We were blessed to find the Waldorf school 11 years ago. We initially sought out to find a gentle and natured based nursery school experience for our then 2 year old son. He was very shy and quiet so we wanted a small class size. He was also not ready for 5 full days away from mom so we specifically narrowed our search down to schools with 2-3 day options.
We had heard about Montessori and Waldorf educations online and quickly dug into exploring the different approaches. We visited the 3 local options and felt an immediate sense of peace and a warm familiarity at the Waldorf School. We observed many things that were important to our family. Good wholesome food, a loving environment and calm adults who were soft spoken instead of yelling at rowdy kids. Then we learned about the wooden toys, silks and sheepskins for tactile support and cozy corners instead of time outs. It all made sense. We enrolled our quiet boy in 2 day nursery and Heidi started parent and child with our second son who was an infant. We met wonderful friends on that very first day of school. Again, a comfortable feeling and supportive like-minded community. It was an easy transition with no tears. We came for nursery never intending to stay until 8th grade. But here we are!
What we discovered was that a Waldorf education focuses on stimulating the body and the brain together so more neurons are connecting. Simply put, nerves that are wired together fire together. You are more likely to remember something when you have engaged many parts of your brain together. This is so much better than memorization! Both Heidi and Lee are chiropractors so we know movement is critical to learning. We also saw how the age appropriate sensory play here stimulated the brain and nervous system. It aligned perfectly.
But the time our first son was thriving in 1st grade we asked ourselves, how could we NOT offer this to our other children? We brought our 3rd child, a girl, to parent and child right from the start and soaked in every moment. We have fond memories of huck-a-buck bread and honey butter, singing songs and snuggling with sheepskins reading books.
Fast forward 11 years later that sweet innocent boy is now in 7th grade at WSMF and he STILL has those same friends we met that very first day. We still have the strong and supportive loving community that we are proud to call family. It truly takes a village and we are so proud to have this group help shape our children into strong and confident, kind people who love to learn.
This is why we give.
The Zohn Family
Give Today to the Waldorf School at Moraine Farm Fund