigold garden.
• Little brass stars (optional).

Download the article: Creating A World Family at Advent Time

For the last two years in our kindergarten, the children and I have created a new way to mark the days between Advent and Christmas, which I would like to share with you, my kindergarten colleagues. It began with a desire to re-enliven the journey for the whole class and to honor the diversity of the backgrounds of the children in our kindergarten. The image that kept recurring to me during the Fall was of a wreath on which there stood a circle of children representing all the different parts of the world.

While I realized that I could make the figures and dress them appropriately, what I really wanted were authentic dolls made out of a variety of materials and which carried something of the soul quality of the country where they were made. So, on the weekends in November I began scouring the ethnic shops and holiday markets in Seattle. (The most difficult requirement was the size - between 2 and 5 inches). My first find was a pair of exquisitely sewn woolen dolls from Bolivia. The girl was carrying a black lamb in her arms and the boy was playing a wooden pipe. After that I looked for pairs of dolls, and they came made of woven straw, carved wood handmade paper, cotton and silk from every continent, including North America.

Download the article: Notes on Advent Circle

This circle time grew out of thoughts and pictures shared at the 1996 summer AWSNA conference on Festivals, and in speaking with Holly Koteen Soulé of Seattle. Her description of her Advent wreath with dolls from many nations got me thinking about houses and the Mexican tradition of journeying from house to house in search of a shelter for the Holy Family. This then led to the idea of going to different houses to share how light is experienced in different traditions. This circle has a house in which Hanukkah is celebrated, an African hut inspired by the excerpt from Laurens van der Post's The Heart is the Hunter, the tee pee of the Native Americans, and finally a rocky cave in which is found the Holy Family.

Download the article: Books of Interest

More Lifeways, edited by Patti Smith and Signe Ekiund Schaefer. Hawthorn Press, 1997.
Reading through this new Lifeways book, it becomes evident that every decade needs its own Lifeways edition, and this one serves the 1990's quite well. There are articles on single parent families, on fathering, on death in the family, on international adoption, on being adopted, and much, much more. The original was used for years in parent study groups. This one can also be used in that way, and I can imagine that the conversations that will ensue will be warm, lively and wonderfully contemporary.

Download the article: Reflections

As I read over this Newsletter, my first thought is that it seems an odd assortment of articles. Where is the central theme that holds them all together? But on further reflection, it seems to me they present a real picture of our times. More and more, life seems ever-changing and without a clear outline. There are no well-trod paths to follow; one is continually exploring new territory. The issues which face us today are extremely diverse. It seems to me that each year the circle of issues which demand our attention grows larger and more extensive. In this situation it is easy to feel overextended and pulled apart, particularly if we still have the idea that life should be taken in an orderly manner, one step at a time.

Download the article: The Genius of Play

genius: attendant, tutelary spirit etc. [OED]

Using both recent research and published material, this article indicates something of the depth, breadth and complexity of children's play. It draws a parallel between the creative play of early childhood and our relationship to art, literature and drama as mature adults. It puts forward the argument that the imagination is both a vehicle for human creativity and a vital social force which leads us, through empathetic thinking and imitation to the realm of “the other”. It argues that to deny children the right to play is to risk cultural, social and personal deprivation.

Despite the existence of numerous excellent books and articles on the importance of children's play, the word “play” is still read, at least in the lexicon of educational policy makers, as the negative and polar opposite of “work”. Play is regarded as a euphemism for idle, frivolous engagement - or for doing nothing; whereas work suggests serious, purposeful activity. Work is worthy: play a mere diversion.

Download the article: Diversity and Story in the Kindergarten

We all have our own dragons. Can we strive to meet them, to go into the belly of the beast, and to transform them? That is our Michaelic task as individuals and particularly as teachers in the Waldorf School movement. “You have released me from my bondage, now I can show my true form.” The bondage of our fixed thinking, of our lower self can be overcome so that our true self, our higher self, shines through into our working on earth.

Further, can we help to release each other from the bondage of our own perspectives, based on our past experiences and struggles? Can we find in ourselves an attitude of welcome and acceptance? I ask myself: What barriers do I put up? What walls have I built that keep away the other? Am I attached to a particular way of doing something? Am I following a list, a script, or do I do what I do out of understanding? Does it serve the children? By asking ourselves these questions and striving for understanding, we walk the path of transformation. Then Waldorf education lives in us and is enlivened. The warmth of our enthusiasm then guides the parents toward our schools for their children.

Download the article: A Survey of Birth

Three years ago I was lucky to enjoy a sabbatical from kindergarten teaching at Pine Hill and actually found myself with enough time to pursue some personal anthroposophical research. I had long been occupied with children 4 1/2 to 6 + years old and was beginning to turn with interest to new questions about the child's development from birth to the age of three. As Advent time and the Holy Nights approached I was filled with particular concern about birth itself. There are mothers everywhere, I thought, that are trying to make conscientious, informed decisions about birth and birth-related issues like birth control, abortion, invitro-fertilization, adoption, and birth methods. There is also a natural scientific community keenly interested in the topic of genetic manipulation before birth. I wondered what I could find from an anthroposophical point of view that would help me to understand the threshold of birth better and the incarnation journey from the realms of spirit into earthly existence. What was this experience like for the child? For the mother? How are the astral body, etheric body, physical body formed? By whom? What was the development of consciousness like? How are body, soul. And spirit united?

Download the article: TV and ADD

The six year old dumps out the Tinkertoys and stares at them. He doesn't have the slightest idea what to do with them. For Christmas, a seven year old girl is given Lincoln Logs. She is mildly curious at first. She briefly tries putting them together and then quits. “It's too hard.” In an unfocused way, she wanders into the bedroom, turns on the TV and watches a Disney video.

Out on the front line, our schools literally reel as across America, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of kids are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). It is a diagnosis that has reached epidemic proportions. All across the land, parents seek answers to help them understand their learning disabled or ADD children.

Download the article: Straw into Gold: Kindergarten Harvest

Yet again summer wains into fall,
With pumpkins and apples, and leaves above all Leaves
lovely painted rust, red and gold:
These memories of beauty will the heart ever hold.

Recently I journeyed across New York state, my first continental travel experience beyond the confines of relatively narrow valleys bordered by sheltering hills and mountains, or the sea. I witnessed with exhilaration and wonder mile after mile of breeze-stirred wheat, burnished red-gold under a clear blue sky, and pale, green-fading-to-ivory oats interspersed with immense vibrant fields of corn. I had been thinking about kindergarten and this time of the harvest for several weeks, and the image came to mind of Rumpelstiltskin spinning roomfuls of straw into gold. But in this case, the miraculous upward weaving process of drawing golden grains out of the bare and now dying blade was influenced not only by the elemental forces of the earth but also by the power of the sun. And, like the poor miller's daughter, we can move beyond helplessness and ignorance in the face of the elemental forces at work in our food and in our nutrition to conscious active understanding. We too can discover Rumpelstiltskin's name.

Download the article: Dyeing with Pokeweed

A botanical book says that Pokeweed's Latin name is Pytolacca Americana, its Italian name Cremesina uva turca, and that it is used for dyeing. This plant is poisonous when its stems are pink, about September and October when it has clusters of black berries. The berries dye strongly so no mordant is needed. Results are to some extent unpredictable and rinsing can be very problematic* but I found its use worthwhile in wool yarn, also perhaps, wool felt. With silk and cotton, results were not worth having.