Steiner Playgroup

For the most part, I've been pretty blaze in regards to thoughts of where our child would be educated, after all.....that's ages away, the official bits of his education, and in the mean time I'm all for living in the now.

A recent visit from my Aunty, down from Qld, had made me aware of something that probably should have been what I knew all along.....we were already setting out our families education path.  We may not have been signing up "baby x" onto a private school waiting list as they snuggly grew inutero, we may not of even checked out where kinders are these days(though we grew up here, there's been closures and openings). But what we have done, from day dot of our awareness of a belly bean being nurtured in my womb, is instinctively included him in every faze of life's happenings, no matter how trivial, things are explained to him, whether he'll understand what we're guiding him in yet or not, who knows, but we've never baby talked, sugar coated, told him he's not old enough for anything....just tried our best to help him make sense of his new and foreign world.

My Mum took JackJack along with her during her outings with my Aunt, to give me some helping time to pack up our old house in the move, and the more he was present in their time together, the fonder my Aunt seemed of him.....Jack really does have this amazing effect on may who come to cross his path....he has an awareness about himself, wise beyond his time.

When my Aunt came for afternoon tea at Mum's, while I was there, she asked if I knew of the Rudolph Steiner way of education.  She herself is a retired primary school teacher, with much experience with the Steiner stream, and expressed her delight in how much we unknowingly follow the stylings already!

I was bittern with curiosity. I had vaguely looked in Montessori education, though warned by others that it is more an independent, rather then nurturing, form of education. So, given our instinctual/attachment parenting style, the Steiner ways seemed far more suitable.

Within days of returning home to Qld, My Aunt had sent down a special little package for our fella, with left over supplies of  the crayons and pencils that she had in her Steiner resources.

I just went on a hunt through my pics on lappy, I know I've taken a pic or 2 of him doing drawings with these, but cant see the pics for now.

After seeing how keen and my Aunt was of how we raise our son, I decided it was high time to join the rest of the parents out there who've already planned their kids educations, and looked into what was available Steiner style around us.  A search online found a lovely little website, who' facilitators run a baby/parent group, playgroup, 3 & 4yo kindy and with hopes of a primary stream starting with preps in yr2012!

After emailing back and forth, working out a generous payment plan to make it possible for us to afford, JackJack is now a member of the Wurru Wurru Steiner Playgroup!!!

Nanny got the honour of the maiden voyage to this new activity, gracsiously stepping in while Muma is recouping in hospital.  Under the circumstances, the lady who ran the playgroup allowed Mum to take photo's to show me, as long as no other children appeared in them. 

Mum had finished off the correspondents with the group, finding out what to bring and how to get there, and left Tyler with instructions to dress Jack in bright colours, no darks(luckily no problem in our lil fella's wardrobe anyhoo, but what a funny combo Daddy came up with!)

All the toys there are wooden or woolen, felted.....reminds me of our friends Lauren and Danny's girls toy area in their home, it all looks so beautiful....cept in my home I cant help but squish lotsa rainbow amongst all of Jack's things! lol

Seems to be no photo proof of this, but Nanny took great delight in telling me of my sons ill knowledge of house hold appliances.....picking up a wooden toy clothes iron and declaring it a boat!!! Ha ha Buggered if I know when the last time I ironed was.....but then Nanny's not a fan of the ironing either ;)

Beautiful woolly/felted dolls in a wooden dolls house

Nanny hadn't explained this pic to me, but I think it looks like a seasonal table, showing off the joys and creations of Autumn.

Raw wooden building blocks

How much cooler does this climbing frame look then it's similar version of metal that most playgrounds have?!

Pots, pans and baskets as tools for imaginative play in the sand pit

Cubby house

Nanny explained that during a story time reading and morning tea, all the children were gathered around a candle that was during these moments, how sweet. We light candles in our bedroom every night and watch them flicker for a bit of calming before blowing them out to say goodnight, so I know the candles there would have delighted JackJack.

Nanny said that he sat so intensely watching the story teller, and even trying to mimic her actions along with the reading ;)

For Morning Tea, each family was asked to bring along a piece of organic fruit.....each week the parents will rotate cutting these up and dishing them up to the children in their own little pots.  They also got a glass, not plastic, but glasses of water. Followed by a piece of grained bread spread with honey(a fave for our lil man who asks for "honey funny honey" on his lunch!), and then....the sweetest little touch, but proving to timid an experience yet for Jack- each child got served a little cup of raspberry tea!! It all sounds so sweet ;)

I cannot wait to be up and about and join him there!! Nanny will be needed primarily for the next few weeks, and then perhaps for a few more after with me being able to go and see how much I can get involved.

And here is a luscious sight in the car park upon leaving playgroup....this gorgeous pink wattle blossom, with playful Rosella's singing away in it!

Thanks for taking special care of our little fella Nanny, words cannot express enough just how much I appreciate you being his carer, the closest in being intuned to him outside of his own parents, we are very blessed xxxxx