Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America • Issue 74, Spring 2018

Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America • Issue 74, Spring 2018 Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America • Issue 74, Spring 2018 Contents 3 Letter from the Editor Gateways is published in spring and fall by the Waldorf Early Childhood Focus: Storytelling Association of North America 5 The Art of the Protection Story: An Introduction 285 Hungry Hollow Road Suzanne Down Spring Valley, NY 10977 7 Fairy Tales in Our Waldorf Classrooms (845) 352-1690 / Fax (845) 352-1695 Cindy Faught Sudan [email protected] 10 The Rainbow: Exploring Images of Moral www.waldorfearlychildhood.org Imagination for Our Time Annual individual membership, which Janene Ping includes subscription, is $50. 13 Parent-Child Classes for Infants and Toddlers: We Need Them! Back issues are available for purchase Liz Hagerman from WECAN, and as free downloads from the Online Waldorf Library at Transitions www.waldorflibrary.org. 14 Patricia Cairns Remembered by Christine Summerfield Editor Nancy Blanning Editorial Advisor Susan Howard 16 “Farmer Dave” Snow Administrator Melissa Lyons Remembered by Nancy Blanning Publications Coordinator Donna Miele Reading the Signs of the Times Copy Editing Bill Day Layout Jennifer Siegrist 17 Signs of the Times Cover Art Schneeweissen und Rosenrot Nancy Blanning 20 A Handful of Feathers and a Stag at the Play Yard Gate Deadlines for Issue 74, Spring 2018: Marcia Marquis Articles: August 15, 2018 Advertising: August 15, 2018 For the Classroom About the Cover Artist: 23 A Healing Story for the Classroom Angela Koconda grew up in Switzerland. Jessica Oswald She attended the Rudolf Steiner 25 Excerpts from Singing and Speaking the Child into Life School in Basel, was a eurythmist at Susan Weber, Nancy Macalaster, and Jane Swain the Goetheanum, and remains active 27 Protection Imagination—Build a House in training. Since childhood she was fascinated by colors and shapes. Her Steven Moore illustrations have been beloved for 28 On the Move: The Development of Movement many years among Waldorf educators, Vanessa Kohlhass children, and parents. Book Reviews 31 The Gardener and the Carpenter by Alison Gopnik Reviewed by Nancy Blanning 32 Walking with Our Children by Nancy Blanning Reviewed by Lory Widmer Hess 33 Singing and Speaking the Child into Life by Susan Weber, Nancy Macalaster, and Jane Swain Reviewed by Nancy Blanning 34 Calendar of Events From the Editor Nancy Blanning Stories fill up countless pages in books. We can find our school. These gentle, short classes for parent almost any kind of tale we want to read for relaxation, and child offer a valuable introductory experience entertainment, and diversion. Look at the New to Waldorf-style beholding of the child. The songs, York Times bestseller list, filled w ith t hrillers a nd movements, and gentle touching games create dangerous detective stories. One wonders if anything even deeper bonds between parent and child. listed there will endure beyond its short but glorious We turn with sadness and gratitude to run on the “best” list. acknowledge two colleagues who have crossed the We in Waldorf early childhood education are threshold in “Transitions.” Kindergarten teacher concerned with stories not because they fill up Patricia Cairns, of Hawaii, Colorado, the west coast, pages but because they can nourish the soul and and China has joined the spiritual world. “Farmer encourage the spirit. These nourishing stories share Dave” Snow, the farmer, financial manager, and images and inspire ideals that guide the striving goat-milker at Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten in of humanity. And stories told mouth-to-ear, from Colorado also made his passing. They stand as human speaker to human listener, warm the space examples of the talent and diversity that we each to create relationship. The non-technological sharing individually bring to Waldorf early childhood of stories is not receiving much attention because work in our own ways, big and small. spoken stories cost nothing but time. The profit is the The new feature introduced in the Fall creation and support of warm human relationships, 2017 Gateways, “Reading the Signs of the which is not quantifiable. But when we tell stories in Times,” continues in this issue. That article’s the classroom, or to our own children at home, we description of the social challenges that we are experience that all of this is true. seeing in our school communities over salary, So this issue of Gateways continues the story equity, and value of each person’s contribution theme in our lead articles. First, puppeteer and to work with the children brought forth storywriter Suzanne Down shares her original additional thoughts. A lecture by Rudolf Steiner development of the “protection story.” Children are is excerpted, which was study material for the so exposed to the ills and anxieties of the world that WECAN board meeting last fall. Additionally, two they need reassurance and shelter in any way we can readers responded with short contributions on provide it. Suzanne has developed the protection ways we can work toward a healing social life to work story as a kind of balm and protective layering for respectfully—and artistically—with one another. the listener. As she says, by the end of the story “all Also in this section is an article by Marcia is well.” Next we have a serious consideration of Marquis, a long-time teacher recently retired, fairy tales from Cindy Sudan. Her association with reflecting upon her years in the classroom. It is a fairy tales over decades of teaching reminds us of beautifully written article, describing what the years the universality of these tales. Janene Ping brings and the children in her care have taught her about active puppetry to give an imaginative picture to what really matters, about what is important. We the environmental threats that children may feel think you will find it lovely to read and inspiring. In swirling around them but not understand. So her “Reading the Signs of the Times,” there are positive story, “The Rainbow,” offers a digestible picture of thoughts and deeds for us to affirm, not only what is elemental interaction. troubling. This article provides a wonderful balance. Then our content takes a bit of a turn. Some “In the Classroom” offers a potpourri from all articles came toward Gateways that look deeply the above topics. Jessica Oswald shares a therapeutic at the importance of our work with very young healing story she wrote for some children in her children. Liz Hagerman discusses the importance classroom. It is interesting reading both for the story of having parent/infant and parent/toddler classes in and for her description of the creative process. Spring 2018 3 There are excerpts from the new WECAN Michael Kokinos work with children and young publication, Singing and Speaking the Child into Life. adults who stand in the autism stream. Content Susan Weber, Nancy Macalastar, and Jane Swain from their presentations will be shared in the Fall of Sophia’s Hearth have compiled a resource book 2018 issue of Gateways, which will focus on speech of songs, games, and rhymes suitable for children and language. We invite contributions to do with from birth to age three. A few examples are shared speech—development of speech in children, use of in “For the Classroom” to give a sample of the book’s educators’ speech, speech and language that support content. The selections are perfect as-is for babies and healthy incarnation for the child, and aspects of toddlers. But the chosen pieces have some suggestions speech and its use with young children that we for adaptation to use with older children in the haven’t even thought of to ask. Examples of rhymes kindergarten class as well. A movement imagination, and verses that invite the children into healthy “Build a House, Brick by Brick,” shared over 20 speaking, listening, and moving will be heartily years ago by eurythmist and friend Steven Moore welcomed as well. (now in the spiritual world) is given as a “sheltering In conclusion, it seems fitting to end with a story imagination” that is easily used in the classroom. from the classroom. As part of Six-Year-Old Games Vanessa Kohlhass reminds us, with her article on (for rising first graders), each child is asked to tell movement development in very young children, a story remembered from the kindergarten. One how terribly important it is that children have free little boy sat pondering. He at first said he could opportunities to move through their developmental remember nothing, then he stated that his teacher stages to get to human uprightness. had told a story about a lawyer. The incredulous Book reviews round out this issue. A mainstream adult reply was, “I am sure your teacher did not tell work by evolutionary biologist and developmental a story about a lawyer.” The child looked up in wide- psychologist Alison Gopnik is reviewed. Her drive to eyed indignation and protested, “SHE DID, TOO!” explain everything in terms of genetics and evolution So the child was invited to tell that story. It left the reviewer unsatisfied, but her chapters on took a little while for the listener to realize that the imitation and play can bring joy to our Waldorf story being told was the Native American story hearts. In these two chapters she is a true friend. of “Scarface” with the male “lawyer”—a warrior. Two new WECAN publications are also reviewed. Goodness only knows what inner pictures this little These are Singing and Speaking the Child into Life lad was creating. (mentioned above) and Walking with Our Children: This story leads toward next issue’s theme of The Parent as Companions and Guide.

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