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In this episode, I’m diving into what it really takes to start the year strong in first grade. This is such a tender, transformative time—children are stepping out of the warm, dreamy world of early childhood and into something more structured, more purposeful. And they’re looking to you for clarity, confidence, and rhythm. First grade is when we really begin to form the class, and the habits we establish early on can shape the whole year (and beyond). Here are the grounded, steady practices I’ve found make the biggest difference: ✅ Lean on Rhythm—And Keep It Simple Children this age need steady, predictable routines. A clear rhythm—daily and weekly—helps them feel safe and grounded, so they can relax and actually learn. These rhythms aren’t just sweet rituals—they’re tools that build trust and flow. ✅ Start with Movement, Not Sitting Six- and seven-year-olds aren’t built to sit still right away. I always start the day with movement—walking, clapping games, beanbag tosses—not just to get the wiggles out, but to build attention, coordination, and group cohesion. ✅ Model Everything—Then Model It Again Whether it’s lining up, sharpening pencils, or walking through a doorway, I never assume they already know how to do it. I model it slowly and clearly—and then I do it again tomorrow. These kids want to know what’s expected. They’re looking for leadership. ✅ Practice Listening in Little Doses Listening is a muscle, and it takes time to build. I use echo songs, call-and-response verses, and short memory games to strengthen their listening capacity. And when it’s time for a good story? Their attention can go so deep. ✅ Give Them Jobs—and Teach Them Well Children want to help. Giving them small, meaningful jobs gives them a sense of purpose and belonging. But just like anything else, I take the time to teach each job slowly and carefully. Starting first grade isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing a few key things really well, over and over, until they become part of the class rhythm. These children are wide open. They’re looking to us for how to be in the world—so let’s offer them steadiness, clarity, and purpose. You’ll be amazed at how they rise to meet it. Let’s stay connected:  🌿 Instagram 📺 YouTube 🌐 Website 📬 Substack ✉️ Email me at [email protected] Thanks for listening and being part of the journey!

What does it really mean to create a Waldorf-inspired home? In this episode, I share what first drew me to the peaceful beauty of Waldorf living—and the moments when it felt completely out of reach. From the temptation to chase the aesthetic to the deeper values that truly make a Waldorf home, we’ll explore how rhythm, simplicity, and presence matter more than wooden toys and silks. We’ll talk about: The heart of a Waldorf home: rhythm, warmth, and intentionDaily and weekly rhythms that support your family lifeCreating cozy spaces and nurturing the sensesMeaningful work and seasonal celebrationsWhy perfection isn’t the goal—presence isPlus, I’ll offer practical ideas you can begin today, whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your home life. My Website: A Waldorf Journey Substack: Waldorf at Work

In this episode of A Waldorf Journey, I explore the unique approach to teaching natural sciences in a Waldorf classroom, with a particular focus on physiology and anatomy in the seventh and eighth grades. I discuss how Waldorf education brings warmth, storytelling, and experiential learning to these subjects, fostering a deep and lasting connection rather than just rote memorization. Topics Covered: 🦴 The importance of warming the soil—creating a deep feeling connection to the subject matter rather than emphasizing memorization. 🦴 How physiology (body systems) is taught in seventh grade, and anatomy (bones & muscles) in eighth grade. 🦴 The evolution of natural sciences in the Waldorf curriculum—from early childhood observations of nature to more structured blocks in the upper grades. 🦴 The role of storytelling, artistic representations, and metaphor in teaching science. 🦴 How to integrate the arts into science, including beautiful chalkboard drawings, lesson book illustrations, and artistic explorations of the body's systems. 🦴 Experiential learning—engaging the senses and fostering direct experiences in the classroom (e.g., observing digestion through eating an apple, exploring skeletal structures through movement). 🦴 Keeping the focus on health, balance, and the body's wisdom, rather than emphasizing illness or pathology. Recommended Resources for Teachers: Mentioned in this episode: 📖 Waldorf Inspirations – A fantastic online resource for curriculum ideas, teaching approaches, and inspiration for bringing the natural sciences to life in a Waldorf classroom. Visit Waldorf Inspirations 📚 Charles Kovacs’ Resource Books: Human Being and the AnimalBotany – A Waldorf-aligned approach to teaching plants and their relationship to the human being.Rocks and Minerals – A beautifully written introduction to geology, making connections to the wider natural world.These books are invaluable for teachers looking to enrich their science lessons with depth, storytelling, and the Waldorf approach to education. Join the Conversation! Have you taught physiology or anatomy in a Waldorf classroom? What experiences, activities, or biographies have resonated most with your students? Share your insights in the comments on YouTube or on Instagram/Facebook @AWaldorfJourney. 🎧 Listen Now on Your Favorite Podcast App 💻 Visit: AWaldorfJourney.com for curriculum materials, teaching resources, and blog posts. Thank you for being part of the A Waldorf Journey community! 🌿✨

In this episode of A Waldorf Journey, I welcome my colleague Laura Elmore for a deep dive into one of the most cherished Waldorf traditions—the class play. With decades of experience in Waldorf education, Laura shares her insights into why class plays are such an integral part of the curriculum, how they evolve from the early grades to middle school, and the pedagogical purpose behind them. Looking for a play to perform with your students? My first- and second-grade plays are available on my website: www.awaldorfjourney.com. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✔️ The Role of Class Plays in Waldorf Education – Why plays are a vital part of child development and learning. ✔️ The Play Selection Process – How teachers choose plays that align with the curriculum and the needs of their class. ✔️ Casting Considerations – The balance between typecasting and pedagogical casting, and how students can have a say in their roles. ✔️ The Evolution of Class Plays – How the approach to plays shifts from early childhood to the upper grades. ✔️ Overcoming Performance Anxiety – How to support students through the process, especially in vulnerable stages like middle school. ✔️ Beyond Acting – The importance of stage crew roles and how they can be just as transformative as being on stage. ✔️ Practical Tips for Teachers – Structuring the play block, engaging students in improvisation, and maintaining rhythm in the classroom. Resources & Links: 📌 Find this episode and more at A Waldorf Journey 📌 Watch this episode on YouTube 📌 Connect with Meredith on Instagram & Facebook: @awaldorfjourney 📌 Learn more about Cedarwood Waldorf School 📌 Learn more about the Micha-el Institute Teacher Training Join the Conversation: 🎭 Have you directed or been part of a Waldorf class play? Share your experiences in the comments or tag us on social media! 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a review—it helps others find the podcast and join the Waldorf journey!

In this episode, I take a moment to share a personal story about my decision to leave teaching and the journey that followed. Teaching, especially in a Waldorf school, is a deeply fulfilling experience—but it also comes with its challenges. I reflect on the thoughts that led to my transition, from the pressures of the classroom to the realization that I needed a more sustainable and financially secure path forward. What You'll Hear in This Episode: Why I first began questioning my long-term future in teaching.The impact of the pandemic on my decision.How financial sustainability and career longevity played a role.The transition from teaching to marketing and communications.How my experience as a Waldorf teacher translated into my new career.What I miss most about the classroom—and what I’ve gained.My current role in marketing and communications for a Waldorf school.For those of you who have thought about making a change in your career or are wondering if teaching is a sustainable long-term path, I hope my story provides some insight and encouragement. Continue the Conversation Have you ever faced a similar decision? If you’re a teacher—Waldorf or otherwise—I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation in the YouTube comments or on my blog. 📖 Read the Blog Post Here 🌿 Visit A Waldorf Journey: https://www.awaldorfjourney.com 📷 Follow Along on Social Media: Instagram: @awaldorfjourneyFacebook: A Waldorf JourneyTikTok: @awaldorfjourney🎧 Subscribe & Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with other educators who may find it helpful! Thanks for tuning in. 💛

Welcome to A Waldorf Journey! Let's explore the artistic tools that shape a Waldorf classroom, from beeswax crayons to colored pencils, and why these choices matter for child development. 🔹 Beeswax Crayons – Supporting grip strength, movement, and blending colors for a sensory-rich experience. 🔹 Why No Graphite Pencils? – Encouraging openness and self-expression rather than rigid precision. 🔹 Markers vs. Natural Materials – How markers lack depth, texture, and warmth compared to crayons and pencils. 🔹 Transition to Colored Pencils – A gradual shift toward fine motor control in later grades. 🔹 Other Art Supplies – Insights on oil crayons, watercolor pencils, and drawing tools for upper grades. 📍 Visit awaldorfjourney.com for show notes and resources, and follow on Facebook & Instagram: @awaldorfjourney. Product recommendations mentioned in this video (affiliate links): Stockmar beeswax crayons: https://amzn.to/3Q8xb3Q Super Ferby pencils: https://amzn.to/412XTkB Filia oil crayons Caran d'Ache Watercolor crayons Blackwing graphite pencils Lyra Rembrandt pencils

In this episode of A Waldorf Journey, I dive into the essential role of mentorship in supporting Waldorf teachers. Join me as I explore the benefits and challenges of mentorship in Waldorf schools, from the common practice of pairing new teachers with experienced colleagues to the advantages of working with an external mentor. I discuss the importance of confidentiality in the mentor-mentee relationship, the power of self-reflection in professional growth, and how objectivity can bring fresh insights into teaching and student development. 🌟 Discover why strong mentorship is key to teacher success and how it can transform the classroom experience. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and share your thoughts! 📧 Email me at: [email protected] 🌐 Visit www.awaldorfjourney.com for mentorship support, curriculum guides, and resources. Let’s walk this journey together! 💫

Prefer to watch this on YouTube? Check it out here! In this episode of A Waldorf Journey, I take a deep dive into one of the most inspiring aspects of Waldorf education: the transition from teaching mythology to history through the grades. Join me as I explore how this unique approach supports child development, nurturing imagination in the younger grades and fostering analytical thinking in later years. From fairy tales in first grade to revolutions in eighth, I discuss the guiding principles behind this thoughtful curriculum, share insights from my classroom experience, and offer tips for teaching history through engaging biographies and storytelling. 🌟 Learn how storytelling fuels imagination and why it’s a cornerstone of the Waldorf method. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and share your thoughts! 📧 Email me at: [email protected] 🌐 Visit www.awaldorfjourney.com for curriculum guides, resources, and more. Let’s embark on this journey together! 💫

These days my inbox is filled with two kinds of questions. Can you give me some advice for writing end-of-year reports?Do you have suggestions for making summer planning easier?Luckily, I have thoughts on both of those topics. You can find lots of information about them both on the blog. But I mention this just because it points out the dilemma that teachers face right now. The blog post for this episode. Waldorf at Work, my Substack newsletter.

In this episode, I take a look at the Waldorf traditions and ceremonies that mark students' development and transitions. Waldorf is really good at marking time in this way and it's one of the things many of us really love about Waldorf Education. The blog post for this episode. Waldorf at Work: My super-practical, actionable Substack newsletter. Email me about summer mentoring. Interested in my Summer Planning course? I'm in the process of deciding if I'm going to run this course. Let me know if you're interested.

Interested in following me on my new adventure? You can subscribe at: waldorfatwork.substack.com Also in this episode, I talk about the question I hate most: "Am I Waldorf enough?" I talk through the assumptions that are embedded in this question and some of the reasons why they are completely misguided. Because, newsflash, Waldorf is not about playing the flute, singing songs, or spending lots of time outside. It's about doing those things out of an understanding of the impact that they have on students. And you can be a great Waldorf teacher, even if you don't know how to draw a horse. Read more of my ideas about this in this post on Waldorf at Work.

How do you demonstrate your commitment to learning and growing? What mistakes have you made recently? How do you show others that it's okay to make mistakes? And how do you make sure you're REALLY okay with making mistakes? Finding these answers has been a big part of my work recently, and my own path as a learning, growing human being -- even as a grown-up. It's also the topic of my new project Evolving Pigeon -- even old birds learn and grow. Here are links to some of the things I talked about this week. Evolving Pigeon Instagram Facebook A Waldorf Journey Send me an email or a DM with your own growth mindset experiences.

A brand new episode catching you up on why I left teaching and what I'm doing now. Mentioned in this episode My website, A Waldorf Journey Blog post about my decision to leave teaching Blog post about telling my students A post about walking the growth mindset talk My new project, Evolving Pigeon, for adult fans of the growth mindset The Practical Art of the Waldorf Classroom My other courses My curriculum guides Follow me on Instagram The Facebook group Interested in mentorship or sponsorship? Email me at [email protected]

Recently I was working with some teachers who are getting ready to teach 7th grade and we were talking about the creative writing block most often called Wish, Wonder and Surprise. We had a conversation about each one of these gestures and what makes them different from each other. And we talked about how to have this conversation with students. Wish Wish is pretty clear. When I taught 7th grade, the students and I talked about the difference between a wish, a hope and a dream. And we talked about how these words take on a different meaning when your wish, hope or dream is for someone else, or when it’s for the world. Surprise Surprise is also fairly clear. It’s that feeling when you’re confronted with something so unexpected that it takes you off-guard. It’s easy to confuse surprise and wonder in this way, but surprise is much more unsettling. Surprise can cause someone to feel a little fearful. Defining Wonder And then there’s wonder. Wonder is a feeling that is much more difficult to define. I know, as a teacher, that wonder is a feeling that I want to inspire in my students. I have this sense that wonder is essential to the learning process, but I have a hard time describing what it is.  So, in preparation for this episode, I did a little research. I found an article on neuroscience that attempts to describe the role that wonder plays in learning. Here are some of the things the article said: Wonder is an inner desire to learn that awaits reality in order to be awakened.The scope of wonder is greater than that of curiosity.Wonder is the center of all motivation and action in the child.Wonder is what makes life genuinely personal.Beauty is what triggers wonder.Another article defined wonder by describing the play, exploration, imagination and discovery that often happens for students outside the classroom as they play outside or pretend with friends. And the article sadly mentioned that most of this is left outside the door when students enter a typical classroom. That sense of wonder and awe is not inspired when they take a test or fill in the blanks on a worksheet. I also found a school website that tried to summarize and define wonder as it described the school’s curriculum. They tried to define wonder by describing phenomena like … caterpillars turning into butterfliesbean seeds sproutingthe phases of the moonthe sun rising and settingthe movement of the cloudsContemplating these phenomena was probably the closest I got to actually understanding and settling on a definition of wonder in my research. Experiences of Wonder The thing is, wonder is really hard to define, but you know it when you experience it. So I decided to think about moments in my own life when I remember feeling what I would describe as wonder. My examples of experiences of wonder My poor efforts at defining wonder an inbreath, like your breath is taken away a little bitviewing something you’ve seen before completely differentlyan openingAnd this last bit is why wonder is so important to learning. When students enter a state of wonder, an opening is created. A possibility arises for them to view the world differently and to come to a different understanding.  Wonder in the Classroom So, if wonder is so important to learning, how can we create

It’s August, so I’m headlong in planning mode. And though there are many things competing for my time these days, working on my planning is one the tasks that I actually look forward to every day.  It’s also the one thing that teachers ask me for the most help with. I feel lucky that planning is something that I enjoy so much, and it definitely makes a difference in my classroom. I start the year feeling prepared. I head into every new block with a solid plan. And I start each day knowing exactly where my lesson is going. Now, all this planning isn’t to say that I’m not flexible. I definitely recognize the value of deviating from the plan when necessary, and I do that often. But having a plan gives me the confidence to feel free enough to deviate. It’s the plan that allows for the creativity. It’s that old from form comes freedom notion. So, how can you love planning? There are two main things that make the planning love happen for me. Supplies The first is supplies. I confess that I’m a sucker for stationery and beautiful office supplies. I’ve used a variety of different planning systems through the years and I’ve found success with all of them. I find that switching things up every now and then makes me love my planning even more. Some of my most popular blog posts and podcasts have been about the planning systems I’ve used. I’ll link to them in the show notes. What Waldorf Teachers Do in JulySupplies for Waldorf Teacher PlanningHobonichi for TeachersHow Notion Has Completely Transformed My LifeHow to Plan Your School Year AND Enjoy Your SummerHere are some of the supplies that make my planning experience enjoyable. (I’ll link to some of these in the show notes and some of them are affiliate links.) a nice fountain pen (Lamy, TWSBI)a planner (Hobonichi, Ink+Volt, Papier, Plum Paper)a notebook (Notebook Therapy, Rhodia, Clairefontaine)a large sketchbook (Dick Blick, Denik)Want a Plum Paper planner for 10% off? Email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you the coupon. Having a Plan I’m going to go over this just briefly because I teach a whole course on developing a planning system, but the point here is to plan your planning. Know what aspect of your planning you need to work on and when you need to do it. Here’s how my planning system breaks down. Yearly Planning Monthly Planning Weekly Planning Daily Planning I hope taking a deep dive on planning has been helpful for you and that you’ll find yourself inspired to enjoy your planning a little more.