Wow. I'm glad you asked. I totally forgot that the activity I do with conic sections in clay came from my Waldorf teaching days.
Waldorf is a mixed bag and was not for me in the long run-- but, I held on to the physical, crafty, creative approach to teaching math. (the more new-age stuff... eh... I left that behind)
Part of the teaching philosophy is that kids need to *make* things to understand them. This is true -- and something worth spreading.