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Waldorf Walls: Color and the Lazure Technique
Check Out Our Incredible Waldorfy Supporter! Palumba believes that imaginative, open-ended play with simple toys, crafted from beautiful, natural material offers children warmth and a sense of well-being when discovering their world. Growing up attending a Waldorf school, one of the things I would look forward to most at the end of the year was the excitement of getting to move into a new classroom the following year. The next grade always felt so much more cool, and moving to a new classroom meant moving into a room of a new color! If you've attended a Waldorf school, or have had a child attend one, you may…
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A Road Map For Anthroposophy
I decided to title this episode “A Road Map for Anthroposophy”, because I felt that really best described what this episode is. If you're a big Waldorfy fan and have listened in all the way back to the beginning of season one, you'll remember that in episode 103 I did a more brief sweeping introduction to anthroposophy. If you want to go back and check that episode out click here. In this episode we’re breaking down what anthroposophy is in simple terms and then laying out all the things that fall under the umbrella of anthroposophy. I know I referenced that umbrella term a lot in the trailer for…
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The Child IS the Curriculum: A discussion on Waldorf homeschooling with Annie Haas
Check Out Our Incredible Waldorfy Supporter! Palumba believes that imaginative, open-ended play with simple toys, crafted from beautiful, natural material offers children warmth and a sense of well-being when discovering their world. Annie is a very special guest. Annie Haas is a Waldorf homeschooling mom of three children, one of whom is grown now. She is an artist, musician, singer, and an avid reader of Steiner and other esoteric studies. She loves living deeply into seasonal festivals and Anthroposophy. She runs an online Steiner study group for homeschool moms or anyone interested in diving deeper into studying the developing human being. She also created the Threefold Human…
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Waldorf Homeschooling with Melisa Nielsen of Waldorf Essentials
It was such a delight to have Melisa Nielsen come on the show to speak with me about Waldorf homeschooling. I’ll be honest, I was intimidated to cover this topic since it’s something I know almost nothing about. So many of you requested that I cover Waldorf homeschooling and I didn’t even know where to begin. I asked the Waldorfy social media audience, who they would like to hear from on the topic of Waldorf homeschooling and overwhelmingly the guest that the most people wanted to hear from was Melisa. I personally didn’t know Melisa and because I’m always trying to bring you all the very best of guests and…
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Art in Waldorf Education
In this episode I speak with Waldorf class teacher of 23 years, Darcy Drayton. As I’m introducing the episode, I first speak a little about why art is being integrated across all subjects in Waldorf education. Then when speaking with Darcy, we discuss more of how art is incorporated in the curriculum and how she uses different artistic mediums as tools to teach with. Darcy, an artist herself, also speaks about drama and class plays in the Waldorf curriculum, and how she uses her artistic freedom as a teacher, to meet the children where they’re at developmentally. While also trying to be aware of the challenges that they will face…
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Why is everything natural in a Waldorf classroom?
Many parents who have a child attending a Waldorf school have a distinct memory of their first time seeing or visiting a Waldorf kindergarten. The early childhood rooms in every Waldorf school have such a distinct feel. It’s warm, inviting, and serene. From my experience as a parent witnessing little ones in this space, I believe it sparks a real sense of warmth and security that allows for the best expression of open-ended free play. In my last post on color, I discussed how much the color of the classrooms plays into the feeling within the space, but what about the contents of the room? The wood, the wool, the…
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The Intentional Use of Color in the Waldorf Classroom
I have such fond memories of the Waldorf school I attended as a child. One of my most vivid memories is of the color of the classrooms where I learned to love learning. The first time I took my son to a parent and child class at a different Waldorf school, I noticed the same colors and shades welcoming me into the classroom. I observed, with the other parents, how our babies were calm and happy in the room, even on days they hadn’t napped or were teething. What was this magical aspect of the classroom? I knew it must have something to do with the color. What is…
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Art and Waldorf Education
As a child art surrounded me. I grew up a child attending a Waldorf school. Art was part of my everyday. It was something to enjoy, something to participate in, and a way to connect with whatever I was learning. Ask many Waldorf students and they’ll tell you the way they learned to remember something such as times tables or the days of the week has a connection with colors, a song, or movement. What was Steiner’s intention in creating so much room for art in Waldorf Education? How do our brains make connections through art? Why is it beneficial to provide space for art in a child’s education?…