A Day at Radical Rootz.
9:00 Morning Drop-Off & Greetings
9:15 Morning Intentions & Waking the Body Up: Yoga, Dance and Music
10:00 Circle Time & Snack
10:30 Farm exploration & chores/Educator-led activity
11:30 Lunch: Prep, Cook, Eat and Clean
12:30 Storytime and Acting
1:30 Nap and Restoration time
3:30 Arts and Crafts/Science Experiments
4:30 Pick-up and Goodbyes
*Underlying the above framework is our daily rhythm which is first guided by the day’s intention set at circle time and adapts to the daily energetics and emotions of the class. The framework gives the children structure to expect and the rhythm allows for smooth transitions and the natural curiosities of children to blossom. The timeline is not a schedule set in stone and transitions are child-led, accompanied by visual and auditory cues. There is always space for the children to extend their play and experiences. No activity will come to abrupt end - except at pick-up time.*
Rhythm is the key.
Our little people are new to this world and everything is magical to them. That is because the have no memory or preconceived notions for their subconscious mind to process shortcuts of the sensory overload that is our reality. As adults, we can walk with our heads down, hear the wind and rustle of leaves and quickly imagine the wind moving thousands of tree leaves like the ocean waves we saw at the beach a few months ago. Our toddlers stop and feel the wind, amazed. The sound of leaves pulls their attention up to a tree and are overtaken by each and every one of the thousands of leaves. They could stand in awe, trying desperately to take it all in for ten minutes. In order to begin making sense of all there is to life the development of daily rhythm is key. We all know the bedtime, mealtime and bathtime routines go most smoothly when they are performed at similar times and similar fashions. So what happens when the day because a singular and intentional routine? And better yet, what happens when we shift from routine to rhythm sprinkled with the spontaneity of life?
Why Waldorf?
Circle Time
Each day will begin with circle time, on our designated mat, setting intentions for the day. First, we will all take a quiet moment to check in and share with everyone how we are feeling. Happy, sad, excited, tired, etc. Then we will cover the color of the day which is our guiding rhythm for activities. Each day of the week is different but consistent week to week in color coded rhythm, giving children the ability to expect and thus build cognitive skills.
Soil Time
The necessity for urban farming and homesteading have become glaringly obvious in recent years but understandably a daunting task. At Radical Rootz, we are cultivating a beautiful productive landscape that will yield fruits, vegetables, salad greens, eggs and medicinal/culinary herbs. This process is years in the making and everyday, the children will take part in its growth. Activities will including planting seeds and watching them grow, watering plants, observing the pollinators, composting, smelling the flowers and playing in the dirt. Not only will your children get an early and rich education patience, focus and life itself, they will bring home the excitement and desire to help lower the barrier of entry to growing nutrient dense food in your back yard.
Kinetic Learning
Toddlers are constantly learning through their bodies. How to walk, run, feed themselves, put on clothes, balance, climb, etc. The classroom will feature climbing apparatus, outside will feature an ever changing toddler-sized obstacle course and yoga/balancing games will be incorporated into the everyday rhythm.
Arts & Crafts - STEAM
Creativity is first learned and expressed through the hands. Through different mediums and materials from the woods kids will create and express everyday. Crafts also open up the potential to experience gravity and the forces of nature while learning to work with their hands.
Storytime
Imagination is first learned through story. Imagining stories to life is the foundation for imagining a soul driven, purposeful life for oneself. Everyday we will read or create stories from the day experiences with nature. The children will also learn to bring stories to life with theatrics as myself am a thespian who grew as an individual on the stage.
Snacks
We are what we eat, down to the atomic scale. What we put in our bodies is broken down into the subatomic particles that our body then uses in trillions of chemical process that regenerate our cells and give us life. Understanding food and having a relationship with it is essential to a happy and healthy life. The students will use food they grow in the garden and store bought/farmers market organics to help prepare the snacks they eat.
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