Anyone go to a Waldorf pre-school?

June2007 · February 2012

I am on board with many unconventional practices (we are looking into a Reggio Emilia inspired school or a Montessori) but I was just pointed in the direction of a Waldorf school not too far from where we are. It looks... interesting? I might check out one of their parent mornings just to see what its all about.

Anyway, what is a day like in a Waldorf pre-school? Is there anything that stands out to you that your chlid gets at this type of school that s/he wouldn't get at a different type of school?

Here is a link to this school

jlw2505 · February 2012

I don't know anything about the Waldorf preschools but my older DD is in a Reggio Emilia PreK and it is amazing!

June2007 · February 2012

fredalina:
Honestly, their anthroposophic principles scare me. The spirituality behind no black crayons, not teaching reading until age 7, etc would keep me away from most Waldorfs. I might consider one for preschool only if they were more laid back than very strict Waldorfs.

Wow. I didnt know these (bolded) things. I haven't even looked into what constitutes Waldorf as I didn't know of any around me until our recent move. Yikes, I definitely am not ok with any of that.

wheelsonthebus · February 2012

fredalina:
Honestly, their anthroposophic principles scare me. The spirituality behind no black crayons, not teaching reading until age 7, etc would keep me away from most Waldorfs. I might consider one for preschool only if they were more laid back than very strict Waldorfs.

I love it for preschool and maybe even kindergarten. After that, I think it gets a little odd. I love that they play with natural materials, honor the importance of routine, and engage in A LOT of outside time. The children cook and learn about many household chores. I think it's fantastic.

Read2Me · February 2012

My DD goes to a Waldorf "inspired" preschool. I first heard about Waldorf here on the bump and was instantly turned off to it- stories of limiting the colors children were exposed to, limiting literacy (I'm a literacy specialist so this just flat out enraged me!), explaining scientific things by telling children gnomes or trolls did it (seriously??), etc. But the school DD goes to is amazing! I admit we are a bit on the crunchy side so the natural qualities definitely appealed to us. Her classroom composts (both an outdoor bin and indoor worm composting), they use cloth napkins and real plates (no paper products), and most of the toys are wooden but there are some plastic ones. I love that she goes outside every day no matter what the weather unless it is freezing cold. They teach about the value of our earth and taking care of it and making good choices about the environment. Her school does not interfere with her love of reading and her teacher embraces the fact that she wants to learn and nurtures it. If you are interested in a school, your best bet is to visit it during a school day- you will know instantly if it's a good fit for you.

shannm · February 2012

fredalina:
Honestly, their anthroposophic principles scare me. The spirituality behind no black crayons, not teaching reading until age 7, etc would keep me away from most Waldorfs. I might consider one for preschool only if they were more laid back than very strict Waldorfs.

This. There is no reason my kid can't learn to read before he grows his secondary teeth. He doesn't need a "rebirth" first.

ashleyhuney · February 2012

Read2Me:
My DD goes to a Waldorf "inspired" preschool. I first heard about Waldorf here on the bump and was instantly turned off to it- stories of limiting the colors children were exposed to, limiting literacy (I'm a literacy specialist so this just flat out enraged me!), explaining scientific things by telling children gnomes or trolls did it (seriously??), etc. But the school DD goes to is amazing! I admit we are a bit on the crunchy side so the natural qualities definitely appealed to us. Her classroom composts (both an outdoor bin and indoor worm composting), they use cloth napkins and real plates (no paper products), and most of the toys are wooden but there are some plastic ones. I love that she goes outside every day no matter what the weather unless it is freezing cold. They teach about the value of our earth and taking care of it and making good choices about the environment. Her school does not interfere with her love of reading and her teacher embraces the fact that she wants to learn and nurtures it. If you are interested in a school, your best bet is to visit it during a school day- you will know instantly if it's a good fit for you.

Ditto. Their are some "extremists" that follow some of the more interesting principles of no black, no reading until 2nd teeth, etc. but that's really the exception in my experience. Yes, kids the schedule for teaching reading is a little delayed BUT, a couple years down the line there is no difference and they are not going kid to kid checking teeth, lol. The reason behind limiting technology is to first allow a child to establish an imaginative, creative thought process. Kids pick up technology soooo fast, they will not be "behind" not knowing how to play video games at 7. Instead of training a child's mind to be a good utilizer of technology, how about give them the freedom to develop a creative thinking process to create new technology! One of the more brillant young minds I know (app developer) was Waldorf k-12. There is a lot of good there, I'd check it out

Oh, we did Waldorf nursery and preschool until I started SAH a few months ago and now are in a Waldorf inspired preschool. We are not 100% at home, we mix in other philosophies that I like as well like Reggio, Montessori and Charlotte Mason - I am planning on HSing.

June2007 · February 2012

Read2Me:
My DD goes to a Waldorf "inspired" preschool. I first heard about Waldorf here on the bump and was instantly turned off to it- stories of limiting the colors children were exposed to, limiting literacy (I'm a literacy specialist so this just flat out enraged me!), explaining scientific things by telling children gnomes or trolls did it (seriously??), etc. But the school DD goes to is amazing! I admit we are a bit on the crunchy side so the natural qualities definitely appealed to us. Her classroom composts (both an outdoor bin and indoor worm composting), they use cloth napkins and real plates (no paper products), and most of the toys are wooden but there are some plastic ones. I love that she goes outside every day no matter what the weather unless it is freezing cold. They teach about the value of our earth and taking care of it and making good choices about the environment. Her school does not interfere with her love of reading and her teacher embraces the fact that she wants to learn and nurtures it. If you are interested in a school, your best bet is to visit it during a school day- you will know instantly if it's a good fit for you.

Thanks for weighing in. We lean towards the crunchy side of things too so that excites me. I suppose like any school it could be good or bad depending.

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Anyone go to a Waldorf pre-school?

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