Preparation Pays

Monday is paint day this summer.

I find the most important step in this crazy Waldorf journey is all the prep work. I have always been more of a “pull stuff together at the last minute ” type of person and that just doesn’t work as a home schooler using Steiner’s pedagogy.

For me, preparing for the day starts the week and day before. At the end of the previous week, I will look over what I have planned and make sure I have all the supplies needed. I will also practice anything that I need to review so I’m prepared. This helps set the tone for me so I feel well prepared, and allows me to make adjustments when I see we aren’t ready for something or I’m not quite ready to teach something. The heads up for myself is worth gold, because it gives me the space I need to make new plans.

Many people wake early each day to prepare for their lessons, but the children and I wake together in the morning, so preparing in the morning doesn’t work for me. What I do instead is each evening, I will collect the supplies needed for the next day and have them ready to go. For painting that means collecting paints, brushes, paper, sponges, cloths, painting boards and a jar for each of us. We are currently reading King Arthur, and today’s painting is an oil resist of the sword in the stone. That means I’ll need to add pastel to the list of required tools.

This little bit of prep work keeps things running smoothly and keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and scattered because things aren’t collected. It doesn’t come naturally to me and is something I work at building into my routine. But it helps me to hold the space and meet my children calmly.

How do you prep for the day?

Edited to add: Our finished paintings!