Recent Posts
Categories
Blog Archives
Connect
Waldorf Schools, Charter Schools? How are we alike and how do we differ?
What is a Waldorf School, and what is a Charter School? Last September marked 90 years since the first Waldorf School opened its doors in Stuttgart Germany, and an important change came to the world’s educational landscape. Since that time, more than 900 Waldorf schools and 1,600 Waldorf early childhood programs have been founded on five continents. Each has its own spirit, responding to its location, the children and parents involved, and the teachers who guide it. In Eugene, we will celebrate our 30th year serving the community this fall; a good time to examine what a Waldorf school is, and why we work to keep it that way. Occasionally we get questions about what exactly a Waldorf school is, and also about the relationship between Waldorf schools and charter schools that use Waldorf methods. Rudolf Steiner, a scientist, philosopher and artist active at the turn of the last century, …Read more »
Storytelling and Puppet Shows
Storytelling in Waldorf Early Childhood Classrooms In Waldorf Schools, children swim in a sea of stories everyday; fairy tales, legends, myths, or biographical stories, depending on the age and developmental level of the children. Waldorf teachers deliver lessons to the children through clear and beautiful speech, based on a solid and loving relationships developed over time. All the subjects in Waldorf Schools, including math, reading, history and science, are taught through a living interaction between human beings, in the preschool, kindergarten and grade school. In the Early Childhood realm, the teachers engage themselves purposefully in an activity, like baking, sewing, or sweeping. Young children learn through imitation. They want to participate with and imitate the adults around them. In a Waldorf early childhood classes the children are allowed to play freely under the warm guidance of the teacher who is engaged in an activity. This activity may resonate with the …Read more »
Theater and Drama in our school
In Waldorf schools one highlight of the year is a play that emerges in each class from the curriculum. Every child in the class participates, uniting the class artistically and socially. The art of articulation and expressive speech demands the full attention of each student. Music weaves throughout the plays and eurythmy adds yet another dimension. The plays help to deepen the students’ understanding of the main lesson work. They become the Romans, Vikings, or the Greeks, or they might become the wolf, dragon, or demon. The characters become actively real to them. The curative opportunities are endless. A shy child might be given a bold, outgoing part; or a boisterous, choleric student given a sensitive, compassionate part. Out of imaginative play, first grade students bring a fairytale play. The class learns the whole play, for the children are too young to hold individualized parts or to stand facing an audience alone. Groups of students step forward to enact …Read more »
More about the Haiti Benefit Concert and Bake Sale
We know that many of you join us in mourning the loss of life and tragic devastation for the hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti that have been affected by the earthquakes. As a school community, we asked what we could do to help and decided to host a benefit concert and bake sale this Saturday, January 30th from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm. The concert will feature Gypsy Moon in the early afternoon and North of West in the evening. All the funds that we raise will be donated to Bumi Sehat, a non-profit organization founded in 1995 in Bali. Bumi Sehat (Healthy Mother Earth Foundation) is a non-profit, village-based organization of dedicated families, midwives, doctors, nurses, teachers and volunteers from countries around the world. They have experience in disaster relief, both from the tsunami and from other earthquakes. Their focus has been to support maternal and child …Read more »
Shepherd’s Play
Each December the Oberufer Shepherd's Play is performed for EWS students and friends by our faculty. The name Oberufer Play applies not only to The Shepherd’s play, but also to a Paradise Play and a Three Kings Play. Oberufer is an island in the Danube, east of Vienna, close to the borders of Hungary. This island was settled by farmers from the Lake Constance region sometime in the 15th Century, and due to the relative isolation of island life, their traditions and folkways remained intact for centuries. One of their traditions was to perform these plays each year. In fall, when the harvest was in, the players were chosen regardless of religious affiliation or status, and received their parts from an esteemed farmer who would direct the plays for years, and then pass this honorable responsibility on to his son. The songs and words were passed on by word of …Read more »
Faire Time!
This Saturday, December 5, we will host our annual Winter Light Faire. We gather together to embrace the seasonal change as it envelopes us with cold winds, bare trees and gray skies. When the sun is at its palest, and the wind bites at our ears, the lights in our hearts shine the brightest. At this darkest time it is vital that we are able to share that light with one another. This faire is our reminder to celebrate that light; it is a time when we open up our school and offer to our whole community the magic and joy that lives here on a daily basis. The faire is both a fundraiser for our school, and our biggest and best-attended open house of the year. The Winter Light Faire is a great first impression for visitors to our school. A new family or friend coming to our faire …Read more »
The Advent Spiral
The Advent season has traditionally been the season for preparations for Christmas. As the days grow shorter and darker, we begin to light the candles in our homes to guide our way towards this warm, light-filled festival. In many homes there will be an Advent wreath decorated with four candles representing the four Sundays of Advent. It is a season of sharing where family members join for baking and wrapping gifts, candlelight, and singing. It is a magic time full of secrets and treasures. To mark the beginning of Advent, each year we create the Advent Garden for our preschool and kindergarten children and their families in the Great Hall. The children are led one by one into the pathway of a spiral garden lit by candlelight and decorated with stars and crystals. Each child walks into the spiral to light his/her own candle from the center candle. Times for …Read more »
