The Rudolf Steiner School Mbagathi Kindergarten provides children with a warm and home like atmosphere. We give children an all-round education that supports their transition from one developmental stage to another. Children are encouraged to become creative and imaginative thinkers. This builds on their intellectual growth as they go through the other levels of education.
We nurture children’s growth and development by providing a serene learning environment where children can connect with the nature around them. Learning is mainly governed by seasons and day-to-day life. There is always a rhythm in the kindergarten. The rhythm consists of activities that balance structured and unstructured time. This rhythm is only interrupted by special birthday celebration days and festivals.
We take children from three years old in the kindergarten. They are divided as follows:
- 3-4 years group
- 4-6 years group
Our days are filled with out breathing and in breathing activities. These activities include imaginative play, outdoor play, artistic and handwork activities, circle time, music and movement, nature walks and life skills. Daily routines encourage good behaviour, a sense of security and children’s confidence.
Usually free and imaginative child’s play is the most important part of the morning in the Waldorf approach. It includes acting out healthy images, house play, construction, dressing up, etc. Free play develops their imagination immensely. It is the basis of intellectual/formal learning and it helps children to resolve conflicts, develop speech and language, learn to share, take risks and build coordination. After indoor play children put back play materials and equipment in their initial places thus developing a sense of responsibility memory and neatness among others.
Adult involvement is usually minimal; they mainly supervise children during outdoor play. Occasionally they have directed outdoor ring games. Outdoor play contributes to the child’s overall health and development. In today’s busy world, children have fewer opportunities to move around outside. Children have fewer spaces where they can move their bodies and take “risks”. Children this age like physical and social challenges according to their ability. Succeeding at challenges helps build their self-confidence and self-esteem. Children need to be aware of space and their bodies in space. Later, this ability will help them succeed with classroom behavior and academics.
Our artistic activities involve painting with watercolors, drawing using block crayons, bees wax modeling. Children are also engaged in handwork and craft activities which they learn through imitation. Story time is usually done every day. Stories can be narrated, acted out by use of puppets or props.
Children put back play materials and equipment in their initial places thus developing a sense of responsibility memory and neatness as well as body muscles “The young child, as she grows into her body, lives particularly in her will activity and learns enthusiastically through doing.”