Waldorf day

I've been hearing about Waldorf stuff from family and friends for over a decade. Well, I finally actually went to the local Waldorf school the other day. They had a sample class (what a wonderful idea). In our typical fashion, we were late. (I mean, come on. It started at 10 AM on a Saturday. Yikes.) About fifteen minutes late, so I have no idea how the children started their day. Something happened, and then they went out for a walk, holding a long silk scarf and singing, I believe. We arrived late and couldn't find anyone, so we walked all around the school. Finally caught up with them coming back into the classroom. Each child had their own little chair outside, and they all took off their shoes before going into the classroom. As the children entered, the teachers sang a little song and gave each child a little apron. Each child stood upon one of two little stools to wash their hands in lavender/peppermint soap. Simon loved the soap and kept sniffing it. They dried their hands on a shared towel, and sat down around a table. There was a centerpiece to the table: a piece of driftwood with a brass candleholder in it, and a beeswax candle. As soon as everyone was seated, the teacher lit the candle while singing another welcome song, which really established a sense of being there. Then the second teacher brought in a plate of flour and a big bowl of bread dough that had been rising. (During classes, there are not two teachers, but there is one teacher and a helper.) The dough was divided into seven pieces, one for each child, and the children were admonished to make their fingers "snowy white" with the flour. Then, as the teacher sang a breadmaking song, the children made individual breads. The teachers finally put a little flag with a symbol (heart, flower, moon, star) on top of each loaf to differentiate it, and the loaves were put into the oven. Another song, as the children took their aprons off and washed their hands again, then it was playtime. Wooden trucks, a wooden sink, metal dishes, wooden fruits, building blocks, and many wooden animals were all put into use. If you go to the toy store on University Avenue in Palo Alto (or any Waldorf store), you'll see silk scarves draped over tall swoopy "play stands." Several of those were put into use. As the children played, the teacher strolled around playing a soft tune on a little hand harp. On a table on teh side was the nature table, which contained many things that the children had picked up on nature walks. It also contained a candle in a scent-dispersing pottery thing. After playtime, the teachers walked around singing a cleanup song as everyone cleaned. Then the children were seated in a half circle (called a "rainbow" by the teachers.) When everyone was seated, the teacher sang a little song that went something like "wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes, you can even try to wiggle your nose. When all the wiggles have come out, lay your hands on your lap." (Their version rhymed.) The puppet show was covered by a silk scarf, and the teachers lifted it off while singing a song about the mother of tales (or something like that... all of the songs were new to me.) Then the puppet show began, and my child was rapt. The story was very simple. A little girl lived in the forest and had been admonished by her father to never leave the gated yard. One day while picking flowers, she spied a flower outside of the gate, and went outside to just pick it. Then she saw another, and another, and another. Finally, she was approached bya wolf as she picked (and sang her song.) The wolf told her that he loved her song and would she please sing it again. She did so, and he fell asleep. So she began to go home "pitter pat, pitter pat, pitter pat." The wolf woke up and ran after her. Again, he asked her to sing the song, and again she did. Again he fell asleep, and again she tiptoed. He woke again. The third time, she sang again and he went to sleep and she got home, and went right inside. The wolf went home. An interesting story. Actually, the more I think about it the more I like it. More later.