Rhythms of the Day
The morning starts with free play within which a number of activities are set up - baking, craft. Handicraft activity is often arranged so that parents can make small things for the story session or nature table and get ideas for their own displays at home. The layout of the toys and the activities make the Rainbow Toddler Group an enjoyable and playful experience, allowing parents to play and to get involved.
After the toys from free play have been tidied away it is time to wash hands ready for snack time. We try to keep the snack as wholesome as possible, offering fruit, oat cakes, rice cakes, bread and fruit teas and drinks for parents.
After the snack it is time for story time. Parents and children sit in a circle together around the story table set out with dolls and natural scenery which reflect the season. The story is told using the figures, songs and rhythms, and the children love to have the same one retold for three or four weeks. The stories often reflect the seasons and yearly celebrations such as Christmas, Easter and Mid-Summer, linking children strongly with the natural world around them and the cycle of the year.
After the story the seasonal songs and rhymes of "ring time" follow. Like the story, these are repeated so that they become well loved and familiar. Following ring time, weather permitting, the children then go out in the garden for a walk. Parents are asked to bring wellies and coats if the weather is likely to be cold or wet. We end the morning with some circle rhymes and the Goodbye Song - until next time.
As young children learn through imitation, parents
are
asked to join in the routines of the morning and to help hold and create a calm and peaceful space where children are free to be as lively or as still as they wish. A toddler group leader will lead the sessions. Parents' involvement is needed and welcomed. This may be for helping set up or tidy away at the end of the morning or with taking a turn at preparing the snacks. Steiner playgroups have a particular quality that is enjoyed by parents and children alike.
For further enquiries call the Toddler Leader at the Lancaster Steiner School on 01524 841351