The young child is an open sense organ. Everything in the environment penetrates into her very being and affects the developing nervous system. Light, sound, activity and environmental toxins all bombard the young child of today. With the eyes, the child has a means of shutting out this bombardment. She can close her eyelids […]
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Spring is a time for great celebration especially at Maine Coast Waldorf school after the long, cold Maine winters. We dance and sing around the May Pole with crowns of flowers on our heads as an official welcome to spring, but the real celebration with the youngest children is in the daily discoveries. My […]
Read More »This week, we would like to share a few links to articles that explore some of the reasons that we feel time in nature is so essential to children’s healthy development. We make sure all of our classes get plenty of outdoor time- including time in the woods- because we know that even though society […]
Read More »In some ways, it was like an old western. Over the horizon came the seventh grade, and like a herd pulled by invisible strings, the kindergarteners stopped what they were doing and gathered round. The seventh grade, under the guidance of Ms. Chace, were joining us for a romp in the woods. Each kindergartener was paired with a seventh […]
Read More »As they say “baby, it is cold outside!” We are lucky to have four distinct seasons here in New England, but this winter it is cold. How does one actually “enjoy” nature with young children during the winter? As a mother and early childhood teacher I can say that I have found many […]
Read More »Waldorf education takes a developmental approach to education. By that, we mean at certain phases of human development, there are windows of opportunity to develop particular skills and capacities. Missing these developmental moments means a child has to work that much harder to develop what is needed. It is similar to this notion that one can, in fact, grow a […]
Read More »From parenting blogs to neurological studies, people are singing the praises of play these days. For decades, Waldorf education has been a forerunner proponent of play-based education, but what exactly is meaningful play? Is all play created equal? Play is not just the act of “playing” but rather a creative impulse from within. Through play, children […]
Read More »September 19th marked the second week that the Merriconeag Kindergarten ventured into the woods for “Forest Friday”. Wagons full of sand, stones, and tools in tow, we marched up the path towards the clearing that is our home base. Last year’s senior class cleared the trail and built the story circle, put to […]
Read More »Now that the days are so long, it is natural for families to shift their normal daily rhythms. This can be especially true if school helps to form some of the daily and weekly rhythm the rest of the year. Adjusting children’s daily rhythm to take advantage of summer’s gifts of light and warmth is […]
Read More »Early in my Waldorf teacher training, I learned that young children learn through imitation. It has taken me years to come to understand the myriad of ways in which this truth plays out in daily life. Imitation is how children learn to walk, talk, and take on the specific values of their culture. Learning through […]
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