Rhythms and Rhymes at a Waldorf Daycare

Chip chop,
Chip chop.
Cutting wood
for winter's cold.

Chip chop,
Chip chop.
All the wood
the basket will hold.

I remember E saying this little rhyme over and over while "chopping wood" with her fingers, then hands, then arms.

Yesterday, when I pulled down a box from the attic which had the girls' baby/toddler books, etc., in them, I found a huge stack of E's notes from her daycare. She attended an in-home daycare which was run by a Waldorf teacher who wanted to be at home with her young child. Every single day she sent home one of these notes. They are very fun to read as they recall the rhythms of the day and of the year.

It was a simple rhythm as fits very young children. They went outdoors EVERY SINGLE DAY--bless that teacher. The circles were usually classic, seasonal nursery rhymes with finger motions for the older children (age 3 - 4). Here's a summer newsletter with some of the rhymes she did with the kids.


Here's the winter newsletter with a few more rhymes. She drew many of these materials from Mother Goose and other nursery books. No fairy tales, no fables--all of those came later when they were older. Some of her material came from A Child's Seasonal Treasury. I like that both my girls received such a treasure of language and imagery when they were this age.


I am so happy to have these. We are all having fun reading back through them and I thought those of you with young children might enjoy seeing how one in-home Waldorf daycare worked.