Our program strives to implement the Steiner Early Learning Approach through experiential learning with people, place and resources
“The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility.
These three forces are the very nerve of education.”
– Rudolf Steiner
Integration of arts
Children participate in a variety of artistic activities, including painting, drawing, singing, expressive movement, simple craft work and storytelling throughout day and week.
Unstructured/free play
Children have intentionally uninterrupted free flow play times to explore their environment indoor and outdoor, with natural and open-ended resources to stimulate their imagination and their cognitive and social skills.
Music and movement
Children participate in singing in circle with expressive gestures and movement harmonically each day.
Literacy, numeracy and mathematics
Children develop those skills from participating in storytelling, singing songs, reciting verses, interacting with peers and educators and hands-on experiences.
Sensory Exploration
Children interact with all natural materials in their play, we use wood toys, wool yarns and toys, variety of cotton fabric, silk, bee wax, natural dye water painting, caring for plants, playing with all different loose-parts natural materials, shells, stones, leaves, seeds, sticks, twigs etc and observe plants and season changes.
School Readiness
Children have opportunities to practice their independence skills, organisation skills and social skills as well as literacy skills each day. They understand and integrate persistence and focus through learning experiences that allow them to revisit skills and knowledge and modify concepts at a self-pace.
Vegetarian food
Our service provides healthy and nutritiously balanced vegetarian food for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Our vegetables and fruits are purchased from organic shops.
Orientation
During orientation sessions any dietary or medical requirements should be discussed and made aware to Jasmine and educators to follow up procedures.
Clothing
We encourage all children wear quiet coloured clothes without “loud” cartoon pictures when they attend the Centre.
Technology, Academics and over-stimulations
Our program does not use digital technology, teach children theoretically or offer any activities which are over-stimulating.
Rhythm
The day has a rhythm, with rituals and activities like storytelling, morning circle, free play, baking, and gardening, mealtime and resting time. The daily rhythm allows children to breathe in and breathe out. Children also have activities for weekly rhythm and seasonal rhythm throughout the year.
Practice skills and hands on learning
Our program focuses on learning from doing practical work and children learn healthy life habits through developing skills through activities like cleaning, gardening, folding, sweeping, pouring and cooking from educators around them.
Connection with nature
Children spend time observing plant, trees, flowers and care for the garden each day as they see how plants grow and change and build strong connections with the natural world by participating in the whole life cycle of a seed and sustainable gardening, composting and recycling practices.
Imitation
Imitation is the way that children learn. According to Steiner and other contemporary early childhood experts; the first seven years of the life is “the stage of imitation” and our educators strive to be “Worthy of imitation” and role model children to perform daily tasks carefully and joyfully.
Play-Based Learning
“Play is the work of childhood” Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Our program focuses on play-based learning and children choose their own activities, based on their interests and this fosters their independence, wonder, imagination, physical and emotional development.
Children’s Orientation
Our program tailors the enrolment process to children’s and family’s needs to support children’s orientation into the service. Children can attend up to 2-4 orientation sessions for 40 minutes each session. During orientation sessions, parents are encouraged to stay to observe the child and help around in the environment as they become familiar with the space.
Rest time
All children have a rest/quiet time after lunch each day to maximise their physical development and this one of the elements related to healthy development of a child in Steiner Early Childhood Education.
Bags/web bags
Children’s bag should include a wide brim sun hat and a plain coloured water bottle without pictures, spare change of clothes and socks and wet bag for messy play. Raincoats and gum boots are required for children to enjoy the wet weather. Children need to gumboots to play in Mud.