A free workshop introducing local parents and their children to Waldorf Family Education, a style of teaching young children that focuses on music, movement and play, will be offered by longtime Waldorf educator Glenda Moore Monday, Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon at the St. James Episcopal Church Vicarage at 34 Prospect Ave.
Moore, who did her student teaching at Clear Spring School in 1977, moved in California in 1989 and received a degree from Rudolf Steiner College. She also has a degree in elementary education from the University of Tulsa. She taught in California and St. Louis, Mo., before moving back to Eureka Springs this past November.
“I would love to bring this to the community, but I’m not sure people know what it is,” said Moore. “That is why we are having the three-hour workshop Aug. 1 with parents and their children up to six years old. We will be making bread and having a puppet fairy tale play. There will be movement, poetry and songs. It would give people a taste. The home schooling people might be most interested. I’m hoping it is something that people will be taking up to use.”
Moore said Waldorf or Steiner education is a worldwide philosophy of education that began in 1919 with a school in Stuttgart, Germany.
“Rudolph Steiner, who developed the program, talked about many things that sounded really different back then,” Moore said. “Many of the things he spoke of for nurturing the young child are resonating today.”
The curriculum is created around the children’s need to move and explore the world in very active ways through all their senses. The environment looks like an old-fashioned home with handmade dolls and toys, all very simple, to help inspire resourceful play. At the heart of the program is a well-educated teacher to guide children on their journey by helping them develop social skills. Although it is a play-based early childhood program, the environment is rich with oral language in the form of a daily music/movement circle with songs fairy and folk tales, and puppet plays for the children.
“It is about imaginative, open-ended play,” Moore said.
The workshop is an introduction to weekly classes she plans to offer starting in September. The parent will be with the child for children under three. There will be a parent’s drop-off program for children three to six. There is no obligation to sign up for the classes by attending the workshop.