Resources for Young Families

The tide goes in...and the tide goes out
The tide goes in...and the tide goes out.
But when a big wave comes, we all run and hide!
And then we come back again.

Rhythm

As we find ourselves unsure of how long we'll be staying home, we might wonder how to help the new situation feel normal. Young children especially look at daily/ weekly events to anchor them in time and space, as they don't have the abstract understanding of planning and world events. 

It might be helpful to consider creating a simple "home rhythm" that gives the children points to anchor themselves to: it does not have to be meticulously planned and observed, but just as a boat would float aimlessly if not held, children will feel safer if they know there are moments in their day they can anticipate and rely on.

• Try and keep a somewhat consistent waking up/ meal and bed time. Those are really big markers and will set the tone for the rest of the day.
• Having "meals and activities of the week" really helps too. Children have a hard time remembering abstract concepts like days, but they will quickly remember that on oatmeal day you go for a walk, etc.
• Outside free play/ walk is a great thing to do before trying to settle for something inside: maybe a walk around the neighborhood / time in the yard after breakfast, and another walk/ backyard time before dinner might become a nice routine.
• As for indoor activity, ideas are painting, drawing, reading, baking, craft (sewing/ finger knitting/ play dough, etc). It might be helpful to have a joined activity in the morning, and an expectation of individual time in the afternoon. This time could be for you to read/ do your thing, while the young ones will be expected to find their own entertainment. During joined activity in the morning, you could all plan and discuss what you might do during the afternoon. This will give your child some ideas, as well as setting the expectation well ahead of time so it is not a surprise when it comes 😉

WECAN has also issued this document including simple statements meant to inspire and support parents:

https://files.constantcontact.com/a44aea7c001/20618f1d-8dca-4f70-86ca-506601585d36.pdf
Also....
Resources for Families of Young Children in Difficult Times
 
WECAN has posted a number of helpful articles on the Parents and Families page of the WECAN website that you may want to share with parents. The address is http://www.waldorfearlychildhood.org/family.php. The resources include the following:

Resources from the Waldorf Community: 
How Do I Find and Create Goodness for My Children
Communicating with Children and Supporting Them in Difficult Times
Support for Working through Flu (treatments which should help with coronavirus, too)
Suggestions for Parents for When the Kindergarten Needs to Close (Letter from Norwegian kindergartens)

Other Resources for Families: 
How to Talk to Kids about Coronavirus
How to Stay Sane When Working from Home with Young Children
Why the Coronavirus (Mostly) Spares Children
School is Closing. Now What?

Easter

Easter brings the hope of rebirth and beauty. It could give you a point of focus when choosing stories, crafts and activities to do as a family:

Story
The Easter Bunny: a charming, simple story about how the Easter Bunny learned how to deliver eggs. This is the story we work with in class around this time:
http://happywhimsicalhearts.com/2016/03/easter-bunny-rabbits/

*This website has really great resources on further ways to celebrate the seasons, ways to bring Waldorf into the home, etc.

Games

Right before the break, we had started playing a "Little Brown Bulb" game that the children love:
For this game, the child curls up on a ball and we cover them with a blanket (a nice, heavy one that blocks light really gives an idea of what it is like to be underground! Then the adults says:

A Little Brown Bulb lay asleep in the ground (hands resting on child's back) 
And there she slept very sound (caress the back)
While Old King Winter raged and roared overhead (walk fingers like spiders over the child's back)
The Little Brown Bulb did not stir in her bed (rest hands)

Then came Lady Spring tip toeing over the lea (tip toe fingers)
Fingers to lips as quiet as can be (whisper)
The Little Brown Bulb lifted her head (child lifts head)
She slipped off her nightie and jumped out of bed! (child lifts the blanket and jumps up!)

Sleeping Bunnies

This song can be played while lying down on the floor/ grass/etc. As the song indicates, once you wake up you hop about!

See the little bunnies sleeping until noon
Shall I wake them with a merry tune?
Oh so still.....are they ill?...
Wake up little bunnies, hop hop hop!
Wake up little bunnies, hop hop hop!

Crafts

Natural dyed eggs are usually a 2 day project. In class, we have collected leaves and flowers, and secured them to the eggs using panty hose or cheese cloth (they work best when freshly picked, as maleable and moist sticks best to the eggs). After they have sat in the dye, the wrapping is removed revealing the beautiful stamp of the chosen flower or leaf.

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/natural-easter-egg-dyes/

How to Make 9 All-Natural Easter Egg Dyes | Allrecipes
If you're turned off by the chemicals in store-bought Easter egg dye, try these nine all-natural options. Each features a coloring agent — a vegetable, fruit juice, or spice — that gives color to hard-boiled eggs.
www.allrecipes.com

Sprouting beans

Spring is a time to observe growth and life, and what better way to pass the days than seeing a baby bean grow right before your eyes?

https://theimaginationtree.com/growing-beans-on-cotton-balls/

Growing Beans on Cotton Balls - The Imagination Tree
We have been doing lots of indoor growing recently and planted some beans at the same time that we grew our cress letters last month. This is a really easy, visual way to teach children about root systems and is something I used to do with my school children each Spring time. Plus it’s very...Read More »
theimaginationtree.com
*Five year olds might also like to hear the story of Jack and the Bean stalk. In our class, we often save it for the end of the year, when children are older and ready to experience stories with an element of fear in it. 

https://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/beanstalk/story.htm

The Story of Jack and the Beanstalk
Free, printable crafts, coloring pages and educational activities for preschool, kindergarten and grade school children.
www.dltk-teach.com
This is a version I like (although I would probably take away this sentence :And with that she did the worst thing Jack had ever seen her do - she burst into tears. 🙄)

Paper seed bombs

This is another multi step craft that is easy to execute and very rewarding. If you have any old seeds handy, this is the perfect way to use them! Perhaps you can plant to make them as gifts for friends and family, as a way of looking forward to seeing your loved ones again.
https://buggyandbuddy.com/make-seed-balls-from-recycled-paper/

How to Make Seed Balls- a fun, eco-friendly activity for kids!
Turn old paper into some super cool seed balls! This easy science activity and craft are perfect for Earth Day or a unit on gardening or plants and seeds!
buggyandbuddy.com

Finally, I am including a Protective Story from renowned story teller Suzanne Down. She is a master of writing thought out stories that can deliver a feeling or a message better than any abstract concept. In this story, a moment of loss and grief turns out to be the perfect opportunity for the creation of something new and beautiful.

https://junipertreepuppets.com/blogs/news/a-protection-story-for-uncertain-times

A 'Protection Story' For Uncertain Times. – Juniper Tree Puppets
In our uncertain times, we feel ourselves becoming more anxious about all the chaos and panic over all the world. Our children pick up on our stress and worry. The simple act of telling them a 'Protection Story' (a kind of story I developed to help children feel all is well in the world), can help soothe the confusion.

I hope all or some of these resources can help ease your family's time at home. 

​Miss Lucia and Miss Jumana