Waldorf Homeschool Conference
Day 1: Friday, August 18, 2023
*Sessions are 50 minutes to allow time for break and transition.
1pm ET / 10am PT: Welcome and Keynote Address “What is it that Mysteriously Draws us to Waldorf Education? What are Some of the Pressing and Unique Questions of Our Time that Lead Us to Search Out for This Education?” with Daniel Packer
2pm ET / 11am PT: Option 1 - “Introducing the Four Math Operations to Your Child” with Vivian Jones-Schmidt
Introducing the four basic operations of arithmetic in story form makes learning come alive for children. In this workshop, you'll learn how to create story characters with such vivid personalities that the children will love to imagine their adventures.
2pm ET / 11am PT: Option 2 - “History & the Waldorf Student: Secrets I Learned After Being a Waldorf Teacher for Four Decades” with John Brauer
After taking 3 classes through grades 1 - 8 at the Washington Waldorf School, plus some other teaching roles along the way, John Brauer shares the joys and wisdom he has gained over his 40 years as a Waldorf teacher.
3pm ET / 12pm PT: Option 1 - “Movement & Games for Brain Development” with Vivian Jones-Schmidt
While it only makes sense that movement supports brain development, it has taken research a while to catch up to "what makes sense." In this workshop, you'll learn some simple movement exercises and games that will help your child's growing body and thinking capacities.
3pm ET / 12pm PT: Option 2 - Create Multi-Age Blocks Around Just One Book with Jean Miller
Discover the freedom of building a main lesson block or unit of study for your whole family around a single book. You can literally pick one book for multiple ages and build main lesson work around that story while delivering the lessons in an individual way to each child, allowing you to teach history and literature in hands-on and engaging ways. This is a unique and comprehensive approach to bringing stories to life that’s simple, inspiring, and doable!
4pm ET / 1pm PT: Option 1 - Practical Arts: “How to Teach Your Child to Knit, and Other Waldorf Handwork Secrets” with Victoria Mansuri
Teaching children to knit using stories and the pictures that come from them helps them to live into and love this new and challenging skill. Ms. Mansuri will share the stories and images that she uses when teaching children to knit and then participants will get to create their own. We will also talk about the pedagogy behind the Waldorf Handwork curriculum and how seemingly insignificant acts, like winding a ball of yarn, are supportive of your child's healthy development. Bring yarn, needles, willing hands, and creative imaginations.
4pm ET / 1pm PT: Option 2 - “Music for Life ~Joyful, Active Days” with Joanna Novosedlik
You are invited to sing, sound, move, play, reflect and energize through the rhythm of the day. We will share song and music-making ideas to celebrate the daily round with your children as ways to integrate more music into your daily life.
We will engage in activities such as the following: singing, humming, sound-making, creative movement, brain sensory exercises, yoga and song, rhythmic movement and musical exercises, listening to music, and sacred circle dance
Included in this exploration of bringing the delight, joy and reflection of music into daily life will be our journey through the parts of the day and will include the following: Morning Rituals, Transitioning Songs, Free Play/Free Form - singing spontaneously, moving and dancing to music, Work Songs - music to accompany household tasks in home and garden, Active Voices & Bodies - free play, spontaneous song, Nature Connection - through song, movement and quiet time, Evening Slow-down Rituals, Reflect & Replenish for the Adults
Materials needed for this workshop: a pair of spoons for each participant - wooden or otherwise, play silks if you have any, a gratitude jar or box (any medium-sized jar like a mayonnaise jar or a shoebox or wooden box), small pieces of paper to write on, writing utensils, a candle and match to light it
5pm ET / 2pm PT: Option 1 - Unveiling the Beauty of Math in your Home with Olga Domokos
This workshop will offer some effective strategies for teaching math and practical advice for incorporating math into your child's daily activities. This workshop is primarily geared towards families with middle school and high school students.
5pm ET / 2pm PT: Option 2 - (2 HOURS) “The Health-Giving Power of Biography Work and Social Art for the Homeschooling Grown-Up; Understanding Your Child Better by Looking Objectively on Your Own School Experience” with Young Sook Kim.
This session will consist of a 20-minute individual art exercise (pastels or colored pencils recommended), followed by 20-30 minutes of breakout room activities, followed by lesson and discussion with Young Sook Kim.
Day 2: Saturday, August 19, 2023
*Sessions are 50 minutes to allow time for break and transition.
11am ET / 8am PT: Option 1: “Exploring Science through the Waldorf Approach” with Samantha deLeca
Welcome to our workshop on the Waldorf approach to science! Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of science education, guided by the principles and philosophy of Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf education.
The Waldorf approach to science is a unique and holistic method that seeks to cultivate a deep understanding and appreciation for the natural world. It recognizes that science is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about nurturing curiosity, creativity, and a sense of wonder in students.
During this workshop, we will explore the key principles and pedagogical techniques that make the Waldorf approach to science so effective and engaging for learners of all ages.
By the end of this workshop, participants will have gained a deeper understanding of the Waldorf approach to science and its potential to inspire a lifelong love for learning and scientific exploration. You will leave with a toolkit of innovative teaching strategies, practical ideas, and resources to incorporate into your own educational practice.
Join us on this transformative journey into the world of Waldorf science education and discover new ways to ignite the scientific curiosity and wonder in your students!
11am ET / 8am PT: Option 2: “How to Create a Sustainable and Enriching Puppet Show Practice for Your Children” with Karen Smith
Children love stories and their visual representations. Puppetry is a common storytelling method in Waldorf schools that visually draws the listener into a magical story world. Using simple characters and natural objects that take on a life of their own as they are moved with careful intention, puppetry calls upon the child’s inner imagination and visualization to add their own details to the scene as the story unfolds. Compared to electronic media, puppetry provides a three-dimensional experience that engages all senses and encourages a child’s active participation.
Puppet shows help to familiarize children with the year’s rhythm through seasonal stories, poems, and songs from their daily experiences. Children learn through imitation, and often after seeing a puppet show, a child’s imagination is sparked, and they feel motivated to create their own version of the show using available materials they find around their home. This creative activity allows the child to process their feelings tangibly through their own puppet play to make sense of stories they have heard or created from their heart.
In this experiential workshop, parents will have the opportunity to watch Ms. Smith present a simple table puppet show and then craft the components of that show using inexpensive materials and simple crafting techniques. She will share tips to help your characters come alive through archetypal movement, scenery, props, and songs. Whether you are incorporating puppetry to add a magical essence to a story, poem, or music, puppets can be an excellent way to bring out the creative side in you and your children.
Supplies needed: paper towel roll (or toilet paper roll), scissors, hole punch, colored construction paper (or an old watercolor painting to cut for clothes), glue stick (or hot glue and glue gun), approximately 15 pieces of thick yarn pre-cut to 11 inches or longer (one piece of yarn for each hole we will punch in the top of the puppet. Please pre-cut the yarn, but you don’t have to pre-punch the holes. I used a piece of printer paper for my 11” measure.), two paper clips (used to hold the paper in place while the glue is drying), markers or colored pencils to indicate the face
12pm ET / 9am PT: Option 1: “Students with Special Accommodations and the Waldorf Curriculum” with Mary Jo AbiNader
Have you wondered if Waldorf Curriculum is right for your child who may need special accommodations? Join Ms. AbiNader to discuss challenges that children may face such as dyslexia, adhd, memory issues, social emotional or developmental delays and how Waldorf Curriculum innately addresses a variety of learning styles and offers accommodations within the curriculum. Learn strategies to deliver Waldorf lessons to your child that will bring out the very best of them as they navigate their education.
12pm ET / 9am PT: Option 2: “How to Create a Restorative and Enriching Circle Time at Home” with Amberly McGee
Circle time is a wonderful way to connect with our children before directing them into the business of the day’s homeschool work. It is a chance to play with our children and the material they are learning. In this workshop, we will look at circle time elements that can be included, craft the circle to meet the blocks and seasons, and most importantly, meet the ages and temperaments of the children in front of us.
1pm ET / 10am PT: Option 1: “Waldorf Myth Busters” with Samantha deLeca and Mary Jo AbiNader
Each of these myths is based on misunderstandings of what Waldorf education is and how it works. In the upcoming workshop, we will examine each of these myths in more detail and explain why they are not accurate representations of Waldorf education.
Waldorf schools are religious institutions.
Waldorf schools do not teach science or math.
Waldorf schools do not use technology.
Please bring any myths you have heard and we will leave time at the end to address them!
1pm ET / 10am PT: Option 2: “Establishing a Life-Giving Rhythm in Your Homeschool and Home Life” with Amberly McGee
Homeschooling our children is such a big responsibility and can seem overwhelming at times. In this session, we will work to construct a rhythm that holds you through the ups and downs of your homeschool year while bringing joy to you and your family.
2pm ET / 11am PT: Option 1: “The Waldorf Approach to Teaching a World Language" with Angelika DiPasquali
The aim of world language teaching in Steiner Waldorf schools is to encourage a positive attitude towards people of other cultures and languages, as well as fostering human understanding generally through establishing the ability to empathize with another person’s perspective and way of seeing the world.
Learning world languages offers the individual other perspectives on his or her own language, culture, attitudes and mentality, thus helping
the pupil see the world in a more differentiated way. Rudolf Steiner said, “Always bring together will and intellect in the right way.” In this workshop, I will try to bring you closer to the way of teaching language as an Art of Educating the whole child.
2pm ET / 11am PT: Option 2: “Bringing Waldorf Education into the 21st Century: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Curriculum” with Hannah Straubel
Does a central European curriculum from over 100 years ago best serve our children of the United States today? Together we will explore how place based learning, contact zones, windows, and mirrors center DEI work within the modern Waldorf Movement and lay a scaffold for our future.
3pm ET / 12pm PT: Practical Arts: “Unleashing Creativity through Waldorf Drawing Secrets” with Samantha deLeca
Welcome to our interactive workshop on teaching your child to draw using block crayons and uncovering the secrets of Waldorf-inspired drawing techniques! Join us as we embark on a creative journey that cultivates imagination, artistic expression, and fine motor skills in your child.
Drawing plays a vital role in a child's development, and the Waldorf approach to drawing embraces the belief that every child is an artist. In this short workshop, we will explore the unique techniques and principles of Waldorf drawing that encourage children to express themselves authentically and develop a deep connection with their artistic abilities.
Together, we will delve into the secrets of the Waldorf drawing curriculum, which emphasizes a holistic approach to artistic development. We will explore the importance of rhythm, movement, and color in creating harmonious and balanced drawings. You will discover how to inspire your child to create beautiful, meaningful artwork through storytelling, nature observation, and imaginative play.
Throughout the workshop, we will also share practical tips and techniques for supporting your child's drawing journey at home. From setting up a nurturing and inspiring art space to incorporating seasonal themes and exploring various artistic mediums, you will gain valuable insights into fostering your child's artistic growth.
Our workshop will provide an opportunity for hands-on practice. You will have the chance to explore the power of form drawing—a unique Waldorf technique that enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness.
Join us on this inspiring journey into the world of Waldorf drawing secrets and unlock the artistic potential within your child. Together, let's foster a lifelong love for art and self-expression!
4pm ET / 1pm PT: Closing Keynote with Jean Miller - Building a Culture of Curiosity & Fostering Lifelong Learners
As you look ahead to a new homeschooling year, remember to keep the truly important things at the forefront ~ connection with your children and building a culture of curiosity in your home. What are the values you hold most dear? You can plan your year ahead with intention and these values in mind, letting go of what you think "should be." In this final workshop, Jean will share personal stories of her homeschooling years, lessons she learned along the way, and insights from observing her three grown children as lifelong learners.
February Intensive: “Homeschool Renewal”
Tuition: $199
Four Saturdays in February
February 3, 2024 | 11am ET / 8am PT - 3pm ET / 12pm PT
February 10, 2024 | 11am ET / 8am PT - 3pm ET / 12pm PT
February 17, 2024 | 11am ET / 8am PT - 3pm ET / 12pm PT
February 24, 2024 | 11am ET / 8am PT - 3pm ET / 12pm PT
This conference is online to make it more accessible and convenient for all homeschooling families. Our amazing team of presenters will host all workshops in a live and interactive format.
Attendees may select workshops to attend live and will receive recordings of all workshops after the event. The recordings will be available for attendees for 30 days after the event.
Topics Include: (Presenters and Workshop Details Coming Soon!)
Power of Inner Work
The Waldorf Approach to Reading Through the Grades
Supporting Your Children Through the 6-, 9-, 12- Year Changes
Secrets of Storytelling
Revisiting the Home Rhythm: What Can and Will Go Wrong and How to Recover
Biography Work Part 2
Eurythmy
A Panel of Waldorf Alumni
Opening an In-Person Homeschool Enrichment Program in Your City
Ask a Waldorf Teacher: Q & A Panel (at the end of each Saturday)
How to Chalk Drawings
Is My Child Behind?
Candlemas Inspiration
Are we really forming sub-earthly bonds and impacting the cosmos?! Inspiration for the rest of the year