Bedtime. From little ones who need many, many sips of water to older teens who sleep all day, Melisa digs into the importance of sleep and a solid bedtime. Listen as she walks through what bedtime routines might look like for different age groups. She provides personal stories filled with humor and advice on how to handle bedtime with children of various ages.

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Topics discussed: 

- The important role dinner time plays in getting your kids to bed.

- How to be firm with bedtimes

-What the appropriate bedtimes are by age.

-How to create quality time for older kids.

-Why it’s important to wake up before your children.

Related videos:

• Sleep!!: click here 
• Teenagers: click here
• Rhythm is internal: click here
• Sleep Rhythm: click here

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Scheduling for an entire family can feel like a juggling act: play date, sports game, work project, etc. Join Melisa as she explains what “family council” looks like for her family, and how creating your own can help bring cohesion to your family schedule. Look out for some extra pro-tips on creating a family calendar.

Watch Video Here 

 Related Videos:

• Menu Stacking - click here
• Holding the Space - click here

Listen to Podcast Here

Listen to "Episode 190 - The Benefit of Holding a Weekly Family Council Meeting" on Spreaker.

Resources

Actual Rhythm Chart: click here

Free Resources: click here

Planning for Peace: click here

Biz Schooling: click here

Parents In Sync: click here 

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                                            Waldorf Essentials...

What does holding the space look like? Why is it important? And how can you implement it into your rhythm? Melisa explains holding the space as, the concept of being energetically present, and when that energy is removed things tend to go haywire. Learning to hold the space is vital in creating a smooth rhythm in your homeschool (and general family life). Below you’ll find the video Melisa and her husband Erik recorded to answer all things holding the space related. Try it out! 

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 Related videos:

• Holding the Space - Media Focus: click here.
• How to Get Better Sleep: click here.
• Rhythm Is Internal: click here.

Scroll to Read Transcripts

Melisa often speaks about the importance of holding the space, but what does that mean? And what does it look like to hold the space in a very screen and media-focused environment? Joined by her husband, Erik Nielsen; she answers those questions and shares stories from their family.

Scroll down for free resource links.

Watch Video Here

related videos:

• Holding The Space: here
• Struggling with Media Usage: here

Scroll to Read Transcripts 

As parents and caregivers, we know how vital sleep is to children. But it's also important that we get enough sleep ourselves. We cannot show up as the best versions of ourselves if we aren't getting enough sleep. Below you will find various resources to help you curate good sleep; starting with planning out dinner.

Watch Video Here

 Related videos:

• Sleep Rhythm

Read Transcripts Here 

Meal planning and prepping can seem like a daunting task at times, especially when you consider how much kids like to snack! In the video below, Melisa shares some of her tricks to creating a successful meal plan. One way she focuses on is menu stacking. Menu stacking acts as a sort of domino effect where meals/foods you make earlier in the week are utilized again for other meals later in the week. What are some of your favorite meal planning tricks? 

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Menu stacking discussion begins at 11:24 / 52:18

^{_{*Note: this video was recorded in 2018. Announcement made by Melisa reflect the recording date.}}  

Read Transcripts Here 

In the video below, Melisa explains how rhythm is not simply something that exists outside of yourself but is an internal and integral part of you. She walks you through the importance of tracking your actual rhythm, how to hone it, and how your rhythm can affect your family's rhythm. 

Below you'll find all the resources you'll need to harness your rhythm and some examples of rhythm charts to help you get started!  

Watch Video Here:

Related Videos:

Rhythm with Virtual Life - https://youtu.be/KF7Uw9eaBVw 

My Secret to Rhythm - https://youtu.be/2h4nYmbXG_4  

How to Get Better Sleep - https://youtu.be/Y572BgjedtE 

Listen To Podcast Here: 

Related Episodes:

Ep. 85 - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18356627 

Ep. 191 - https://www.spreaker.com/episode/42007879 

Scroll To Read Transcripts:

Join Melisa as she discusses the importance of creating a solid homeschool plan for the coming year and explains precisely how to do it. In the video below, she explains the value of starting your planning early and how to plan for a successful school year. The content below was recorded last year but is still very relevant for this year's planning. As you may or may not know, Melisa has been hard at work revising Planning for Peace. As you scroll down, you'll find links to the revised Planning for Peace and the actual rhythm chart mentioned in the video below. It's time to start planning! 

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Happy Earth Day!!

Earth Day provides us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and reflect on ways we can honor the earth. Waldorf education acknowledges the value of toys, fabrics, activities, and art supplies that are made of sustainable and/or biodegradable materials. (ie. wood, wool, silks, natural dyes, and beeswax) But, does that mean when we enter Waldorf we should throw away all the plastic, paraffin wax, and acrylic/synthetic materials? No, not at all. Not only is replacing all those items very pricey, but it is not necessarily the most sustainable practice. After all, reduce is only part of the solution...we can also reuse and recycle.  Below you'll find a video Melisa put together to open a dialogue around using items that may not be traditionally Waldorf (but would be a great opportunity to reuse what you may already have at home). 

*Scroll to the bottom for a fun Earth Day activity!

 Watch Video Here

Related Videos

Why Is...

_{Art by: Amber Hellewell} 

Spring is a beautiful time of year and offers equally beautiful festivals to celebrate with your children. In the video and podcast below, Melisa shares a bit of anthroposophical background on some of these festivals as well as tips for celebrating. Below you will also find links to items mentioned in the video/podcast and tips for creating natural egg-dying colors. As always, enjoy this time celebrating with your family!

Watch Video Here 

Naturally Dying Eggs:

• Blue - purple cabbage
• Orange - yellow onion skins
• Pink - beets
• Yellow - turmeric 

To create the dying liquid: add color source (cabbage, onion skins, beets, or turmeric) and water to a small pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-30 minutes. Strain the dye and add vinegar to the strained liquid. 

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