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Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children
 
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Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children (Paperback)

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4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Product Description

As we witness the shifting of old forms that once stood as the foundation of our daily lives, parents—who must prepare the next generation to meet this changing world—have more questions now than ever before. Although our culture and the nature of the family may be changing, the atmosphere in the home continues to create the foundation of a child’s life. In Heaven on Earth, parent and educator Sharifa Oppenheimer reveals how to make the home environment warm, lively, loving, and consistent with your highest ideals.

Heaven on Earth balances theoretical understanding of child development with practical ideas, resources, and tips that can transform family life. Readers will learn how to establish the life rhythms that lay the foundation for all learning; how to design indoor play environments that allow children the broadest skills development; and how to create backyard play spaces that encourage vigorous movement and a wide sensory palette. Through art, storytelling, and the festival celebrations, this book is a guide to build a "family culture" based on the guiding principle of love. Such a culture supports children and allows the free development of each unique soul.

Responding to parents’ questions from more than twenty years of teaching, Oppenheimer has created a gift from the heart. This is a practical, inspiring resource that brings her informed, intuitive understanding of young children into the heart of the home.



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.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 235 pages
  • Publisher: Steinerbooks (October 30, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0880105666
  • ISBN-13: 978-0880105668
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #3 in  Books > Nonfiction > Education > Education Theory > Non-Formal Education
    #15 in  Books > Parenting & Families > Family Activities
    #36 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Child Psychology > Development

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Sharifa Oppenheimer
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for parents of small children, March 12, 2008
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.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant hands-on manual with info other books lack, March 20, 2009
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!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had young kids again!, April 9, 2008
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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Ideas, A Bit Too Rigid for Our Taste
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... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Elizabeth

4.0 out of 5 stars Some beautiful ideas, along with some preachiness
This book came highly recommended to me by another mother because of the concrete tips and ideas for enriching young children's lives. Read more
Published 1 month ago by wisco rowers

5.0 out of 5 stars Do-it-yourself Waldorf
Just what I was looking for. Offers practical suggestions and also explains the theory in just enough detail.
Published 3 months ago by mayerpapayer

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't hesitate to buy this book!
This was a delightful book to read! Insightful on many levels, not just "waldorf-y," but applicable to all young children. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jessica N. Eastman

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible gift!
This was a gift from a co-teacher and it has been the best resource I have had in both my teaching and parenting experiences! Read more
Published 13 months ago by W. Wager

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Gift
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... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Patricia Kronzer

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful handbook
This book is easy and interesting to read and full of helpful advice on Waldorf-style parenting. I love it and have recommended it to many parents of young children.
Published on July 3, 2007 by Mamato2girls

4.0 out of 5 stars Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children
What a beautiful book, whether or not you are believers of the Waldorf philosophy on education (we are). Read more
Published on March 19, 2007 by Cynthia Darvin Vega

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for parents!
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. Read more
Published on January 18, 2007 by Sara Marshall

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