Summer is here, bringing with it the joy and peace of sunny days, warm earth, cool splashing water, smooth white sands, the blue ocean, and the vibrant growth of nature all around us. To help you make the most of this lively season, we have included suggestions for activities you can enjoy together with your children, age-appropriate chores, and a list of our favorite children’s authors.
Some summer activities:
Roll down hills
Go camping
Frequent beach trips to run, dig, and play in the sand
Fly a kite
Take bike rides
Build forts, inside and outside
Wheelbarrow game
Sack races
Balance games
Obstacle courses
Playdough
Burrito game
Draw shapes on child’s back and see if they can guess what you drew
Age-appropriate chores:
Feed the family pet
Put away toys
Put dirty clothes in hamper
Get dressed on their own
Help set the table
Mix, stir, chop – help with meal prep
Water plants
Clear dishes from the table
Help fold laundry
Sweep
Our favorite children’s authors and books:
Reg Down series
Sieglinde de Francesca’s Gnome series
Elsa Beskow series
Tell Me a Story/ Tell Me Another Story by Louise deForest
Corduroy stories by Don Freeman
Books by Sibylle von Olfers, Gerda Müller
Our Nest – Reeve Lindbergh & Jill McElmurry
The Blue Forest- Luke Fischer
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Barbara Helen Berger
Jan Brett
Eric Carle
Barbara Cooney
Tomie de Paola
Daniela Dresher
Lucia Grosse
Donald Hall
Linda Kroll
Sven Nordqvist
Audrey Wood
We Nurture Collective, and Sparkle Stories
And a fun recipe to make together, Mason Jar Vanilla Ice Cream:
Ingredients:
1 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Add cream, sugar and vanilla into a 16-ounce mason jar and secure tightly with lid. Shake the mason jar up and down until the cream thickens and almost doubles in size, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. It should be opaque and easily coat the back of a wooden spoon. Freeze for 3 hours, or until hardened. Scoop out ice cream with a spoon and serve with your favorite ice cream toppings.
by Meeta Panicker and Liam Metzger | WSP Movement Teachers, Grades 1 – 8
Movement and games are integral to Waldorf education, harmonizing body, soul, and spirit by fostering physical coordination, spatial awareness, and self-expression. The curriculum supports physical health, sensory development, and a sense of wonder while developing fine and gross motor skills, teamwork, and fair play. Through age-appropriate activities, students enhance their creativity, coordination, communication, cooperation, confidence, and competitive spirit, supporting their physical and emotional development at each stage:
Early Childhood (0-7 years): Emphasis on imitation and movement to develop foundational motor skills and spatial awareness.
Middle Childhood (7-14 years): Focus on imagination, play, and structured games to enhance creativity, social skills, and cognitive development.
Adolescence (14-21 years): Incorporation of more structured physical education, sports, and eurythmy to support self-discipline, teamwork, and personal growth.
In first grade, we are focusing on the class as a whole. The games are circle-based with a focus on where we are in space. We incorporate hand clapping games, and running games such as tag, ball games, and bean bag games. The children learn how to jump rope and navigate simple obstacle courses. We work with fairy tales, imagination, rhythm, and repetition. With their imaginative abilities, the grade 1 children thrive on these games.
In second grade, the games of call and response like Walk the Plank and Join the Crew, Fire in the Forest, and The Sea Is Stormy are introduced. The students learn to concentrate on a given task for longer periods. They are more independent and better oriented. We work on their motor skills and spatial awareness. Free imaginative play also continues.
In third grade, the children are curious and ready to play all the games we can bring to them. This is the year they are more coordinated in their bodies. We continue to run, hop, skip, jump; and work on static and dynamic balance. Catching, throwing, kicking a ball, working in teams, and presenting their fair teams are the themes in grade 3. Games like kickball, dodgeball, capture the flag, and relays are introduced this year as well.
In fourth grade, the children are learning about their boundaries and seeing how they can challenge themselves. This is the year we introduce the circus arts: unicycle, stilts, juggling, gymnastics, and hula hoops. The students continue to play team games such as dodgeball, kickball, capture the flag, and Chicken in the Coop.They present their fair teams to the class. They are introduced to sports lead-up games and games of “vigorous deeds,” and continue to develop team-building.
In fifth grade, we are working on grace and beauty. We focus more on the form and techniques. The Pentathlon is a big part of grade five. The fifth grade child is in perfect harmony and balance, poised between early childhood and oncoming adolescence. The students learn and display their abilities in the javelin, discus, chariot running, wrestling, and long jump. Apart from this, we continue on sports lead-up games like basketball, pillow polo, dodgeball, kickball, and capture the flag. They also continue to hone their skills in circus arts.
The middle school curriculum is pretty consistent throughout all three of the grades, with the biggest difference being the competitions each grade has at the end of the year. The year begins with Pillow Polo, which is an easy game both to learn and to play and doesn’t require much strategy. The blocks become more complex as the year progresses, with the next two blocks being Volleyball and Football. Both of these sports require strategy and teamwork along with good communication. These help the students learn how to work together to achieve a common goal and how to strategize their approach. Team captains are introduced with the objective of giving each student a leadership role which helps to aid their development in Middle School. After the New Year, the sixth grade will have a wrestling block which helps them get a feel for their individual strength as they enter puberty. Different from this, the seventh and eighth grade students will have a running block, with the goal of them learning how to push and motivate themselves to achieve the objectives they set.
Soccer is the next block and requires students to use the teamwork and strategizing skills they learned earlier in the year. This is a sport in which individual brilliance and excellent teamwork shine all in one place, allowing for each student to decide what role they want to play. Badminton follows Soccer and requires both teamwork and precision, yet on a much smaller scale. In Badminton the students are paired up into groups of two or four and have to learn how to communicate effectively and be precise with their hits. This allows for students who don’t normally work together to learn how to work in close proximity with each other. Ultimate Frisbee follows Soccer which helps the students to learn how to respect the personal space of others. When a player has the frisbee, their opponent must stand back an arm’s length. Ultimate Frisbee also requires clear and concise communication amongst teammates which helps the students learn how to speak up and work together. The year finishes off with Street Hockey, and in this block students learn the importance of safe play. Since wooden sticks are being used, the risk for injury is higher than it is for other blocks, and the students learn how to mitigate this risk to play safely. Teamwork is crucial in Street Hockey and the students learn how to work together and support one another along with playing safely and responsibly.
Teacher Meeta has been our Sunflower Kindergarten Assistant for several years. Though she is now teaching the grades 1-5 movement classes (also known as “games”) , she generously shared her treasure trove of tried-and-true kindergarten recipes for us to try at home this summer! While some of our youngest students enjoy these recipes, many of us can attest that adults and those in-between will also enjoy them.
4 cups brown rice (may soak for 24 hours in advance)
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
olive oil or 1 stick butter
optional:
tamari or soy sauce
sesame seeds
salt
(optionally add: carrot, peas, corn)
Boil water, add rice and after it comes to a boil, turn down to medium heat. Cook for 20 minutes. Add salt (can add the veggies as well if needed.) Cover and cook on low heat for another 30 minutes, or until desired texture. Drizzle olive oil before serving.
Can serve with tamari/soy sauce, and sesame seeds gomasio –
To prepare Gomasio – in a mortar pestle – crush sesame seeds with a little salt.
In the Instant Pot:
Put all ingredients into the instant pot. Make sure the steam release valve is at seal position and use the Porridge setting. Preset Porridge setting: 20 minutes cooking time, low pressure and normal setting.
Turn the instant pot off after 20 minutes to stop the cooking.
Rice will keep warm in the instant pot until ready to serve.
Tuesday: Oatmeal
4 cups oats
10 cups water
1 cup coconut cream or coconut milk (can substitute this for a cup of water)
pinch of salt
Vanilla
Cinnamon
butter
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
Boil water (can add coconut cream or milk if preferred.) Add oats and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat. Add salt. Cover and cook on low heat for another 30 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency. Add honey or syrup and serve.
(Raisins on the side, crushed almonds on the side)
In the Instant Pot:
Pour all ingredients except raisins and maple syrup into the instant pot. Make sure the steam release valve is at seal position and use the Porridge setting. Preset Porridge setting: 20 minutes cooking time, low pressure and normal setting.
Turn off the instant pot when it goes to keep warm setting or when you come back to the classroom.
Open the instant pot when it opens naturally, don’t try to force open it. Add maple syrup and mix well with a whisk to remove lumps. Let it sit for 5-10 mins ( can close the lid if you wish).
Oatmeal will keep warm in the instant pot until ready to serve.
Wednesday: Bread with honey-butter or sunflower seed butter
2 cups warm water
1/2 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups wheat flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
Mix flour, salt, put aside. Add warm water to a large mixing bowl. Dissolve honey in it. Sprinkle the yeast. Let it rest to bubble and ferment for 10-15 minutes in a warm spot. Add the flour mixture to the bubbling water. Mix, then knead until the dough comes together and is not sticky anymore. Let rest and rise for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Portion the dough. Knead and shape into fist-sized rolls. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Can be served with butter, honey, nut or seed butter.
Honey butter per table
2 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup of honey. (adjust per taste)
Mix room temperature butter with honey and serve with warm bread. I prefer to melt butter in the microwave and then add honey to it and let it sit. Mix well before serving
Sunflower butter
1/4 cup of sunflower seed butter per table
Thursday: Vegetable soup
Olive oil to coat the pan or stick of butter
1 large onion optional
Garlic and ginger minced optional
assorted vegetables and herbs
1 jar of marinara sauce
salt
On the stovetop:
Chop all veggies and herbs (some with the children in the morning).
Coat a heavy pot with olive oil and heat it on medium heat. Add chopped onions (and garlic)
Add all vegetables as and when it is chopped
Add water, salt , and marinara sauce. Let it come to a boil on high heat, then turn the heat down, cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Add any chopped greens, herbs and chopped tomatoes. Let simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
In the Instant Pot:
Chop all the vegetables into bite size pieces (some with the children).
Pour oil on the bottom of the pot and use the Saute function on the instant pot to saute onion and carrots.
Saute the chopped vegetables in the oil for a couple of minutes.
Add water to cover vegetables.
Make sure the steam release valve is at seal position. Use the Soup/Broth function on the instant pot. Preset Soup/Broth setting: 30 minutes cooking time, high pressure, and normal setting.
Soup will keep warm in the instant pot until ready to serve.
Friday: Muffins
Ingredients:
3 c spelt flour or whole wheat flour or half and half with whole wheat and white flour
3 cups millet flour
4 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup honey or maple syrup
27 oz almond milk or coconut milk about 4 cups
1.5 tsp vanilla
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup of olive oil
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients
Mix wet ingredients
Mix together
Grease tins with oil
Spoon into tins, bake 15 mins for small, 25 for big at 350F
Once out of the oven, leave them for a bit before removing from the pan
Birthday Cake
3 cups of flour
4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp of cinnamon
1 cup maple syrup
¾ cup melted butter or 1.5 stick butter
1 ½ cup of milk
3 eggs
Vanilla 2 TBSP
Salt
Mix all ingredients and pour in well oiled pan
For children to bake the cake:
1 big bowl with – flour, baking powder and cinnamon
In separate bowls keep – eggs, milk, butter and maple syrup+ vanilla
Have children mix this at the table.
When thoroughly mixed, make sure to not overbeat it but if there are no lumps, pour it in the prepared tin to bake.
At WSP, we are fortunate to have two alums of our school serving as physical education teachers. Liam and Marina bring with them rich backgrounds in physical fitness and athletics, coupled with a deep passion for cultivating our students’ growth in these areas. Liam teaches our ninth and tenth grade PE classes, while Marina leads our eleventh and twelfth grade classes. They recently provided insights into WSP’s Physical Education that I am excited to share with our community.
WSP’s PE curriculum is designed to enhance students’ understanding of movement and spatial awareness through age-appropriate activities, empowering them to apply these skills throughout their lives. Emphasizing a social component in these activities fosters self-awareness in movement, space, and group dynamics.
In ninth grade, the curriculum places a strong emphasis on activities that cultivate courage and inner focus by challenging students to overcome obstacles. With students coming from a variety of backgrounds and movement experiences, the class begins with simple activities to quickly engage everyone and transition into gameplay. A popular introductory game is “pillow polo,” resembling field hockey, which helps students enhance their hand-eye coordination. Throughout the year, students develop their concentration skills, enabling them to progress to more complex sports like volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, ultimate frisbee, and street hockey. An important element of this year is the principle of respecting each individual’s starting point, fostering an environment in which students unite to explore new experiences together.
Once students move into tenth grade, the classes revisit the sports introduced in the previous year, benefiting from an additional year of practice that enhances their hand-eye coordination and deepens their ability to focus and engage in each sport. With familiarity comes faster recall of the rules, enabling the group to dive into activities more swiftly and confidently.
In these first two years of the high school PE program, the goal is group work – to learn how to be teammates while getting more comfortable with movement and coordination.
Transitioning into eleventh grade, the physical education program undergoes a shift towards a deeper understanding of body mechanics. Students explore how muscles function and provide support, refine their breath control during exercise, and enhance overall body awareness. Alongside traditional sports, they delve into personalized activities such as yoga and weight training, aiming to strengthen the mind-body connection essential for lifelong functional movement. This foundation not only promotes current fitness but also helps them learn to prevent future injuries.
In the twelfth grade the students participate in much of the same activities as the prior year, but with more confidence and experience. Now they will start to make more independent choices and create their own weight lifting routines. They also learn more deeply what movements affect their specific bodies and in what ways.
In these last two years of high school, the students move from competing against one another to being their own competition. In most of our lives, people sit so much. We want our students to get outside, get their heart rates up and get moving. We hope that through these experiences they will learn what they enjoy, and take it forward into the next phase of their lives – both in being physically active, but also growing their social awareness.
Like all of our programs, WSP’s high school physical education classes seek to meet the students where they are developmentally and support them in their growth. Over the four years, we hope our students will develop and strengthen their cardiovascular abilities, strength, mobility awareness, and individually improve in ways such that they find movement joyful and fun.
When I was organizing the senior project presentations, the last thing I expected was that we would end them dancing the night away. But that’s exactly what happened at the end of our first day of presentations! Our last presenter that evening, Vir, shared his senior project titled “Beyond The Beat, An Exploration of DJing” with the Waldorf community. He began his presentation by showing a video of himself dancing in his living room as a child, illustrating his early connection with music and dance. Vir then delved into his passion for music and desire to further explore dance through DJing.
He provided a brief explanation of the term DJ, derived from “disc jockey,” describing DJs as individuals who play recorded music for audiences at events and parties. To conclude his talk, a slide read, “Let’s get the party started!” The audience enthusiastically responded by clearing the chairs and transforming the presentation night into a dance floor. It was a fantastic way to end the evening, with the excitement of two more nights of senior project presentations still to come.
Our seniors began their projects long before their final presentations in March. Towards the end of their junior year, they started discussing their project ideas and envisioning what they wanted to pursue. Class sponsors, Marina Budrys and Jennifer Staub, and I met with the seniors before the summer break to emphasize that senior projects are the culmination of their studies at WSP, intended to showcase their finest talents, interests, and research endeavors.
During these meetings, we underscored the significance of the senior project as an opportunity for students to delve deeply into a specific subject, possibly one not covered in our curriculum, or to explore a creative process.
This year, our students showed a diverse range of interests they were eager to pursue. Before summer break, Alma shared her plan to create a senior project focused on educating our high school students about genocide, particularly exploring the Holocaust during World War II. Freyja had already been discussing her interest in exploring meditation practices from various cultures around the world.
As their senior year began, our class faced multiple tasks beyond their senior projects. We gathered to discuss college applications, and essays, and I began drafting their letters of recommendation, which filled me with excitement. Over the next six months, amidst this euphoria, I guided the seniors through their senior projects, each tackling exceptional topics. Noam delved into the role of American comics, while Galen ambitiously crafted a camera from scratch. Annika explored the Electronic Dance Music genre through music creation, and Ronit developed an app for downloading class schedules. Vivian embarked on a project titled ‘Fibre: From Fleece To Fabric,’ designing and building a loom to weave garments.
However, there was a catch this year—the presentations were scheduled earlier, before our March spring break. This posed a challenge: would the students have enough time to see their projects to fruition and craft insightful presentations in this shorter timeframe? It was a test of their focus and determination.
Over three incredible afternoons in March, our seniors demonstrated a resounding “we can” with their senior project presentations! Elowyn kicked off the first night by sharing her journey of overcoming her greatest fears, from heights to spiders. Aru followed with a poignant exploration of his bicultural identity as an Indian American, presenting insightful interviews he conducted with Indian American individuals of all ages.
As the presentations unfolded, each senior showcased professionalism, humor, sharpness, and profound insights. Misha drew inspiration from films such as ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘Star Wars’ to embark on building a film projector. Maya, now a certified postpartum doula, shared her journey and created a detailed brochure, explaining her role in supporting families after childbirth. Prem wowed the audience with a captivating 3D modeling video created using Blender, an animation software.
The diversity of topics and talents exhibited by our seniors during these presentations was truly remarkable, highlighting their individual passions and achievements. “Reality: Perfection is impossible” was a slide in the senior project presentation by Ren, who focused on Holistic Wellness Through Strength Training and Nutrition. Yes, indeed. Perfection is impossible. What an important take-away for a twelfth grader as they prepare to embark upon leaving high school.
When Bean gave the final presentation on Friday night, about a table-top role playing game that he had created called Monster Town, I was ecstatic! Our fifteen seniors had done it! They had wowed, enraptured and fascinated the Waldorf community assembled on campus, as well as many other members of our community who had watched the streaming presentations on YouTube.
When I went back up to the podium to give my concluding remarks, I had all of the seniors come up so that we could congratulate them one more time. I said that I did not want the night to end, and I meant it. I felt immense pride in our seniors’ accomplishments. Moreover, I was deeply grateful for the opportunity to share in their journey and witness their growth. Looking ahead, I felt excitement for what awaited them—from the upcoming senior class trip to Hawai’i, to their graduation from WSP, and the start of college just a few months away.
For three glorious evenings in March, the fifteen seniors showed that they are capable of so much, and made all of us at Waldorf School of the Peninsula so proud. And for me, their senior advisor, they made me even prouder! I will miss our seniors more than they will ever know, but I will always look back fondly on what they accomplished with their senior projects.
