The Art of Teaching Waldorf Grades Program
3 - 7 credits per unit. Duration: 2 - 6 months.
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The Sophia Institute online Waldorf Certificate Programs concern themselves with basic and underlying principles of Waldorf Education, curriculum suggestions and practice, and Waldorf methods. The knowledge and understanding of the basic principles is essential for anyone embarking on or deepening their study - and ultimately the practical application - of this teaching method.

The online Art of Teaching Waldorf Preschool/Kindergarten or Art of Teaching Waldorf Grades 1 - 8 are Waldorf Teacher Preparation Courses for practicing teachers and have been designed for teachers who want to study these courses for renewal or professional development.

The online Waldorf Teacher Preparation Courses assume that students enrolling in these courses have a basic familiarity with the principles of Waldorf Education and its underlying philosophy, Anthroposophy. The courses are designed for Waldorf teachers preparing themselves for teaching preschool/kindergarten or one of the grades. The courses for preschool/kindergarten include 7 credit courses, while the courses for Waldorf teaching grades  1 - 8 each include 12 lessons and access to an online mentor for the duration of the course with up to 10 hours of live video call/conference mentoring. The lessons include reading material, online presentations (videos, other sources) and research tasks. We assign a mentor to each student. The assigned mentor works with the student for the duration of the program, giving feedback, evaluating assignments, suggesting additional work, etc. Duration: 6 months (7 credits) for the preschool/kindergarten program, and 2 months (3 credits) each for the Waldorf grades teaching preparation.

​Please find a listing and description of the Waldorf Teacher Training/Art of Teaching Waldorf courses below. These courses are of particular interest to teachers wanting to prepare for specific grades, for instance grade 4, or for teaching in a preschool/kindergarten. Each course has a focus on preschool/kindergarten or one of the grades, and includes lessons from the Sophia Institute Waldorf Curriculum Courses 1 and 2, the Waldorf Methods/Reading and Math Courses 1, 2 and 3, the Waldorf Methods/Sciences Courses 1, 2 and 3, The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy 1 and 2, The Four Temperaments, The Wisdom of Fairy Tales, The First Three Years, and Early Childhood Education. The Art of Teaching Waldorf Grades include up to 10 hours of additional mentoring via video call/conference. More ...

This was a very special interview for me to conduct. I made up my mind quite a while ago that I wanted to feature an episode on eurythmy. It was an extra special treat to get to have my mother-in-law Carol Renwick as my guest. Carol met Anthroposophy and eurythmy in her twenties when she was a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Toronto. Eurythmy spoke to her soul and held out a promise of supporting her to become a whole, integrated person, not just a walking head and dancer with little connection between the two.  She decided to commit to the 4 year training and then also studied eurythmy pedagogy.  She taught in various Waldorf schools, both to children and parents, while also raising two children. She has also taught residents and coworkers in communities for people with developmental challenges. Her path also took her into energy healing which she sees and experiences as very related, both helping her to develop herself, and deepen her understanding of our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical being. She has subsequently taught eurythmy in Mexico as well as the USA and enjoyed the challenge of working in Spanish. This has helped her to understand the special character and genius of both Spanish and English. 

In this episode Carol and I discuss how she discovered eurythmy, and then what eurythmy is. To define it simply, eurythmy is a style of movement. Similar to dance, but not quite the same. One of the most distinct qualities about it, as Carol points out is how it can be used with spoken words like poetry. She gives examples of exactly how the phonetics of words can be illustrated through eurythmy. We also discussed the intended uses of eurythmy and why it's taught in Waldorf schools.

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During this time of greater external boundaries, we can come together online to explore a deeper understanding of the way our personal, spiritual and physical boundaries meet the world. Join us this May for a new webinar series, An Exploration of the Twelve Senses. It has been eighty years since the founding of the first Camphill community in Aberdeen, Scotland, founded by Karl König. His work laid the foundation for using the twelve senses as a diagnostic tool and has continued to inform those working in this field. These topics will be explored in depth at "Pathways to a Human Future: The Twelve Senses", an in-person conference hosted by the Threefold Education Foundation in Spring Valley, NY, slated for 2021. Join your anthroposophical community to learn more about the 12 Senses with Harlan Gilbert, Joan Sleigh, and Jane Swain. Read more about our wonderful presenters here! 

May 13, 20, 27 (Can't join us live? No problem. A recording of each webinar will be emailed to registrants within 24 hours of each live gathering.) 
May 13: 7:30-8:30 pm ET - Portals to Three Worlds: Sensing The Worlds Around, Within, and Between Us. An Overview of the 12 Senses with Harlan Gilbert 
May 20: Joan 1:00-2:00 pm ET - The Social Senses with Joan Sleigh (Please note different presentation time due to Joan's time zone and location.) 
May 27: Jane 7:30-8:30 pm ET - How the Senses Develop in the Early Years of Life with Jane Swain 

Online with Zoom webinars. Click here to register.  Cost: $40 suggested donation - Hope to see you online! - Warmly, Laura Scappaticci

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Coronavirus has us reshuffling according to what we are told by the government.  Online learning is simply not possible for all students.  We are in awe and grateful to the length that our teachers have gone to communicate with the families of our students in order to facilitate learning, assignments and instructions of what to do.  We have been inspired by the results.  Surely, we look forward to the day of learning together, but until then, learning never ends - no matter what. More ...

In light of the fact that many families will be at home with their children for the rest of the school year, we are extending our sale as a gesture of support and - hopefully - inspiration!

Please help us reach as many families as possible by forwarding this email or this link https://conta.cc/3eUcogF to them!

Our Special Spring Sale is for all purchases at WECAN Books through June 5th.

Use discount code SPRING2020 to save 20% today.

Shop Now

What if you woke up one day, and had to be an entirely different parent from the one you were the day before? For much of America, that day arrived last month.

With the spread of COVID-19, millions of moms and dads have started spending a lot more time with their kids, in new roles. I’ve noticed a recurring semi-desperate refrain in memes as well as Facebook posts and Instagram Stories: “But I’m not a stay-at-home mom”; “I’m not a homeschooling dad”; “I’m not a Pinterest mom.” Along with the markets, the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our mental health and parenting strategies.

What we’re all being called to do now is learn how to parent in a crisis. This is familiar territory for me, and the good news is that the parent you are today is not the parent you have to be tomorrow. Your parenting identity is not nearly as intransigent as your pantsless, potty-training toddler.

In September 2015, I was raising a 2-year-old with my husband, Jake, while I was 7 months pregnant with our second child. My toddler was easy on me—she was laid-back, sociable, and slept through the night. Aside from a Kate Middletonian amount of morning sickness, motherhood had been relatively smooth. I had an established parenting identity: I was a chill mom who took her kid on morning runs and road trips, a working mom, a mom with a partner with whom I could share some duties.

How are you celebrating Earth Week? In honor of our incredible planet, we encourage you, if you're able, to spend some time with your hands in the soil (see below for an exciting new citizen science project), gardening or farming biodynamically, or communing with nature in whatever way you can. While we can't all be together physically, we can all still be together in community in this spiritual effort. If you're unable to work in the soil, consider spending some time outside observing nature, joining a CSA, participating in Friday's BDA Member Skillshare on using the biodynamic preparations, or browse newly added gardening articles from our Biodynamics journal archive.

All are invited to participate in this shared exploration starting now! The project involves you and your soil. The goal is to gain a better understanding of the mysterious life quality of the soil and how it manifests through time, and for you to build capacity to observe the inner quality of soil life.

The project involves each participant making observations on their garden or farm soils on a monthly basis over the course of a growing season. See the project description for details of the specific method and how to sign up.

Learn more about this project in a webinar with Walter Goldstein. Discover how you can to build your capacity to observe and experience the life quality of the soil, with guidance provided for a specific exercise in which each participant makes observations on their garden or farm soils on a monthly basis over the course of a growing season. 
May 5, 2020, 7:00-8:30 pm EST
 
Register Now

Dear Friends, I hope you and your families are well and somehow enjoying this special time we are in. It would be nice if we can share with each other what projects relevant to puppetry  and storytelling you may have been working on ... I will start us off by sharing two things: The first is a newly republished book for young children about the Maypole: A Maypole Dream. And the second is a short finger and table puppet show I put together for sharing with young families through Camp Hello Bello (check them out through google and apply to share something yourselves if interested!). You can find it on my website www.ripples.us. Meanwhile, we are all waiting to see what will happen to the East Coast Puppetry and Storytelling Conference which was scheduled for the end of July at Hawthorne Valley. May the magic of creating and sharing bring you and others increased joy and peace. With warm greetings, Marjorie

Special Spring Sale ends May 1st

Since many of us are at home with our children in these challenging times, we are offering a special sale of much-loved stories, songs, games and activities as a resource for families. Also featured here are our most recent publications for educators and parents. Please help us reach as many families as possible by forwarding this to them.

Our Special Spring Sale is for all purchases at WECAN Books through May 1st.

Use discount code SPRING2020 to save 20% today. More ...

Are our current global circumstances inspiring you to get your hands in the soil and grow food in your garden, homestead, or small farm? Whether you are a seasoned biodynamic grower or starting for the first time this spring, please join us for a 4-part webinar series on Microdynamics with Stewart Lundy of Perennial Roots Farm to learn practical ways to implement biodynamics on a small scale. By popular demand, we have moved the upcoming webinars in this series earlier so that you can get growing right away!

Microdynamics II: Scaling Biodynamics to Fit Your Needs*New Date: April 14th*
 Microdynamics III: Planting, Tending, and Harvesting by the Moon with the Biodynamic Calendar*New Date: April 28th*
 Microdynamics IV: Managing Pests & Diseases with Biodynamics*New Date: May 19th*

As a gesture of support for our community, this webinar is offered by donation and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Registration is required to participate, and you are invited to make a contribution when you register if you are able. If you are not yet a member of the Biodynamic Association, please consider becoming a member instead of or in addition to making a donation when you register. Membership is on a sliding scale starting at $5 per year, comes with many benefits, and helps the BDA to continue to provide information, resources, and connections to support you and others in biodynamic stewardship.

Recordings will be available to registered participants for those unable to participate live.

A recording of Microdynamics I: Planning Your Biodynamic Garden, is available online now.