'Forest Kindergarten' Creates Controversy (watch the video)

[Renew Deal]

Momlogic's Julie: The Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs, NY holds "forest kindergarten," where kids age 3 to 6 spend three hours everyday outside, no matter how cold it is.

According to the New York Times, the classes are based on the teachings of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. The Waldorf School emphasizes the arts and the natural world, with no formal academic curriculum until first grade.

I lived in New York for years, and it is freaking cold there. I cannot imagine sending my three-year-old outside for three hours a day in frigid temperatures, period.

This kind of reminds me of the Russian daycare that pours freezing water on tots while they run around in their underwear -- all to make them "tough."
<snip>

http://www.momlogic.com/2009/12/forest_kindergarten_creates_controversy.php

[amborin]

1. the NY Times ran this story the other day; just wonderful experiences!

the kids are having the most incredible experiences!

Imagine how great if all kids had that opportunity!



ps: one of the ideas behind Forest Kinder is to reintroduce kids to nature; so many are estranged from it; they spend so much time indoors watching TV or what not.

The ny times article explained the kids are well-dressed for the cold and wet, and well cared for.

[Renew Deal]

2. I know, but that video of the Russian nursery is unbelievable.

:scared:

[amborin]

4. well the Russian nursery is not the same program as Forest Kinder

and Russians love the cold

they become depressed during summer

they have a different cultural outlook

the NY Forest Kinder program treats the kids very well, according the the ny times article.

I wish all kids had that marvelous experience and opportunity.

[Lorien]

6. A friend of mine in Syracuse took her kids outside for at least 3 hours

a day, every day, since both were born. She and her husband love the outdoors-no matter the weather. The kids haven't complained yet and they are both in grade school now.

[amborin]

8. i bet the kids loved it, and benefited (sp?) n/t

[Generator]

3. Also they think learning how to read before age 7

makes you violent. But at least they are raising luddites-but their parents gotta have the dough for it, the one here was 8K a year for pre-school.I despise education "theories." Balance in everything. They hate computers and t.v. is evil, naturally.

[Luminous Animal]

9. What!? Where did you hear that?

And they do not hate computers or t.v. They just feel that young children's minds are not yet developed enough to glean the valuable from the trash (i.e., advertising). And, even though my daughter did not go to a Waldorf school, I agree with them. I've been to several Waldorf school events and I know several children who have gone there and I find plenty of balance between play and learning and responsibility.

You may despise education "theories" but every institution employs a system of pedagogy. Whether it is rote, socratic, a free school, religious, or teaching to the test.

[amborin]

5. here's the NY Times article ...... I wish all kids had this opportunity!

snip

"The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. This in a place where winter is marked by snowdrifts and temperatures that regularly dip below freezing.

The new forest kindergarten, which opened here in September, is an extreme version of the outdoor learning taught at more than 100 Waldorf schools, all but a handful of them private, scattered throughout the United States. They are based on the teachings of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner and emphasize the arts and the natural world, with no formal academic curriculum until first grade.

“I loved the idea of her being outside every day,” said Kim Lytle, whose 3-year-old, aptly named Forest, is the youngest in the class. “If you have the proper gear, I think it’s a really healthy thing to experience the elements and brave the world — and not just on a sunny day.”

snip

"Sigrid D’Aleo and Carly Lynn, two Waldorf teachers, proposed adding one in Saratoga Springs because, over the years, they had seen students at their best when outdoors.

“Their large motor skills developed, they worked out their social issues in a better way, they had more imaginative play,” Ms. D’Aleo said. “Children’s senses are so overtaxed in these modern times, so here, it is very healthy for them.”

<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/nyregion/30forest.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=forest%20school&st=cse>

[XemaSab]

7. Little Eskimo kids run around naked in the winter

Kids that age are much better able to deal with the cold than older kids are.

[MorningGlow]

10. Hardly the same thing, I think

You're comparing apples and kumquats.

One of the tenets of the Waldorf School is that children need to spend time out of doors for physical, mental, and spiritual health--and not just 20 minutes on a blacktopped playground. They're encouraged to study science outdoors, plant and tend a garden, etc. I think it's fantastic. I wish there was a Waldorf School in my area--I'd sign my kid up in a heartbeat. And I live in western New York.

I also question the statement that there's "no formal academic curriculum until first grade". I looked into Waldorf Schools when my son was born, and from what I recall it wasn't that the children didn't learn to read and write etc. till first grade, but that there wasn't an emphasis on test-based drills in kindergarten. Don't quote me on that, however; I haven't read up on the Steiner method in several years, so my memory may be hazy.