The Curriculum

Our Curriculum is inspired by the early childhood development theories of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) as practiced in more than 1500 Waldorf-based kindergartens and preschools worldwide. The atmosphere is simple and intimate with daily activities worthy of our children's unquestioning imitation and plenty of creative free-play.

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Play is the self-education of the child. The children play at cooking and dress up: they become mothers and fathers, kings and queens; they build play houses and magical landscapes for their dolls and animals from natural materials such as driftwood, shells and colored cloths. Outdoors the children freely play with leaves, soil, water and gravel; they explore, find worms and caterpillars; they enjoy the slides and sandbox. Becoming fully engaged in such work builds powers of concentration, imagination and a lifelong love of learning.

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With the help of verses, songs and stories, the children are guided through a daily and weekly routine of domestic activities including baking bread, cooking soup and tending the garden as well as artistic activities such as watercolor painting and drawing.

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A sense of security arises through the rhythm of the day and repetition of the familiar. Celebrations of birthdays and seasonal festivals build a larger rhythm for the school year and deepen our reverence for the earth and each other.

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We welcome children 3 years and older.  Our program meets Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm.  Aftercare is  available Monday through Thursday 1-5pm and on Fridays 1-3pm .

 

Parent Involvement

Parents attend bi-monthly meetings to discuss school events and receive/share support on parenting issues. There are also parent/child work-and-play days to provide cleaning and maintenance for the school while building a sense of community among families.

Daily Schedule

9:00 a.m.        Daily Activity

                                Monday: Painting/Drawing

                                Tuesday: Soup or Bread Baking

                                Wednesday: Soup or Bread Baking

                                Thursday: Hiking Day

                                Friday: Painting/Drawing

 

9:30 a.m.        Morning Gathering

                                Singing and Movement

 

9:45 a.m.        Indoor Free-play

 

10:45 a.m.      Snack

 

11:00 a.m.      Outdoor Free-play

 

12:00 p.m.      Story Time

    

12:30 p.m.      Lunch

 

1:00 p.m.        Morning Children Depart

 

1:00-5:00pm   Aftercare is available everyday at additional cost

           

Hummingbird Preschool, a Waldorf based school in San Francisco.