Purple Day is a podcast from Storytime in the Schoolhouse. Our Purple Day episodes are the audio from Storytime’s Monday episodes. Purple Day is a podcast program for preschoolers and young children and includes a weekly rhythm of nature-based songs and stories.

This Week on Purple Day

This week on the Purple Day podcast we sing songs about gnomes and winter animals then we listen to a nature-based, Waldorf-inspired tale. Purple Day...

Welcome Spring

Spring is coming, spring is coming.

Birdies build your nest.

Weave together straw and feather,

doing each your best.

Friends, spring is just around the corner. Can you feel it?

In celebration of warmer weather, we at Little Round Schoolhouse wanted to share a FREE FULL Storytime in the Schoolhouse episode with you!

It is our hope that this Storytime video brings joy and warmth to your Monday. As we...

February 2nd is the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Humans have recognized this point in the turn of the seasons throughout time. The celebrations for this time of year have many names depending on your beliefs: Candlemas, St. Brigid’s Day, Imbolc; there is a Chinese Spring Festival and a Japanese Lantern Festival.

Isn’t it amazing to consider that humans around the world throughout time have...

September is officially here and we can really feel the seasons shifting in the southern Appalachians. Daylight is quickly decreasing and our mornings and evenings are much cooler. For many of us, we are shifting back into school year routines and trying to find our rhythm again.

Many families are telling me they are in need of solid, grounding rhythms as the world around them feels anything but that!

If life feels out of control, it can be...

Enjoy this free puppet show from Miss Becca and Storytime in the Schoolhouse! The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle is an old story written by Beatrix Potter. You can see the written version of the story here. 

This puppet show was originally a part of a full week of Storytime. I consider this tale to be a pedagogical tale--a teaching story--as it imparts joy for cleaning and helping others. During our week of Storytime, we learned some cleaning...

Developmentally Appropriate Chores for Children

An important part of what we teach our children is the care for their home and belongings. In my Waldorf-inspired preschool program, we worked together to do the chores each day. Parents often ask me what chores are appropriate for their child. I complied this list so you could begin to consider how your children might help out around the home. 

I also encourage you to check out the...

This video shares with you the process I follow to plan and create circle times for my early childhood Waldorf classroom. I will walk you through the steps I take to create, plan, and practice my circle times. It is my hope that you can follow these same steps and create a circle time for your classroom or program.

Miss Becca's Circle Time Creation Steps:

1. Plan the shell or outline

2. Consider the flow

3. Learn the songs and poems

4....

Circle time is present in every Waldorf class I have visited and seems foundational to the educational model. But what is circle time and why do we do it?

In this video, I will paint a picture of what circle time looked like in my early childhood classroom and then share the benefits of circle time. This video is for you if you are a teacher or parent who is curious about circle time and considering adding a circle time to your daily...

In Waldorf early childhood, we take take learning seriously. It may not look like direct academic learning with worksheets and lessons about letters and numbers but this doesn't mean learning isn't happening. Quite the contrary! 

We hear a lot about "learning opportunities" as parents of young children and many well-meaning parents create learning opportunities out of all possible moments. In this video, I challenge...

 Five ingredients for getting your children to help tidy

After leading Little Round Schoolhouse for over a decade, it was clear we were doing something right when it came to getting children to help tidy up. These elements are easy to bring home to your children and family to increase cooperation and enjoyment around tidying and cleaning up.

Five key ingredients:

1. Have a consistent and predictable rhythm around...

Children feel calmer and less anxious when they know what to expect during their days and weeks. However, time can feel slippery and confusing to children; especially when the names of the days of the week all sound the same (in English). 

If you’ve been hanging out in Waldorf circles or spaces for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed the use of the colors of the day. The teachers and parents talk about the days of the...