Waldorf School on yhe Roaring Fork

The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork is committed to providing a safe, beautiful, and nurturing environment where children can experience the wonder of education and learning. The school offers a Preschool and mixed-age Kindergarten for children from 2-1/2 to 6 years old, parent/child classes ("Peas & Carrots") and classes of 1st through 8th graders. During early childhood the child is performing important physical and brain development work, so we choose not to rush them with academic drills or abstract experiences. Instead, the children's days are filled with both structured and unstructured activities that exercise powers of imagination. Our two-year Kindergarten program prepares the children for entry into the Grades where learning and education unfolds from within each child as they progress through the Grades. Waldorf Education was founded by Austrian born, Rudolf Steiner, who was a educator, scientist and philosopher. He also created Eurythmy and biodynamic farming, one of the earliest forms of organic farming. None of us can predict what information our children will need to know twenty years from now, however we do know that to be successful they will need the ability to think and solve problems. Waldorf education is based on an understanding that key to developing problem solving skills for the 21st century is an active imagination and a commitment to pursuing one's purpose in life. Waldorf teachers understand that children pass through distinct stages of development and that both the subject matter and manner in which it is taught need to be specific to the age of a growing child. This understanding distinguishes Waldorf education from other approaches to education. Ideally, the Grades teacher moves forward with the class each year so that an extended family is created to help children transition through these stages in a healthy manner. The development model is inspired by the thoughts and writings of the visionary educator, scientist, and philosopher, Rudolf Steiner.