I have just returned from a weekend lecture and workshop at the Princeton Waldorf School with the incomparable Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting.
Category: Waldorf
A very quick post to share a wonderful (yes, as in full of wonder), natural, open-ended, handmade gift that any child would love to receive for Valentine’s Day, Easter, a birthday … is there a day that wouldn’t be brightened by Wonder Wandz by Lighnting Bugz? On Valentine’s Day, I plan on setting up a little trail of chocolate kisses (in different colors for each child) from their bedroom doors to our living room where they will find two magical boxes. Open the boxes with me, and see where your imagination takes you …
The woman behind the wonder describes how her latest creation, perfect for girls and boys, “can be used for everything from dancing, to running and twirling, to casting magical spells, to helping fairies, to piloting space ships, to fitting in gnome homes, to digging wondrous caves! The possibilities go on forever!! I love how children just seem to know what the wand should be used for at the exact moment.”
Lightning Bugz dolls …
Let the obsession begin
Having a daughter altered my world in ways I never could have imagined, but perhaps the one thing that has surprised me most is my reaction to the “girly” things I despised when I was child. I know my mother scratched her head not infrequently as I climbed trees, kicked soccer balls, insisted on wearing the same pair of burgundy cords and blue swish Nike sneakers nearly every day and vociferously rejected every bow, dress or hairbrush she pleaded with me to try. I was, without apology, a tomboy. I wore my tough girl badge proudly and defied anyone to change me into a “little miss priss” (as I was apt to call my much more feminine younger sister). Dolls? Better to keep them out of my sight lest they become fodder for one of my games. I recall that while on vacation in Florida my friend and I hung my sister’s Norfin doll to the ceiling fan just for kicks. My sister’s persistent wailing did nothing to soften my heart. Don’t misunderstand. I loved (and still adore) my sister, but I truly detested the endless stream of dolls that inhabited our shared bedroom.
I’ve been a mother for nearly four years now, but I experienced a mental shift in the way I parent about one year ago when I first read Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children by Sharifa Oppenheimer.
http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Handbook-Parents-Children/dp/0880105666
It was in the pages of this magnificent guide that I first learned about the Waldorf philosophy of education. I reveled in each page as I pondered creative ways to build my family culture with a “guiding principle of love.” Ideas abound for art projects, storytelling, festival celebrations, indoor and outdoor play spaces that are both functional and mystical, natural and open-ended toys, and perhaps most importantly for making play the foundation a child’s day. This book is a revelation, and I credit it as the impetus for my journey into my own version of attachment/natural/slow parenting.
For all of you who have found my little blog while you seek ways to connect on an intimate level with your children, read Heaven on Earth before you do anything else. You won’t regret it.
Have a magical weekend …