the waldorf holiday faire, and education

we did go to the waldorf holiday faire on saturday afternoon, and we had a really nice time. we're still learning what waldorf is all about, and thinking about options for school in the kids' future, and i thought of our day sort of as an information-gathering outing. we loved the campus, which is out near lake whatcom (about a ten minute drive from our house) and involves a few school buildings and some wonderful play structures in the sprawling yard. noah had lots of fun climbing up the various treehouse-like structures in the yard. we also watched a puppet show (done with needle-felted animals) of the jan brett book "the mitten," and went mining for crystals in the gnome mine that the children had built. there were lots of craft options as well, but noah was running out of steam and probably wouldn't have had much patience for making felt ornaments or candle-holders. but we did buy a panel of blue beeswax with the intention of making our own candle. all the different colored beeswax laid out on the tables was so beautiful!

the main asset i see so far in waldorf education is the value they put on childlikeness. i love that imaginative play is so integral to everything they do--from the puppet shows to the dolls to the treehouse structures in the yard. i want my children to learn in a space where they are allowed to be children for as long as possible. i also appreciate the waldorf school dress code, which is pretty specific but mostly disallows any advertisements or violent images, and expects modesty. what a relief, especially as i think of dressing isla as she grows! i also love all the colors and textures that are part of waldorf life: play silks, wool and felt, beeswax, wood, etc. and i appreciate the importance of celebration and fun, having festivals to mark the changing seasons and important holidays. i'm sure this helps children understand time and change, and to accept the passing of old things and the coming of new.

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here's what wikipedia says about waldorf education for preschool to age 6 or 7:

Waldorf schools approach learning in early childhood through imitation and example. Extensive time is given for guided free play in a classroom environment that is homelike, includes natural materials and provides examples of productive work in which children can take part; such an environment is considered by Waldorf pedagogues to be supportive of the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of the child through assimilative learning. Outdoor play periods are also generally incorporated into the school day, with the intention of providing children with experiences of nature, weather and the seasons of the year. In Waldorf schools oral language development is addressed through songs, poems and movement games. These include daily story time when a teacher usually tells a fairytale, often by heart. Waldorf kindergartens and lower grades discourage exposure to media influences such as television, computers and recorded music, as they believe these to be harmful to cognitive development in the early years.

The education emphasizes early experiences of daily and annual rhythms, including seasonal festivals drawn from a variety of traditions. Though Waldorf schools in the Western Hemisphere have traditionally celebrated Michaelmas and Martinmas in the autumn, Christmas in winter, Easter and May Day in the spring, and St. John's Day in summer, Western schools are now incorporating an increasingly wide range of cultural and religious traditions, and schools located where Jewish, Buddhist, or Islamic traditions are dominant celebrate festivals drawn from these cultures.
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last year while we were at the julian house we participated in a lantern walk for martinmas with the wassells, carlson-liers and some neighbors. the kids all made their own paper lanterns, which we lighted and held out as we walked around the neighborhood and sang. it was really lovely.

here are some of the lanterns

and here's little noah with his lantern in the dark

one thing i don't love about the waldorf school in bellingham is that it's not very close by. i know ten minutes isn't much of a drive, but there are lots of preschools and schools within walking distance. there's also a bilingual spanish preschool nearby that i haven't checked out at all yet, but i do like the idea of helping noah learn a language very early on. and our church has a preschool and school, which we also haven't looked into much yet. i love the idea of our christian faith and the liturgy of the church year being an integral part of noah's education. but i also like the idea of participating in the public school system, which i think is a great way to learn about people different from us, and is a good use of public resources.

and then of course there's the issue of money! any preschool and any private school would require it, and we really don't have much. but some preschools and private schools do offer financial aid, so it might be possible.

and i also know some parents think it's best to keep their children at home for as long as possible... and while i'm not necessarily in a rush for noah to begin some formal education, i do think he and i both benefit from a little time apart, and from interaction with different types of people and learning environments.

so much to think about! i know we still have lots of time, but it feels good to begin this discernment process. what do you all think about education for your children? what do you do, or what do you plan to do?