Customer Reviews

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge : Nurturing our children from birth to seven

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...whether you are into Waldorf education or not. I am not a Waldorf purist---meaning I do not send my children to a Waldorf school (I homeschool)or necessarily follow or believe in Rudolf Steiner's philosophy. Yet I have read several Waldorf books on caring for and educating children, because they are very wise as to what children really need. They DON'T need the media, malls, plastic toys, the latest styles in clothes, or a life of being pushed from this lesson to that club. What they DO need is plenty of peace and quiet (AT HOME!!), simplicity in all forms (in their toys, their life schedule, their food, etc.), and they need routine in their day, and they need to be loved and understood and treated like children, not mini adults. The author of this book is such a wonderfully calm woman...I wish she had been my own mother!! She really understands children and what they need. Her calm wisdom just flows from every page of this book. This is an easy book to read, a plus for any busy parent. She speaks of the importance of rhythm in the life of chidren, the importance of play , the importance of calmness, and she has a chapter on creative discipline. Our society is so crazy, it is so hard for adults to cope in this modern lifestyle; think of how much more difficult it can be for children.

A few things she talked about really stood out to me. One was how her one son could come down with a fever after a shopping trip to the mall, because it was too much for him to handle. We need to consider that children need to have QUIET lives! Another thing was that they had an 11 yr. old foster child live with them, and this child said that noone had ever read her a bedtime story. The author loved this child, but because she was ignored and unloved in her earlier years, it was never possible for her to really love or be loved. This brought out the importance of the early years in the life of a child, for they are truly the formative years of a person's character and personality. We cannot afford to ignore the years from birth to age 7. And the one thing that was so neat was that one mother asked the author to suggest what she could get for her preschool son, for the only thing she could think of was a video game. The author suggested a playstand, some cotton cloths, some baskets filled with clothespins, crystals, etc. The mother thought this was weird, but she did it. Well, was she ever surprised that her son LOVED these gifts, and spent all Christmas day playing happily with his sister!! We CAN be simple with our children, and because if it, they CAN be creative and happy. Do yourself and your children a favor and read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Warmth and wisdom, insight and know-how - Beyond the Rainbow Bridge - Nurturing Our Children from Birth to Seven has it all! Small wonder, then, that this book has already become a treasured resource in classrooms and homes worldwide: parents and teachers have finally found what they were looking for.

Anyone dedicated to raising healthy children to responsible adulthood will discover a wealth of information that both inspires and affirms. For instance, Barbara Patterson's characterizations of the different stages of early childhood development are nothing less than remarkable. Not only do they offer vivid, "close-in" looks at the world from the viewpoint of children at different ages, but more importantly, Patterson's grandmotherly warmth and decades of teaching experience bring the world of the young child to life with an enthusiasm that makes understanding immediate and clear. With her lively developmental account as a foundation, her suggestions for creative discipline flow straight off the page and right into the reader's heart, with a resonance of, "Yes, of course. That's so true, so obvious!"

Patterson also focuses on the life-giving, uprightness-inspiring qualities of two aspects of children's lives that are seldom addressed as a tandem pair: creative play and daily routine. She so beautifully demonstrates that, while creative play would be invaluable simply for the joy it offers children, in fact it offers them much, much more. Through example after example, Patterson shows that play is the young child's most important avenue of exploration of the adult world. Given an environment that supports openly creative play, without a lot of pre-defined games and limiting roles (in other words, without the television character/action figure sort of toys that lend themselves to only one sort of play), children naturally invent imaginative settings where they can try out new experiences, process emotions, imitate adults at work, and learn to care about others and the world. They will do this over and over again, until they "get it" and move on to the next setting of interest.

Barbara Patterson then goes one step further and offers a counterpoint to the limitless horizons of creative play, namely, daily routine. Where creative play enables a child to comprehend, practice, and master the full breadth of human experience, daily routine offers children security and assurance that the world is a purposeful, meaningful place to live in while at the same time guiding our children toward becoming both responsive and responsible to the needs of society and the Earth. As Patterson's examples reveal, children who can rely upon meals served at the same time each day, a good nap in the afternoon, and a set bedtime complete with a ritual of stories, verses, or prayers grow secure and firm in their bodies and emotions. They also experience that there are times when we humans are called upon to leave the limitless possibilities of self-expression and serve the needs of both others and ourselves. Beyond the Rainbow Bridge is unique in its presentation of creative play and daily routine as the in-breath and out-breath of human life.

Rainbow Bridge is filled with many other perspectives that offer an invigorating and successful approach to the quandaries of childrearing. Readers are introduced to the lifelong significance of keeping a child warm. Here Patterson has invited Andrea Rentea, M.D., an alternative medicine practitioner, to give parents and teachers a fuller explanation of why young children need to be kept warm. Hint: it's not just because they might catch cold, though that is certainly a possibility. The longer-term reasons have, on the one hand, to do with offering the best possibility of developing efficient and healthy metabolic, respiratory, and nervous systems by not placing undue stress on children's bodies too early. On the other hand, keeping a child warm has another equally profound outcome - it can help prevent the adult phenomenon of being so "shut down" that the child-become-adult can no longer sense her body's signals that an adjustment in diet, clothing, etc. is needed.

Patterson also borrows from Rudolf Steiner and describes twelve human senses, not five. At the turn of the century, it was far from a foregone conclusion that humans possessed only five senses - each scientist and philosopher felt free to look at human sensory experience and develop a description of the senses that corresponded to that reality. The most common descriptions offered five, seven, nine, eleven and twelve senses. Patterson supports Steiner's view that attributing twelve senses to the human being is the most useful model for educational work. Now readers throughout the world can discover this multi-layered approach to raising healthy children. Patterson fully describes each sense, then offers practical suggestions for fostering the development of each. The result? A well-rounded human being whose body, soul, and spirit have all been blessed by those who love them.

Reading Beyond the Rainbow Bridge is an exhilarating experience - filled with revelation and delight, told with grandmotherly warmth by a seasoned teacher, and accompanied by practical suggestions that really work! Charming drawings and photos add an extra dimension to this professionally acclaimed book - no one engaged in parenting or teaching young children will want to miss it!

Finally, a parenting book that makes sense! In a gentle, easy, and non-threatening way this book teaches the importance of creative play, the necessity of daily routine, and the merits of creative discipline. The suggestions work and are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle. As the mother of a preschool child I found this book to be reassuring and comforting. Learning to use statements with the directive "You may" as in "You may put on your shoes now" produced immediate results -- as did limiting choices, which ultimately made everyone feel more secure.

This is a phenomenal book -- it belongs on every parents nightstand, on bookshelves in our schools, and as required reading for elementary educators. I recommend this book to expectant parents, parents with young children, and anyone who values and understands the importance of a nurturing environment for children.

I purchased this book because I want to get my hands on anything about Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) education. But had I never heard of Waldorf schooling, I still would have devoured this book! It is an easy read- not bogged down with philosophy or too preachy. Some books I have read about the Waldorf method left me feeling terribly guilty that my son has ever laid eyes on a television set or that he has a room full of plastic, battery operated toys. Instead, the authors give solid reasons why television watching and cold hard plastic toys with only one use can be harmful to the developing young child, and offer alternatives to TV and unimaginative toys.

By breaking down the age groups into 0-2, 2-5, and 5-7, Barbara Patterson, a Waldorf educator, is able to suggest developmentally appropriate activties and toys, and describe in detail how the young child develops physically, emotionally, and spiritually at each age.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on "Creative Discipline" (Who couldn't use a few new ideas with preschoolers!) where she explains how reforming the space around the child, (i.e. changing specific things about the child's surroundings)serves as both prevention and correction for misbehavior.

I was impressed with Barbara's apparent love and respect for children, something that sadly seems to be missing in many parenting books. Her focus is on understanding how and when children develop and the importance of raising happy and capable children, not just ones that do as they are told.

A bonus I didn't expect when I ordered this book is the appendix with illustrated directions for creating toys that foster imagination and creative play, like the knot doll, puppets, and even directions for finger knitting (something I forgot 16 years ago!)

I highly recommend this book for teachers and caregivers of young children, parents, grandparents, expectant parents, and anyone who has young children in their lives that they care about.

This book seems to get great reviews, but I just wasn't terribly impressed. There aren't a lot of nitty gritty details in the book. It really just seems like one big general overview....which I wanted much more than that. Particularly annoying are the dialogue sections at the end of each chapter between her and "parents". These parents ask her some good pointed questions and in her replies, she never answers the question. I don't know how many times I thought...yeah, I wonder that too...only to have her evade the tough question and come off sounding like an authoritative know-it-all. There are some good parts to it, like her description of the senses and about rhythms, but overall I would recommend other books on the subject before this one. You Are Your Childs First Teacher by Dancy is much much better!

I agree with the reviewer that said one should take this book with a grain of salt.
The idea of giving a young child lots of time to play and a simple, natural environment to do that in is a good idea. However, we cannot shield our children entirely from the outside world of noisy electronic devices and any kind of machine whatsoever. If you read the book, you get the sense that even playing a CD or using a vacuum cleaner is unhealthy exposure for children seven and under. I think our kids will survive!
The part about leaving your kids at home when going to the mall, if possible, is wise advice. I know my kids' senses get overloaded in those places!
This isn't the most practical of books, but it does gently point the reader toward creating an environment of peace, order, and simplicity for our children to grow up in. We can all lean a bit more in that direction.

This is a goooood book. Very inspiring. Easy and quick to read. Well laid out, so I can go back and re-read stuff; like her great reading suggestions! I'm going to throw the word gentle in here. It's as if she's right there holding your hand and encouraging you....I mean me. Good, good, good.

I think this book is very insightful in alternative ways of parenting. It makes you stand back a minute and think of how your child might percieve our parental actions. Often it is hard for an adult to see through the eyes of a child. This helps a bit. It is not something that you need to strictly adhere to, they are ideas that you may try to incorporate into your style of parenting. Whether you are going the Waldorf route or not, I think many parents can gather insight about parenting from this...(A side note to the tub cleaning reviewer - try biodegradable cleaning products or give your son a bucket full of soapy water and a sponge, or a spray bottle filled with plain water, he doesn't need to know that he doesn't have the same cleaning solution that you do...it's the fact that he wants to clean with you...someday he won't want to do all these things with you...and you'll fondly look back on the times that he did - that we all need to remember.)

This is a wonderful book. Full of inspiring information on ways of play. Learning about teaching methods of Waldorf Education is a wonderful treasure everyone could use daily. Very well written and also FAQ that really help as well. I have recomended this book to a few people and I will continue to tell anyone with or without children who are interested in changing teaching methods. Full of Love and Kindness.

A good introduction to the Waldorf philosophy and approach regarding the developmental stage from birth to age 6 or 7. Even if you are not "into" Waldorf or anthroposophy (the underlying philosophy of Waldorf education), there are helpful tips contained in this little book. It is somewhat "Waldorf light", which is good for those who don't subscribe to or believe in all elements of Waldorf education and anthroposophy.

I have referred many times to the suggestions regarding age-appropriate stories, and which fairy & folk tales to introduce at what age. The "rainbow bridge" story itself has become a special part of birthday celebrations in our family.

There are also some helpful, though not in-depth, tips on discipline.

A lot of the book is in question-and-answer format.