Activities

Our activities are inspired by the changing seasons and each week the songs and stories that we use reflect this. We also celebrate festivals throughout the year, from Ramadan, to Easter, to Diwali. Our creative activities move with these themes, for example; we make lavender bags in Autumn and pumpkin lanterns around Halloween and Divas for Diwali.

In a home-like environment, simple domestic activities such as baking, sewing, gardening and cleaning encourage free imitation, whereby the child learns through copying an adult's behaviour. The activities provide a good example for the children, who absorb and then reflect on the moral and ethical actions and values of those around them.

The emphasis on the Kindergarten as a small community helps to foster social skills and gives every child a sense of belonging. Free, imaginative play features strongly throughout our day. A well developed imagination is indispensible for later life. All children love to play and self-initiated play is a natural teacher for the development of interactive skills such as co-operation, empathy and intuition.

We open the day with free play and simultaneously offer another activity in which the children are free to join in with; for example, painting, or sewing. We then tidy up together and have ring time which is where we sing songs and play games as a group. A healthy and organic snack is then served, such as home-made soup, pie or fruit salad, which the children have helped to make.

Afterwards we all go outside to play, whatever the weather! As the session draws to a close it is story time which is often told through a puppet show to ensure that every child can follow.

On Thursdays we have Eurythmy. In this class the children are encouraged to participate in Eurythmy, an art of movement developed by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th Century.

What happens after Kindergarten?

There are many options for you and your child after Kindergarten. Many Steiner children move into mainstream education, and research shows that by nine years old they are often above the UK average in literacy and numeracy skills. Some Steiner children are home schooled, others move to be near Steiner schools; our closest Steiner schools are in Bristol and Hereford.