UPCOMING WECAN EVENTS FOR PARENTS AND ECUCATORS

Parenting in an Anxious World

January 17, 2024

3:30 pm HT, 5:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm MT, 7:30 pm CT, 8:30 pm ET Online

Many children came out of the last years with heightened stress and lingering patterns of anxiety. This evening will share ways to assure children, help them find a sense of safety, and build greater resilience. There will be practical suggestions for how to strengthen many of the good things we are already doing as parents.

Adam Blanning, MD

Dr. Blanning practices anthroposophic medicine in Denver, CO, and works closely with children, families, and schools to support healthy development on a physical, social, sensory, and spiritual level. Dr. Blanning teaches nationally and internationally as a co-leader of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. He is the author of Raising Sound Sleepers: Helping Children Use their Senses to Rest and Self-soothe.

Nancy Blanning

Nancy Blanning, a Sunbridge Early Childhood Program Co-Director, has retired from nearly forty years teaching at the Denver Waldorf School, where she served as a kindergarten teacher and educational support teacher. Nancy’s primary focus is therapeutic education, with a particular emphasis on developmental movement in supporting young children’s physical incarnation and sensory development. Nancy is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter at national and international early childhood conferences and workshops, including serving as a faculty member at Denver’s Nurturing the Roots Therapeutic Course. She is currently a contributor and editor of Gateways, the publication of WECAN.



Appreciating the World, the Earth, and All People: Deepening Our Relationship with the Six Nations’ Thanksgiving Address

January 24, 2024, 7:00–8:30 pm EST Online

At last year’s WECAN EC Conference, Otsistohkwí:yo of the Everlasting Tree School spoke the Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee, based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted, and that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things is needed to align our minds and hearts. Our work with young children supports this inclusive appreciation. Otsistohkwy:io and Wahsontiio, members of the Everlasting Tree community, will join us for this session.

This event will be guided and facilitated by our WECAN I.D.E.A. Coordinators, Lynn Turner, and Leslie Wetzonis Woolverton.

Sliding scale donation $5-100. Pre-registration is required.

To register contact lturner@waldorfearlychildhood.org

Movement in the Child from Three to Seven Years Old

March 6, 2024

2:30 pm HT, 5:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm MT, 7:30 pm CT, 8:30 pm ET Online

We move more in early childhood than at any other time in our lives. What is the child working on with all this movement? What does healthy movement look like in children of this age group? How do children develop balance? How can we support our children to move freely and joyfully, with coordination and ease? What attitudes of the adults and what materials support this? What are the differences between the child-led movements of free play and adult-taught movements?

Jane will explore these topics in her presentation. She will also bring many tried and true movement ideas for children from three to seven in the family setting. There will be slides, videos, and time for questions.

Jane Swain

Jane Swain is an associate director and core faculty member of the Teacher Education Program at Sophia’s Hearth in Keene, NH. She is a movement therapist as well as a pediatric physical therapist. Jane is a Level III graduate of the Spacial Dynamics® Institute. She is certified in Bothmer Gymnastics®, Sensory Integration Praxis testing, and Bobath/Neuro-developmental Treatment for children with Cerebral Palsy and has studied at the Pikler Institute in Budapest. Jane has taught movement education in the early grades, provided classroom consultation, and worked privately with children for many years. Jane is writing a book on movement in the first three years of life.

Love the Skin They Are In

April 3, 2024

2:30 pm HT, 5:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm MT, 7:30 pm CT, 8:30 pm ET Online

To allow for open and free sharing during the event, this Parent Evening will not be recorded.



Children as young as 3 months begin to notice race and by two years old, they are recognizing, exploring, and asking questions about the differences between themselves and others. We know that children thrive in loving environments where they are surrounded by parents and caregivers who both see and celebrate them. In this parent evening, we will explore what every adult can do to foster a school or home environment of belonging and affirmation. We will define Racial Identity Development and chart a path to support its unfolding as we encourage each child to embrace their own race and ethnicity and celebrate the race and ethnicity of others.

Keelah Helwig

Keelah Helwig is an Early Childhood educator at the Waldorf School of Garden City, NY. She has is a Board member of Sunbridge Institute, WECAN, and AWSNA. As a co-founding member of Alma Partners, Keelah is interested in partnering with Waldorf leadership and faculty circles who are ready to examine, name, and transform the obstacles of bias and systemic racism that prevent them from being communities where all children and families can thrive.