Nature's Nest is a community run, not-for-profit childcare and learning centre, located in Moruya on the South Coast of NSW. Based on Rudolf Steiner’s principals of early childhood, our curriculum is rich with early learning experiences that lay the foundations for class room learning including pre literacy skills, social abilities, problem solving,
and critical thinking.
We also house craft groups, parenting groups and playgroup.
Our Spring festival this year was held at Nature's Nest Community Childcare Centre. We started with some lively spring songs and a game of "Lady Spring", then we all sat down to make some flower garlands.
Our Seasonal festivals are enjoyed by all ages. Steiner playgroupers past and present along with those who come to the Nest.
The story told of a boy who was lead by two sun fairies to lady spring where upon he was given a gift
….it was more than one it was more than two and when he saw what was in his hand he knew
what to do…….
And afterwards……..We were lucky enough to share in a beautiful birthday celebration
Each year we hold a lantern festival at a local camp ground in Moruya Heads. We gather in the afternoon by a roaring campfire. Everyone brings something to go into the big soup pot and while we are playing the soup boils away on the fire. We sup on our shared soup and whatever other treats that may be available. At dusk we all join together to sing songs and then as darkness falls we are treated to a magical story told by candle light. We walk a spiral and have our lanterns lit, then they become our guiding light as we journey on our lantern walk.
This year the children made lanterns from recycled jars. First clean the jars and take off any old labels. Decorate with tissue paper using simple paper glue. We also used paper cut outs, done with a craft punch. Fix some wire on for a handle and use a tealight candle
Mother Earth appeared in this years story knitting away in her Earthly home
Here are some pictures of some of the little lovelies with their lanterns..
"Creative
Play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child."
It is
refreshing and enlivening
The importance of play
Child
doesn't have the goals of the adult.Play
is a time when there are no goals beyond the activity itself.
Play
helps children weave together all the elements of life as they experience it.
It is an outlet for the fullness of their creativity, it is an absolutely
critical part of their childhood.
A
child playing is:
•
Perceiving and exploring situations
• Learning
about self and world
• Initiating
and exacting possibilities
Play
is an experiment into the nature of reality. Play is like a brave adventure
into the possibilities and limitations of things. It is the true basis of
problem solving.
Adults
who are convinced to "teach" children, instead need to set an
example in all kinds of activities. They should create appropriate spaces to play and
learn and honour the innate capacity for learning that fills the souls of
every healthy young child. Young children are born with a wonderful urge to
grow and learn. If allowed to set pace, they will work in a tireless and
playful way.
Look
at toys as "tools" of play - 90% chid, 10% toy. A toy can have an infinite range of uses rather than one purpose.
In
children under 3, the play is realistic - they imitate the world around them.
They need the involvement of adults to imitate or to play with and are involved
with the activities of adults around them. They play repetitively - with joy,
each time before emoting onto the next thing and interact enthusiastically with
their surroundings, finding each experience fresh and exciting.
In
ages 3 to 5 play is stimulated by the toy or object. Play is stimulated by external events. That is
why it is so important that there are toys or objects available to the children
that can be transformed by them into anything they wish it to be - multiple uses.
Play is more social - stimulated by each
other's ideas and experiences. They begin to negotiate, learn boundaries and
limitations, investigate possibilities, build their language and communication
skills and hopefully learn to empathise and care for each other. Being involved
with domestic activities also stimulates play at this age.
Around
or after age 5 - play begins to change - "boredom" - don't know what
to do - as if no ideas left. This is when they can be stimulated directly by
the adult work. They can be encouraged to join in with the work in the room -
cutting up veggies
for fruit, tasks such as sewing, weaving or woodwork - always tasks which need
to be completed. It doesn't take long
for this phase to pass - hours or days and the transformation from one type of
play to another takes place. Now the initial idea comes first, followed by the
attempt to find the right materials. They have a mental image of what they want
to do or be. Imagination is ready to work again. For children who are getting ready
for school it is important that they begin to take responsibility for
themselves, their actions and for others. Children have tasks which contribute
to the well-being of themselves and of others and of the works around them.
They tidy, clean, cook, sweep, decorate, take care of plants and animals, run
messages, help the "little ones" and develop skills and co-ordination.
Play
is most beneficial for child if it is initiated and directed by the child and
accompanied by a play facilitator who is on a path of self-development.
The
ability to facilitate this kind of play is not a natural gift, but to be
learned. The involvement of the teacher alongside the playing child is to facilitate
play through structure of appropriate space and time and with specific materials
and toys in which this play can unfold in an undisturbed manner. Play needs
facilitation or "guidance".Guidance does not mean adult initiated or
adult-directed
play activity.
To
help facilitate / guide children's play, the educator’s role is to:
⁃ set up a well-structured play area
⁃ work with a focus and presence of mind
⁃ observe and listen to children and make an effort
to understand children's play
⁃ reduce intervention
⁃Have trust and empathise with the children
"There
are precious places where children can freely develop their own culture and
where the creative spirit of childhood can perform its magical transformation…
A Steiner kindergarten tries to be such a place, a place where the echoing
voices of children at play can still be heard" - Sally Jenkinson
On Sunday we celebrated our annual harvest
festival.We hold our festival at our
local community garden, where as a group we manage a plot.It is a beautiful space, and an amazing
project that is an education and demonstration site for sustainable
agricultural and horticultural practices.
Last
weekend we attended the Southeast Harvest Festival in our home town of Moruya.It was a muddy start to the day, but a few
tarps down and a roll of carpet and we had made our little home for the
day.
Rolling, rolling roll the dough..
We
set up our children’s pasta making table and away we went.Children flocked to the table and enjoyed
rolling out the pasta dough while they waited for their turn on the
machine.It was as much a pleasure to
watch as each ball of dough was turned through the machine with the rhythmic
whirling of the handle, a joy that could be experienced from the smallest of
hands.A few rolls through and…. voila!
Fresh pasta ready to be cooked on the spot.
A bowl of pasta ready to be cooked
One
minute in the boiling pot and the pasta was ready to be topped with fresh home
grown herb and garlic butter, South Coast Cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes
picked from my home garden.
We
rolled and rolled all day long until the last of the dough was gone.
Many
of the parents were surprised about how easy it was to make pasta with
children. I thought that I would include
the pasta recipe’s we used on the day so that you can try it at home:
Pasta Dough
number 1:
Kylies Duck Egg pasta:
Ingredients:
Duck eggs
Organic
Durham wheat flour ( you can use normal wheat flour, but Durham wheat is much
nicer and easier to manipulate)
Method: Put
required amount of flour into a mixing bowl.Add enough eggs to make smooth dough.The general rule is one egg to 100gms of flour, but you may need to add
flour if it is too wet or a dash of water if it is too dry.Knead the dough until smooth.
The duck
eggs made beautiful rich pasta with a tasty flavour that was easy to
manipulate.
Pasta dough
number 2:
Melschooks Pasta
Ingredients:
Fresh chook
eggs
Organic
Durham wheat flour
Method: As
above only using chook eggs instead of duck eggs.
Pasta dough
number 3:
Jayla’s Gluten free pasta
There's Jayla making the gluten free dough while I worked the "Melschooks" dough
Ingredients:
Eggs
Gluten free
flour mix
Method: As
above.When rolling the gluten free
pasta, we found that rolling it just a little thicker than the wheat dough worked
best.
We used a
hand operated machine that can be purchased easily from a kitchen ware
store.We took pieces of dough about the
size of a ping pong ball- not too big or it is too hard for the children to
manage the dough.Roll out the dough with
a rolling pin, adding sprinkles of flour if it is too sticky.Put the machine on the widest setting and
roll through, sprinkle flour on both sides and fold in half.Repeat this at least five times.Then you are ready to make the dough thinner,
set the dial a little thinner each time you roll the dough through the machine,
adding flour as you go.You don’t want
the dough to be too sticky or it will be hard to cut into strips.Too dry and it will break apart.If you roll it too thin for gluten free it
will break apart.When you have made the
dough thin enough to your satisfaction you can put it through the cutting part
in your machine; we used the fettuccini setting mostly, as it is the easiest to
make and cook.
Put the
fresh pasta straight into a boiling pot for 1 minute or 2- not too long or it
will melt away into sludge.
You will be
surprised how lovely fresh pasta is on its own or with a simple accompaniment of
fresh tomatoes and cheese or just a dash of olive oil and crushed garlic.It is
also a nutritious meal for children providing a great amount of protein and
nutrients from the eggs and the complex carbohydrates of whole Durham wheat. Besides the fact that they love the taste!
We would
like to thank the Southeast Harvest Festival for having Nature’s Nest, and Harris Scarfe Moruya for
the donation of the pasta machine, it will certainly become a well- loved
activity at Nature’s Nest for years to come I am sure!
www.mamatierra.com.au is a new website, just
launched to support parents in raising holistically healthy children from birth
and beyond. Mama Tierra has hand-selected hundreds of eco-friendly products
including cloth nappies, organic skincare, BPA-free baby bottles, organic and
bamboo clothing, toys and bedding, books on conscious parenting and more. On
the Mama Tierra site, there is also a natural parenting forum, a growing
directory of child specialists and health practitioners and blogs on topics
relating to children's holistic health and wellbeing. It’s definitely worth
checking out! A hardcopy catalogue will be available at Nature’s Nest for you
to view.
Each morning at Nature’s Nest, staff gather the children from their outside play into inside circle time.Circle time runs between 5-10 minutes and consists of a range of seasonal songs and rhymes specially designed to include finger/gesture games, movement/circle games, songs in the pentatonic scale, and traditional nursery rhymes.The songs provide a range of benefits to each child.
These benefits include:
Young children have an innate musicality, love of movement and sense of rhythm; circle time nourishes these.
Finger and hand movement games develop dexterity and help with brain development.
Speech development:songs and rhymes about everyday jobs and tasks which are accompanied by clear gestures, help the young child to come to language as the actions surround the word with meaning.These songs also provide strong examples through imitation.
Seasonal songs help celebrate and bring awareness to the natural cycle of the year.
Singing involves the breath and middle chest region of the body, and helps strengthen and foster healthy development of this area.
Songs in the pentatonic scale are very harmonious, providing the child with exposure to beautiful sounds and tones that are pleasing to the ear.
Traditional nursery rhymes have a richness of imagery and rhyme which nourish each child.
Songs and music are a great way of engaging children in an activity; we often use songs to assist children during transition times (e.g. hand washing, tidying up, etc.).You may like to try this at home – “This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands…before we eat our lunch” etc… to the tune of “Here we go round the Mulberry Bush”.You may be surprised at how the use of a simple song can turn a ‘chore’ into a fun game!
The main aim in preparing a child for the transition into Kindergarten is to support confidence and independence in the child. There are a number of models that early educators use to assess a child's readiness to make a smooth transition to school. Different modalities focus on different aspects and theories of child development to ascertain a child's level of “readiness.” While some models rely solely on “acquired academic skills” such as counting to ten and name writing, other models assess a child's social competence, such as an ability to get on with others and cope emotionally.
There has been an awakening in recent years by the general community in realising the role of carer givers of young children as educators rather than merely “child minders”. A discussion paper on school readiness issued by the NSW Parenting Centre in 2003 noted the interesting paradox that this realisation has developed into a push on Early childhood services is in the direction of “more structured learning such as pre-reading and pre-numeracy skills to ensure that their children are „ready for school‟ and are not falling behind in a knowledge acquisition race, while researchers and early childhood educators are recognising the importance of less structured aspects of early childhood learning on children‟s readiness for school.”
Full paper available at: www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/.../school_readiness.pdf .
Another website, “The Aussie Childcare Network” states in their document on School Readiness Programs: “There is always a misconception that children should be “taught” in preschool. Yes we should teach the children through their interests and needs but not because they require academic success to begin school. It is our duty to assist a preschool child in transitioning to school through a variety of experiences and making each a confident learner, they have the rest of their lives to be taught.”
Available at http://www.aussiechildcarenetwork.com/school_readiness_program.php
Our aim at Nature's Nest is to support the unfolding child as they move through the developmental phases of childhood. We aim to nurture happy and confident children with a fully developed imagination to form a sturdy platform for life-long learning. To quote Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." A child who is happy and confident and who has had the opportunity to physically mature has a natural curiosity and yearning to learn all about the “adult world.”
Our daily rhythm incorporates a variety of social settings for children to develop the social confidence, language development, pre-reading, pre-mathematical and the budding independence required for the kindergarten classroom. Following our daily rhythm provides children with the security of knowing what comes next. Our rhythm is “purpose built” to ease children into gaining independence.
Children at Nature's Nest have a lot of opportunities to practice self-management such as independent toileting, putting on their own shoes and hats and accessing their lunch boxes and drink bottles. Older children are encouraged to assist the younger ones, this cultivates a caring attitude towards others; A valuable attribute to bring into any school community. The self-confidence that is gained from a child who has experienced a daily routine in an environment where a caring relationship has been established with others and their surroundings creates a child who is a willing participant in a primary school environment.
Group activities where all children participate, such as circle songs and bread baking, provide children with the opportunity to learn how to contribute in a group. We use simple songs which introduce everyone by name and encourage group harmony. Learning to share with others and negotiating any conflict which may arise can be facilitated with guidance and modelling from the caregivers. The conversations during our activities at the table provide the opportunity for practicing the sharing personal stories and listening to others.
During our free play times, children can experience less formal and more free-flowing relationships. Here, children can explore making new friends, taking turns, sharing, negotiating social conflict and expressing their needs to others, including other children and caregivers. In this setting children are allowed time to resolve conflict. Giving children time to explore how to resolve conflict with others builds confidence and skill in conflict resolution and provides the social negotiation skills required in a classroom or playground.
Children who show an interest are encouraged to join in with the daily living tasks such as, cleaning the table, sweeping, setting the table and handing out the lunchboxes. Sharing the responsibility of daily living tasks fosters an attitude of helpfulness and participation.
At Nature‟s Nest, basic “academic” learning is integrated into all of our daily activities. This kind of natural learning suits the age and developmental stage of the young child. For example, we learn shape recognition by making a game out of finding all the same shaped blocks to pack together at the end of playtime. The simple act of packing away coloured cloths so that the same colours are together on the shelf builds colour awareness. Learning letter recognition is begun by observing the bread tags that each child receives to differentiate their bread on the tray. Finger games and songs incorporate counting, and build vocabulary, while story time encourages an extended period of listening. Our range of daily art/craft activities incorporate the development of fine motor skills while our afternoon games build physical confidence and gross motor development.
The integration of music, art and academic teaching with the daily activities inspires creative and invigorated learners. Our aim school readiness at Nature‟s Nest is to foster confident, emotionally stable children who maintain a natural inquisitiveness and desire to learn.
"Education Is Not the Filling of a Pail, But the Lighting of a Fire" William Butler Yeats (Poet, 1865-
Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high, There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true.
Our rhythm
The basic elements that make up a Steiner Playgroup can be listed and described quite specifically in terms of guidelines for the environment, mood, routine, rituals, toys, songs stories and such.However without an understanding of “why “ things are done in a certain way, parents are unable to make the most of their playgroup experience and “take home” with consciousness what playgroup has to offer.
Kim Billington
Creating a Steiner Playgroup
The following information is not intended to be accepted as a dogma, but are guidelines to assist us meet the needs of our children based on Rudolf Steiner’s indications of early childhood development.
We must be sensitive to those children who often wish to be observers only.That is fine!Participation must only be by free choice without coercion.Hand holding is also quite a difficult experience for some children.Inappropriate behaviour which is disrupting the play of others or the story etc is best handled by the calm removal of the child from the situation, do this with the knowledge that others in the group have an open warmth of heart for you and your child!
There are many treasures that can be brought to the young child in the circle time in song, movement and rhyme.The young child has an innate musicality, love of movement and sense of rhythm – these qualities warrant protection and nourishment.Shared songs and interactive rhymes can create a very special intimacy between parent and child.
Our circle songs are carefully prepared to follow the rhythms of the seasons and the cycle of the year, they are also appropriate for the ages of the children in our group.Songs and rhymes are presented in clear voices, gestures, mood and humour.We keep the written word to a minimum to avoid disruption to the children.Both adult and children alike learn by repetition of the circle songs.
Bread Baking
Baking bread with children is such a rich experience.In a gentle and rhythmic way it fosters, manual circulation, fine muscle development as well as attuned fine and gross motor co ordination.
Rudolf Steiner’s observations led to the view that human beings have 12 senses which evolve through out a person’s life.The physical senses of touch, well-being, movement and balance are the realm of the young child.Our bread baking activity presents a lovely opportunity to build on these senses.
A description of the kneading process in the book Bread Baking with Children gives us a picture of what a rich experience our morning bread baking activity can be:
The rhythmic motion of kneading soon finds a harmony within the breath.Heart and lungs, hands become united in a common motion.The warmth in the dough, in your energetic kneading and of course from the oven all engenders a sense of growing vitality.
Children warm to a task that is warming to them.
The physical activity of kneading the bread coupled with the chance for the children to engage with the other children and adults in a communal preparation of food and song has the potential to touch the soul of both children and adults alike.
Free Play
The time for indoor play is a most important feature of Steiner Playgroups because this is a precious time for the child to enter into true, free, creative play.Indoor play helps the child’s will forces to find healthy channels.Care from adults to keep their conversations mindful and not to crowd the children’s play space would be beneficial.
Tidy up time is a beautiful activity if approached with a feeling of devotion and reverence towards our toys, space and children’s play.We have a tidy up song, this is generally lead by one or two adults who slowly and gently pack away,prior to morning tea., when done by all the parents, this activity demonstrates to the children how adults can work together with joy, in time the children will also find joy in the activity of tidying up
Parent Craft
Parents are invited to undertake simple craft activities while the children enjoy creative indoor play. This allows the children to play in the presence of their parent whilst observing their industrious activity. Many craft activities may reflect the season or may simply ensure the toys remain in good repair
Morning Tea
“Sharing food is the beginning of sharing life, laughter and love” Veronika van Duin
Each family brings along a piece of seasonal fruit or other wholesome treats and a spirit of sharing takes place at our table.A candle is lit with a little song, everyone around the table links hands and we share a blessing for our food.There is generally a mood of stillness, followed by the social coming together as a group.The sharing of food and conversation around the table naturally creates a sense of belonging and community.
Outside Play
Outside play generally happens rain, hail or shine (well maybe not hail).It’s best if children are dressed appropriately for the weather.This play is quite often running from here to there, climbing or playing in the sandpit. Dangerous games and wresting are quietly diverted, however it is a myth that only “gentle” play goes on in a Steiner Playgroup.We rejoice in the liveliness of our young and use our intuition to guide our actions when responding to undesirable behaviour.
Story and Home Time
Our Stories are chosen to reflect the seasons and are told in cycles of three, it is believed that it takes 3 times for the child to assimilate the story into their body, mind and soul.Our stories are not read instead they are presented by simple scenes, made of hand made characters and gifts from nature.
The soul of a young child is deeply nourished by stories and archetypal themes that are recounted in simple everyday stories about the natural world
Following the peaceful pause that almost always follows the story, a short goodbye song is sung and our bread is handed out to take home.
And now it’s time for us to all go to our own sweet homes…………………
Reference included:
Dot Male - The Parent and Child Group Handbook – A Steiner/Waldorf approach
What makes a Steiner based centre different from other childcare centres? (Summarised and adapted from Dot Male - The Parent and Child Group Handbook – A Steiner/Waldorf approach)
The main principles underlying Steiner based education stem from the understanding that:
In the first seven years children are in the process of growing healthy bodies and developing the skills of every day living.In order for this process to be carried out fully, the focus at a Steiner day care is on every day activities rather than stimulation of the intellect.
Children’s developmental progress varies from one child to another.In order to accomplish the huge task of gaining control and agility of the physical body they require time, and in a Steiner day care children are not rushed in their development just for the sake of moving to the next stage.When children are allowed to move at their own pace it sets a strong foundation for later in life.
Children need play.Large amounts of time during the day are set aside for free creative play.This is vital for all healthy development.
Children “soak-in” every thing in their environment.The child needs to experience the world as beautiful and full of goodness, and to know that we care for our everyday surroundings, for nature and each other.This is modelled to the children, rather than dictated. The adults/staff involved in a Steiner day care will constantly be striving to be worthy of imitation by the child.The physical environment at the centre is very carefully attended to, ensuring an atmosphere of inviting warmth.
Rhythm and repetition are fundamental qualities in a young child’s life.They bring security and containment and help to build a strong physical body.Celebrating cycles and rhythms of the season, the month, the week, the day, the activity helps to create a sense of wonder and reverence.In a Steiner based setting this is done through seasonal crafts, songs and festivals, and activity in the centre is accompanied with songs, verse and storytelling.
Children are nourished by real interactions with other human beings.At a Steiner based centre the meals are shared, just like a big family.
All parents who have experienced the hunt for a childcare centre know how extraordinarily difficult it is to find a centre that represents everything you want for your child; a warm, fun environment where they want to be and you feel safe leaving them; a home away from home.
As a new member of the community I find myself, once again, in search of the Mecca of childcare centres, when unexpectedly and with some confusion, we spot cows. I’m from the city and used to contending with offices, cafes and masses of people, not farm animals. As we pull into the driveway, we see a well-manicured lawn and architrave above the gate; it could be a country guesthouse were it not for the rainbow flags and “Hold my hand” sign, which suggest something more. The wonder continues as we walk through the door. Drawn by the natural colours and calming environment, there’s wooden furniture, a nature table and soft colours draped around the walls. The wooden dolls house, play kitchen, blocks, and trains transport me to an easier, quieter time before mass-production and multimedia. Void of plastics, bright colours and overly decorated walls, the centre welcomes children in and prepares them to create their own environment.
But my opinion doesn’t count for much. My three year old, the more experienced of us in childcare centres, will have the final say. He is welcomed as family and introduced to the children and their thirsty skipping rope snake. It takes time for his curiosity to overcome his shyness but he moves on to play and it is there, on the grass with only a few blocks of wood and a skipping rope, that he finds his Imagination. A little neglected, overlooked by television and DVDs, a hectic family schedule and sporting endeavours, his Imagination blossoms and he becomes his play.
It’s 4 o’clock and we’ve danced, sung, baked and played in the garden. All too quickly, our day ends. We leave, waving goodbye to our new friends, hopeful for the days to come.
Nature’s Nest Community Childcare Centre is a locally managed Steiner education day care centre run by a committee of parents who want children to be children. Nestled amongst a farming community, away from the main streets of Moruya, the hustle and bustle of modern life is left behind and the children can spend their days in the gardens, pretend play or listening to laughing kookaburras on a nature walk.
In keeping with the Waldorf model of imaginative play and imitated activity, singing, craft, play, gardening, care-for-toys and baking all feature in the routines. Routines, called Rhythms, incorporate rhyme and repetition and encourage personal, social, and moral development through creative play in the natural and human world. Daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms include personal and seasonal celebrations and festivals and allow the children’s songs, stories, and play to represent their lives outside the centre. In conjunction with the Rainbow playgroup and Steiner In The Eurobodalla (SITE) Inc., festivals are celebrated throughout the year and are an opportunity for the centre, children, parents, friends, and family to share stories, songs, and activities with the wider community.
Nature’s Nest has everything you want from a childcare centre, with the added warmth of a home. Whether or not you follow the Steiner philosophy, Nature’s Nest is a beautiful balance of nature and nurture.
“… and so together they travelled over the rainbow bridge
and down the spiral staircase until they came to a big gate.
The child felt a little anxious about leaving his wonderful home,
but with courage in his heart and his Angel beside him,
he went through the gate and
a little boy was born upon the earth.”
B. Patterson and P. Bradley, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge
