Waldorf at Home

There's a lot of enrichment you can provide at home.  You're right that creating an inviting environment with imaginative toys and lots of time for free play can help provide balance.  Be sure to include plenty of time in nature!  And you can still provide many of the activities associated with "Waldorf methods," such as telling a fairy tale and introducing a letter of the alphabet through a drawing connected with the story.  This will be enriching, even if your daughter has already learned the letters in school. Resources for doing these things at home can be found at www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com and www.christopherushomeschool.org/.

Many parents in your situation have put together a group of families who are interested in a "Saturday club" or "Waldorf enrichment program" to bring some of the artistic and other activities to their children.  This can include the wet-on-wet watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, coloring with block crayons, baking, knitting, and so forth.  Resources for such a group can be found online at www.waldorfinthehome.com, including a DVD by a woman whose little group evolved into a regular program while her family was abroad.

The other thing to remember is how nurturing and supportive a rhythmical home life is for your child?and for every member of the family.  In addition to having meals at regular times, think about how your child's day "breathes," i.e. what does she need when she comes home from school?  What kinds of activities will help to balance her energy and her experience of the day. Spending a half hour together with a story, or letting her play by herself outside can go a long way to counteracting the effects of having been with a large group and having been worked at desks all day.  Try to avoid lots of time in the car, running errands or lots of classes.  Children need time to be dreamy, and time to "digest" the impressions of the day. Best wishes for this next phase in your child's life!