Morning Rhythm in a Waldorf Nursery -Seedlings Kindergarten is a Steiner Waldorf nursery offering both morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session begins at 9am with free creative play alongside the daily activity of baking, painting or craft. Free play is followed by tidy time, circle time songs, snack time and outside play time. We end the morning with story time before singing our goodbyes. Some children will then be collected by their parents at 1pm while others will stay for lunch and for the afternoon session.
Learning Through Play -The importance of child led, creative play in the early years, as a foundation for more formal learning later on, is central to the ethos of the Steiner Waldorf nursery or kindergarten. Provided with a range of simple toys and equipment made from natural materials, children at Seedlings are given the opportunity to 'play out' their everyday experiences in an environment free from the pressures of formal teaching.
Child initiated, creative, free play encourages the development of the child's imagination, which is a pre-cursor to creative thinking later on. During the communal activity of play children gain valuable social and problem solving skills which encourage cognitive, kinetic and linguistic development, as well as enhancing aesthetic sensitivity. Through play children develop a sense of purpose, of determination and self-motivation as well as empathy for others. Creative and Domestic Activities -A home from home environment is created by providing both creative and domestic activities for the children, which take place on the same day each week, so that children are held within the security of the rhythm of the week. Creative activities include seasonal crafts such as lantern making, candle dipping and egg decorating, as well as daily or weekly activities such as sewing and weaving, painting and crayon drawing. Regular domestic activities include baking and chopping vegetables for soup, as well as caring for the toys by cleaning, sanding and oiling them, or washing the dolls clothes. Seasonal activities include pressing apples for juice, baking speciality bread for festivals and spring cleaning. Through engaging in these activities children learn both fine and gross motor skills, as well as valuable life skills, both through their own experience and by following the example of their teachers.
Celebrating Festivals -At Seedlings we celebrate seasonal festivals throughout the year with special food, colours, songs, and crafts being associated with different festivals. Marking the festivals in this way creates a rhythm to the year which helps to orientate the children and guide them through the seasons, deepening their experience of life and it’s processes as well as encouraging a reverence for nature and the environment, or ‘mother earth’ as she is known at Seedlings. We also have a very special birthday celebration for each of the children, encouraging them to see the value in each individual.
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Times and Prices -
Morning Kindergarten Monday to Thursday - 9am till 1pm (earlier drop off available by pre-arrangement) £24.00 per morning for 5+ year olds £32.00 per morning for 3+ year olds £40.00 per morning for 2+ year olds (Government funded places available - please see below for details) Afternoon Kindergarten Children attending kindergarten in the morning may stay for the afternoon session. Monday to Thursday - 1pm till 3pm (later pick up available by pre-arrangement) £6.00 per hour for 5+ year olds £8.00 per hour for 3+ year olds £10.00 per hour for 2+ year olds (Government funded places available - please see below for details) Government Funding
Government funded places are available for all 3 and 4 year old children, for up to 15 hours per week Funding is available to some families for up to 30 hours a week for 3 and 4 year olds, depending on eligibility. Funding is also available for some 2 year olds, depending on eligibility. Please note - as the government funding is for childcare only, a voluntary contribution of £4.00 per day is requested for food and craft materials. |
At Seedlings, children have the freedom to learn
through creative play both inside and out.
* Some of the Things We Do at Seedlings *
Art and Craft ActivitiesAt Seedlings children use high quality, natural craft materials for sewing, carding, felting, weaving, finger knitting, beeswax modelling, watercolour painting, egg decorating, candle dipping, leaf rubbing, lantern making, crayon drawing, woodwork, whittling and more... |
Seasonal Food Preperation
Everyone loves to join in with baking bread rolls for snack time, cutting up veg for soup, collecting and pressing apples for juice, collecting elderflowers for cordial, slicing apples and collecting plums to make crumble, or making special food for festivals such as pancakes or dragon bread... |
Creative Play, Inside and Out
Guided by their imaginations children engage in creative free play, both inside and out, using toys and equipment made from natural materials, which nurture the senses. Outside the children have space to run around, to climb and balance, to dig in the sandpit, or hide in the willow hut... |
Songs, Rhymes and StoriesThrough singing we lead the children from one activity to another, as we follow the gentle rhythm of the morning. Seasonal songs, rhymes and finger games are enjoyed by the children every day during 'circle time', and each morning ends with a fairytale or nature story... |
At Seedlings children are provided with a rich
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