Spindlewood May Celebration

You are Invited!

May Celebration
for young children and families

This Thursday, May 7
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Spindlewood Waldorf Kindergarten

8:30 May Pole Raising
9:00 May Crown Weaving
9:30 Circle time
Skipping and Singing around the Maypole
10:00 Snack of Breads, Cheese & Fruit
10:15 Puppet Play - The Queen Bee

RSVP Susan @ silverio@tidewater.net

LifeWays training weekend "Nurturing and Nourishing - Child and Caregiver

Our third session of the 2008-2009 LifeWays Early Childhood and Human Develpoment Training took place last weekend in Freeport, Maine. With Elizabeth Sustick, anthrposophical nurse we focused on the Nurturing Arts, one of the cornerstones of this relationship-based way of caring for children.

At each of the four session, students create a festival for families. This time we anticipated Whitsund. You can see our photos at http://www.flickr.com:80/photos/37656109@N06/?saved=1

Here are some letters from some of the 22 students:

"...i am so grateful for this training. i love the mother it is helping me to become.
warmest blessings"
lynda
"change the world ~ nurture a child"
www.GnomeHollowPlayGarden.com

"What I love most about Waldorf and Lifeways teachings is the great level of respect, love and care it has for our special little children. It's an INCREDIBLY tender approach to being in relationship with children as well as with one another. It simply amazes me!!

"Susan, your spirit speaks great truth. You ARE, clearly, what you teach. The way you were in relationship with all of us over the weekend is a wonderful model of the way we can be in relationship with our little ones. You are a very special person...so kind, so true and so accepting.

"I say this with great humor...it was somewhat intimidating to bring my mainstream, non-waldorf, children to a group of, seemingly, Waldorf experienced folks. Gina and I joke....here come our kids with their "plastic" clothes and tv filled brains and sugar filled bellies.........here we come to make some noise!! But you know, I didn't feel judged a bit. We are all on a journey and need to start somewhere. I was so happy we could bring our little ones and so happy that everyone could meet them. The celebration was beautiful...."
Sonya

"It really was a special wonderful weekend and i am so grateful I can be part of this training, and to be in a circle of nurturing caring women."
Sara

Open House on April 11, Saturday 9 - 11:00 a.m.

Open House
at Spindlewood
Waldorf Multi-age Kindergarten
Saturday, April 11
9 - 11:00 a.m.

An introduction
to some of the activitites of the kindergarten,
and a story ~
Afterwards children will be guided in outdoor play by Mr. John, the assistant teacher
while parents have an opportunity to meet with Ms. Susan, the lead teacher.

Tell your friends!
www.spindlewoodmaine.com

March is Maple Sugaring season at Spindlewood

Ms. Shelby (Evan's Mom) and Mr. Jonathon (Evan's Dad) are leading an Outdoor Hour first thing in the morning doing Maple Sugaring. They already have a rhythmic work routine established of taking the red wagon and pails up to the barn and collecting sap from the dozen buckets of the maple trees along the stone wall on the other side of the road. They bring it back to the shed where the kettle boils on the gas burner, and strain the sap into the kettle to boil into syrup. There are small cups in the shed and everyone is welcome to a taste!

They also draw water from the well for the sheep and chickens and gather the eggs. Next week is Spring! They will be removing the greens and mulch from the window boxes and the tulip garden around the school and sawing a branch of the pussy willow tree!

a good article about recess and time in nature.

Here's a great clipping from Polly Shyka. More evidence to support what we know and love!
Susan

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html

Josey and Ben and Prentice are out on the pond fishing with the Luft boys. Heaven on earth.
have a great weekend.
Love,
Polly

Elves and Angels at work this weekend

Dear Spindlewood Community,

In addition to bringing a story and puppet play to the kindergarten while she is here, Rae-Lee, our Waldorf Teacher-in-training from Toronto, has prompted a much needed weekend of TLC to our classroom. She moved and removed all furnishings so that Jack and I and Mister John could paint all of the interior walls this Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Michele Beckstrom and Susan Junge joined us to "Lazure" the walls. This technique of applying thin veils of watercolor are used throughout Steiner/Waldorf communities to create a living, breathing transparent quality to surfaces. Then we painted the interior trim and cupboards. Today, Rae-Lee has cleaned and restored all of furniture, toys and seasonal table. And we washed and ironed the curtains.

So, I am so grateful to all of these elves and angels, and look forward to welcoming the children and you in to our freshly "ensouled" space.

Sweet dreams,
Susan

Continuing Education for Caregivers and Preschool Teachers

Hi Jolie,

Thanks for your question. LifeWays is creating an understanding of and support for relationship-based care for the first seven years of human life. The LifeWays Center in Milwaukee welcomes children from a few weeks to 5 or 6 years in family-style "home rooms". In the course of the week there are Parent-Child gatherings with toddlers as well as Kindergarten gatherings for the older children.

Here at Spindlewood, we now include several 3-year-olds in the kindergarten morning. One of our 6-year-olds call it her "mixed-up-age kindergarten" :). One of the things I love about it is how the older children learn to respect and care for the younger ones. Yes, it can be challenging, but the blended ages bring such richness and humor to our days. The parents are grateful that siblings can share the same experiences, and be together in the same small school setting. One of the things that has surprised me is how the older children, perhaps especially the 6 year olds, have appreciated a more nurturing and nourishing approach. You can read more about it in Re-inventing Spindlewood http://waldorf2.intercast-media.com/2006/07/reinventing_spindlewood.html.

Because LifeWays training involves monthly contact with a mentor especially chosen for each student, there is built-in support for each individual student's life and work.

The April LifeWays weekend in Maine is a stand-alone session focusing on all of early childhood, as well as care of the caregiver. Another aspect of LifeWays training is that we focus not only on creating Home for body, soul and spirit of the young child, but also for our own home life.
Be well!
Susan SilverioNortheast LifeWays Early Childhood and Human Development Training105 Proctor RoadLincolnville, ME 04849207-763-4652