Links and Resources

In this page you will find links to some relevant information. The information contained in those sites may not represent the opinion of A.H.W.S. Waldorf Partners:

  • AWSNA- The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. Find the latest research on Waldorf Education plus fabulous resources for Waldorf in the home. In addition they have a very exciting section on Global Waldorf that brings you articles and news from Waldorf schools and initiatives worldwide: GlobalWaldorf. Most recent was an article from the Telegraph: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has launched an extraordinary attack on the “oppressive” system of state education in England. In a speech, he said that an “obsession” with repeatedly testing and assessing children undermined their personal, spiritual and emotional development. But don’t miss news on preschools in China, education in Tehran, Bogota and Forest Schools in Denmark.
  • WSAO - Waldorf School Association of Ontario. The Waldorf Library has a compelling collection of articles online. In particular are the articles written by Jack Petrash from the Nova Institute Waldorf Education. ”Our children will inherit a rapidly changing and surprising world. The best preparation we can give them is to provide a multi-dimensional schooling that develops the full range of their human potential. This is Waldorf Education.”   More on Jack Petrash below.
  • Rudolf Steiner Centre - We are fortunate to live so close to a centre that provides Waldorf teacher training, courses on bio-dynamic farming, rhythm and movement, art classes, a book and gift shop and farmers market. Don’t miss the storytelling workshops by our very own AHWS parent and master storyteller, Dawne MacFarlane and the Spring Intensives for Parents- Current Programs
  • WECAN Waldorf Early Childhood website: Our ECE- Early Childhood Education – is an accredited member of WECAN. WECAN’s mission is to nurture the work with young children from pre-birth to age seven, based on an understanding of the healthy development of the child in body, soul and spirit. Our goal is to protect and nurture childhood as the foundation for a truly human culture in the future. Alan Howard Waldorf’s ECE will be hosting a WECAN conference in May.

Most Popular or current articles:

Waldorf Lifesyle-farming, nutrition, crafts:

Child Development and Education:

  • Joseph Campbell Joseph Campbell’s work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” is a seminal work connecting comparative mythology (fairy tales, religions, myths of all cultures) to Jung archetypes and our psychological development or maturation – individually and as a society.
  • Dr. Stuart Shanker on human brain development in human evolution A video featured on TVO’s Parent website.
  • Last Child In The Woods, by Richard Louv Hailed as “an absolute must-read” by the Boston Globe and “too tantalizing to ignore” by Audubon magazine, Last Child in the Woods is the inspiring work that proves children need nature as much as nature needs children.
  • Gordon Neufeld – Fortunately we have an AHWS alumnae parent who teaches Gordon Neufeld’s course. Look for the next course being offered in our Voice newsletter. But if time is of essence his book, ” Hold On to your Child” is thought provoking and a must read no matter how old your children are. You may even find yourself reflecting on your own childhood in a new light.
  • Kim John Payne – A Waldorf favourite of parents and teachers; Kim John has been helping children, adolescents and families explore issues such as social difficulties with siblings and classmates, attention and behavioral issues at home and school, emotional issues such as defiance, aggression, addiction and self-esteem. Drop by our community room and listen to his CD’s. His new book, Simplicity Parenting, is bound to become a family classic. Check out excerpts of interviews an AHWS parent filmed on his website and watch video excerpts  from his lectures here at AHWS and at Halton Waldorf School; Parent Enrichment.
  • Nova Institute – The Nova Institute’s parenting work began with the writing of Covering Home: Lessons on the Art of Fathering from the Game of Baseball, by Institute director Jack Petrash. This book on fathering, published by Robins Lane Press, helped launch their efforts in parent education in both the United States and Canada. Covering Home was widely acclaimed and received the National Parenting Publication’s Gold Award in the year 2001.
  • Right to Play – Silken Laumen -If you think your child is going to be the next Wayne Gretzky then you should read this book! The case against over scheduling your child, the problem with specializing in one area at 5 and ditching the x-box!
  • Gloria DeGaetano -Parenting Well in a Media Age. This book is an excellent resource for family’s struggling with media and its impact on children. “A media age makes it easy for global industries to send their messages to the masses using all forms of screen machines, influencing society, our parenting, and our children on many levels. Rather than being personally-generated, our mainstream culture is now an industry-generated one, created and maintained by business instead of by individuals. To parent well in such a culture means parents must tap the well of wisdom within them.”
  • Stanley Greenspan, M.D. His research has been featured in all the major media, including Newsweek, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, New York Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS news broadcasts, and the subject of a PBS NOVA documentary, “Life’s First Feelings.” Find his latest book in our School Store.

Early Years:

  • Lifeways – a branch of AWSNA that looks at the needs of the very young, why daycare institutions need to change, and offers support for home and encourages a new approach to daycare. Our daycare is based on their approach. A new course is being offered for caregivers and parents on Mothering and Spirituality
  • Difference between Waldorf and Montessori by Rahima Baldwin Dancy This is an excellent article in Mothering Magazine that Rahima answers fully yet also encourages parents to visit the schools. She also provides additional links to read more about Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio methods. We also sell her popular book, You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, in our School Store.
  • Heaven on Earth “Parents, do you remember…building sand castles, digging for hours at the foot of your favorite tree, swinging in a hammock or gathering stones, twigs and leaves to build fairy dwellings?” This is the evocative introduction to Sharifa Oppenheimer’s website. She was one of the founding members of the Charlottesville Waldorf School 25 years ago and now runs a playschool in Virginia. She has written the incredible and practical book, Heaven on Earth. A sufi, a mother of two grown men, an educator, a visionary; enjoy her ongoing work and passion for Waldorf Education.
  • Kindergarten Cram Article in NY Times by Peggy Orenstein that is very well written and supports what we do at AHWS.
  • Alliance For Childhood- New research shows that many kindergartens spend 2 to 3 hours per day instructing and testing children in literacy and math—with only 30 minutes per day or less for play. In some kindergartens there is no playtime at all. The same didactic, test-driven approach is entering preschools. But these methods, which are not well grounded in research, are not yielding long-term gains. Meanwhile, behavioral problems and preschool expulsion, especially for boys, are soaring. Read and comment on the Alliance’s new report, Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School.