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By Savannah Freier of Outside Kids The Role of Warmth in a Child’s Development As the winter months deepen, bringing some of the coldest days of the year, the importance of warmth is ever-present on our minds, and perhaps surprisingly, on our hearts as well. In Lifeways education, we believe warmth extends beyond physical comfort to play a central role in supporting the development of the whole child. Warmth fosters growth on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels, laying

I used to rebuild December every year. Now I just return to it. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s anchored. The rhythm we’ve created, has turned into our traditions. Tradition is the opposite of overwhelm. When everyone knows the flow, the magic makes itself. That’s the secret. Ritual removes stress. Repetition creates ease. Ease creates the kind of memories they carry into adulthood. The things my kids can predict, name, and look forward to without needing a calenda

How do we celebrate seasonal holidays and avoid the mine-field of commercial culture that so easily invades our family life? Let the Holiday Happen at Home! Especially during the holiday crush, you’ll do best to keep all your normal life- rhythms steady: meal times, play times, house-keeping, book snuggles, nap and bedtimes. As we know, sharing food together, playing in a healthy way and sound sleep are the foundations of well-being. During the holiday rush, let’s create meal

I go with my lantern. My lantern goes with me. Above the stars are shining, Below is shining me. So shine your light Through the darkest night. La bimba la bumba la boom So shine your light Through the darkest night La bimba la bumba la boom (A Playgarden Lantern Walk song) Each year, just as the days become noticeably shorter, and the stars appear a little earlier in the sky, friends and families of Playgarden gather together for our annual Lantern Walk; a tradition celebrat

Anyone who spends time with children soon comes to recognize that the child’s most basic needs take precedence over everything else in...

One of the tasks of the growing child and one of the functions of parenting is to bring the child into rhythm.  It may seem as if the...

Each child we receive into our care is really an amalgam of two beings. Each of us are born with these two beings, both of these aspects,...

Joy is the essence of early childhood, and I have the great fortune of swimming in it three full days a week with nine three- to...

Parents are looking for opportunities to connect with one another, so at Rainbow Bridge LifeWays Program we strengthened community...

For young children, it is good to have very clear routines and rituals around sleep.  It helps to think about what you are doing for the...

Rahima writes: In 1984 another Waldorf teacher and I dropped out of the school to be home more and opened one of the early home-based...

Steiner-based, early childhood settings abound with rich opportunities for the development of math and science concepts.  This may be...

In preparing to write this blog, I made my way down to the river to pray – well, not exactly to pray but to seek inspiration.  And three...

Soon we will come again, in Earth’s ever-cycling movements, to autumn’s balance point. The circular dance of waxing and waning ~ of...

The winter mandala, above, is poignant in its simplicity and purity. It reflects the nature of the people who created it on a whim, in...

From my head to my feet, I am the image of God. From my heart to my hands, I feel the breath of God. When I speak with my mouth, I follow...

In the context of the Waldorf approach, reverence is a feeling that we consciously cultivate and deeply touches the soul. It’s a mood...

Through my own biography, and in particular through an experiment with words, I’ve become convinced of the importance of an intentional, rhy

Why are transitions sometimes so challenging for young children? (For those with little littles, put this info in your pocket because...

Before I had children I didn’t even know how to spell “rhythm.” Little did I know then how much I would come to appreciate yearly, weekly, daily and even smaller rhythms that would come to support my life and our family.