Sound & Silence

Reading and writing poetry in the middle grades by Ben Gallagher.
SLOT A, Saturday 11am

Ben is the faculty chair and grade 4/5 teacher at South Shore Waldorf School. Ben brings his passion for poetry and creative writing to the school and classroom. His first book of poems was published in 2022, as he neared completion of his PhD in Curriculum, Teaching & Learning with a focus on critical literacy and practitioner inquiry.
At the Waldorf School, he has also found a home for his passionate interests in music, sailing, woodwork, and food preservation through ancient foodways.

Qualities of Breath & Breathing

foundation for life and wellbeing by Judy King.
SLOT A, Saturday 11am

This will be our focus. We will look at qualities of breathing and at ways the Waldorf curriculum fosters healthy, easy breathing. We can apply what we experience in the workshop to both our children and ourselves, for our general wellbeing and resilience.

Judy King was born and grew up in England. Came to Canada with husband and first child in 1970.

And again in 1972, settling in Cape Breton. Started reading Steiner age 25. Two more children born there. Home-schooled for some years. Started a cooperative Waldorfinspired nursery school for other people's children. After two years, this became a small Waldorf home school, with usually around seven children ages 4 - 12. At this time Judy took Waldorf summer courses and visited two Waldorf schools to observe and assist. In 1993 she joined the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. In 1995/96 she attended Waldorf teacher training at the Rudolf Steiner Institute Toronto (now Rudolf Steiner College) and received qualifying certificate. In September 1996 when South Shore Waldorf School opened its doors she was employed as teacher; taught young people between early childhood and grade 6 for 14 years. Continued relationship with school, mentoring teachers, offering workshops to school community, served on board, foundation studies educator, etc. Offered Waldorf workshops and mentoring in Taiwan.
Now living in Cape Breton with her husband; offers puppet shows to all ages, around and about.

Rythm Replaces Strength

with Kaitlin Brown.
SLOT A, Saturday 11am

Come experience for yourself the calming comfort of the day in the life of a Waldorf Kindergarten program. In this workshop we will go through the morning rhythm ourselves with an open eye for observation and see how the rhythm of the day brings comfort and a deep sense of knowing into the young child’s life. The first seven years of life play a very significant role in how we view the world, forming the foundation of our whole life experience and impact us for the rest of our lives. We will then explore how love and warmth form the basis of the curriculum for the early years’ experience.

The Fundamentals of Educational Support

based on The Extra Lesson by Audrey McAllen.
SLOT B, Saturday 1:30pm

Through specific movements and discussion, we will look at the vital relationship between a child’s developmental stages and skills needed for life in general and academic success in particular. Topics covered include Observation (what to look for and what to do about it), red flags, supporting the four lower senses, Early Reflexes, and more. You will learn strategic exercises with bean bags, balls and skipping ropes which can be done with individuals, small groups or a whole class. All this is based on Audrey McAllen’s book The Extra Lesson, whose focus is to identify and support children who face challenges in reading, writing, math, motor development, social, emotional and mild but persistent behavioural issues. Be prepared to move, perhaps roll on a mat, crawl like a lizard, etc. and have a little bit of fun!

Kathleen Purdy received her certificate in Healing Education and Remedial Training (HEART) through the Toronto Waldorf School and the North American Association for a Healing Education in 2010. Prior to COVID she provided Educational Support to many students at the South Shore Waldorf School, as well as to children in the Annapolis Valley.

Kathleen is the Executive Director of The Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts and facilitator of Integrated Arts Programs for those who have moderate to severe intellectual challenges. She has been an educator for many years in both the public schools and in community programs.

as@alexandersociety.org
www.alexandersociety.org

Expanding Musical Awareness

with Duncan Keppie.
SLOT B, Saturday 1:30pm

We are all musical beings equipped with ears and bodies that hear music through rhythm and tone. Our ears hear only a small of the full range of frequencies around us. This workshop will offer ways to expand our musical awareness through individual and group clapping, singing and dancing.

We live in a world of sound that Aristotle and Kepler called” The Music of the Spheres”. Where the planets express this cosmic sound in their exponential distribution around the Sun, a distribution that mirrors our audible musical scale.

Many non-western cultures (e.g. African and Indigenous) have complex rhythmic abilities expressed through drumming and dance – we will try to raise our awareness of rhythm through clapping and dance.

Western cultures combine generally simple rhythms with melodies showing a range of different tones, such as octaves, thirds. fourths, fifths, etc. – we will strive to “hear the music” by singing songs and listening to melodies.

Join us to increase our joy of increased music awareness through experience that can be carried into the classroom, family and communal gatherings.

Needle Felting a Table Puppet

with Margaret Forsey.
SLOT B, Saturday 1:30pm

In this workshop, participants will learn how to make a needle-felted gnome out of beautiful coloured wool fleece. The gnome can be used as a puppet or for nature table décor. No prior experience needed. Needle felting is a dry felting technique. A special barbed needle is used to sculp wool fibers into solid shapes. The creative possibilities are endless.

Margaret Forsey is an artist and former Kindergarten assistant and handwork teacher. She studied art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She studied Waldorf Early Childhood Education with the Nova Scotia Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy. Margaret had worked at the South Shore Waldorf School. She has worked in many artistic mediums, but her current favorites are knitting, quilting, rug hooking and needle felting.

Observing Our Children Through the Arts

with Nicole Karsemeijer.
SLOT B, Saturday 1:30pm

Through art, children express the unspeakable.

In this workshop we will explore ways of seeing our young children through their art. We will review: the incarnation of the child; phases of childhood; and the temperaments as they apply to our children's drawings. We will discuss common symbols and themes and work to further develop our child observation skills.

"In the development of the child, the arts form a bridge between body and soul"
- Rudolf Steiner

I ask that each participant bring 1-2 unguided/unassisted drawings made by each of their children aged *~12 to the workshop. We may speak to other forms of art including music, dance, sculpture/construction if they feel relevant to our group but children's drawings will act as our anchoring reference.

Anthroposophical Perspectives on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

How a Simple Understanding of Social Threefolding Can Guide Us Through the Challenging Social Justice Questions of Our Time.
with Mark McGivern

Sunday 9:45 (only workshop option)

This workshop will provide participants with a grounded and clear understanding of anthroposophy’s insights into social health and how they apply to issues of race, gender and the esoteric mission of western culture. Justice does not result from the application of equality throughout the three social realms of rights, culture and economy. It is the combination of three ideals—equality, freedom and fraternity—that offer us the most practical path to overcoming humankind’s persistent challenges. Participants will explore insights that can be directly applied to education, teaching and the role of the teacher in a healthy community.

 We will explore and contrast current methods of defining social issues in education with insights derived from a completely unique view of the social realm found in Rudolf Steiner’s worldview of anthroposophy.

Creative & Spiritual Approaches to the Sciences in Waldorf Education

with Tara Ernst.
SLOT C, Sunday 1:30pm

Rather than focusing on a purely material world view, Waldorf Education teaches us to seek the spirit in all matters. By fostering a child's creativity and imagination, the material world opens up before us, as a living being. This workshop will take us through an artistic exploration of the sciences, through the plant realm and botany.

Nurturing the Foundations of Literacy: Waldorf Approaches to Teaching Reading and Writing in the Early Grades

By Kerry Eady.
SLOT C, Sunday 1:30pm

In this workshop, we will explore the Waldorf education approach to teaching reading and writing in the first three grades, focusing on developmentally appropriate methods rooted in deep child observation. Through the lens of Waldorf pedagogy, we will discuss how to cultivate literacy in young children by honouring their natural developmental stages and fostering creativity, imagination, and emotional connection. Participants will learn how to integrate curative arts into their teaching practice, using stories, rhythm, movement, and artistic expression as powerful tools for developing foundational language skills. By observing and responding to the individual needs of each child, educators will leave with practical insights into creating a rich, nurturing environment where children can grow as confident, joyful readers and writers.

Kerry Eady is a Waldorf educator with over two decades of teaching experience. She is currently the Grade 2-3 class teacher at the South Shore Waldorf School, where she has been a member of the community since 2012. Prior to her role at the Waldorf School, Kerry organized and taught collaboratively with Waldorf homeschooling families across Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia from 1997 to 2012. Kerry is particularly passionate about inclusive education and the curative aspects of Waldorf education. She believes in fostering a learning environment where every child’s unique needs are met, and where creativity, empathy, and critical thinking can thrive.

Her current studies focus on emergency pedagogy and sensorimotor art therapy modalities, fields that complement her holistic approach to education and student wellbeing.

Caring From the Heart

with Gabriele Freydank-Edelstein.
SLOT C, Sunday 1:30pm

You will learn simple Home Care treatments to support your Family  during Illness. We will learn about the wonderful use of organic Lemon. 

Supplies needed:
2 regular towels
One pair of cotton socks
Wool scarf
One single 100% cotton sheet  

Gabriele Freydank-Edelstein, Mother, Grandmother, Medical Assistant,
Homecare Practitioner, Massage Therapist, Biographer and owner of  Trifold Books.