This year RSCC is featuring three early childhood related courses in weeks 2 and 3 of the Summer Festival. That’s in addition to ten other courses on anthroposophy, Waldorf education and the arts. And then there’s the first week for grades teachers which is devoted to grade intensives for grades 1-8. The full range of courses is outlined in our 32-page Summer Festival brochure which can be read or downloaded here. But you can read the course descriptions and presenter bios for the early childhood Summer Festival courses below:
Working with Silk Marionettes – Mornings
Rudolf Steiner referred to marionette plays as moving watercolour pictures. From the ground up we will learn about choosing a story and finding the deeper meaning within it. We will try various stage sets and create props that really work to create magic – where and when and how to add the magic of song and/or music. We will practise how to move each story character and to fine tune their gestures in sync with their role in the play. First and foremost, we will have an experience of how working together on a creative endeavor like marionette plays helps build appreciation, understanding and colleagueship. July 22-26, 9 am to 12:30 pm.
with Laurie Harper-Burgess
Laurie has recently retired after working in Waldorf school early childhood settings, primarily mixed age kindergarten, for over 30 years. For 12 of those years she has been the caregiver in her LifeWays representative-site home childcare, Hearthstone, working with 1 to 6 year olds in a family-style model. Her love of all aspects of her work with children has brought joy, healing and transformation in an ongoing life journey. Now she would like to share some of that love and joy with parents and teachers of young children.
Puppet Felting for Early Childhood – Afternoons
In this felting workshop we will make the puppets for four different stories – one for each of the four seasons. We will felt the characters using coloured fleece, pipe cleaners and felting needles. With these you can create magical puppet shows at home, in a garden or on a forest walk for your children, grandchildren or class. Celebrate birthdays, seasonal festivals and fun! As we work we will explore ideas for staging, movement, gesture and songs. No previous felting experience is necessary. July 15-19, 1:30 to 4:45 pm.
“Puppetry is a remedy against the ravages of civilization.” – Rudolf Steiner
with Dianne Goldsmith
Dianne Goldsmith taught with the Toronto Board of Education for fifteen years. After the birth of her first son, she discovered the Toronto Waldorf School community. For many years she had a Waldorf-inspired home playgroup after which she joined the early childhood faculty at TWS, first as a kindergarten assistant, then as lead teacher until her retirement in 2015. Currently she mentors early childhood teachers and teaches puppetry at Rudolf Steiner College Canada. She is a founding member of the Silk and Strings Marionette Troupe.
Building a Firm Foundation: The Four Foundational Senses – Mornings
Let us take a deep dive into the four foundational senses, the sense of touch, life/well-being, self-movement and balance. Each day we will focus on one sense and then engage in practical and artistic activities, movement and games to enliven and develop that sense. We will finish with an overview of the twelve senses and the relationship between the four foundational, the middle four and the higher four. We will see the importance of building a strong foundation in the first seven years in order to become a fully functioning human being. July 15-19, 9 am to 12:30 pm.
with Laurie Harper-Burgess
Laurie has recently retired after working in Waldorf school early childhood settings, primarily mixed age kindergarten, for over 30 years. For 12 of those years she has been the caregiver in her LifeWays representative-site home childcare, Hearthstone, working with 1 to 6 year olds in a family-style model. Her love of all aspects of her work with children has brought joy, healing and transformation in an ongoing life journey. Now she would like to share some of that love and joy with parents and teachers of young children.
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