Dear Families,
Here are some upcoming events to be aware of.
Halloween -- We have no specific nursery or early childhood celebration of Halloween other than what emerges in children's conversations about their many ideas for costumes or their excitement about jack-o-lanterns. Please save actual costumes for celebrations at home and in the greater community.
Lantern Walk -- Friday November 13, about 5pm (exact time to be determined). On the one page calendar, the date for this event was listed as October 30. Please cross out the October 30 date and make spouses, relatives, and friends are aware that the actual date is November 13.
We will write more about the lantern walk. It is a lovely event, commencing with a gathering outside in darkness, a puppet show inside, and walk with lanterns around our school. It helps us carry our light into the dark of winter, so to speak.
Parent Meeting Changed to Tuesday, December 1 -- Please cross the November 18 parent meeting off your calendar (I will be willing to offer parent & teacher conference slots at that time on the 18th for families who have already adjusted their calendars). We have changed the date because Helle Heckmann--a sought-after and effective teacher of teachers from Denmark--will be visiting our school, mentoring the early childhood teachers, and address parents in the evening. We will provide more details of her talk soon. We have her book Nokken in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library. For now, visit the address below for an interview with Heckmann written up by Roberta Ducharme (whom some of you may have met in 2007).
http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW3706.pdf
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Joy in Variety, Joy in Repetition, Musicians in the Woods
Dear Families,
I wanted to share with you a pleasant polarity I have observed in this year's group of children--their apparent joy and satisfaction in both sameness and variety.
Your children seem as a group quite content to sing "Twinkle, twinkle," and the "Dandelion" song daily during our indoor circle time. Many children sing and gesture with enthusiasm. While it is true that young children enjoy repetition, this year's group of children seems particularly to find nourishment in familiar teacher-led material. Although I am far from reaching my goal, I strive to make a children's song or verse as artistic as a Bach partita for the violin or a poem by Rumi or Yeats or a novel by Woolf--rather than being deadening, the repetition can be enlivening (each iteration provides new discoveries). Some years I have had to remain steadfast in my belief in consistency and repetition amidst complaints and questions and demands for new material; this year I am staying with some songs longer than I had planned and will the potential challenge of finding the right time and motive to switch to new circle material.
We have celebrated birthdays on 6 of the past 7 nursery days at which I've been present. As such, children have seen a puppet show of the birthday story rather than "Rub a dub dub." They still speak about "Rub a dub dub" fondly. On Wednesday, the 7th & 8th graders will surprise us with a play of this nursery rhyme (along with sea songs they have learned on guitar). Again, I find myself having other puppet shows ready to go but not wanting to deprive our nursery children the value and delight of repetition and consistency. When the time is right, I will start displaying a version of "The Turnip" or "The Pumpkin" in which grandaughter and her family and farm animals work together to pull a giant vegetable off the vine.
While teachers strive to remain consistent to provide a sense of predictability and security, our children have shown flexibility and variety in their play themes and conversations. On a number of days, children have told me what they will be for Halloween--and often children tell me several different ideas for their Halloween costume, even on the same day. While there is nothing wrong per se in a child wanting to portray a powerful archetype like a princess or a hero, your children's suggested costumes have shown whimsy, eclecticism, and refreshing delight: from bird to spider to squirrel to carrot to cabbage to leaf to violin to cat to dog to bunny to teacher to rain to more creative ideas than I can remember. Again, without implying that one sort of conversation is good and another bad, this has been a refreshing change from some years in which even in a nursery every boy wanted to be Batman and every girl wanted to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid (again, children like heroes and archetypes and want to portray these, too).
I've had discussions with a couple of parents about potential fears, dragons, giants, and the like. I have not observed these images surfacing this week in the play of the children inside or outside. I have observed a lot of dancing and music making--with Oats and Beans and Jolly is the Miller Boy being popular with a number of children. Some children have formed orchestras, using sticks as violins or flutes or drums or guitars.
For young children, all festivals can seem to happen at the same time or place (I remember nursery children frequently playing out Santa Claus games around Easter). In any event, as we have reprised some of the dance songs from Michaelmas, I have received requests for Maypole songs. Children have built pretend Maypoles inside and outside as I have sung songs familiar to children from our parent & child class and/or festival last spring.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
I wanted to share with you a pleasant polarity I have observed in this year's group of children--their apparent joy and satisfaction in both sameness and variety.
Your children seem as a group quite content to sing "Twinkle, twinkle," and the "Dandelion" song daily during our indoor circle time. Many children sing and gesture with enthusiasm. While it is true that young children enjoy repetition, this year's group of children seems particularly to find nourishment in familiar teacher-led material. Although I am far from reaching my goal, I strive to make a children's song or verse as artistic as a Bach partita for the violin or a poem by Rumi or Yeats or a novel by Woolf--rather than being deadening, the repetition can be enlivening (each iteration provides new discoveries). Some years I have had to remain steadfast in my belief in consistency and repetition amidst complaints and questions and demands for new material; this year I am staying with some songs longer than I had planned and will the potential challenge of finding the right time and motive to switch to new circle material.
We have celebrated birthdays on 6 of the past 7 nursery days at which I've been present. As such, children have seen a puppet show of the birthday story rather than "Rub a dub dub." They still speak about "Rub a dub dub" fondly. On Wednesday, the 7th & 8th graders will surprise us with a play of this nursery rhyme (along with sea songs they have learned on guitar). Again, I find myself having other puppet shows ready to go but not wanting to deprive our nursery children the value and delight of repetition and consistency. When the time is right, I will start displaying a version of "The Turnip" or "The Pumpkin" in which grandaughter and her family and farm animals work together to pull a giant vegetable off the vine.
While teachers strive to remain consistent to provide a sense of predictability and security, our children have shown flexibility and variety in their play themes and conversations. On a number of days, children have told me what they will be for Halloween--and often children tell me several different ideas for their Halloween costume, even on the same day. While there is nothing wrong per se in a child wanting to portray a powerful archetype like a princess or a hero, your children's suggested costumes have shown whimsy, eclecticism, and refreshing delight: from bird to spider to squirrel to carrot to cabbage to leaf to violin to cat to dog to bunny to teacher to rain to more creative ideas than I can remember. Again, without implying that one sort of conversation is good and another bad, this has been a refreshing change from some years in which even in a nursery every boy wanted to be Batman and every girl wanted to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid (again, children like heroes and archetypes and want to portray these, too).
I've had discussions with a couple of parents about potential fears, dragons, giants, and the like. I have not observed these images surfacing this week in the play of the children inside or outside. I have observed a lot of dancing and music making--with Oats and Beans and Jolly is the Miller Boy being popular with a number of children. Some children have formed orchestras, using sticks as violins or flutes or drums or guitars.
For young children, all festivals can seem to happen at the same time or place (I remember nursery children frequently playing out Santa Claus games around Easter). In any event, as we have reprised some of the dance songs from Michaelmas, I have received requests for Maypole songs. Children have built pretend Maypoles inside and outside as I have sung songs familiar to children from our parent & child class and/or festival last spring.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Contra Dance Sunday, Straw
Dear Families,
Thank you for patience, tolerance, and presence on Wednesday. The delayed photo shoot was not an ideal end to a nursery week.
It can be difficult for children to come back on a Monday after a 4 day break (some schools try a Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3 day nursery for this reason, but I've heard from teachers who have switched away from that schedule because it was too hard for some children to get into a rhythm), and I wonder if having the photo delay at the end might make it harder on Monday.
With this in mind, I invite you to come say hello on Sunday at a family contra dance at the Deer Lagoon Grange on Bayview Road. The dance takes place from 3 to 6pm and welcomes dancers of all ages. The caller does an excellent job of bringing in some dances appropriate for very young children; other dances will be for older children and adults. While I will be busy playing fiddle with the Swinging Nettles during the dance, it might be a chance to ease back into the school week. There is no admission fee (we are taking donations to pay for the caller and the hall), so you could feel free to come for 15 to 30 minutes for a dance set or two.
Long before the tears at photo time on Wednesday, many nursery children had a great time moving straw leftover from Michaelmas and Sukkat about. Children were engaged and purposeful and merry as they moved piles of straw from one place to another on the sand field. I was reminded of Louise DeForrest, a teacher of kindergarten teachers; one year with a class of many 6 year olds, she created a year long project of moving rocks from one part of the play yard to another. The children adored the project and rose to it. We try to provide many opportunities for children to help with meaningful work at school; sometimes the surprise work that emerges (such as moving straw or helping to take down tents) can be extremely nourishing for the children.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Thank you for patience, tolerance, and presence on Wednesday. The delayed photo shoot was not an ideal end to a nursery week.
It can be difficult for children to come back on a Monday after a 4 day break (some schools try a Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3 day nursery for this reason, but I've heard from teachers who have switched away from that schedule because it was too hard for some children to get into a rhythm), and I wonder if having the photo delay at the end might make it harder on Monday.
With this in mind, I invite you to come say hello on Sunday at a family contra dance at the Deer Lagoon Grange on Bayview Road. The dance takes place from 3 to 6pm and welcomes dancers of all ages. The caller does an excellent job of bringing in some dances appropriate for very young children; other dances will be for older children and adults. While I will be busy playing fiddle with the Swinging Nettles during the dance, it might be a chance to ease back into the school week. There is no admission fee (we are taking donations to pay for the caller and the hall), so you could feel free to come for 15 to 30 minutes for a dance set or two.
Long before the tears at photo time on Wednesday, many nursery children had a great time moving straw leftover from Michaelmas and Sukkat about. Children were engaged and purposeful and merry as they moved piles of straw from one place to another on the sand field. I was reminded of Louise DeForrest, a teacher of kindergarten teachers; one year with a class of many 6 year olds, she created a year long project of moving rocks from one part of the play yard to another. The children adored the project and rose to it. We try to provide many opportunities for children to help with meaningful work at school; sometimes the surprise work that emerges (such as moving straw or helping to take down tents) can be extremely nourishing for the children.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Monday, October 5, 2009
early dismissal Wednesday for photos
Dear Families,
Please, if possible, be ready to greet your child in the hallway at 11:55am this coming Wednesday. We will walk together to have our photos taken outside or inside (depending on weather). If you cannot come early, please let us know so that we can support your child; if you arrive after noon, please look for us out front or in Forest Hall (where the photo session will be). Our intention is to conclude in time for kindergarten parents to greet their children.
As I believe you know, we have welcomed a new student, and she became part of our merry group right away. I will update the roster later this week.
As it turns out, we have many late summer and early fall birthdays to celebrate. We will celebrate on Tuesday and next Monday and Tuesday. Then we have a break until December and January 1, with another long break in birthdays until June.
Kindergarten teachers have distributed an article about toddler conflict as part of a discussion on how discipline is handled in early childhood classrooms. I have passed along copies to families in the nursery class--even though it is ostensibly about toddlers, the wisdom in the article can be helpful with older children as well.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Please, if possible, be ready to greet your child in the hallway at 11:55am this coming Wednesday. We will walk together to have our photos taken outside or inside (depending on weather). If you cannot come early, please let us know so that we can support your child; if you arrive after noon, please look for us out front or in Forest Hall (where the photo session will be). Our intention is to conclude in time for kindergarten parents to greet their children.
As I believe you know, we have welcomed a new student, and she became part of our merry group right away. I will update the roster later this week.
As it turns out, we have many late summer and early fall birthdays to celebrate. We will celebrate on Tuesday and next Monday and Tuesday. Then we have a break until December and January 1, with another long break in birthdays until June.
Kindergarten teachers have distributed an article about toddler conflict as part of a discussion on how discipline is handled in early childhood classrooms. I have passed along copies to families in the nursery class--even though it is ostensibly about toddlers, the wisdom in the article can be helpful with older children as well.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Friday, October 2, 2009
Photo Day Wednesday, More Play Observations
Dear Families,
School photos for our nursery class will take place next Wednesday. Please hold on to your order form and payment and bring it with you on Wednesday. Because it is not uncommon for some young children to find it stressful to sit either alone or with a group while a stranger (even a kind stranger) takes a photo, I am trying to schedule our class's photo time for noon or around noon. My idea is to invite parents to come a bit early on Wednesday (at, say, noon) and come to the photo shoot with their children; my hope is that this will make for a more pleasant experience for our children. I will send a reminder about our early dismissal once our photo time is confirmed.
More Observations of our Children's Play
A few things I observed this week reminded me of a brother and sister, twins, who were in my nursery class a number of years ago in Baltimore. At that time, a birthday child and two helpers carried extra birthday muffins to administrators and other adults in the building (much as our current Butterfly children bring rice, bread, and soup upstairs). One day, the sister was helping a birthday child bring muffins, and the kind administrator wondered if the nice children bringing muffins would like to have another muffin themselves (we had already eaten some in the classroom). They did so, and the sister--who was extremely polite and gentle with her words and not a child prone to teasing--let her brother know how lucky she had been to have a second muffin. At this point, he exploded, saying, "School has been ruined for me, and I'm never coming back!" and ranted for a bit because his sister had received two muffins and he had only received one. Fortunately, he did come back to school, but I think of this story often when I see how intense children's reactions can be when they perceive injustice (even if the injustice is that somebody else wants a baby doll and the child who feels wronged wants every baby doll in the classroom).
Here are two contrasting stories from this week in our class. While one might be tempted to say one is a happy or good image and the other unhappy, I want to resist that; they are both normal pictures of how young children behave and react in the group. Both occurred on the same day and involved some of the same children, but any of our children could be in these situations.
Near the teepee, a child finds flower blossoms that have fallen off the mums from the festival the Friday before. This child is excited and shows me this discovery. Another child bursts into tears and pines for a flower blossom also. The first child, without a lot of talking or confrontation, really wants to take the discovery home to Mom. The second child becomes more and more upset because the first child will not yield a flower blossom and is insistent on going home right away. I help the second child discover other flower blossoms lying about, and the child and I find a way to secure the blossom so that it will make it safely home. This child calms down but asks me several time if the flower blossom is safe.
Later that same day, inside the classroom, this same child shows me an invisible ladybug with much joy. This child shows the ladybug to many children in the classroom; some are confused because there is no actual ladybug; others feel inspired and begin building houses and gardens for the ladybug. This theme continues for a number of minutes, and there is a happy hum in the classroom.
While it is impossible to rid the children's play environment of every item that might cause jealousy, experiences like the above compel me to try to simplify to make the inevitable conflicts and feelings of injustice manageable and something to learn from. In Your Child's Self-Esteem, Dorothy Corkille Briggs writes on "Lifting the Mask of Jealousy" and tells us that some jealousy and rivalry is helpful for children's development. When there are too many things to be jealous of, children go into a self-protection mode, shut themselves off, and no longer engage in the process of learning. I recommend this chapter and the entire book; several copies are available in the Kathrine Dickerson library in our school's lobby. In a similar light, author and lecture Kim John Payne tells that the right amount of conflict helps our children (and us) develop; when conflict gets stuck, children need our help to move things along.
Based on these experiences, I make choices. I used to have lots of pretend coins that nursery children loved to play with (setting up markets, kingdoms, and the like), but the conflicts over the coins became more and more intense, and the more pretend coins I provided, the more intense the conflicts (one child might want them all). I now tend to have fewer fine motor toys and more gross motor toys that work better when many children participate. Celeen and I have been pleased to observe a couple of large building projects involving many children. We will be observant to make sure that every child feels welcome, and we have had to help builders realize that it is possible to have space for one more child, or for a younger child, or for this child or that child.
Some conflicts are complex. Last week a child was using 3 baby dolls to reprise "Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub," so it seemed normal and fair that this child use the dolls (which had been lying there waiting for someone to play with them); once another child noticed, however, other children became very upset. We did our best to support the child finishing the puppet show and honor the emotions of the other children, and eventually the first child finished the puppet show.
Some of the children, like butterflies, seem happy to play in many areas, and may have taken up a new game in a new part of the room even before a teacher can let them know we will help them into this or that house. While we will not force this child (now happily engaged elsewhere) to try again, we will observe and try to be present the next time before an exclusion occurs. On Wednesday, a child found a gem in the woods near the teepee; the same child who had found the flowers the first day was now very upset that there was not another gem to be found; the first child, without prompting, reached into a pocket and gave the gem over. It could be tempting in such a moment to comment or praise or the like, but I chose to observe silently. The first child seemed content to move on to something else and went on to enjoy the rest of the morning.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
School photos for our nursery class will take place next Wednesday. Please hold on to your order form and payment and bring it with you on Wednesday. Because it is not uncommon for some young children to find it stressful to sit either alone or with a group while a stranger (even a kind stranger) takes a photo, I am trying to schedule our class's photo time for noon or around noon. My idea is to invite parents to come a bit early on Wednesday (at, say, noon) and come to the photo shoot with their children; my hope is that this will make for a more pleasant experience for our children. I will send a reminder about our early dismissal once our photo time is confirmed.
More Observations of our Children's Play
A few things I observed this week reminded me of a brother and sister, twins, who were in my nursery class a number of years ago in Baltimore. At that time, a birthday child and two helpers carried extra birthday muffins to administrators and other adults in the building (much as our current Butterfly children bring rice, bread, and soup upstairs). One day, the sister was helping a birthday child bring muffins, and the kind administrator wondered if the nice children bringing muffins would like to have another muffin themselves (we had already eaten some in the classroom). They did so, and the sister--who was extremely polite and gentle with her words and not a child prone to teasing--let her brother know how lucky she had been to have a second muffin. At this point, he exploded, saying, "School has been ruined for me, and I'm never coming back!" and ranted for a bit because his sister had received two muffins and he had only received one. Fortunately, he did come back to school, but I think of this story often when I see how intense children's reactions can be when they perceive injustice (even if the injustice is that somebody else wants a baby doll and the child who feels wronged wants every baby doll in the classroom).
Here are two contrasting stories from this week in our class. While one might be tempted to say one is a happy or good image and the other unhappy, I want to resist that; they are both normal pictures of how young children behave and react in the group. Both occurred on the same day and involved some of the same children, but any of our children could be in these situations.
Near the teepee, a child finds flower blossoms that have fallen off the mums from the festival the Friday before. This child is excited and shows me this discovery. Another child bursts into tears and pines for a flower blossom also. The first child, without a lot of talking or confrontation, really wants to take the discovery home to Mom. The second child becomes more and more upset because the first child will not yield a flower blossom and is insistent on going home right away. I help the second child discover other flower blossoms lying about, and the child and I find a way to secure the blossom so that it will make it safely home. This child calms down but asks me several time if the flower blossom is safe.
Later that same day, inside the classroom, this same child shows me an invisible ladybug with much joy. This child shows the ladybug to many children in the classroom; some are confused because there is no actual ladybug; others feel inspired and begin building houses and gardens for the ladybug. This theme continues for a number of minutes, and there is a happy hum in the classroom.
While it is impossible to rid the children's play environment of every item that might cause jealousy, experiences like the above compel me to try to simplify to make the inevitable conflicts and feelings of injustice manageable and something to learn from. In Your Child's Self-Esteem, Dorothy Corkille Briggs writes on "Lifting the Mask of Jealousy" and tells us that some jealousy and rivalry is helpful for children's development. When there are too many things to be jealous of, children go into a self-protection mode, shut themselves off, and no longer engage in the process of learning. I recommend this chapter and the entire book; several copies are available in the Kathrine Dickerson library in our school's lobby. In a similar light, author and lecture Kim John Payne tells that the right amount of conflict helps our children (and us) develop; when conflict gets stuck, children need our help to move things along.
Based on these experiences, I make choices. I used to have lots of pretend coins that nursery children loved to play with (setting up markets, kingdoms, and the like), but the conflicts over the coins became more and more intense, and the more pretend coins I provided, the more intense the conflicts (one child might want them all). I now tend to have fewer fine motor toys and more gross motor toys that work better when many children participate. Celeen and I have been pleased to observe a couple of large building projects involving many children. We will be observant to make sure that every child feels welcome, and we have had to help builders realize that it is possible to have space for one more child, or for a younger child, or for this child or that child.
Some conflicts are complex. Last week a child was using 3 baby dolls to reprise "Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub," so it seemed normal and fair that this child use the dolls (which had been lying there waiting for someone to play with them); once another child noticed, however, other children became very upset. We did our best to support the child finishing the puppet show and honor the emotions of the other children, and eventually the first child finished the puppet show.
Some of the children, like butterflies, seem happy to play in many areas, and may have taken up a new game in a new part of the room even before a teacher can let them know we will help them into this or that house. While we will not force this child (now happily engaged elsewhere) to try again, we will observe and try to be present the next time before an exclusion occurs. On Wednesday, a child found a gem in the woods near the teepee; the same child who had found the flowers the first day was now very upset that there was not another gem to be found; the first child, without prompting, reached into a pocket and gave the gem over. It could be tempting in such a moment to comment or praise or the like, but I chose to observe silently. The first child seemed content to move on to something else and went on to enjoy the rest of the morning.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Invitation to Parenting Talk next Wednesday
Dear Butterfly Nursery Families,
On Wednesday, October 7, you are invited to a parent lecture in the Butterfly Classroom from 5 to 6pm. Although the talk is part of our parent & child program, the topic may interest parents of children of all ages. Contact William Dolde with questions.
Our children offer us many opportunities to express ourselves in challenging situations (what to say to a child licking the table, to a child who insists on picking up every piece of garbage in the street, to a child who says yuck to the dinner you spent 12 hours creating), and we can find ourselves overwhelmed with the plethora of how-to-parent books that offer us conflicting advice (whether choices are good for children or choices paralyze children and make them feel insecure; whether praise helps build self-esteem or global praise such as "good girl" or "you are so smart" make children less willing to exert effort and learn). With humor and humility, William Dolde will attempt to work through the advice from experts to distill principles of speaking to children that can be helpful in many situations.
Parents may wish to read a couple of pieces by William in advance: 1) "Speaking to a Toddler," and 2) "Beyond Personal."
William will strive to resist the temptation to create an orthodox list of proper and improper things to say. At the same time, in his examples, it remains possible that some of his examples may strike a nerve. He may possibly make fun of national lecturers who are much more successful than him. He will ask lecture participants to avoid venturing forth to correct spouses and colleagues. He will do his best to avoid insulting people (but his best might not be good enough).
Interested parents may also wish to read the following two articles on the inverse power of praise. This first offers a parent's perspective. This second article is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher quoted in the first article).
On Wednesday, October 7, you are invited to a parent lecture in the Butterfly Classroom from 5 to 6pm. Although the talk is part of our parent & child program, the topic may interest parents of children of all ages. Contact William Dolde with questions.
"Let's Try That Again"
Ostensibly Crazy Things to Say to Children that Really Work
Ostensibly Crazy Things to Say to Children that Really Work
(This talk was formerly known as Strunk and White speak to children)
Our children offer us many opportunities to express ourselves in challenging situations (what to say to a child licking the table, to a child who insists on picking up every piece of garbage in the street, to a child who says yuck to the dinner you spent 12 hours creating), and we can find ourselves overwhelmed with the plethora of how-to-parent books that offer us conflicting advice (whether choices are good for children or choices paralyze children and make them feel insecure; whether praise helps build self-esteem or global praise such as "good girl" or "you are so smart" make children less willing to exert effort and learn). With humor and humility, William Dolde will attempt to work through the advice from experts to distill principles of speaking to children that can be helpful in many situations.
Parents may wish to read a couple of pieces by William in advance: 1) "Speaking to a Toddler," and 2) "Beyond Personal."
William will strive to resist the temptation to create an orthodox list of proper and improper things to say. At the same time, in his examples, it remains possible that some of his examples may strike a nerve. He may possibly make fun of national lecturers who are much more successful than him. He will ask lecture participants to avoid venturing forth to correct spouses and colleagues. He will do his best to avoid insulting people (but his best might not be good enough).
Interested parents may also wish to read the following two articles on the inverse power of praise. This first offers a parent's perspective. This second article is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher quoted in the first article).
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