Accredited by 
Certified by
Parenting Education Conference
March 13-14, 2015
Designed for all parents, teachers, professionals, and friends who work with and raise children.
Professionals will receive a certificate of active participation for professional development hours.
Building Resiliency in Children
Resiliency means getting back up when life knocks us down and doing so with newfound strength. We know that life is demanding, and as parents and teachers we have a natural urge to protect our children from life’s most difficult challenges. But it is also very important that we help children build their inner reserves of resiliency and courage so that they can meet life as it comes to them. We will look at this topic from several vantage points -- what research and experience tell us, what we can do at home, and what we can do in the classroom to build resiliency in children.
Friday, March 13 at 7 pm ~ Keynote by guest speaker Joan Almon
The World is Good ... Really!
With all the current problems around the globe, it can be hard to remember that fundamentally the world is a good place to be - and the only place in which to raise our children. In this keynote, Joan Almon will explore ways we give children confidence to be in the world around them, to perceive its goodness, and to support it through creative, social deeds.
Friday night keynote is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 at the door. A reception will follow with refreshments provided by the Waldorf Community Association.
Joan is well-known as one of the premier speakers on Waldorf education. She is a clear, concise and thoroughly engaging speaker, providing practical parenting advice and teacher wisdom. She was a Waldorf early childhood educator for thirty years and served as founding Chair of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN). Joan is also the former Executive Director of the Alliance for Childhood, a broad-based advocacy group that brings together educators and health professionals to work on common concerns, such as the loss of creative play in children's lives, the excessive amount of screen time instead of face-to-face engagement with other children, the commercialization of childhood, the increasing disconnect with nature and the natural world, the misuse of high stakes testing, and the increasing levels of childhood obesity. Joan is also the author of several publications and videos, many of which can be found on the Alliance for Childhood website: www.allianceforchildhood.org
Saturday, March 14, 8:30-3:30 pm ~ All-day Conference
Morning Keynote by Joan Almon: Honoring Play for All Ages
Play is fundamental to the growth and development of all mammals. While this is especially true for children, whose work is play, it can also be said that human beings are intended to play their whole life long. While the urge to play can sometimes become blocked and seem to disappear, it is never destroyed, and it can be liberated at any age. In this keynote Joan Almon focuses on play throughout childhood, while remembering that play is essential for all of us.
The day also holds an Artistic Activity, Morning & Afternoon Break-out Sessions, and Closing Session led by Joan Almon. Catered Snack & Lunch is also included.
Cost is $50 for registrations received before March 1st, $60 after March 1st, and includes the Friday night keynote.
Register Now! Choose from the following workshops, A through F, for the Saturday Conference. Workshops A, B and D are offered in the morning and Workshops B, C, E and F are offered in the afternoon.
Choose one workshop for the morning and one for the afternoon after you click Register Now!
Morning Workshop A: Daily Ritual and Rhythm: Raising Healthy Children from Tot to Teen
Presenters: David Gable, M.Ed. and Nancy Garvey, M.Ed.
In Waldorf early childhood classes, rhythm and daily ritual have proven to lessen the need for direct discipline. Establishing a healthful routine gives young children a feeling of assuredness that develops into self-confidence and responsible work habits as they grow older. In this workshop we will discuss ways to incorporate rhythm and ritual into our family life to support young children, adolescents, and even ourselves as parents.
David Gable has been an Elementary School and Middle School teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod since 1987. He holds a Master of Education from Antioch University New England and is a certified Waldorf educator. His background as a professional violinist, music teacher, and composer has positively influenced his perception of many Waldorf educational principles, including the importance of broader rhythms of the world in the lives of children and youths. David is the father of four grown children ranging in age from 19 to 34.
Nancy Garvey has taught in a Nursery or Kindergarten class at WSCC for the past 15 years. She has a Master's Degree in Waldorf Early Childhood Education from Sunbridge College, NY. Prior to Waldorf teaching, she worked as an Environmental Toxicologist for 10 years and as a Tissue Culturist at a Biotech Company. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education and Biology from the University of Rhode Island and spent a year and a half in Europe studying at the Univerisitat von Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Germany and at Ciba-Geigy in Basel, Switzerland. Nancy and her husband reside in Wareham and are the parents of two grown sons, both of whom graduated from WSCC.
Morning OR Afternoon Workshop B: Strengthening Moral Forces and Overcoming Fear
Presenter: Rachel Ross, M.Ed.
We are living in challenging times and the importance of our work with children as parents and teachers becomes more evident every day. So often the underlying issues we meet in our youngest children are elements of fear and anxiety. Inner courage is needed to meet life’s challenges, and developing a feeling of acceptance of what comes toward us from the future engenders fearlessness. In our work with the children in our school, we are seeing a growing number of students who struggle to meet their learning challenges. Often this is caused by underlying fears and a lack of courage to try. When we learn to recognize and overcome the source of our own fears, then we are better able to help our children overcome theirs. In this workshop we will explore the sources of fear, how to meet them, and overcome them with courage, devotion, and equanimity.
“Modern materialism has arisen out of fear, without people having the slightest inkling about this ... The modern materialistic worldview is a product of fear and anxiety. Fear is related to idleness, to the wish to cling to habits.” Rudolf Steiner.
Rachel Ross has taught Eurythmy for over 35 years to children and adults. She is a graduate of the London School of Eurythmy and Emerson College, both in England, and received her Therapeutic Eurythmy diploma from the Medical Section of the Goetheanum, Switzerland. In addition, Rachel has a B.A. in Remedial Therapy in Education from the University of Massachusetts and a M.Ed. Degree from Sunbridge College, NY. Rachel is currently the Learning Support Teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod and maintains an active practice in Therapeutic Eurythmy and Remedial Movement Therapy. She specializes in treating children with developmental disorders and learning disabilities, designing and implementing programs, training staff, teaching and consulting to Waldorf and public schools. She is a traveling consultant and mentor to many Waldorf and other private schools nationwide, and is actively involved in the Remedial Teacher Programs in Brazil and Spain. Rachel is the director of the HEART Program at the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Toronto, Canada.
Afternoon Workshop C: Connecting With Nature – The How’s and Why’s of Outdoor Learning
Presenters: Lynda Johnson and Cristan Vineis
When considering the subject of fostering resiliency in children, there is a compelling argument that underscores a direct link between the absence of nature in our children’s lives and the most troubling societal trends of obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Through sharing some practical observations about the changing face of the Early Childhood experience, including such programs as a Forest Kindergarten, WSCC Early Childhood teachers, Lynda Johnson and Cristan Vineis, will moderate a discussion about how school and family might make changes in style and substance to foster and deepen the children’s will forces and help build a more resilient foundation for the years to come.
Lynda Johnson is an experienced outdoorswoman as well as the Lead Teacher of the Sunflower Nursery at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. She is a Wilderness First Responder, a certified Early Childhood Waldorf teacher, kayak instructor, a kid's yoga teacher, a 4-H club leader, and a rock climbing instructor for children. Lynda formerly worked as a naturalist and ran a forest program at her home when her children were young. She is the mother of three; a 29-year old son, and 9-year old twins.
Cristan Vineis is a certified Waldorf Early Childhood teacher. She is currently the Siesta Program Lead Teacher, Parent-Child Teacher, and Aftercare Teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, where she also serves as the Early Childhood Department Chair. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont and is trained through DONA in supporting families as a birth doula. She is a strong proponent for developmentally-based schooling and play-based early learning and the mother of two young boys.
Morning Workshop D: Hand and Foot Form Drawing
Presenters: Victoria Capon and Claire Small
Peek inside Ms. Capon's Class One and you may see everyone gathered in a circle, drawing with their feet. What can be going on?
Form drawing is unique to Waldorf education. It develops fine motor skills, strengthens hand-eye coordination, and supports writing and drawing skills. It also helps develop an aesthetic sense and a feeling for form. Form drawing with both hands and feet helps to educate the brain, training the intellect to be flexible and to follow complicated lines of thought. In one of his lectures to teachers, Dr. Rudolf Steiner suggested that if children practice form drawing with their feet, they would build skills of many types, including fine and gross motor, artistic, and athletic skills. As part of the Curative Education training that Victoria took at Camphill Special Schools, she practiced drawing with her feet and discovered how challenging and useful it can be. Come practice form drawing with your hands and feet, and discover the challenge!
Victoria Capon is currently the Class One teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. She is a graduate of the Waldorf Teacher training program at Antioch University New England where she received her M.Ed. in both Public and Waldorf education. She has taught art in the public school system and Special Education at Camphill, Beaver Run and Cedarcrest, a private school for severely challenged children.
Claire Anacreon Small is currently the Class Four teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. She holds a M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and also has Waldorf certification from Antioch University New England for both Early Childhood teaching as well as Elementary School and Middle School teaching.
Afternoon Workshop E: Competitiveness: Striking a Healthy Balance
Presenters: Joan Baugh and Ted Curtin
Children learn through games and play. As infants, they exist and learn only within the world around them. From finger games and clapping games, infants progress to romping and running games. Their skill set grows as children learn about the space around them and how to move in it; the games become more demanding, involving greater social complexity and negotiation. The journey from the young child playing finger games to a teenager playing basketball is a process of coming ‘in and ‘down’ into one’s body. The dynamic exists between growing up and down; and also between ‘growing in’ to oneself and ‘growing out’ into the world. Through games one builds confidence, courage, individual skills and the ability to interact in the social side of playing on a team. This helps lay the foundation for true competitive sport beginning in Middle School and continuing through adulthood.
Waldorf education emphasizes cooperative games in the early years and this workshop is full of these fun hands-on, age-appropriate games and activities. Play a game with us and explore first-hand the necessity of striking a healthy balance between games and sport. (Don’t forget to wear your sneakers for this fun offering!)
Joan Baugh is currently the Games and Movement teacher at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. She has been with the school for close to 20 years. She has completed the Spatial Dynamic Program-Level I from the Spatial Dynamic Institute and holds a certificate for teaching Physical Education and a teacher certification for grades 1-6. She also runs a WSCC summer program.
Ted Curtin has been is currently the Class Six teacher and has been with the Waldorf School for 12 years and is currently the Sixth Grade Class Teacher. He holds a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and has Waldorf certification from Antioch University New England.
Afternoon Workshop F: The Importance of Nutrition
Presenters: Roxanne King, C.H.H.C., and Jessica Cushing
A well-nourished body is an important foundation for building resiliency in children. When the physical body is in balance, the space for mental and emotional growth opens up. If a child is hungry or over-tired, their emotions are hypersensitive and their reactions can be extreme in one direction or the other. This concept also holds true when there is a missing link in a child's regular diet and the physical body is not in balance. With the growing concerns around allergies, immunity, and autism, diet is more important then ever before. Topics of discussion include the importance of organic food, GMO awareness, sugar and food additives and their effects, and building a strong immune system. We will take the mystery out of all the nutrition propaganda that fills our lives. We will explore simple ways for you to leave feeling confident you can create a nourishing diet for your child.
Roxanne King, a Certified Holistic Health Coach, natural health advocate, and mother is the author and owner of The Holistic Mama, a blog dedicated to helping parents make informed choices about natural living. Roxanne's goal is to inspire parents to create a holistic lifestyle for their children by providing the information and support they need to make it a reality. Roxanne helps parents to implement a healthy and organic lifestyle without getting overwhelmed by establishing a plan and making simple changes that last a lifetime. Learn more about Roxanne, her products and programs, and how she can help you create a healthy environment for your family by visiting her website www.theholisticmama.com.
Jessica Cushing has worked as an exercise physiologist and health educator in the health field for more than 20 years. She is a certified Early Childhood educator, Integrative Nutrition Coach, and Yoga Instructor and leads Parent-Child classes at the Waldorf School of Cape Cod. She believes in the importance of organic, local and natural foods blended with a simple, active lifestyle. Her focus is on helping families make conscious decisions towards holistic living.