This it the first agenda I’ve written since I left teaching public school. We’re getting pretty serious about our playgroup and it’s exciting! We’ll start in September and I’ll go first. I collected all the craft dues and we set our playgroup dates.
Not surprisingly, I’ve started getting hits at womantalk.org from people researching Waldorf; at least two are starting their own playgroups and using ideas and inspiration from materials. they’ve found here I love how putting forth time and energy into my own projects attracts other people around me with similar interests. Blog-based community building and support!
One of Devana's spring nature scenes
Waldorf Informational Meeting Agenda
May 7, 2009
I. Brief Introduction
A. Why I’m here and why my kid is only one year old
B. Pass contact info sheet
C. Reserve questions to the end, please
II. Review Guidelines and Framework
III. Waldorf Notebook: notes, songs, crafts, contact info, schedule… wiki page?
IV. Mission: To create an imaginative, joyful Waldorf playgroup every week for our children, in feeling and in practice.
A. Reality: our training and our space
B. What we can accomplish -> aim for ideal
C. Two hours/week or two hours/seven weeks
D. Skills to offer to group
E. Sincere belief that we are fostering creative and imaginative play
F. Process/journey of Waldorf learning
V. Reality Check
A. 7 families, ~ 10 kids
B. Limited space and our own abilities
C. Age differences presents more challenge
D. What we learned from the demo class
VI. Waiting List/Ways to Be Involved
A. How the waiting list works
B. Priority to those who display commitment by showing up
C. Get info, participate in learning process
D. Bimonthly Waldorf-inspired meet-ups (outdoors and/or crafts)
E. Devana’s workshops (needlefelt craft)
F. Future: possibility of splitting into 2 groups based on age
VII. Supplies to Order
A. Remember to get $30 to Jeannie Lee
B. +$15 if you want beeswax candle
C. Discount
D. First order must necessarily go to start-up materials: needles, embroidery floss, scissors, tissue paper, glue (Michael’s or JoAnn’s)
E. Mercurious order: felt, fairy wool, wool batting, needle-felting needles, thin beeswax, beeswax crayons
F. Start collecting glass jars and large tin cans for lanterns and stained glass
VIII. Crafts/Songs/Story
A. Why the crafts are for the parents and not the kids
B. Seasonal: gnome, owl, leaves, trees, lantern, goblin, apples, squirrels, nuts, mushrooms, jack-o-lanterns, pinwheels, stained glass, decorated candles
C. For now, I’ll choose so I can order, but I welcome input
D. Hostess choice to add 1-2 of her own songs
E. Stories will be mainly Grimm’s. Recommend getting complete Grimm’s fairy tales.
F. See rec’d stories for particular age groups in Rahima Baldwin’s book, You are Your Child’s First Teacher, chap. 7
IX. Next Steps
A. Get to know the other members of the group through regular meet-ups/playdates
B. Please RSVP – even if you can’t make it. Follow-through is appropriate
C. Prepare our homes
1. Collecting and making Waldorf toys (toys that foster imaginative play)
2. Weeding out plastic toys
3. Mentally preparing the how and where of hosting the playgroup: outside space, inside space, eating (serve a cooked grain and fruit salad), circle time, story time
D. Practice the songs and the story
X. Questions?
XI. Do we have the energy left to discuss the two chapters of Rahima’s book????
XII. Select playgroup dates!
Recommended Books
You Are Your Child’s First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
Rec’d by Devana:
Feltcraft by Petra Berger
Toymaking with Children by Freya Jaffke
A Child’s Seasonal Treasury compiled and written by Betty Jones
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (several versions available)
The Children’s Year by Stephanie Cooper, Christina Fynes-Clinton and Marye Rowling
A First Book of Knitting for Children by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton