Academics
Academics In Early Childhood Education
While formal academics are not part of the Waldorf curriculum until grade schoool, the solid foundations for academic excellence and life-long learning are thoughtfully incorporated into our daily classroom activities. Circle time and story telling immerse the children in the beauty and complexity of our language. Every day they move to poetry and music while finger games and dramatic play activate and develop coordination, concentration, and memory.
First Grade Readiness
The Waldorf early childhood curriculum demonstrably promotes healthy brain development and lays the foundation for a lifelong love of learning and academic achievement, yet does not formally introduce letters and numbers until first grade. In the absence of a full Waldorf grade school in Reno, some parents desire that their child’s experience at Heart To Hand be enriched with some academics in preparation for entering first grade.
In response to this desire, we offer a Kindergarten Enrichment program for children who need extra tutoring to be ready for first grade. Using Waldorf methods (such as singing, movement, painting, and drawing) the alphabet, numbers, basic counting, and spelling are woven into the curriculum.
The intention of this program is to ease parental concern that their child will not be ready for academic programs when the time comes. Therefore, the Kindergarten Enrichment program is only available to children attending Heart To Hand School during the year immediately prior to beginning first grade.
Being personally acquainted with a number of Waldorf students,
I can say that they come closer to realizing their own potential than practically anyone I know.
~ Joseph Weizenbaum, Professor Emeritus,
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology),
author of Computer Power and Human Reason
