Our programs strive to achieve a balance between free play and enrichment activities to encourage independence and the joy in joining together as a group. We encourage natural talents and, for the young child, learning about the world through the gift of imitation, fantasy, and invention.

 

Curriculum and Philosophy

 

CURRICULUM

I recognize the significance of experiences in early childhood for an individual’s later development and use age appropriate approaches for teaching. The curriculum is based on the ideas of Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner whose insights into the developing consciousness of the human being have now been verified by modern neuro-physiological studies. Researchers such as Jane Healy, David Elkind and Joseph Chilton Pearce, among others, have written extensively on the importance of play for the healthy and holistic development of children.

Power of Play

Play as the serious work of childhood, and learning by doing provides the foundation for active imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking. The goal is to build the foundation for cognitive learning through a variety of play and work activities.

Journey Through the Seasons

Journeying with the children through the seasons of the year, through festivals, gardening, and craft activities, we bring a sense of wonder and reverence for nature. Through cooperative and careful work indoors and outdoors we encourage respect for both the environment and one another.

Baking, Painting, and More

Concentration, small muscle development, and eye-hand coordination are all essential to reading and writing. Activities that promote these skills include baking, braiding, finger crocheting, sewing, modeling with beeswax, crayoning, watercolor painting, and others.

Storytelling

A further contribution to language development is our practice of storytelling. In this way the child’s memory is developed along with a sense for the beauty and expressiveness of language. Some stories are presented as puppet plays.

Poetry and Singing

Daily circle time features poems, games, and songs that further build language skills and also provide the basis for mathematics skills through counting games and rhymes.

Outdoor Gardening

Gardening is a wonderful and enriching experience for the children. Throughout the seasons the children, faculty and parents all are able to assist in planting at the school. Each class tends to its own garden plots by planting various bulbs, flowers, and vegetables during the spring and fall. As a result, the children are able to see for themselves the fruits of their labor. They enjoy decorating the classroom with the flowers, and eating the vegetables for snack!

PHILOSOPHY

Based on the spiritual-scientific research of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, scientist, and educator, Waldorf education is an independent school movement with over 800 schools worldwide. Steiner was one of the first educators to recognize the significance of early childhood on an individual’s later development and to devise age appropriate approaches for teaching.

The Waldorf educational philosophy stems from Steiner’s now widely accepted theory that learning in these critical early years does not come from traditional instructional methods, but is centered around the unconscious imitation of the child’s environment and experiences absorbed through all of his or her senses. Steiner also believed an early emphasis on intellectual (cognitive-analytical) work robs energy needed for physical growth and development, a vital process inherent to early childhood.

Thus, non-academic programs which nurture imitative and imaginative play, social and physical activity, and an appreciation for beauty and nature endow children with a strong sense of self and a platform for success in later academic pursuits by building sound logical reasoning, mental capabilities, and a reverence for life. Let children be children!