Customer Reviews

Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children

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As a new mom (my son is now 1 year old), I was searching for information on how to raise a child in todays overly technological society. The first book about raising children that I read was "You Are Your Child's First Teacher," by Baldwin Dancy. I found this book to be very difficult to read, and I wanted more how to apply the information instead of so much theory.

The next book was "Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, Nurturing our Children from Birth to Seven," by Patterson, Bradley & Riordan. This was a great intro to Waldorf style parenting. It was a quick, easy read with a lot of good information, but again it left me wanting to know more about how to implement the ideas of fesivals & rhythms.

I finally purchased "Heaven on Earth" (recommended by a Waldorf kindergarten teacher at a parenting meeting I went to), and I finally found what I'm looking for. This book has the theory, talks about how children learn, is easy to read, and has all the how to information I was looking for. She gives the elements of festivals, then goes step by step through a few sample festivals, including a fall apple festival and an Easter festival (which I plan to do this year).

She talks about toys, gives sample stories to tell children at different ages, talks about discipline, rhythms, how to set up an indoor play space and how to set up an outdoor play space, how to incorporate children into your daily chores and much more.

It would be very difficult to incorporate everything she talks about in this book, but it's easy to pick and choose a few things you want to improve or change. I knew I wanted to do some annual festivals, but had no idea where to start. I love her ideas for children's birthdays, Christmas and Easter.

Perhaps the most important and useful feature of this book is the appendix. Here you can find websites and sources for children's natural toys & dolls, art & craft supplies, wool longjohns, cloth diapers, organic skin care and much more. She also includes a pattern to make a simple doll.

I would highly recommend this to any parent of children under the age of 7.

I am a Christian mother with an academic career who has chosen to spend the first years of my children's lives with them. I am not into Waldorf, but this is a brilliant book. The peculiarly devout but religious-averse overlay of the book can easily be overlooked if you like; you can adapt what Oppenheimer says to your own worldview (and she certainly leaves room for this). I found the suggestions on how to create home rhythms and traditions invaluable. Suggestions here led me to give my three-year-old girl a real little hammer for her birthday, along with simple short nails with big heads and a few tree stumps -- to her great delight. I don't need a step-by-step manual for anything, just good ideas, so I love reading books for parents of young children from a wide range of perspectives -- but this has to be my favorite of all such books I've read so far in terms of quality and number of ideas. Lots of resource links in the back of the book are an extra plus! By the way, this is my first review on Amazon, because as a mother of little kids only a brilliant book could motivate me to dedicate time to writing a review. Thanks, Sharifa Oppenheimer!

This book is a wonderful resource to own if you are a parent of young children, a nanny or preschool teacher, or a grandparent. I wish that I had had this book when my own children were small. Not only does it share developmental understanding about children, it gives actual activities with enough examples for the caregiver to implement. I was a preschool teacher and nanny for many years, and I am even familiar with many of the Waldorf ideas, but this book really makes the whole experience accessible! I learned so much!

I love the notes in the margins to help find information quickly, or as a reminder once you have read the book. It is a book that I could see going back to over and over. One of the ideas that I loved was the one about helping children through problems. Instead of telling them what to do, or talking about it with them, tell them a story using their toy animals and such, letting the protagonist animal have their same issue. That way they can see their own issue dramatized and they can take it in so much easier and with less stress. No lecturing...just a story. How's that for a great idea? (I know the Native Americans often problem solve with stories, but I could never figure out how to do it "naturally." Now I know!) And that's just ONE of the ideas.

The book also gives ideas for the day to day rhythms of family life, seasonal celebrations and birthdays. It reignited my respect for the magical essence of young children, and my passion to help them flourish!

This book is a keeper.

This book is probably not ideal if you take a mainstream approach to education and child rearing. You might still find some good ideas, but it is quite a different way of thinking.

We ordered this book because were interested in an introduction to the Waldorf method of schooling/learning. There are lots of great ideas in here about activities for you and your children, how to create an environment that fosters creativity, the way that play shapes children's life and learning, etc. I really found some of the guidance helpful. However, we found as many challenges in the book as we did strengths.

First, the Waldorf method of learning and teaching is pretty specific. The author writes as if there is a specific way that you SHOULD structure your child's world in order for him/her to learn and grow and, essentially, for him or her to turn out well. It isn't so much presented as ONE way of raising children, but the best way and one of the only ways in order for your children to turn out well. And it is very specific about things that just don't seem like that big of a deal: she goes on for pages about the sort of clothes that are best for children to wear. I mean, okay, of course you want your kids to have comfortable clothes, but the time spent on really specific things like this seems to be a bit much.

Second, this book assumes that everyone must live in the country and have enough time and money to design very specific sorts of play environments for their children. There is a whole industry of buying specifically Waldorf toys and learning materials, which is the last thing we need: more specific, expensive things to buy. Also, if you live in an urban area - or, heaven forbid - a slum like so many children around the world - this book could make you feel like a bad parent because your kids don't have sand, water, hills, grasses, and bushes all put in a specific configuration. This raises a more general point that the book is pretty classist. It ASSUMES so much about the readers - time, energy, certain physical space, resources, etc. And it isn't as if this is just ONE WAY you CAN do things, but it is written as if this is THE WAY you need to do it so your kids turn out well.

Also, we were pretty shocked to find that the book suggests that, as an alternative to "war games" you children can play "hunting games" or "Native American" games. We find it rather racist to suggest that children should play games based on an ethnicity or that "hunting games" (oh! let's kill the innocent animals and watch them bleed and die) are somehow a lot better for children than "war games."

Anyway, I sound harder on this book that I mean to be. I guess we just discovered that Waldorf education is a very specific and regimented way of raising your kids if you follow it carefully and that it has some good ideas, but overall isn't exactly what we were looking for. Again, some good ideas, but overall the tone of the book was problematic for us.

This book came highly recommended to me by another mother because of the concrete tips and ideas for enriching young children's lives. On that front, the book does deliver: from creating bed-time rituals to free/repurposed toys to outdoor wonderlands, there are plenty of ideas to use as a springboard for your own family. The downside is that the author has some of her own biases, which she seems to pass to readers as truth without giving any scientific evidence. I can forgive the preaching, however, as there are so many other great ideas in the book.

What a beautiful book, whether or not you are believers of the Waldorf philosophy on education (we are). My son is 4; I only wish I had read it much sooner to offer him some of the beautiful ways of the book. And I say some, because not all of it is for everyone - but take what makes sense. I am giving it as a gift to two friends who are just pregnant. I think if we all took a bit from this type of book it would be a much better world in which to raise children.

I absolutely loved this book. I am the parent of a young child and feel so fortunate to now have this resource to consult throughout my daughter's childhood. Ms. Oppenheimer has provided parents an easy to use, well-written book with so many ideas for enriching the lives of young children. I loved the suggestions on nighttime rituals, family festivals and the science behind movement and play. I will be turning to this book many times for guidance and suggestions.

This book is hands down the best gift for anyone that works with young children. The photography is very nicely done, and Sharifa does such a nice job addressing all of the important aspects of day to day life with young children. I love the Waldorf approach, but sometimes find it to be a little too up in the clouds. This book isn't like that. She paints a beautiful picture and inspires you to create the best environment possible for your children or the children in your care. Before you buy anything else related to waldorf parenting, try this one first.

Just what I was looking for. Offers practical suggestions and also explains the theory in just enough detail.

This was a delightful book to read! Insightful on many levels, not just "waldorf-y," but applicable to all young children. I enjoyed the layout of the book, an easy read that also gives you much to consider. One of the best "parenting"/waldorf books I have read so far. This deserves a space on your shelf.