Five-day per week program
Ages three to six. The teachers believe that the mixture of ages is important in fostering healthy play and a sense of responsibility.

Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (children bring their lunch from home) & Friday 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Philosophy and Objectives

The philosophy of Apple Blossom School and Family Center Nursery and Mixed-age Kindergarten is based on the pedagogy developed by Rudolf Steiner, which is common to Waldorf Schools through out the world. Steiner stressed the importance of rich, imaginative play in a child's life.

Our objectives are to create an inviting and enriching space which nurtures the individuality of the growing child. We try to further the healthy development of the whole child by fostering:

• A lively sense of wonder and joy at discovering the world
• A wholesome and creative imagination
• A healthy self-esteem
• Social responsibility and respect for others

The Program

"Rhythm is the bearer of life, and therewith the bearer of health." -Rudolf Steiner

In the Apple Blossom School and Family Center Transitional Nursery and Mixed-age Kindergarten, learning takes place through play, activity and imagination rather than through the introduction of academic subjects. We see how the children are adept imitators by nature and how they absorb everything from their environment through observation and imitation. Therefore, we strive to see that all our actions are worthy of their emulation. Our playthings are made of natural, simple materials - wood, smooth stones, shells, colored cloths - to leave room for the child's imagination to be active. We believe the exercising of healthy fantasy through creative play in the preschool years is an important seed which later flowers into intellectual development.

What do we mean by Rhythm?

In the Transitional Nursery and Mixed-age Kindergarten we "breathe" with the rhythm of the year, of the week, of the day. The morning follows a rhythm that allows the children to expand out into the world through play and come together for a period of focused activity such as circle time, an artistic activity or story time. The children's development is thus fostered not only through play, but through language, music, movement, visual and sculptural arts as well. This repeated daily rhythm provides a sense of warmth and security and nourishes the whole being. Each day and each season brings its own particular rhythm. Whether preparing for the daily snack or the celebration of a seasonal festival there is meaning and enrichment in this early childhood experience.

Daily Rhythm

Each day includes a creative free play time during which children may use the play materials in any safe and reasonable way they wish while teachers gently observe without being intrusive. During this time the teachers are also engaged in meaningful work or classroom tasks in which the children may assist if they so choose. The teachers facilitate the children's play by bringing daily activities. The children are encouraged to help each other solve dilemmas. We encourage cooperation and sharing over competition, and stress concern for all living beings.

The atmosphere we strive for is safe, supportive, warm, non-threatening and non-competitive, yet structured and firm enough to give the children the security and boundaries they need and want at this age. The morning circle includes seasonal songs and poems, rhymes, finger plays and movement. For the daily snack we use organic and biodynamic foods whenever possible.

During outside playtime the children can play in the sandbox, play games in the yard and dig in the garden. We also take walks on the school grounds and try to get a bit of fresh air every day, even if it's rainy or cold, to enjoy nature. Story time includes the telling of animal and nature stories, as well as fairytales. It is significant that the morals are never stated, but rather left to grow and live in the child so that they are allowed to draw conclusions on their own. It is in the telling of the story, rather than the reading, that allows the age-old relationship between child and storyteller to be experienced, and the child is free to visualize the story for themselves rather than looking at an artist conception. With these tales, the story is told for a series of days so that the pictures can grow in the child's own imagination. Then the stories may be enacted as puppet shows or plays in which the children love to play the parts.

Weekly Rhythm

Special weekly activities include: modeling with colored beeswax, watercolor painting, Eurythmy (movement) and drawing with beeswax crayons. Beeswax is a pliable sweet smelling, aesthetically pleasing material that softens with the warmth of the child's hands. Watercolor painting involves a wet-on-wet technique. The emphasis is on the process rather than the product. Through the graceful art of Eurythmy, speech, songs and poems are expressed in movement and the child's whole body is gently exercised.

art by a kindergarten student

Seasonal Rhythm

We celebrate the uniqueness and beauty of the seasons, and seasonal festivals are anticipated and planned with reverence. Each year the children plant a vegetable garden in the spring and harvest the crops for use in the autumn. The classroom has a special table of the seasons as a focal point for the weaving, moving cycles of the year, where the colors and gifts of nature are displayed and shared. The children will have the opportunity to make seasonal crafts to help decorate the nature table and bring home as well.

Festivals

We mark larger rhythms of the season by preparing for and celebrating the festivals of the year, which weave into one another as the seasons are related and intertwined. Here the experience of the quality of each season is deepened and celebrated. The children love preparing for the festivals by decorating the room, making special foods, learning special verses, songs and dances or even little plays or singing games. Nature stories and special tales help to bring deeper significance of the season to the children in a pictorial way. In our inner preparation for the festivals, we try to ponder the qualities of the season to be celebrated:

• Gratitude at harvest time
• The quiet hope and anticipation of Advent, Hanukkah, and Christmas
• The transformation and rebirth of springtime
• The gaiety and celebration of nature at May Day
• The bright fire of Midsummer

The Classroom

Each classroom holds from 8-11 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of no more than 10:1.

It is the view of the teachers that the Five Day Early Childhood Program is more supportive of the child's rhythm. It meets Monday - Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. & Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Tuition 2008-2009

The tuition for the 5-day program is $9500.00 for the year plus a $400 snack/materials fee. All tuition is non-refundable.

Note that a 10% sibling discount is applicable for families enrolling more than one child (lesser tuition is discounted) and a 2% discount applies for payment in full.

Please use our Admissions Application Form (PDF)(see left) when applying for this program.