By Glenda Moore
Climbing Rose Waldorf Kindergarten will be offering two new programs to the community beginning in the fall of 2011. The first will be an Art Class designed for 5 to 10 year old children in which parents will be able to enroll the child for the semester. Each month will bring a new medium to explore – watercolor painting, woodworking, modeling with clay and beeswax and finally, fiber arts, culminating in puppetry and a puppet play performance for the parents. Each class will be three hours long, beginning with a short outside playtime, an artistic experience, some creative playtime and ending with a nutritious snack. Costs for the class will be $500 for the sixteen week series or about $30 per three hour class. I have an extensive background in art education which was my minor in college and I love offering open-ended artistic experiences to the children which are focused on process and joyful expression. The experience often produces a beautiful product but my foremost hope is for the children to emerge with an enhanced sense of self and confidence in their ability to create. Classes will be limited to around 8 children and offered from 9 am to 12 noon on Saturday mornings and another session on Wednesday or Thursday mornings for the homeschooling community.
The other new offering will be an eight-week Parenting Class which will begin with infant care, bonding and sleep issues and progress through the significance of early movement patterns such as crawling and walking and onward through positive discipline and moral guidance. Each class will nurture the parent as well beginning with an artistic experience such as painting or singing, progress to the presentation of the topic and then there will be ample time for questions and discussions thus creating a supportive community around the important work of parenting. I have taught parenting classes for many years within the context of Waldorf Education and separately as week-end workshops and weekly series. I also have an extensive background in mainstream child development and early childhood remedial intervention from which to draw. This class will be especially helpful for first-time expecting parents but will also be an informative and supportive experience for more experienced parents and grandparents as well. Cost for the eight two-hour classes will be $260 which will include a book on parenting and extensive hand-outs for further thought. I will also be available for consultation with families about their individual questions and concerns. When I was pregnant with my daughter 33 years ago, we faithfully attended birthing classes but were woefully unprepared for practical care of the baby once the birth was over. This is the class I wish had been available to me at the time!
Please call 314-646-0626 after 3 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and any time on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday for more information and an application. Enrollment for the classes is limited and is already partially filled so call soon to ensure a space.
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