In this ceremony our three kindergarten teachers come out the doors of the early childhood wing, holding the hands of the rising first graders.

They hold hands, spiraling in and then out, singing together. When they emerge from the spiral, the new first graders are ready to cross over the bridge into the grade school.

After the students crossed the bridge, I took the child at the front of the line and we went into the 1st grade classroom where I told them a story. (At some point I’ll share the story I told. I came up with it after combining the recommendations of a few friends and colleagues.)

I confess I was not prepared for the emotions I felt as I watched my new students cross the bridge. I felt humbled by the trust that their parents are placing in my hands and so thrilled by the opportunity to finally start with my own group of students in first grade after so many years taking over classes for other teachers.

I had such fun telling them a story and loved watching their reactions. At one point in the story I told them about my daughter who collected rocks. I said, “You know, the really special ones that are shaped like a heart, or are really smooth or have a sparkly bit.” They all said, “Oh yes, we know!” It was all they could do to stop themselves from interrupting the story to tell me about their special rocks.

So sweet.

The whole thing was just lovely and at the end I got my first first grade teacher hug.

It was a pretty great day.

The post The Rising First Grade Ceremony appeared first on A Waldorf Journey.

Way back when my children were young, I taught at my own little home preschool and I loved the level of intention and thoughtfulness it brought to me in my home environment with my own children.

The home is really the perfect place for the young child, and you can see that our Waldorf early childhood teachers work hard to recreate the cozy home environment in their classrooms. Looking to create a Waldorf environment in your own home? Take some tips from our Buttercup Preschool teacher and her beautiful classroom.

The candle snuffer ready for tomorrow’s snack.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

A cozy spot for resting and snuggling.

Soft light from the nearby window glows off natural materials.

Gifts from the realm of the stones.

Babies resting for the night.

What I love most about this room is how simply it is arranged. There is so much room for the child’s own imagination and the stories and worlds that these children will create together. There is not much that tells them how things should be — just a blank slate awaiting their lively, colorful visions.

When my children were young, I remember working hard to create a similar environment at home, which seems so much more challenging with all of the clutter of daily life getting in the way. There are, though, certain customs and habits that have stood the test of time.

• Soup and bread. We still love to bake bread together. It’s not a weekly occurrence like it once was, but fresh-baked bread makes a regular appearance on our table and soup is a once-a-week custom through the winter.
• Soft lighting. None of us can stand the bright overhead lights that illuminate our house. Table lamps and reading lights are all we need.
• Simplicity. It sometimes feels like a struggle, but we do our best to minimize the material things that enter our home. This means that we don’t always have the latest kitchen gadget, but we appreciate what we have.
• Homemade and handspun. We really value handmade items. Though we sometimes go for the affordable option from Ikea, we treasure the coffee table made by my friend from college and the wicker basket my daughter made at school holds the position of importance of the harvest collector.

Do you strive to create a Waldorf home? What are some of the ways you’ve brought the inspiration of a Waldorf environment into your own homelife?

If you’d like more tips and suggestions for bringing Waldorf home, fill out the form below to receive my Waldorf home resource list full of tested and true Waldorf resources that will inspire your home-making.

The post The Home-Like Environment of the Waldorf Preschool appeared first on A Waldorf Journey.