06/22/2021
“Teacher Katerina, look what I created, the bug gym.” ~ 6 year old Ali
The child is the creator of play in the Waldorf-Inspired Forest School. Children play from the images created during circle time and story time, and from the images of their own life experiences. If there are rich images around the children, they can create satisfying and appropriate play.
“Toys” in a Forest School are not what we usually find in other preschools. New parents often wonder if children know how to play with these things. These are toys with magic still in them. Children have to work to find that magic and bring it out in play. Each day, play time is a time of transformation. The sections of logs, for example, now form a village. Later, the same logs might be used for telephone play. The seashells are pretend money for shoppers but later become pretend food for children who are playing restaurant.