In this gem of a book, parents are offered an exploratory approach to the principles introduced in Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children. Using excerpts as leading thoughts, as well as "The Star of Family Culture" as a guiding image, parents are given a warmhearted lens through which to view their family life.

Beginning with love as the foundation of the family, parents will have the opportunity to discover healthy family rhythms interactively, including family work and family play. They will be engaged in creating nourishing play spaces for their children, both indoors and out, and will learn to tell handmade stories, as well as to make art joyfully with their children. Establishing this loving, disciplined approach to family lays a sturdy foundation. In this way, many twenty-first-century "discipline problems" are deterred. With love as a guide, parents are given insight for dealing with developmentally appropriate behavior issues.

About the author

Sharifa Oppenheimer was the founding teacher of the Charlottesville Waldorf School, Virginia, where she taught kindergarten for twenty-one years and served as day care director of the early-childhood program. She has helped develop new teachers through teacher-training programs at Sunbridge College in New York State, and at Rudolf Steiner College near Sacramento as a master teacher offering practicum and internship opportunities. She has written many articles on Waldorf education, helping the parents of her students create supportive home environments. Recently she initiated a home-based kindergarten program, The Rose Garden. Sharifa is the mother of three grown sons, who received Waldorf educations. She lives in an enchanted forest in Virginia.


Publisher: SteinerBooks
Pages: 152
Size: 7.4 x 0.4 x 8.9 inches
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1621481393
Publication date: November 15, 2015