DREAMERS
10:00am – 3:00pm Fridays
Dreamers / Ages 5 - 6
Scroll down to view more detailed class descriptions for our 5-6 age group.
Main Lesson Teacher: Katie Locke
Students join us on Fridays from 10:00am to 3:00pm for a Waldorf-inspired schedule that includes circle time, music, nature walks, arts and crafts, language arts, pre-literacy and pre-math activities, snack and lunch time and outdoor playtimes. There is a rhythm to our school days that is soothing and fun for the students.
Our 5-6 class is Waldorf-based and developmentally appropriate, using various Waldorf curricula as selected by the teacher. Parents can use their choice of curriculum and still gain the benefits of a Waldorf-inspired enrichment program. We believe a play-based environment is most beneficial for this age so children can develop to their fullest potential before academic work begins. Our activities are centered around imaginative play, arts and crafts, seasonal activities, nature play and exploration, and rich literature and stories. Pre-literacy and pre-math skills are infused into many of our activities.
Our curriculum is centered on the following research, and we think these articles will also be beneficial to families at home:
"Improving Children’s Health through Play: Exploring Issues and Recommendations" By Joan Almon, A Collaboration between Alliance for Childhood and US Play Coalition.
Resources on play from NAEYC
From the Online Waldorf Library, "Why Children Need to Play in School."
The Waldorf classroom is the bridge between family and school life. The early childhood student learns through imitative and creative play in a warm, homelike environment. Social skills are developed as children play side by side, listening and sharing and helping one another. Rest and circle time follow morning free play and cleanup. The teacher leads nature walks, games, poems, seasonal songs and little dramas, which work in the children to integrate their whole being.
Each day has an artistic activity which creates a soothing weekly rhythm for the child. Activities include watercolor painting, drawing, beeswax modeling, seasonal crafts, sewing and finger knitting. Hearing a fairy tale, acting it out, or seeing a puppet play completes the morning. Capable and loving teachers specializing in Waldorf education for the early years plan the school life with the child's special talents and needs in mind.
Main Lesson, Lunch, Yoga, Handwork, Art, Main Lesson (continued)
MAIN LESSON- Main lessons will be centered around engaging stories. Craft projects, practice with writing, and sharing with the class may all be infused into this time. Students will also get to participate in imaginative play, letter and number exploration, seasonal observations, and handwork activities. Additional main lesson activities are outlined below.
Circle Time- The teacher will lead the class through movement games, songs, and poetry recitation.
Art- There will be a focus on artistic activities that encourage the child’s natural sense of beauty and color.
Outdoor and Play Times- These activities will be incorporated into the day.
YOGA/MINDFULNESS- This class begins with an alignment-based yoga practice to build strength, mobility, and body awareness. We then take those physical skills to our mental and emotional lives. We learn skills to help us regulate emotions, navigate fear, increase self-compassion and self-confidence, and strengthen our relationships.
HANDWORK- Students will work with an experienced handwork teacher to cultivate patience, focus and perseverance all while strengthening their fine motor skills and self-confidence. Examples of handwork include hand sewing, weaving and finger knitting.
ART- In this class we will investigate and experiment with different mediums through process art. Process art focuses on the creative process rather than the end result. Students will familiarize themselves with different techniques and how the materials respond. By doing so, they are able to gain confidence in their creative expression.
Waldorf Festivals
Our students spend time preparing for Waldorf festivals and holidays. These are special times to learn about and celebrate. This will be times for storytelling, art, crafting, literature, poetry, song, and excitement. Examples of festivals or seasonal days include Martinmas, Michaelmas, Christmas, Candlemas, St. Nicholas Day, May Day, and more. We will work on crafts and art projects to further enhance your family celebrations at home. We will not focus on the religious aspects at school, but encourage you make it your own at home however works best for your family. These special festivals are integral to the rhythm of life and passing of the seasons. In celebrating seasonal holidays, the goal is to develop in the child (and adult) a sense of the rhythm of the seasons and the passage of time, and a sense that there is something bigger than himself.
“The original idea of any sacred festival is to make the human being look upward from his dependence on earthly things to those things that transcend the Earth.” – Rudolf Steiner
Even more than that, though, we take these moments as opportunities to show gratitude both for the time we’ve been granted together, and anticipation of the gifts of time that lies ahead.
Waldorf Answers explains our focus on festivals further:
“Seasonal festivals serve to connect humanity with the rhythms of nature and of the cosmos. The festivals originated in ancient cultures, yet have been adapted over time. To join the seasonal moods of the year, in a festive way, benefits the inner life of the soul. Celebrating is an art. There is joy in the anticipation, the preparation, the celebration itself, and the memories.”