A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten ~
Written by Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys
A note from Jamie: While not technically a homeschooling day, this post provides a helpful look into an early childhood Waldorf classroom, largely based on a home atmosphere. Many popular homeschooling curricula spring out of this philosophy, so I greatly appreciate Sarah sharing her expertise with us!
It’s “Soup Day,” in my Waldorf kindergarten class. My assistant and I arrived early to don our aprons and prepare for the day. A basin full of water has been set on the table. Vegetable scrub brushes lay nearby.
A small wooden cutting board, wooden bowl and “crinkle cutter” have been set in front of each chair.
At 8:10, the teachers gather to read the morning verse. We end with Rudolf Steiner’s words, “Receive the children with reverence, educate them with love, let them go forth in freedom.” We are ready to start our day!
A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten
At 8:15, the children begin to arrive, each one proudly carrying a vegetable to add to our “stone soup.” Lucy brings a potato, Aidan brings a carrot. Frances brings broccoli, and Max a beet. It takes a village to make stone soup!
Each child finds her symbol above her hook – it might be a bunny, an apple, the moon, or a squirrel. She hangs up her coat, takes off her outdoor shoes and puts on the soft pair of slippers that is kept at school.
Children then put on a small apron and come to the table where I am seated to help chop vegetables. The conversation is lively as we chop. I begin to sing, “Stone soup, stone soup, cook a pot of stone soup,” as we work.
Photo by Sarah Baldwin
As each child finishes, he brings his bowl of chopped vegetables to my assistant, who adds them to the big pot on the stove. Now it is time to play!
Play Time
Free play is the heart of the morning in a Waldorf kindergarten, and the children waste no time. A trio dons silk capes and crowns, the leader declares “I’m the king, you’re the knight, and you’re the bishop!” They’re off to slay dragons.
One boy pulls out a log stump, and soon others are lined up to take turns jumping off it.
Photo by Sarah Baldwin
Another pair pulls out two wooden playstands, and begin draping them with silks and play cloths, fastening them with chunky wooden clips to create a cozy little home.
The two teachers finish lunch preparations, while two children set the table.
At 9:30 I sing:
Tick Tock goes the clock, what does it have to say?
Time for us to pick up our toys, and put them all away.
The children gradually transition from their play, and begin to fold silks, put shells and stones back in baskets, and move the playstands back to their places. We gather on the rug in the center of the room for circle time.
Circle Time
During circle time, I lead the class through a series of seasonal songs, verses, gestures and movement. The children imitate me. We repeat the same circle every day for two weeks, until the children know every song and gesture by heart, taking pleasure in their mastery.
We end circle with the following verse:
Now the sun has gone to bed,
The stars are shining overhead.
In their nests the birds all sleep,
Into their homes the snails will creep.
Children now no more will roam,
It’s rest time now and we’re safe in our home.
Rest Time
The children lie down on the rug for rest time. I sit in a rocking chair with one child on my lap, who gently strums my kinder lyre. The soothing notes of its pentatonic scale help create a restful mood.
When all are settled, the “wake-up fairy,” a silk marionette, comes to the resting children, one-by-one, to kiss them on the cheek and tell them it’s time to get ready to go outside.
Outside Time
We go outdoors every day – rain or shine, snow or mud. Living in Maine I’ve learned that it’s possible to enjoy being outside even on the coldest of days if one is dressed properly.
In the winter that means wool long underwear covered by lots of layers, down jackets, a warm wool hat and insulated mittens. In the spring (or, as it is known in Maine, “mud season”) it means rain pants and rain boots every day.
Out on the playground, a group of children dig tunnels in the sandbox, others climb a tree, some build fairy houses, a pair sit and talk on top of the big boulder making plans. I rake leaves.
At 11:15, I sing, “Come and follow, follow, follow, me!” The children line up like little ducks behind me as we make our way back to our warm and cozy classroom.
The children hang up their coats, put their slippers on and find a seat in the circle of chairs my assistant has set up. It’s story time!
Story Time
As with circle, I will tell the same story every day for two weeks. Today the children hear the story of “Mother Holle,” a Grimm’s fairy tale.
Throughout the year, the children will hear a variety of fairy tales, folk tales and nature stories (sometimes with puppets), which they listen to with rapt attention, never tiring of the repetition.
Lunch Time
Now it’s time for lunch! We sit at the table, light a candle and say the following verse:
Earth who gives to us this food,
Sun who makes it ripe and good,
Dearest Earth and Dearest Sun.
We’ll not forget what you have done.
And finally we get to enjoy our stone soup, which has been simmering on the stove all day. One lucky child finds the stone in her bowl and gets to make a wish. She then passes it to her neighbor, and all of us around the table will get to make a wish with the magic stone.
Photo by Douglas Mott
After lunch, two children help do the dishes, while the others get dressed to go back outside.
Goodbye
At 1:00, parents have arrived. Children, teachers and parents gather in a big circle, hold hands and sing:
Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye
Now is the time of day
When we all go our way
Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye
We’ll see each other again tomorrow on “Bread Day!”
Find all of Sarah’s Waldorf-inspired posts on Simple Homeschool here.
Are there any elements of my Waldorf kindergarten morning that are similar to your homeschool mornings? Any ideas you’ve gleaned here that you’d like to incorporate into your days? I’d love to hear!
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A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten ~ Written by Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys A note from Jamie: While not technically a homeschooling day, this post provides a helpful look into an early childhood Waldorf classroom, largely based on a home atmosphere. Many popular homeschooling curricula spring out of this philosophy, … Read More organization, day in the life, homeschool day in the life, waldorf Simple Homeschool