|
Home Guidelines Resources |
Eden GuidelinesWhat is Eden?
Eden is a Steiner Waldof parent and child program. Eden is not a playgroup. Parents are required at all times for the duration of the program. The group is facilitated by: When do we meet?Eden gathers every Tuesday morning from 9:15am to 11:15am at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre which is located at 300 Pères-Blancs. How do I prepare for Tuesday mornings?At Eden, we ask that children are dressed appropriately. This means that children are attired in plain clothes. We would like to appreciate your child's face and not the logo or cartoon character on their clothes. Also, children are not to wear black. In order for you and your child to fully recieve what we are offering in the Eden program, your child needs to be prepared for the teacher. To this end, we are asking that no television or computers be allowed for at least 24 hours prior to the program. What do I need to bring with me?Mothers are asked to bring some handwork with them each week. Be it knitting or crochet or a sewing project. If you do not have anything there will be some items provided. The idea is that as we come together that mothers are given some time to speak amongst themselves, take a minute and have a cup of tea/coffee while the children are engaged by the teacher. A blanket for storytime is also required. When don't I come to group?Out of the respect for choice of other families, if any family member has a contagious illness such as a really bad cold, or chicken pox for example, please stay at home and join us the next week. Eden's WorkEden was created to keep our children in the garden of Eden. It was created to provide a place of innocence that nourishes them so that they are able grow into good and strong human beings. Eden gathers and provides children, ages 0-6, with a warm and magical place to come that provides them with the rhythm outlined by Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf movement. Our work at Eden is to provide rhythm for the children. It is through our actions that the children learn about everyday life and their environment. Another important aspect of our work at Eden lies in parent education. In order for our group to run in a Waldorf way parents must educate themselves about Waldorf concepts so that they can be implemented both in the group and in the home environments. Humanity, community and fellowship are concepts that lay at the very heart of the Waldorf movement. At Eden we feel that is important to bring Waldorf into the larger community through the sharing of our festivals. Toys:Outside toys are not permitted in the group setting. “Special toys” should be left at home or outside the room. A basket for this purpose will be made available. Children's Attire:Please dress your children in plain clothes. This means clothing bearing no obvious logos or media characters. Also, in Waldorf tradition, the children are not dressed in black. Circle Time:Singing is important to the children's spiritual being. It in fact feeds the spiritual body that carries the life force within them. It is important that they be present and see you being present in this time. If the child truly does not want to participate on a given day that is acceptable. However, I would encourage you to bring the child back to the circle through your own action. Thus, it is important to try to learn the songs and verses and sing them outside of our time together. StorytimeStories are told orally to the children. They are told with few or no props in order to allow their imagination to create the story in their mind's eye. Telling stories using books or too many props predetermines the images that are created in the child's mind and stunt the imaginative powers of the young child. While it may be repetitive to the adult, I will over time tell the same story several times. The children need repetition and in fact crave it. It gives them something that they are familiar and comfortable with. SnackWhat enters our body affects how we feel and our children's capacity to learn. Thus, we must nourish them the best that we are able. Snack is to be organic as much as is possible. As a rule of thumb, please do not make anything containing nuts. We should also be aware of where are food comes from. It is important that the children know that our food comes from the ground and not from packages from the local supermarket. We are exceptionally fortunate to live in the Ottawa Valley. There are very few things that cannot be produced here. For example, Mountain Path is a company that supplies many organic products and is nearby in Mountain Ontario. They have excellent stone milled flour. When possible, please buy from local producers. Some great places to buy organic produce are:
Food Allergies:If your child has food allergies, please let the faciliator know. Parent ResponsibilityIt is the responsibility of every parent to take care of their child for the duration of the program. What your child receives from this program is dependant on you. It is imperative that each parent attends regular meetings once a session and to educate themselves about Waldorf so that we are all able to conduct our activities with the children in a Waldorf fashion. Conflict Resolution: The policy for a disruptive child in group is the following: The parent shall remove the child from the group and take him/ her to a separate room. The child will not be spoken to until the child makes a good gesture towards the parent. The parent and child when ready may return to the group at which time the parent will apologize to the rest of the parents in the group for the child's unacceptable behaviour. |
|
|
