Early Childhood Curriculum Approach
The Waldorf Early Childhood seminars include a study of child development from birth to seven years of age as indicated by Rudolf Steiner's spiritual science. From this basis the students will study the pedagogical laws of childhood and begin the journey into the kingdom of childhood. The students will explore the tone, gesture, and mood that are required in creating an environment which will protect, nurture and strengthen the developing sensory system of the child. They will be immersed in various artistic activities related to movement, living substances and nature itself. Such activities include puppetry and doll-making, kinderharp and song-writing, storytelling, circle games, finger plays, life and craft activities and setting up a kindergarten for the rhythms of the year. Students will learn about the importance of rhythm in caring for the child's formative forces. These rhythms include daily and weekly activities as well as seasonal and festival events during the year. Furthermore, the students will learn how to communicate and work with parents since the pre-school and kindergarten are often a family's first encounter with Waldorf Education.
Grades Curriculum Approach
The seminars for grades teachers approach each subject in a manner which elucidates the principles of Waldorf pedagogy within the context of child developmental stages. The essentials of each subject are taught without necessarily teaching a totality of any given subject. The curriculum presentation sequence moves through the grades, from first to eighth, as much as possible. Gradually, it becomes apparent that each subject is a vehicle through which the living, evolving process of education occurs; and teaching and the approach to each subject begin to permeate the students' experience and build a consistent evolving picture across the whole eight years.