The Parent Enrichment committee works to bring programs to inform our community about the the profound philosophy behind Waldorf education and anthroposophy in general, as well as support on the parenting journey. Over the course of the year, programs are offered which are geared to parents of all ages of students.
WINTER/SPRING 2013 PARENT ENRICHMENT OFFERINGS:
Leonore Russel: ”Understanding Our Middle Schoolers through the 12 Senses”
Friday, Jan. 11th| 8:30-10:00 am | Festival Hall Atrium | $10
Leonore Russell will give an overview of the twelve senses with a focus on the middle school years. The senses are the windows on the world. How do they bridge the inner and outer worlds within the child? How does knowledge of the twelve senses help parents understand adolescent development and better support this age group? Learn the theory and practical ways to nourish the twelve senses. This presentation will address the paradoxical polarities of the adolescent: striving for individuality by pushing away while simultaneously yearning to be part of the peer group. Leonore Russell is a longtime Waldorf educator and an AWSNA pedagogical advisor to schools. She is a visiting teacher at Tara High School this month.
Claudia McClaren Lainson: “Archetypes in Fairy Tales”
Wednesday, Jan. 23rd | 7:00-9:00pm | HS Assembly Hall | $10
Fairy tales hold a wisdom that is eternally applicable to the journey of the human soul. These ancient stories sculpt intricate patterns within the psyche that create soul health for one’s entire life. How has the meaning and significance of fairy tales changed for our time? How do we understand gender in the tales? How do the spiritual teachings in these stories strengthen the soul? What do they teach us about true authority and respect in an irreverent world? These are some of the questions we will investigate in our conversations about fairy tales and the state of the culture in which we are raising our children.
“The fairy tale is like a good angel, given us at birth to go with us from our home to our earthly path through life, to be our trusted comrade throughout the journey and to give us angelic companionship, so that our life itself can become a truly heart- and soul-enlivened fairy tale!” Rudolf Steiner
Claudia McLaren Lainson has been a teacher and Therapeutic Educator in the Waldorf community since 1982. She lectures nationally on spiritual science, human development, the evolution of consciousness and the emerging Christ and Sophia mysteries. She founded “Laughing Coyote Project,” a therapeutic, nature-based educational program at her farm. One of the early SMWS families, her three children graduated from our school.
ASTRONOMY with JAMIE YORK |January 23-February 13
7:00-8:30pm (4 Wednesday evenings) | High School Math Room | Sliding Scale: $50-100
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and thought to yourself, “I wish I knew even just a little bit about everything up there!”? Join Shining Mountain’s own Jamie York (who is also on the Sound Circle Eurythmy Adjunct Faculty) for this brief beginner’s guide to the starry world.
Co-Sponsored by Sound Circle Eurythmy and the Shining Mountain Parent Enrichment Program
Kim Youngblood and Ben Turner: “Biodynamic Gardening Workshop”
Sat., Feb. 2nd | 9:30-11:30am | SMWS 2nd Grade Classroom |$40
Pre-register by Jan. 29, 3:00pm, in SMWS lower school office
As the Earth starts to breathe out in February with the return of the light, join us for a workshop full of planning advice and practical tips to help you prepare for the upcoming gardening season. Topics will include: spring bed preparation, planning a rotation and successions, green manuring, sowing/transplanting, tools and supplies, and using the Biodynamic spray preparations and the Biodynamic planting calendar.
- KIM YOUNGBLOOD began gardening biodynamically 16 years ago. A talented teacher and SMWS parent, she is also an Advisory Board member of the Josephine Porter Instit.of Applied Biodynamics and BD Garden consultant in Boulder County. Currently, she teaches a parent/toddler program at Mountain Morning Waldorf Preschool.
- BEN TURNER, a local, certified, biodynamic farmer spent 4 years working for Growing Gardens of Boulder County managing production, youth garden training, and the farmers’ market stand for the Cultiva Youth Project. Ben participated in the inaugural Boulder Farmers-Market Farm Track Program.
TWO PUBLIC LECTURES BY AONGHUS GORDON OF THE RUSKIN MILLS TRUST
In 1982, Aonghus Gordon created the Ruskin Mill Arts & Crafts Centre in Gloucester, England. In 1996, he founded the Ruskin Mill Trust. He was named the Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the UK in 2005. He co-founded the Masters of Science in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education with the Crossfields Institute and the University of the West of England. Aonghus delivers workshops and lectures internationally, including in Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US.
Aonghus Gordon, “Practical Arts Education”
Sunday, Feb. 17th | 7:00-9:00pm | Festival Hall | $10
Aonghus Gordon, “Therapeutic Education”
Tuesday, Feb. 17th | 7:00-9:00pm | Festival Hall | $10
Click for more information and to buy tickets
BIOGRAPHIES | Wednesday, February 27 & Tuesday, March 5; 7-8.30 (2 sessions)
Shining Mountain Eurythmy Room | By donation each evening
Third-Year SCE Training students present their research projects into poets’/composers’ lives. Come lend encouragement to these students, many of whom will be giving public presentations for the first time!
BRING YOUR BODY TO CLASS: Celebrating the Body’s Role in Learning - A Presentation on Educational Neurology for Parents and Teachers
Tuesday, March 12, 7:30-9:00 PM | Mary B. Winston Atrium in the Festival Hall | Donations gratefully accepted.
As a growing number of children are having difficulties performing their best at school, it is important for parents and educators to understand optimal development and be able to recognize the signs of poor neurological organization. Join us for a comprehensive look at how our nervous system organizes to perceive and interact with the world. Fun, applicable movement ideas to share with children will be offered. Presented by Stephanie Johnson, MA, R-DMT, LPC.
Stephanie Johnson MA, R-DMT, LPC is a licensed teacher, Registered Dance Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor and mother.
In addition to her therapeutic work with children, Stephanie offers workshops for parents and educators and is the author of Bring Your Body to Class: A School Wide Model for Celebrating the Body’s Role in Learning. Stephanie works with students at the Minnesota Waldorf School.
David-Michael Monasch: “The Four Temperaments”
Wednesday, Mar. 13th | 7 – 9 pm
David-Michael brings the nature of the four temperaments vividly to life. After a historical survey of the temperaments from the ancient Greeks to the present day, the focus will be how they are understood by Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf education. Through stirring and often humorously poetic examples, the choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic aspects of ourselves and our children, their relationship to the four elements, and how these great archetypes are reflected in every biography will become easily recognizable.
Lisa Gromicko: “The Importance of Sleep”
Wednesday, April 17th | 7 – 8:30 pm |$10
In recognition of the many challenges faced today in the realm of sleep, we will look at the importance of this part of life. Sleep disorders and deprivation are on the rise, as our pace of life increases. Children are especially vulnerable and suffer setbacks in the areas of physical growth, hyperactivity, immune function and sensory integration, among others. An overview of the physiological basis of sleep will be given, with sleep quantity guidelines and suggestions for creating bedtime rituals for your child.
Lisa Gromicko is a Kindergarten teacher at Shining Mountain. She has spent many years researching this important topic, which was also the work of her Master’s degree in Waldorf Early Childhood Education.
Mark Finser, Rudolf Steiner Foundation: “Reimagining Money”
Tuesday, April 30th | 7:00-9:00pm | Festival Hall | $10
Mark Finser, of The Rudolf Steiner Foundation will discuss their work as a pioneering non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. In partnership with a community of investors and donors, RSF provides capital to non-profit and for-profit social enterprises addressing key issues in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, RSF believes that money has a deeply spiritual dimension, that money is a form of energy that connects one person to another and strengthens the bonds of community.
ONGOING CLASSES
Eurythmy for You! | Glenda Monasch
Mondays, 8:45 – 10:15 – January, February, May & June| Eurythmy Room
Drop in: $15 or punch cards (first visit free!)
All levels welcome. Drop ins encouraged! Aspects of Waldorf Education are frequently touched upon, so parents can deepen their appreciation of both the Waldorf approach and eurythmy
Parent Handwork |Mary-Beth Fifer
Tuesdays, 8:30 – 10:30 am, Fairy Blossom Room in Community House, no charge
Come join us to knit or make small items for your nature table. No experience is necessary. Coffee and tea is served. Children are welcome.
Wonder, Love and Courage | Tom Altgelt
Wednesdays, 8:30 – 10:00 am, 5 week series starting Jan. 16th |Union St House
Consciously cultivate living sources of spiritual strength and wisdom in our community as we begin 2013. We will work with Rudolf Steiner’s core meditations and verses that speak most strongly to our hearts. We are looking for a committed core of five friends; RSVP at altgelt@indra.com