Nurturing the Roots:
A Three-year Advanced Therapeutic Course
for Early Childhood Educators
with
Nancy Blanning
Laurie Clark
Suzanne Down
and Dr. Adam Blanning
July 10th to 15th, 2011
Denver, Colorado
Please Note: As of May 3, 2011 the course has reached maximum enrollment.
We are only able to accept applications for our waitlist
(should those currently accepted be unable to attend the course).
Thank you for your interest, and support of therapeutic work
in early childhood Waldorf education
There are many children in the classroom today who are calling for our extra consciousness and guidance. Their incarnation process is challenged. This may be expressed as disruption, aggression, or strong sensory-seeking behaviors, but is really an expression of how difficult it is for them to find a comfortable home in the body, or a harmonious interaction with the world around them. This course is designed to provide both practical tools for pedagogical and developmental assessment of the individual child, and provide the necessary tools and supports in order to meet the child’s needs. The course will work through the important milestones of physical development and will examine the changing spiritual physiology of the child from pre-earthly experiences through age nine.This course is designed as an advanced professional development experience for experienced Waldorf early childhood education teachers. The course comprises three week-long July summer conferences (Sunday evening through Friday noon), complemented by two late January four-and-a-half day workshops (Thursday evening through Monday noon). The summer weeks will be devoted to instruction in child observation, hygienic circle movement, therapeutic puppetry and other therapeutic modalities, constitutional polarities, and developmental assessments for the kindergarten, first grade and second grade child. The winter workshops will focus more on practical implementation of these topics in the classroom setting.The first of the summer courses will be an introduction to these topics. Each of the summer conferences can be attended as a stand-alone experience. The winter workshops are reserved for those who enroll in the complete course and commit to the full three year cycle. A letter of application is required for admission into the three year program and a certificate of completion will be given at the conclusion of the full course. Those working for the certificate will have homework to complete in child observation and study, movement work, classroom plans, and plans for individual children.Course Curriculum:
Year One (July 10-15, 2011): Where did my ‘I’ begin?—
Pre-earthly Experience and Descent into Life
The first year curriculum will explore the path of incarnation through embryology, through clay sculpting, through the birth passage, and into the great deeds of walking, speaking, and thinking as a foundation for health during the first three years of life. We will look at how the inherited body is transformed, and that progress expressed in the Earthly-Cosmic constitutional polarity. Play-based sensory developmental screening of the 4-5½ year-old child will be explored.
Year Two (July 2012): My Body, My Home
The second year focuses on the ripening of the etheric body and the formation of the organs, and how this manifests in the kindergarten child. The proper balancing of organic growth and wakeful sensing as a foundational experience for the child will be explored through the constitutional polarities, including the Large-headed/Small-headed polarity. We will explore the maturation of the foundation senses (touch, movement, balance and life). Assessment of first grade readiness, informed by a knowledge of sensory and perceptual development, the integration of movement, auditory capacities, and vision screening will be taught.
Year Three (July 2013): Waking to the World Around
For the seven to nine-year old child, incarnation evolves from a primary process of bodily growth to exploration of the world. The child has to learn how to breathe through the body, moving from point to periphery, from self to world. Observing how the young child socially interacts and participates in group activities will help us build an understanding of the waking and sleeping activity of the Epileptic and Hysteric polarity. We will examine this breathing process on the levels of wakeful sensing, temperament, and movement patterns. The third year will also include practical instruction in second grade developmental assessment.
Goals:
At the conclusion of the course, each teacher will be prepared to:
- Bring health-developing/salutogenic movement enrichment to the early childhood classroom and outdoor play and activities. This will be through circle work, movement journeys, practical work, games and outside play opportunities.
- Select specific movement experiences that will serve individual children.
- Expand and refine child observation and child study skills by developing a “therapeutic eye”
- Have a framework for developing a therapeutic/care circle within one’s school, coupled with learning which mainstream resources can be helpful to the children.
- Administer developmental assessments kindergarten through 2nd grade
Costs:
Summer Conference 2011: $525 (a $50 early application discount is given if full payment is postmarked by May 1, 2011). The fee includes tuition, materials and mid-morning and afternoon snacks.
Winter Workshop 2012: $375, including tuition, materials and snacks.
Registration information:
The registration form can be found here: Click here
Please fill it out and mail it to :
Nurturing the Roots
c/o Nancy Blanning
940 Fillmore Street
Denver, CO 80206
Those wishing to enroll in the full three year course will also need to complete a
letter of application as outlined on the registration form.
Full payment is expected at the time of registration unless special arrangements have been made.
Space is limited, so early application is encouraged.
Details about available lodging in private homes or hotels will be sent out when the application is received and accepted.
Questions? email: nancy.blanning@gmail.com
Please note: program and topics are subject to change
