Spring Festival 2012

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



Winter Lantern Festival 2012

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..

 



 

 



Our Autumn Harvest Festival

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. 

Read more at http://sageproject.org.au/

HARVEST

It was golden, golden, golden, as the harvest table was laid

We started with some songs and the story of the Giant Turnip

An egg hunt yielded some welcome surprises

Then we all sat down to find some fairy silk amongst the corn

we even found some star shapes!

 Impromptu corn dollies were born while we waited for our cobs to cook

Garlic Bulb planting

And to finish off, an egg and spoon race (with boiled eggs!)

And Time just seemed to stand still…….

History

Nature’s Nest was born out of the growing community of parents in our shire who value the Rudolf Steiner philosophy of early childhood education.  It is truly a community organisation which has had input over time from many different families from all over our shire.

The organisation that manages the centre, Steiner In The Eurobodalla (SITE) (formally ESEAI) first began meeting about 17 years ago when many of the parents had children enrolled in the child care centre, which was then Country Cottage child care.  From these meetings the Eurobodalla Steiner Playgroups were gradually formed.  SITE became an incorporated body and continued to meet and organise various activities over the years that enabled our community to practice and learn more about Steiner Education.

Nature’s Nest aims to cater for the needs of families by providing a creative and appropriate childcare option, a centre that houses our playgroups and facility in which to run parent education workshops, craft workshops and seasonal festivals.  In short the centre is not only for those that are enrolled in the day care sessions. Nature’s Nest is a community run, not-for-profit centre.

“The preschool years, the kindergarten years, (the years before formal

schooling) are the most important of all in the education of the child.”

“It is absolutely essential that before we begin to think, before we so

much as begin to set our thinking in motion, we experience the condition

of wonder.”

Rudolf Steiner