ONLINE PROGRAMS
Rooted in the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, our online courses are designed to support childcare workers and parents in fostering healthy, holistic development in young children. Explore practical, engaging, and thoughtful approaches to education, play, and care that nurture creativity, emotional well-being, and intellectual growth. Whether you're a caregiver looking to deepen your practice or a parent seeking to enrich your child’s early years, our courses offer valuable insights and tools to support a meaningful, child-centered approach to learning. Start your journey today and cultivate a nurturing environment for the children in your life.
CREATING A THRIVING
COMMUNITY WITH FAMILIES
WITH LESLIE & LYNN
July 24-26, 10am- 1pm CT
Developing a strong class and family community is essential to your successful school year. Please join us to learn how to begin and deepen this ongoing work of collaboration and trust with parents, families and caregivers.
Beginning September 9
Zoom sessions Tuesdays, 9/9, 9/16,
9/23 & 10/7
Have you held a crying baby and felt powerless to help soothe them? Perhaps you tried every tool in your toolkit to no avail and yearned to understand how to help babies cry less, sleep more and flourish as they develop.
Chris Lester welcomes all parents, grandparents, caregivers and infant teachers to this special course. With her expertise as an Infant Family Specialist, Chris can provide you with the knowledge and skills to soothe crying, including infant massage and many other techniques to help infants flourish as they develop.
Ntouch with LifeWays
with Chris Lester, M.Ed., Infant Family Specialist,
Co-Founder of The Playgarden LifeWays Representative Site
Sundays 12- 2pm Central, September 2025 through May 2026
Bring together the skills of sewing and felting, music and story in this very special handwork circle! This class is designed for teachers, caregivers, and grandparents who enjoy the magic of creating beauty with handwork and natural fiber materials.
It is inspired by Mindy’s many years in the kindergarten and the heartfelt moments spent observing the children playing with the sweet felted mousy, bunnies and dollies lovingly made for them.
Each month in the Circle, participants will explore handmade playthings along with a seasonal song or story. We will also create characters or animals that will enhance your program’s Nature Garden.
Participants of the workshop need to have basic handwork skills in sewing and wool felting.
CIRCLE OF HANDS
With Mindy Upton of Blue Sky Craft Studio
Fairy Tales, Puppetry & Biography Series
WITH LESLIE & LYNN
Sundays 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 12:00-3:30 pm Central
How can we connect more deeply with the stories that we seek to bring to life for the children in our care? Join Lynn and Leslie for a rich and unique exploration of fairy tales, biography work and puppetry in this series of workshops throughout the year.
This autumn we will explore the fairy tale of Sweet Porridge by Brothers Grimm. Working deeply and creatively with our own biography and this fairytale for the young child, develop new understandings into the archetypical pictures of this story and create your own Sweet Porridge puppet!
Connecting Ourselves with the Stories We Tell
Beginning September 24
Group Mentoring Sessions Oct. 20th & Nov. 24th, 6- 7:30 pm Central
Rhythm is at the heart of a nourishing, relationship-based program. It is the pulse of our activities and a carrier of warmth within our time together. A care provider must live the rhythm that guides the children through the day, week, and year. To do this with mastery is to understand and cultivate the healing forces that are opened by leading life aligned with the macrocosm of nature as much as the microcosm of individual needs.
Join Sharifa Oppenheimer, author and early childhood expert, in this incredible opportunity for semester-long support in taking a deep dive into what it means to live these rhythms in a self-paced six module course and two live group mentoring sessions!
RHYTHM IS LIFE
with Sharifa Oppenheimer
LifeWays $10 Webinar Series
Begins Saturday, September 20, 11 am Central
A Child’s First Doll with Mindy Upton
Saturday, September 20, 11 am Central
In Mindy's classroom and home, these small simple “Cuddlies” were always part of the play. They provided a safe space for the children as well as a companion and “friend” bringing comfort and joy. In this webinar, we will be creating these “Cuddlies”, easily made by hand and will be accompanied by some lovely lullabies and stories.
Creating Secure Attachments with Judith Frizlen
Thursday, October 23, 6 pm Central
A secure attachment is a relationship that says, "I've got your back", not just with language, but with presence.
Join Judith and learn how to identify attachment styles and to make them secure at any point that you are in the relationships with your children at home and in your programs.
Let the Moment Speak: Celebrating Festivals with Young Children with Jerilyn Burke
Saturday, November 15, 11 am Central
Seasonal festivals root us gently in nature’s turning. They invite us to create moments that speak to the heart and senses, impressions that linger in our homes and our very being. For our youngest children, festivals are not to be explained but lived. Join us this November to dive deeper and feel more confident in creating meaningful ways to celebrate the holiday season.