Where children, ages 2 1/2 - 6, blossom and flourish in an environment filled with play, meaningful work, and healthy rhythms that meet their developmental needs to prepare them for a healthy beginning in elementary education.
Ducks and Ducklings (Parent and Child) Fall Sessions 2024 Fridays 10:00 am-11:30 am 4 week Sessions – Ages 14 months to 3 years*
Fall Session 2- November 1, 8, 15, 22
(For more details or to register see the forms section of our website.)
The Acorn KinderHouse is concerned with the overall development of each child. The Waldorf trained teacher's goal is to provide the children with experiences which can become a part of their lives as well as prepare them for future school tasks.
Our curriculum is informed by the writings of Rudolf Steiner and what has come to be known as Waldorf Education. Through the first years of life young children want to be part of every real activity the grownups do. The children joyfully imitate our daily work of sweeping, gardening, washing, cooking, and beautifying our environment. The teacher involves the children in activities in which the teacher is the model for the child, in meaningful movements and purposeful use of language. In this atmosphere of beauty and rhythm. the teacher works to cultivate the healthy development of the child.
Studies show that children learn about the world through their senses, by watching and listening to the adults in their lives and then imitating them. The Waldorf curriculum strives to provide models that are meaningful and, therefore, the teacher is seen cooking, painting, sewing and building. Children willingly participate in all these activities. Language is also learned through imitation with stories, songs and verses carefully selected for their literary value and social content. Our goal is to bring wholesome sensory experiences that present ideas and actions worthy of imitation. Fine literature, folk tales, nature stories, simple songs and live music are preferred to the overly stimulating sensory images, violence and questionable values that are so common in the media.
Play is an important part of the Waldorf curriculum. It is not just a break from real “work”. It is accurate to think of play as the “work” of children. A child learns social skills, language skills, and motor skills through play. When building, a child is experimenting with principles of science and mathematics such as balance, weight, shapes, measurements and observation. These hands on experiences form a foundation for later academic study in science and math.
Provide educational and environmental opportunities in keeping with the age and abilities of each child.
Help the child to love and work in community with others and acquire social awareness
Provide enriching experiences, which will strengthen imaginative play, creative expression, build character and foundational skills for academic readiness.