Gateways A Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America Fall/Winter 2005, Issue 49 Table of Contents Letter from the Editor by Stephen Spitalny 2 Early Childhood Teaching and the Etheric by Cynthia Aldinger 3 Research On Learning Difficulties in the Early Years by Ewout Van-Manen 5 Therapeutic Puppetry by Suzanne Down 13 Conferences Overview of the International Kindergarten Conference, 2005 by Jan Coles 14 Review of the Logos Conference by Heather Porter 19 Transitions The Beginnings of our Waldorf Early Childhood Movement by Susan Howard 21 An Interview with Margret Meyerkort by Janni Nicol 25 Birthday Homage for Margret Meyerkort 27 Remembering Joyce Schild by Kim Hunter, Susanne Schonthaler and Marjorie Thatcher 29 Practical Aspects Building Community through the Advent Garden by Joyce Gallardo 29 The Day Dusty Gnome Took a Nap 31 Storms, Floods and Devastation The Flood at Sophia’s Hearth by Joyce Gallardo 32 Lessons from a Hurricane by Heidi Anne Porter 33 A Report from the Hill School 35 Book Reviews In a Nutshell by Nancy Foster 36 Eurythmy for the Young Child by Estelle Bryer 37 Calendar of Events 38 1 From the Editor Stephen Spitalny Dear Readers, wonder, “How did they think of that?” I am In recent months there have been various refreshed and renewed in my work through my powerful expressions of nature’s strength. Many connection to WECAN. And out of that people’s lives and livelihoods have been affected. enthusiasm and gratitude, I ask you, the reader, What a poignant reminder that we live on the to consider your connection to WECAN. Do you earth, a large and living body that is not always receive nourishment for your work from predictable. These events can be a reminder to WECAN? Is your thinking enlivened by ideas be thankful for the life that we are given from coming to you through WECAN publications? Is the being that is our home. The Advent season work of WECAN inspiring for you? is a special time to reawaken our gratitude for If the answer is “yes” to these questions, I ask the earth itself who gives us also the very you to consider becoming a member of WECAN substance of which we are made. if you are not yet, and suggesting to your friends, These disastrous events can also be a time to colleagues and parents of the children in your reawaken to community. I experienced the most groups to consider supporting WECAN and active neighborhood and local community life in themselves by joining and helping WECAN to my town of Santa Cruz in the weeks following thrive and continue its work into the future. the large earthquake in 1989. Disasters can be a This issue of Gateways is packed full of time of neighbors helping neighbors and truly content. Of course, we include some brief reports meeting each other. They can also be a time to on storm-related disasters. We have reports from remember that we are members of a larger two recent conferences on the work with the community. WECAN members and readers of young child that we would all have liked to this Newsletter all are part of a large and loosely attend I’m sure. We have book reviews, and knit community of carers for the young child. some practical activities that you can use in your Perhaps we could consider if and how we could early childhood work. Cynthia Aldinger has reach out and help some friends in far away offered a response to a question posed last issue, places doing the same work. and perhaps we can see the beginning of a venue These recent disasters also can awaken a for conversation on questions related to our work question of the role of WECAN in the world. with the children. Please send along your What arises first for me is that WECAN is a question or reflections—it needn’t be a long vehicle that connects me (and all of you) to article—and, through Gateways, we can share others doing the work of Waldorf early childhood them with others. caring and teaching. It allows me, through This issue also includes two articles on Gateways and various other shorter newsletters therapeutic work and a fascinating article on the and mailings, to be aware of what is going on in beginnings of the Waldorf kindergarten the community of Waldorf/Steiner early movement that helps to give a context for the childhood education, both new developments work we do today. Thanks to Kindling, our sister and challenges (and disasters) others may be journal from England. We have a mutual article- facing. WECAN also helps me to deepen my own sharing relationship and, over recent years, have work with the children, both through both enjoyed and included each other’s articles, publications (books and Gateways), conferences this issue being no exception. We are also and workshops. And I am grateful for WECAN making space to honor Margret Meyerkort who and enthusiastic about the gifts it brings. I read recently turned eighty. Margret has had a large the books WECAN publishes and am astounded influence on many in our movement, and I am that someone finds the time for the writing and personally hugely grateful for the inspiration I the depths of knowledge and experience from have received from her. Margret has always kept which to express. I hear about new approaches to the social, the community aspect of life, at the Steiner’s ideals and practical suggestions and forefront of her thinking and that is inspiring: So the work of the teacher of children under age, we recognize the awesome fact that it is the age of seven can assume the additional our adult attentiveness which to a large function of offering a social center. It will extent shapes the growing woman and man. then be surrounded by a wider community, We can feel sustained by Rudolf Steiner’s an active periphery which in turn provides for exhortation to practice, practice, practice. In the growing child some intimations of human contemplating the nature of the will, some understanding and social relationships in will want to work inwardly to strengthen and which he will later find himself as an adult. widen our creative faculties and at the same time to help form a wider social community, a When we look at human development during community which helps us sustain the life of the first seven years and are receptive to the the kindergarten. preponderance of the life of the will at this From The Challenge of the Will, written by Margret Meyerkort with Rudi Lissau. Early Childhood Teaching and the Etheric Cynthia Aldinger While working in my yard today, I was mulling to share just a very few thoughts for now. A over Margo Running’s question in the last helpful tool Rudolf Steiner spoke to teachers Gateways. Her query has to do with a perception about is called The Pedagogical Law. It is meant of exhaustion of which many early childhood to help us understand the forces from which we teachers/caregivers speak of, particularly if they draw in order to best serve the ages of children work more than four hours with young children. in our care or tutelage. The premise behind this I realized that the different ages and stages of law is that there are four bodies of activity from life affect the energy levels of some individuals. which we are able to function throughout life, In my thirties and forties, I was very energized by the physical, etheric, astral and ego bodies. my work with young children, and I also loved The pedagogical law tells us that when the the work of founding a school, being the faculty child is developing and strengthening his/her chair, the college chair, and everything in physical body, we teachers/caregivers/parents are between at one time or another. At the same ideally working with them through the strength time, I was raising two sons and tending to a of our own etheric forces. The adult’s etheric is, marriage. Yes, I believe I was energized by the in a sense, educating the child’s physical body. forces of living in the present with the young When the child is developing and strengthening children. In fact, I remember those times when I his/her etheric body, the adult is teaching/ would steal away to my kindergarten room in the tending through astral/soul forces. When the afternoons to re-energize before having to attend budding youth is developing and strengthening yet another meeting or deal with colleagues or his/her astral/soul body, we are teaching/tending parents who requested time with me. It was as if through the strength of our ego forces. To help the room itself was filled with the health-giving early childhood children become physically forces I needed. But I also remember that it took healthy, we need to be life-filled enough a great deal of sheer will to tend to my (etherically strong) to provide them with the household, to cook and clean, to be active in my outer activities and nourishment that will community. provide that health. The relationship of the etheric to our work The primary work of young children is the with children is a huge subject and I would like development of their physical bodies. Their own etheric forces are there to help support this adjusting and helping the children adjust to development, particularly the development of becoming a cohesive social group. their internal organs, in those early years.