In the Charlottesville Waldorf School kindergarten, extended periods for free-play with open ended materials provide space for the development of creativity.
In the kindergarten, the children joyfully engage in practical work such as kneading bread, chopping vegetables, and cleaning up after mealtimes. They participate in artistic activities, including drawing and painting, and seasonal projects such as gardening, felting, and sewing.
Developing the physical, mental, and social skills to participate in these activities on a daily basis – with the children being able to plan, develop, and execute ideas, problem solve, and evaluate their efforts – develops their attention span, focus, and confidence, and prepares the kindergarten students to excel in academic, artistic, and social pursuits as they progress into grade school.
The kindergarten students are outdoors in all but the very worst weather, with time on the playground, gardening projects, and weekly nature walks to the woods and stream through the changing seasons.
Sample Daily Rhythm for Kindergarten (Autumn)
Morning:
- 8:00-8:30 Morning drop-off
- 8:30-9:45 Open-play and art, purposeful work
- 9:45-10:00 Seasonal circle time
- 10:00-10:30 Snack
- 10:30-11:45 Outdoor play
- 11:45 Story time
- 12:00 Noon dismissal
Full-Day:
- 12:00-12:30 Lunch (outdoors)
- 12:30-1:00 Outdoor play
- 1-2:30 Nap/Quiet Rest
- 2:45 Pick-up
Extended Day (After care):
Students can be picked up from aftercare at anytime before 5:30pm
- 2:45-3:15 Snack
- 3:15-3:45 Adventure walk
- 3:45-5:30 Outdoor play
- 5:30 Aftercare ends
Sample Weekly Rhythm
Artistic activities in the Kindergarten.
- Monday: Craft activities
- Tuesday: Coloring with beeswax crayons
- Wednesday: Breadmaking
- Thursday: Nature walk
- Friday: Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
Daily practical work in the Kindergarten could include setting and clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, folding laundry, caring for the classroom, and other helpful and meaningful tasks.
