LAKESIDE SCHOOL AT BLACK KETTLE FARM
An Associate Member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America 

Lakeside’s play-based early childhood curriculum stimulates a child’s natural interest in his or her environment and fosters powers of concentration, imagination, creative problem solving, social skills, and foundations for life-long learning. There is a rhythmic quality to a Lakeside morning. The teachers plan this carefully based on the seasons and the particular group of children they are working with.

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A typical day begins outside with a combination of free play and more structured activities, such as feeding the chickens and horses. While some activities change with the season—apple picking in the fall, sledding in the winter, planting the garden in the spring—others, such as building forts and exploring the hiking trails, go on throughout the year, giving the children an opportunity to witness the change of the seasons first-hand.

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After outside time, the children come inside for morning circle, which can consist of seasonal songs, rhymes, finger plays, and movement. The circles are designed to expose the children to rich language and build gross and fine motor skills. A good portion of the inside time also includes free play, enhanced by a variety of open-ended, natural materials to choose from in their self-directed play.

 

While inside children also engage “purposeful work,” during which the children are encouraged to cultivate the 11 domestic arts by assisting the teachers with snack preparation, sweeping, setting tables, dish washing, and clean-up.

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At Lakeside, our three Early Childhood programs build on each other as children move through their early years. The youngest children study their older classmates and learn through imitation, while the older children hone their skills by teaching and guiding the younger ones in play. 

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