Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm offers birth –3rd grade education and Farm and Forest Summer Camp based on the Waldorf philosophy on a working farm in Essex, NY.

The Kindergarten Classroom Inside and Out 

By Julie Warren

It’s official; autumn is coming to a close. Daylight savings time has expired and the days suddenly seem much shorter. I’ve not only packed away my summer clothes, but I’ve pushed the box to the far back of the closet, where I know I will not need to access it for many months. Our trusty propane heater has been humming away for some weeks now, and the cat is favoring long morning naps in a spot of sunshine instead of her usual outside adventures. It’s only a matter of time; winter is on its way.
Every year I marvel at the changing of seasons and how there always seem to be small surprises nestled in the comforting predictability of the year, moments we somehow forget about over the course of 12 months and are pleasantly reminded of when they come around again. For example, I anticipate the thrill of colorful leaves for weeks each year, but always experience a moment of awe when I hear a gaggle of geese squawking as they pass overhead on their way south. The smell of rotting wet leaves reminds me of every autumn hike I’ve ever taken, but the rattle of wind blowing through perfectly dried goldenrod somehow seems new each year. Even though I remember the joy that my dog experiences as she charges through newly raked piles of dry leaves, it’s more fun to watch each year. The changing of seasons is a joyful time of heightened awareness of the world.

Rudolph Steiner described the young child as being  “wholly a sense organ,” meaning that in their first 7 years of life, children are experiencing their world completely through their senses. Newborns take in information about the world first through taste of mother’s milk and with a mother’s touch, and will first respond to the sound of a mother’s voice. As babies grow into children, they begin to experience more of the world, and their sensory experiences expand evermore when they enter the nursery class or kindergarten.

As early childhood teachers it is our responsibility to provide young children with materials, playthings, and experiences that will nourish their senses.  One way this happens is the physical environment in a Waldorf kindergarten classroom.  Walking into one of these rooms invokes a mood of comfort and warmth, which is intentional in the textures, colors, and objects that are included in the classroom.
The walls of the Waldorf kindergarten are painted a rosy pink, often using a technique called Lazure. This is a way of painting with thin layers of color in a rhythmic method.  The result is dynamic; the color seems to move with the natural light flowing into the classroom. A safe, almost womb-like environment is created that supports the dreaminess of early childhood.

Toys in the kindergarten are made of natural materials. Wood, silk, wool, and beeswax nurture the

child’s developing sense of the world. Beautiful toys and objects made with natural materials foster creativity in children.  In the classroom, the toy shelf is lined with baskets of wooden blocks, felted wool balls, and beautiful play silks.

Even the smells found in a kindergarten classroom are pleasing and add to the coziness of the environment. The scent of beeswax candles, lavender satchels, and baking bread waft through the air and no doubt leave a lasting memory impression on the young children.

At Lakeside a great deal of time in the kindergarten is spent outside. Most days begin with a journey through the meadow to the forest to visit grandfather tree or the mossy rock forest.  These adventures truly nurture the young child’s sense experience. The gentle smell of straw and manure, the smoke from a campfire, and the sweet scent of calendula blossoms are scent memories that will stay with these children just as the smell of baking bread and beeswax from the classroom.  The chittering of red squirrels busy in the walnut trees, the call of a hawk high in the sky, and the gurgling of a spring brook as it moves beneath ice are among the sounds of a morning walk in the Kindergarten.  Crisp air on noses and wet morning dew inform children about the rhythms of the natural world.
At Lakeside the children have a full sensory experience of the changing of the seasons. Each year new discoveries are made: the smell of rotting walnut shells, the crispness of the air just before snow begins to fall, the quiet that fills the forest as bird and insect sounds fade. Some of these sensations will become much anticipated signs of change, and some will always remain surprises; little gifts that come each year and renew our love and appreciation for the earth and all it has to offer.