Nature Brings Out the Best in Children
How important is the environment that children play in for the quality of learning? A comprehensive study shows that children who play in unstructured outdoor environments with natural materials engage in a much wider variety of beneficial types of play, which leads to increased cognitive and developmental benefits. Researchers found that those children were more likely to be inspired to build with found materials, to engage in imaginative play, and to examine objects deeply through the senses. They also found that the children were more joyful and participated in more cooperative play. That’s why in Waldorf education we […]
Our Philosophy: More Green Time, Less Screen Time
A new collection of 186 studies shows that high levels of time spent in nature are associated with positive mental health, cognitive functioning, and academic achievement benefits for children and adolescents, while high levels of screen time are associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and poor self-regulation. That’s why Waldorf Schools emphasize outdoor learning and play as important aspects of the school day for each student in every grade. At Richmond Waldorf School, every student gets outside every day! This is an important value of our school for all ages as we understand the important benefits for our students […]
What Makes for an Outstanding School System?
Finland has developed one of the most successful school systems in the world. What makes the Finnish model so different from most North American schools, and so similar to Waldorf Schools? In both Waldorf education and Finland’s model, students experience a holistic curriculum that includes movement, play, art, world languages and music alongside math, science, reading and writing. Both education models prioritize outdoor learning and play, and minimize high stress, high stakes testing and test prep. The result is an educational model that benefits students’ mental, social-emotional and physical health, where students are joyful, focused, engaged, and academically […]
25th Anniversary Mosaic Project
Merenda proposed that we assemble four separate mosaic pieces, each composed of tiles created by our student body. She envisioned tall, vertical panels, each incorporating the underground realm, the earthly realm and the heavenly realm, and showing how they are all interconnected. This parallels Waldorf education, which emphasizes the connections between academic subjects, practical skills, and nature. Waldorf education also deeply believes in the importance of environmental stewardship and being in harmony with the earth, which dovetailed perfectly with Merenda’s vision. Her inspiration for the project was that all of our students work together to create the fabric of our […]
How Teacher Looping Eases Learning Disruption
New studies show that a teacher educating the same group of students in multiple subjects over multiple years (looping) has lasting benefits. Students who stay with the same teacher see both academic improvement as well as reductions in absences and behavioral issues. Teaching a child for multiple years allows teachers to better understand each student’s learning style, to work with families to help support students, and to challenge them to do their best work. That’s why in Waldorf education, teachers stay with their class for multiple years, building a safe and supportive learning environment and strong relationships. This […]
Pushing Academics into Preschool is Harmful
A brand new comprehensive study of preschool finds significant drawbacks to pushing academics too early. Researchers found that any initial academic gains were quickly erased, and children who attended academic focused Pre-K were actually behind their peers in elementary and middle school. Another troubling finding was that students who experienced early academic pressure showed dramatic increases in behavioral issues later on. In Waldorf education, we focus on what is developmentally appropriate for each age group, understanding that children especially need play, movement and art, which are all critical to social-emotional health and academic success. Asking children to take […]
Movement is Fundamental to How Children Learn
Scientific understanding of how the brain influences the body, and the body influences the brain, is shedding light on the role movement plays in learning and memory. Incorporating movement has a significant impact on what students remember as compared to taking in concepts just auditorily or visually. In Waldorf education we use movement as a teaching tool throughout our curriculum. Incorporating movement helps children with everything from learning their multiplication tables to understanding complex physics concepts. At Richmond Waldorf School, movement is integrated into the academic subjects as we know that children learn best when they are […]
The Greatest Scientists are Artists Too
Louis Pastuer was a painter. Albert Einstein and Francis Arnold were both accomplished musicians. New research shows that award winning scientists, and especially Nobel Prize winners, are far more likely to have artistic hobbies than the general public. Many of them, including Einstein, cite the role of the arts in their breakthroughs. Creativity and perseverance are at the heart of both scientific discovery and artistic expression. That is why music, drama, visual and practical arts are key components in Waldorf education and are integrated throughout our curriculum here at Richmond Waldorf School. At Richmond Waldorf, students begin music […]
