Special Puppet Show Performance for National Literacy Month Celebration

November is National Literacy Month and Ronna will be performing a puppet play on Nov. 21st at the Literacy Carnival which will be at the Funhouse. There will be two performances at 2pm and 3pm. Here a couple Sea Star Garden children help to practice the puppet play. Many people ask how literacy is taught in a Waldorf kindergarten. Ronna and I prepared the following brief explanation for the newspaper:


"In the Waldorf kindergarten, children learn through the spoken word because it is the way story telling began. It helps memory because you are left in freedom to form your own pictures. Oral story telling is so important to literacy.
In the kindergarten, children hear the same story over the course of the week with the teacher initially telling the story or performing the puppet play but as the days progress the children actively become part of the story telling and the story comes alive for them in both the retelling and is also reflected in their play.
The fairy tales are woven in such a way that it provides nourishment for the child's soul. Even if a story is beyond their age, they will take in something from it.
This is why the oral tradition of story telling is multi-generational and has continued throughout history and continues to be enriching today."

Some close ups of the beautiful puppets nestled among the hand dyed silks.

Lantern Walk Photos Part 1

Teacher Ronna and Teacher Nathalie helped the children make exquisite beeswax lanterns and led children, their families and many friends from the community on a walk through the woods. The children stopped to sing and deliver baked goods to the hard workers at Orkila. Then in the darkness of the evening everyone returned to the school for a special story told by Robert David and a potluck meal.

Halloween Festival

The festival began with the children sharing some of the games, verses and songs from their seasonal circle time. The Sea Star Garden families were joined by friends and family for a morning of great fun.
Fairies painted at the Painter's Workshop.

All around the room, beautiful nature scenes created a sense of warmth and awe. We are so lucky to have an incredible teacher with so many handwork and woodworking talents.
Teacher Ronna leads a visiting cowboy to the fishing pond where many fish were caught.

The shoemakers hard at work repairing the old shoes.

The farmer planting his seeds at the gardening station.
At the tailor, Peter Pan helps to mend the clothes and do some embroidery.
The bakery was a tasty spot to visit and we were so lucky to have so many older friends and family there as helpers.