Sharing Nature with Children

by Erin Schneider “Now I see the secret of the making of the best person. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the Earth.” —Walt Whitman  I spent my childhood outside—from playing capture the flag with the neighborhood kids to family camping adventures within our beautiful state and national parks. These experiences shaped …

Sharing Christmas with Children

“The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes- Ah, that is where the art resides.  -Artur Schnabel, legendary classical pianist   Like the rests in a musical score, the Christmas season and its attendant Holy Nights arrive each year, holding out to each of us a mysterious gift: a “pause” from the routine …

The Gift of Letting Go

One of the many things I love about Waldorf education is that ‘coming-of-age’ work is incorporated into the curriculum during the middle-school years (6th – 8th). Coming-of-age work has long been lost in our culture and our teachers and parents are bringing it back little by little. This is tremendously important work because it creates a safe environment for our …

Ask Yourself, “What if…”

Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective. You know what I’m talking about. That moment when you say, “Huh! I never looked at it that way before,” – and suddenly, a new possibility has opened up where – just moments before – all you saw before you was a brick wall. A change in perspective can be liberating. …

“Human Beings are Makers”

Imagine yourself knitting, your fingers agile and moving to a rhythm all your own. Envision kneading dough, the smooth cool consistency conforming to your touch. The smell. The subtle anticipation. Imagine dirt in your hands, gritty and soothing as you move it about to plant flowers and herbs and vegetables. The delight of knowing what will come. Are you in the moment? …

Goodbye Summer – Hello Spanish!

Ready or not school has started for the 2014-15 year. While, on one hand, I’m happy that school has started,  I would like summer to last just a little bit longer. This past summer was very busy at the school with 9 weeks of Summer Camp and Summer Garden. The school was alive and active with all of the smiling faces. I’m …

Engaging Minds. Opening Hearts. Inspiring Confidence.

Waldorf Education has helped to create successful students for over 90 years worldwide. Prairie Hill Waldorf School has been laying a strong foundation for academic success since 1987. Peter Nitze, a Waldorf and Harvard graduate asks so simply, “If you’ve had the experience of binding a book, knitting a sock, playing a recorder, then you feel that you can build …