 How Does Daily Wonder Approach History and Geography? We get asked this important question often, as we are a Canadian-based company with members worldwide. So, how exactly do we approach subjects that are location specific? We Follow the Waldorf Developmental Approach Waldorf pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching) informs us that a child is developmentally ready to sink into the lessons of history and geography around the age of nine or ten. Around this time, your child gets a sense of time. Before that, there was much dreaminess in how they saw the world. Once they can understand the past, present, and future, they're ready to grasp history. At the same time, around the age of nine or ten, they develop the ability to have a 'bird's eye' view, which means that they can now have an inner picture, an imagining, that they're above, looking down on a landscape. This new ability allows them to draw maps and be ready for geography lessons. Delivering curriculum content at an age-appropriate time gives the child the best opportunity to receive lessons deeply and appreciate and be excited about what they are learning. In Grade Four, we start with very local geography, beginning with the geography right in and around your home. We then slowly and methodically expand outwards, and your child will start by drawing maps, such as the familiar route to their friend's house or favourite park. After that, the unit will continue to expand from your neighbourhood to your city, into your province or state. Each monthly unit will guide parents to integrate Indigenous values and knowledge about the land they live on. As mentioned, Daily Wonder has students all around the world, so when it comes to learning about your specific province/state in Grade 4, and country, in Grade 5, we provide step-by-step guidance as to what aspects of history and geography you'll bring to your child each week of the unit. You, the parent, or teacher, will then research and gather the information necessary to share with your child or learning pod students. And with Daily Wonder, each week is laid out so you can prepare with ease.  Regarding teaching about the continents, Grade 6 covers North America and Europe, and Grade 7 covers Africa and Asia. If you live on a continent not covered in the Daily Wonder curriculum, you can take ideas from any of the continental studies and adapt them to your needs. So, you can see, Daily Wonder begins formal history and geography studies in Grade 4, with mapmaking skills starting in your child's bedroom, and slowly and steadily expands outward over the grades to cover continental geography in Grades 6 and 7. Parents are held with a lot of care and support and guided as to how, what, and when to research. Since Daily Wonder typically does all the planning for you, in these three units (local, provincial/state and country geography units), we've included a comprehensive breakdown of topics to cover along with website links to help you find suitable material. In the preceding units there are reminders about these upcoming history/geography units and what work needs to be done. It may take 1-2 weeks to prepare for a history/geography unit, and we suggest using the built-in flex week to finish much of this work. Always know that Daily Wonder is here for you! Our teachers are available to answer questions and offer reassurance when needed. Teaching history and geography is so rewarding; as adults, we often learn new things about the land we live on. Researching and preparing for these three units will be enriching and often a re-education for ourselves! Trust the Wonder. SampleCurious about what Parent Preparation entails? Check out this sample from our Grade 5, The Wonder of My Country unit. 
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The essential elements of a Waldorf Kindergarten are not the specific activities (baking, painting, etc.) but should reflect the underlying philosophy of Waldorf-inspired kindergarten: It's play-based, non-academic, and nature-inspired. The kindergarten-aged child (and even the 3-4-year-old) learn through imitation, open-ended creative play, movement, music, stories, artistic activities and purposeful work. Your role as the parent is to form the daily and weekly rhythm, create lots of opportunity to learn and play, and build your relationship with your child. Daily RhythmHere are some daily activities which support the needs of young children:
Here is an example of a daily rhythm: 7am: Morning Routine Wake up, get dressed, make bed, eat breakfast, clean up, brush teeth and hair. 8am: Opening Song Sing your opening song. This song is perfect for a young child: Opening Song: Good Morning Dear Earth Good morning dear earth, Good morning dear sun, Good morning dear trees, And the flowers everyone. Good morning to the bees And the birds in the trees. Good morning to you, And good morning to me. Opening Verse After, light a candle and then recite an opening verse together. This is a great example: Kindergarten Opening Verse: The earth is firm beneath my feet, The sun shines bright above. And here I stand, So straight and strong, All things to know and love. 8:15am: Free Play (inside) On “bread days,” during this time, you can make the bread dough with your child for baking later on. On “soup days,” you can use this time to have your child help chop the vegetables for the soup. 9am: Clean-up Use a verse to help with the transition from free-play to clean-up to circle time. Clean-up Transition Verse: Tick Tock goes the clock; What does it have to say? Time for us to pick up our toys And put them all away. 9:10am: Circle Time Circle time can include a series of seasonal songs, verses, gestures, and movements your child imitates. It's best to repeat the same circle activities every day for two weeks until your child knows every song and gesture by heart, creating pathways in the brain for mastery. Lavender's Blue has wonderful circle time resources: 9:30am: Snack Time Have your child help you cut up fruit and vegetables. Then, when you sit down at the table, light a candle and recite: Mealtime Blessing: Earth, who gives to us this food, Sun who makes it ripe and good, Sun above and earth below, Thanks for all that you bestow. 10am: Outside Time Before you head outside, on “bread days” and “soup days,” put your bread in the oven or turn your soup on to simmer, so they’re ready to eat for lunch. It's important to go outside every day, rain or shine, snow or mud. As the saying goes, "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing." So investing in proper outdoor gear for all seasons is vital to successful outside time. You want to ensure that they have lots of opportunities for physical activity. Things like climbing, building and digging. Opportunities for heavy outdoor work like lifting boards, logs and stumps. Let them climb high up in trees and get themselves down again. If you live near a playground, playing on all the equipment is an important opportunity to develop specific capacities and body knowledge. While they are playing outside, you can do other meaningful work, like raking leaves, sweeping or gardening. This way, you are near, giving them space to live fully into their imaginations. and providing activity worthy of imitation. 11:30am: Transition to Inside Sing the following song to help with the transition: Transition Song: Come follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow me! Wither shall I follow, follow, follow, Wither shall I follow, follow, follow, thee? To the greenwood, To the greenwood, To the greenwood, follow me! Have children hang up their coats and neatly put away their shoes. Have them wash their hands and come to the table for lunch. 11:45am: Lunch Just like at snack time, have your child help with lunch preparations. As part of the broader weekly schedule, it helps children understand the days of the week and have a sense of time if their lunchtime food is the same each day. So, for example, Monday is bread day, Tuesday is rice day, Wednesday is soup day... Once seated at the table, light your candle and recite: Mealtime Blessing: Earth, who gives to us this food, Sun who makes it ripe and good, Sun above and earth below, Thanks for all that you bestow. 12:15pm: Story Time Clean dishes, put away food, and then transition to storytime. Use a verse to indicate that it's now story time. Here's one example that the Preschool and Kindergarten teachers used to sing in our Waldorf school: Story Time Song: Anything can happen In a fairy tale or rhyme, When you hear the words, Once upon a time, Once upon a time. 12:45am: Rest Time Children need to rest during the day. Depending on your unique home environment, this could look like: napping, lying down while you play a gentle instrument, a child reading quietly to themselves etc... 1pm: Artistic Activity To transition from rest time to art time, you could recite a verse or have a particular fairy gently "wake your child up" and guide them to the table to aid in the transition from rest to a table activity. Your child needs to have artistic opportunities. This will be different for every family, but some examples are: watercolour painting, and modelling with beeswax or clay or even mud. Having things like fibres around them so that they can finger knit or card wool or whatever it is that works for your family. 2pm: Closing Just as important as the opening verse, after you have cleaned up from your artistic activity, mark the end of the Kindergarten day with a closing verse. Here's our favourite: Closing Verse All my doing is now ended, What I have done will rest. If I have done my best, Wisdom and power and love will grow. And I will bless all people I know. 3pm: Afternoon Snack Follow the closing verse with an afternoon snack. Stick to the ritual of lighting a candle and reciting a verse. 3:30pm: Afternoon activities
Weekly Rhythm
Seasonal RhythmIn addition to your daily rhythm and weekly rhythm, you will also want to create a seasonal rhythm. Here are some examples with the Canadian west coast in mind: AutumnThe Fall is a time of bounty, harvest and community. In the Autumn, our daily rhythm, and celebrations can reflect the seasonal human experience of coming together and reaping the rewards of hard work. Festivals & Celebrations:
Activities:
WinterWinter is a time of introversion, stillness and reflection. During Winter our activities, celebrations and daily rhythm can reflect the seasonal human experience of curling up or moving toward the inner most part of ourselves. Festivals and Celebrations:
Activities:
SpringSpring is a time of emergence, rebirth, renewed hope and growing warmth. Spring activities, celebrations and daily rhythm can reflect the seasonal human experience of opening up like a bud blossoming into a flower. Festivals and Celebrations:
Activities:
SummerSummer is a time of outer expansion, playfulness and bursting energy. Summer activities, celebrations and daily rhythm can reflect the seasonal human experience of bursting forth with renewed purpose, excitement and vigour. Festivals and Celebrations
Activities
At Daily Wonder, we talk a lot about rhythm and routine. That’s because we know that young children feel a sense of good health when held by boundaries, including the layout of the day, week, and month. Children learn through play and doing until they reach high school, and they need lots of activities that spark their creativity and provide space for wonder. Then, when they know what we expect of them, the children are freed up to be in the moment. After that, it is up to the adults to create boundaries to free the children. A friend once told us that she was not expecting the freedom that came when she built a fence around her property. It sounds backward that a fence creates freedom, but think about it; she has a dog that had to be tied up or managed all the time. Once the fence went up, the dog knew how far it could go, and the people trusted that it would just do dog things. We aren’t comparing children and dogs, but we are comparing the freedom fence to boundaries. Rhythm is your wide-level organization, such as your year, when you start school, what holidays or celebrations you participate in, what time you get up each day, and when you start and end your morning lesson. Routine – these are the details within your rhythm, such as singing a song to begin the morning lesson, lighting a candle before the story, and how you end the day. Routines are like the rules for how we do things.  Create a routine that works for your unique family. Every family has different needs, so it's important to take a moment and create a rhythm that will work for your unique family. You can create a routine by writing down the essential things for your family. These are the things which must happen every day, but also the things that you love so much you want to happen every day. Then consider what things you want to remove from your schedule to make your days more peaceful. Daily activities that need to happen at approximately the same time each day, like meals, break times, and morning and bedtime routines, are the things which anchor your routine and provide the basic outline of your day. After your anchor points, add the rest of your daily activities. Then, try to alternate more active and focused times of the day. Here is just one example of a daily routine:
Here are some ideas for activities throughout the day:
 Tips for setting a routine.Allow plenty of time. We can ease gently into the morning by ensuring we have enough time to awaken, get dressed, and have a hearty breakfast. Simple rituals, like lighting a candle, reciting your opening verse or making some tea, gently signal to your child that it's time to begin the morning lesson. Go for a walk. If you're finding it challenging to begin morning lessons or to make it through the study before your child gets wiggly, consider adding a morning walk before you start or partway through to break it up. Walking outdoors allows one to connect with nature, notice its gifts, and observe changes throughout the seasons. Walking also brings oxygen and blood flow to the limbs and brain, helping your child feel more balanced and grounded in their body. Give the routine time to take hold. If maintaining a routine is not your strength, remember to be patient and give yourself six weeks to hold steady. Then, you will experience the rewards once the habits sink in. The prize is that your child expects and anticipates the flow and enjoys being in the routine. Then you won't need to use your will forces and constant verbal reminders. Instead, everyone will relax, held by the routine, and your days will be peaceful and more productive.  Know when to change a routine. Like any good thing, you can overdo it. There always comes a time when a successful routine no longer works as it used to. Typically after a few months, a sign that it's not working would be that your children are resisting a once-enjoyed flow. Perhaps they're saying they are bored, or they resist getting started. The first step is to observe this shift in your children. Ask yourself the following questions:
You got this!Check in with yourself and your relationship to routine, and have patience and compassion with your process and development. In reference to the words of Barbara Coloroso, from her book 'Kids Are Worth It," some of us lean toward being too rigid, like a brick wall, while others tend to be too loose and relaxed like a jellyfish. The ideal position is that of a spine, which is both supportive and flexible. Keeping this image in mind can help us check where we are on this spectrum on any given day.  Did you know that Candlemas has been celebrated for centuries under different names? As with many festivals today, it has its roots in pagan culture. For example, today, we are more familiar with references to Groundhog Day as a way to mark the coming of spring. However, way before Groundhog Day, this marking of the year was referred to as Candlemas, part of the Christian tradition. But, of course, before the Christian tradition, this day was celebrated by the Celtic people and known as Imbolc, which celebrates Brigid, the Goddess of the Dawn. Regardless of the festival's name, the intention is to celebrate the return of the light that becomes more noticeable on this day. Traditionally celebrated on February 2, it marks the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. In ancient times, this day was cause for a grand celebration, as our ancestors relied so heavily on what they could grow for nourishment. The sun's return meant restored health and strength in the deepest sense of the word. As well, without the convenience of electricity, once the sun set each evening, candlelight was all they had. Today, we can still feel this cause for celebration when we live in the northern hemisphere. Winter is long and dark and can often lead to feelings of depression in people. Therefore, marking this point can bring a sense of hope. To honour the return of the light, our ancestors built bonfires and made candles. On a practical level, preparing another batch of candles was needed to get through the final weeks of winter. Superstitions around the weather on this day began to unfold. We know this today when we anticipate whether the groundhog will see its shadow. Poems and songs in the days of old referred to weather and what it meant if it was sunny or rainy that day. Annual festivals are so important to help mark the passing of the year. The concept of time is challenging for children, especially younger ones. Festivals are a very meaningful and memorable way to mark time, and Candlemas is a lovely tradition that is very enjoyable for children to celebrate today. Celebrating Candlemas at HomeHere are some beautiful ways to celebrate Candlemas, and the coming of spring with your children. Candle Dipping Candle dipping is a fun and interactive activity that brings this celebration to life. You can easily make beeswax candles in your home or prepare a candle dipping station outside. You will need some old pots, beeswax pellets, and string for the wicks. Here's some detailed instructions to make dipped candles at home. Candle Dipping Activity This is a lovely reverent activity you can do while dipping your candles. Set your melted beeswax at one end of a table and a pot of water at the other. Walk slowly around the table, dipping your string in the beeswax at one end of the table and then in water at the other. Continue circling the table in this way until your candles are the width you would like. As you circle the table, you can sing the following Candlemas song: We dip our candles in the big old tin, And we wait a little bit for it to drip drop in. We make enough to last the year, To bring us joy and bring us cheer. Around and around and around and around...
Recite Candlemas Verses Here are a few verses you can say with your children as you light your candles. A farmer should, on Candlemas Day, Have half his corn and half his hay. On Candlemas Day if the thorns hang adrop, You can be sure of a good pea crop. ____________________________________ When Candlemas Day is bright with sun; Then Winter’s power has just begun – But when Candlemas Day is dark with rain Then Winter’s power is on the wane! ____________________________________ This is a verse that relates Candlemas to Groundhog Day: Badger peeps out on Candlemas Day, and if he finds snow, he walks away. But if the sun is shining down, Badger returns to his hole in the ground. Other Ideas for Celebrating Candlemas
Since Candlemas is a time for new beginnings, this is a good day to get creative and celebrate all that is new.
 At Daily Wonder, learning to read evolves for each child in the same form as it evolved from the beginning of humanity: spoken language developed first, then people drew pictures to communicate their ideas, followed by symbols such as hieroglyphics and finally the abstract letters of our modern alphabets. Once there was a written language, people learned to read. This unfolding inspires the sequence of the literacy program laid out in Daily Wonder curriculum. For Daily Wonder, the central theme for all lessons, in every subject, is the human story. We use storytelling to shape and deliver the living pictures behind every lesson, including the literacy program. In the Early Years, from birth to age seven, the focus is on the spoken word. When children are young, the emphasis is on spoken verses and stories: nature stories, folktales and fairy tales. Parents and teachers are ‘storytellers’ and are careful not to ‘dumb down’ or simplify the language of fairy tales. Parents and teachers are encouraged to be careful to use clear speech and enunciate well, as this immersion in literature is the basis of literacy. This immersion in the spoken word also supports children later when learning to write and spell. Repetition supports retention. When the same sequence and stories are repeated daily for weeks, children learn these stories, songs and verses ‘by heart.’ Current brain research confirms that repetition aids a child’s brain development. The connections of billions of neural pathways in the brain are strengthened through repeated experiences.  Writing Begins Holistically. In Year 1 of the Daily Wonder curriculum, the alphabet is introduced in an imaginative, pictorial way. Each letter of the alphabet is presented as a picture representing an element from a story the children are told. For example, they might hear the story of a knight on a quest who had to cross mountains and a valley. The children will then draw a picture with the letter “M” forming the Mountains on either side of the “V” for Valley. In this way, the child develops a living relationship with each letter rather than going straight to the abstraction of the alphabet letters themselves. These ‘pictures’ can be described as the bridge between the pictorial thinking of the child and the abstract thinking of the adult. After learning all the letters, children experience copying mom or dad’s writing into their portfolio. The portfolio is an artistically created record of the learning that children using Daily Wonder curriculum create themselves. These first written sentences and stories come from the children’s own experience, and the children’s first practice of ‘reading’ is the reading of their own text. Reading begins with decoding. It is important to know that reading requires decoding skills that develop in children at varying ages. At Daily Wonder we understand that learning to read will unfold naturally in its own time for the vast majority of children when given the proper support. Just as most children will learn to walk without our teaching them, and just as a child miraculously learns to speak their native language by the age of three without lessons, worksheets or a dictionary, so will most children naturally learn to read when they have a positive relationship with the spoken and written word and have been provided with the necessary tools and skills. At Daily Wonder we follow the well-researched early Literacy program set out by Janet Langley and Jennifer Militzer-Kopperl in their book “The Roadmap to Literacy.” Over the three years of the program (grades 1 through 3), Daily Wonder supports parents to bring the six layers of literacy to their children (phonemic awareness, phonics instruction, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing). Once the child receives the alphabet letters and sounds pictorially and through verse and song, they begin to learn approximately 33 phonics rules over the three years. The rules support understanding and skill-building for future spelling and reading. Vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and writing are regular parts of the daily lesson plans and expand over time. Classic books expand vocabulary. At Daily Wonder, we encourage parents to provide their child(ren) with age-appropriate, well-written literature to expand their vocabulary and keep their love for reading alive. We also love a good graphic novel for those who need shorter reading stints to maintain their enthusiasm for reading. Practice is key, and preference is personal. There can be negative impacts of pushing reading too early. Research has shown the negative impacts of pushing academics, such as reading, at too early an age. Asking children to read too early often hurts their self-confidence and general passion for books. This research indicates that kindergarten and preschool-aged children should focus on age-appropriate activities such as playing, exploring and socializing. Finland is an excellent example of this, given that its schools lead the world in education standards. Finnish children generally don’t start kindergarten until age 6. And kindergarten is focused mainly on play and socialization; there is no reading or writing. Additionally, their school days are not more than 4 hours long. We at Daily Wonder believe that children who read when they are ready maintain a passion for stories and a love of reading long term. In our experience, when reading is not rushed before writing, students are typically reading at or above standardized government levels and with improved comprehension. We think we can all agree that we want our kids to love reading and have the ability to express their heart's desires and gifts in writing and speaking.   Anthroposophist, mystic, and teacher, Claudia McLaren Lainson explains the Holy Nights: "In the darkness of Winter’s night, when the great breath of the Earth Mother finds its greatest point of inhalation, human beings are afforded the grace to touch into both magic and miracle. In the pause between her mighty in-breath and out-breath there is a still-point of rest. This still-point has long been known as the Holy Nights. In these blessed Nights, the angels circle the globe as if in a great cosmic dance. They long to speak to listening human hearts. Throughout the ages the ‘listening ones’ on earth have heard the angelic choir; they have received messages of Peace and Love. What is received during these sacred days and nights, resounds a thousand-fold in the year that follows. In this year before us, a great light is striving to find willing human hearts. May we each be the ‘listening ones’ during these Holy Nights. May we work with angels." Claudia McLaren Lainson is a teacher and Therapeutic Educator. She has been working in the field of Anthroposophy since 1982, when she founded her first Waldorf program in Boulder, Colorado. She lectures nationally on various topics related to spiritual science, human development, the evolution of consciousness and the emerging Christ and Sophia mysteries of the twenty-first century.  The time between December 24th and January 6th is when the veil between the earthly and spiritual world is the thinnest. This is an excellent time to reflect, meditate on the year ending and gather wisdom for co-creating your upcoming year with your higher self and spirit guides. Whoa! That's a tall order, you may say! Indeed, it is! I have done this meditation for six years, and I take it one step deeper each year. It starts simply with an awareness of this opportunity and an intention to take a moment to consider or be open to the virtue highlighted each day. Since Daily Wonder is in the biz of homeschool education and parent support, this meditative journey can be an incredible opportunity to focus on your homeschool experience. The winter break can be the time to carve out some quiet, reflective time and think about each month of teaching over 2022, as well as the lessons, experiences, and growth you and your child(ren) have experienced. As you are approaching the halfway point in the school year, you can assess if there are changes you want to make coming into the new year. The virtues highlighted are wonderful ways to frame your strengths and challenges as a homeschool parent. Every moment is an opportunity to practice self-love! You can trust that the depth in which you experience this opportunity is exactly as it should be. Each day you will reflect on a different virtue; your work is to consider how each virtue plays out in your homeschool life in general and then specifically over the year that is coming to an end. For example, were there highlights that put this virtue into practice? Were there moments when you could have strengthened this virtue? When you reflect over the year, begin with the most recent month of December, and work backwards. Each night you will go back one more month to review your year in rewind. This act of reflecting backwards elevates our everyday thinking and shifts our awareness to a higher level of observation and reflection. Once you have a feeling for how this virtue is playing out in your experience as a homeschool family, and specifically as your children's teacher, you can set an intention for how you would like to deepen or strengthen your connection to this virtue. Then, you can envision how that might look in your life and how this will feel for you and your child(ren). The power of holding the image and feeling will take you deeper into co-creating your upcoming year. The Stars once spoke to Humankind It is World Destiny that they are Silent now To be aware of the Silence Can become painful for Earthly Human But in the Deepening Silence There Grows and Ripens What Humans Speak to the Stars To be aware of this Speaking Can become Strength for Spirit Human -Rudolf Steiner (Christmas 1923)  Day 1- LOVE (December 24th) Love is the meaning of life on earth. Take time to ponder the ways in which you express your love for yourself, your family, romantic intimate partner(s), community, humanity. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand this love into the next year. Reflect on December 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 2- DISCRETION (December 25th) We learn that there are times to hold our thoughts and feelings to ourselves, and there are times to choose to share them. Not everything, positive or negative in experience, needs to be shared. In silence, the flowering of discretion becomes an ever-deepening meditative force of contemplation. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be STILL into the next year. Reflect on November 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 3- COURAGE (December 26th) It takes courage to overcome our soul resistance to change. It takes courage to create a future of goodness. Courage, the ability to take on actions and experiences that cause fear. The ability to overcome our resistance, and our fears, and bring more love. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be COURAGEOUS into the next year. Reflect on October 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 4- SELF-DISCIPLINE (December 27th) When we practice parenting our inner Self, we find that we must bring a balance of love and acceptance for where we are at in our evolution, and the healthy push to become more self-disciplined. When we practice self-discipline in our thoughts, speech, and actions, this leads to deeper knowledge of our self and other. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be SELF-DISCIPLINED into the next year. Reflect on September 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 5- PATIENCE (December 28th) Patience is wisdom paired with will power. When patience is practiced, it leads to the gift of spiritual insight. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be PATIENT into the next year. Reflect on August 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 6- CONTENTMENT (December 29th) When we practice contentment, a feeling of peacefulness in any situation, it brings us the blessing of equanimity. Can I be content with the current moment, even if it is uncomfortable? Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be CONTENT into the next year. Reflect on July 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons.  Day 7- REVERENCE (December 30th) This is reverence that is honoring a courteous, tactful heart. This encourages the ability to communicate with kindness and love. To add to this pondering, this day also honours the spiritual nourishment and digestion that is taking place through this whole meditative process. We are digesting the year and nourishing our way forward. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be REVERENT into the next year. Reflect on June 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 8-COMPASSION (December 31st) Compassion asks us to hold the future of each person as positive and illuminated. Compassion leads to freedom, as we harbor no ill will within us for another. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be COMPASSIONATE into the next year. Reflect on May 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 9- EMPATHY (January 1st) Here we are reflecting on our capacity for empathy. When we practice selflessness, we are led to an inner awakening. We feel the connection between our Self and the Other, and we become more attune, and more sensitive. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be EMPATHETIC into the next year. Reflect on April 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 10- PERSEVERANCE (January 2nd) This is the virtue of perseverance to fulfill our soul’s destiny leading us to True Faith. When we feel an inner calling, an inner knowing that we have work to do upon this earth, we have the inner will and steadfastness to work ceaselessly throughout our lives. This inner knowing that we are called to bring to life, is our True Faith in the meaning and purpose of our life. In this way, we each bring our gift to the world, and to the people linked to us by our destiny. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to PERSEVERE into the next year. Reflect on March 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. Day 11- INNER BALANCE (January 3rd) This is inner balance of soul, body, and spirit. It also refers to the balance of our outer work with our inner life. When we find balance in these realms, this leads us to our soul’s progression along our spiritual path. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to be INWARDLY BALANCED into the next year. Reflect on February 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. DAY 12- DEVOTION (January 4th) We contemplate devotion that leads to self-sacrifice. When we devote ourselves to something greater than ourselves, we feel the power of self-sacrifice, and in this way, we serve human evolution. Be open to visions of how you would like to expand your ability to feel DEVOTED into the next year. Reflect on January 2022, and your experiences and soul lessons. DAY 13-INTEGRATION (January 5th) This night is your Soul Epiphany that has come from pondering and meditating on your year that has passed and the year you are beginning. All the virtues are now integrated through the force of Divine Love. We can see the year as a whole and have prepared the foundation for the coming year. May you each find the sacred place within yourself that allows you to perceive with the eyes and ears of the Divine. You are gathering in community with many who share your perceptions and will work with you on transcendent and holy ways. You are not alone. Know that there is New Life Awakening within your heart that will bless each day of 2023. Love, Jennifer   These beautiful eight-pointed stars are easy to make and it's fun to decorate your windows with them during the winter months. What You Need:
How to Make:
 Not only are these window stars a wonderful craft to do with your children, but they also make beautiful gifts. We often make tiny eight-pointed stars out of old watercolour paintings and attach them onto gifts with a little string on the end so they can be hung on a tree or as decorations around the home. Looking to up your window star game? Check out this site which has step-by-step instructions for making a large variety of window stars.
 Learn how to make beautiful paper star lanterns. These are perfect for your winter nature tables, for a lantern walk, or to decorate your advent spirals. They are also an excellent way to use up watercolour paintings. You can even coat the paper in olive oil and let it dry before folding it into a lantern. The oiled paper creates a beautiful translucent effect when lit up. Remember to never leave your candle unattended. Things You'll Need
How to Make Your Lantern
 Felted Artwork by Mimi Hirsch The Meaning of Martinmas Throughout the year, Waldorf education celebrates festivals to connect with the cycle of nature, establish a yearly rhythm for the children, and strengthen the community. The Festival of Compassion (Martinmas) is celebrated around November 11, between Michaelmas - the Festival of Courage's fiery out-breath and the winter holidays' deep in-breath. Universally, it honours St. Martin's story, patron saint of beggars and outcasts, who was known for his gentleness and his ability to bring warmth and light to those in need. He is best known for his act of kindness toward a poor beggar freezing outside in the cold. Martin used his sword to cut his cloak in two and gave one half to the beggar. This act of compassion, which gave the beggar warmth and hope, is why this festival is also called the Festival of Compassion. Waldorf education celebrates this festival by making lanterns with the children and gathering together for an evening Lantern Walk. The essence of this festival is to acknowledge the light that shines forth from each of us. This light needs to be protected, just as the lights inside our lanterns do, so they don’t blow out. Autumn is a time to reflect on our inner selves, to find the inner light that will carry us through this time of darkness. It can be an opportunity to know ourselves more deeply. Waldorf education marks this season of inner searching with three fall festivals to help guide us on this introspection path. In September, the Festival of Courage (Michaelmas) and St. Michael urges us to battle with courage to face and conquer our “dragons”. In early November, there is the Festival of Compassion (Martinmas), where we observe St. Martin’s compassion for others. In December, St. Nicholas brings the gifts of wisdom, reflection, and review upon the year's events. These three figures model strength in the qualities of willing, feeling and thinking. As we journey into the darkest time of the year, it is increasingly important for each of us to kindle warmth and light in our hearts. The gently glowing lanterns of the Festival of Compassion will give way to the candles of the Festival of Wisdom (Advent Spiral) as we draw nearer to the Solstice, showing how our inner light must shine ever brighter against the cold. As nature sleeps, we must be wakeful! How can you bring this festival to your homeschooling family?You Could Tell Stories
You could make some lanterns: There are many ways to make lanterns, all of them fun and easy. The simplest way is to take a glass jar and, using some white glue mixed with a bit of water and a paint brush, glue bits of coloured tissue paper to the outside of the jar. You can glue at random or make pictures and shapes with the tissue paper, whatever works for your family and your children's age level. Adding a handle can be done in various ways, from pipe cleaners to flexible wire; you can even add beads to the handle.   If you have access to beeswax, another way to spend an afternoon with your children is to make a beeswax lantern. You can melt beeswax in a double boiler and dip an inflated balloon halfway into the wax. Let the first layer dry and then dip again and repeat. You can add leaves between layers as well. Once finished, carefully pop the balloon add some sand to the lantern's bottom, then place a tea-light on top of the sand to stop the candle from melting the bottom of your lantern.  There are many other ways to make lanterns. Get creative and have fun! You could plan a lantern walk: With your family and perhaps with some other families, you could plan to meet in a park or at some local trails in the early evening when the sun is just setting. With your lanterns lit, you can take a quiet meditative walk while singing some lantern songs. Here are some lantern songs which are short and easy to learn. These are meant to be sung 4-8 times over before switching to the next lantern song. The Sunlight Fast is Dwindling The sunlight fast is dwindling. My little lamp needs kindling. It’s beam shines far in darkest night, Dear lantern guard me with your light. Glimmer, Lantern, Glimmer Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a-shimmer Over meadow, moor and dale Flitter-flutter, elfin veil Pee-wit, pee-wit, tic a tic a tic, roo-coo, roo-coo Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a-shimmer Over rock and stock and stone Wander tripping little gnome Pee-wit, pee-wit, tic a tic a tic, roo-coo, roo-coo I Go with My Bright Little Lantern I go with my bright little lantern My lantern is going with me In heaven the stars are shining On Earth shines my lantern with me My light shines bright, through darkest night La bimba, la bamba, la bim (repeat last 2 lines) Bring Forth Your Light Bring forth you gentle spark Illuminate the dark Those trembling in the night Receive your shining light You could donate to the Food Bank:
As this festival is about compassion, you could follow St. Martin's footsteps and make a donation to the food bank or think of some other way to bring warmth and hope to others. In this time of turning inward, may you find your light shining brightly and remember that even the tiniest flame can dispel the darkness.  As parents and teachers, we are always looking for ways to understand our children, to interpret their behaviours, and to be able to support them more fully in their development. In Waldorf Schools around the world, it is very common for teachers to use the Four Temperaments Model, as a foundation for understanding their students. This is one of the oldest personality type systems in the world. The origins of this typology belong to Graeco-Arabic medicine, where it was successfully used to treat illnesses. In fact, it is still used today by practitioners of traditional medicine around the world. Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460 – c. 370 BC) described the four temperaments as part of the ancient medical concept of humourism, that four bodily fluids affect human personality traits and behaviours. He believed that certain human moods, emotions, and behaviours were caused by an excess or lack of body fluids (called "humours"), which he classified as blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. The Four Temperaments are sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic and were coined by the Greek physician Aelius Galenus to describe the effect of these humours on human behaviour. Modern medical science does not define a fixed relationship between internal secretions and personality, although some psychological personality type systems use categories similar to the Greek temperaments. It is interesting to note that traditional Chinese medicine sees that body constitution can vary from person to person, some are strong, some are weak, some tend to be hot, and some tend to be cold. According to the China Association for Traditional Chinese Medicine (CACM), body constitution can be divided into nine types, named as neutral, qi deficiency, yang deficiency, yin deficiency, blood stasis, phlegm & dampness, damp-heat, qi stagnation and special constitution. Generally, the classification of body constitution is based on physical outlook, personality, common health problems, and adaptation to external environment. As well, Ayurveda, ancient Indian medicine refers to three main body types, or doshas: vata, pitta, kapha. Our doshas affect all aspects of us, including our psychology, emotional responses, choice of careers, foods we crave, the music we enjoy, how fast we talk, our energy levels, the colour of our eyes, the smoothness of our skin and the way we deal with stress. In a homeschool setting, it is useful to be aware of the four temperaments as a tool for building a deeper understanding and connection with your child. By observing your child’s personality and body type, you can gain information that can often help make sense of certain behaviours. One of the four temperaments is often more dominant during elementary school years; however the goal is that through nurturing and holistic education, we help the child to come into more of a balance between the four temperaments.  Waldorf Publication, article Temperaments in a Waldorf School August 18, 2015 The CholericThe choleric is a person who is fulfilled by deeds. This temperament tends to be fiery with a keen interest in all things, a high level of engagement in all they do, and quickness to action. They are natural leaders and get a lot done in group work. Teachers do well to give them many difficult tasks, make clear rules, and stick to them with the fulfillment of any promised consequences. If the teacher fails to gain a choleric’s respect, trouble will ensue! Cholerics have a good sense of judgment and can usually be trusted to divide things evenly from a firm sense of fairness and equity. They are first to want to go out for recess, and they are impatient with those who are slow or weak. Red is the favorite color most often, and typically division is the favorite arithmetic function. Cholerics can be difficult because of their intensity and quick judgments; however, without cholerics, little gets done in a crowd. They tend to be heroic and commanding in a natural way and are loyal defenders of friends, family, and community when necessary.  The SanguineThe sanguine is the most social of the temperaments. A party with no sanguines will tend to be fairly dull. Sanguine children have trouble concentrating because their attention flits a bit. Their color is yellow, and they delight in quick changes and varied ideas. They love people and discussions. The favorite in arithmetic is multiplication. These children know all the news in any classroom and can trace activities from the beginning to the end. If a teacher wants to know what happened, s/he need only ask a sanguine. Seating sanguines together holds the promise that they all might get weary of how much talking is going on and talk a little less themselves. Jumping rope, skipping, and running are all favorites of the sanguine elementary school student.  The PhlegmaticThe phlegmatic is a complacent soul who would rather be left to his or her own devices than to be stirred to great action. Phlegmatics love food and mealtimes and look forward to these with a particular interest. They tend to like water and swimming (or, better yet, floating) and they are particularly unflappable. They have a knack at being cheerful and they tend to avoid describing any situation in terms of being a crisis. Finding the things that genuinely motivate these students is the task of the teacher because; left to their own devices they might do very little on their own. Upsetting a phlegmatic, or making him or her move too frequently can cause the phlegmatic to behave like a choleric. The anger of a phlegmatic is infrequent but intense. Addition is a favorite of the phlegmatic. Green is often their favorite color. When phlegmatics are seated together they help each other to realize that very little happens in their group and they are stirred to break the inactivity and take the initiative of their own.  The MelancholicThe melancholic is a deep thinker, poetic in tendency. Melancholics tend to feel many things personally. Tasks can easily feel insurmountable to them and they tend to consider many situations in the most difficult light. They would, for example, most often consider the glass, “half empty.” In history lessons, these students view the misfortunes of mankind most compassionately. They often offer insights into people’s motivation from an understanding of the deep feeling life possible in human beings. Blue is often a favorite color of melancholic children. Of the four arithmetic processes, subtraction tends to be their favorite. Teachers must sympathize deeply with melancholics in order to ensure that they feel understood. In a Waldorf school, teachers observe their students, and use this model to help support the children. It is not a hard and fast rule, and it is not advised that we label children or get stuck too strongly in one view. However, knowing the dominant temperament of a child can help us know how to proceed in a variety of situations. When a child is under stress, each temperament meets this stress differently. Each temperament approaches a new challenge, a new project, or a social situation uniquely. There are certainly common patterns and traits for each temperament and proceeding with this awareness can make a huge difference in meeting the child’s needs. When recognizing a temperament in a child, we take a homeopathic approach, which is to say, we try to offer doses of these characteristics and traits, to help our child to be saturated in these qualities. The theory is that a child who feels held and seen in their temperament, can more easily move beyond it, into more balance as they grow up. For example, a melancholic child, who feels the “weight of the world”, and takes things in very deeply, should not be told to “get over it” or “it’s not that bad”, or “just let it go and smile”. Instead, they respond best to a loving adult who acknowledges their pain or misery and does not try to fix it. Tips for Working with your Child's TemperamentIf your child is sanguine, they are most inspired by your love and your love and attention awakens magic in them. When it comes to life, they can be easily distractible. They often change their mind and find it hard to settle down and commit to one thing. As a parent, you can encourage them to stick with what they started. You can insist that they finish the activity or sport they chose before trying a new one. During school lessons, you can help them to choose a project that really excites them and help them stay on task. Reading a book together, or looking at a picture, and having the child really take the time to look at the details, can be very helpful. If your child is choleric it is important to help them to notice and appreciate the needs of others. Choleric children want to have deep respect for the adults in their lives. Show them some of your talents and skills. Give them challenges to work through, and make sure they get plenty of exercise. Give your choleric child situations where they can take on a leadership role. If your child is phlegmatic they are most inspired by other children, and need support to have a social life, with varied friends to learn from and admire. At home, they require a stable, predictable environment with steady routine and rhythm. Make sure you allow space in the morning for a slow start. Your phlegmatic child is easygoing and sweet natured until they are NOT! This means that if you push them too hard, and too fast, they will get angry. If your child is melancholic, they will benefit from focusing on the needs of others. It is easy for a melancholic child to get wrapped up in their own suffering. Melancholic children respond very well when the adult takes time to offer them compassion when they are hurt. Take time to ask a melancholic some challenging questions, and also set aside time for them to discuss a topic of their own interest. Here are some links to Four Temperament Assessments:
https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/O4TS/ https://lonerwolf.com/the-four-temperaments-test-quiz/ |
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