At Acorn Hill we seek to support and encourage the holistic and integrated development of each human being’s unique creative potential.

We recognize the significance of experiences in early childhood for an individual’s later development and use age appropriate approaches for teaching. Our curriculum is based on the ideas of Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner whose insights into the developing consciousness of the human being have now been verified by modern neuro-physiological studies. Researchers such as Jane Healy, David Elkind and Joseph Chilton Pearce, among others, have written extensively on the importance of play for the healthy and holistic development of children.

Power of Play

We view play as the serious work of childhood, and learning by doing provides the foundation for active imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking. Our program is experiential, based on the conviction that academic instruction is best postponed until grade school. We build the foundation for cognitive learning through a variety of play and work activities.

Journey Through the Seasons

Journeying with the children through the seasons of the year, through festivals, gardening, and craft activities, we bring a sense of wonder and reverence for nature. Through cooperative and careful work indoors and outdoors we encourage respect for both the environment and one another.

Baking, Painting, and More

Concentration, small muscle development, and eye-hand coordination are all essential to reading and writing. Activities that promote these skills include baking, braiding, finger crocheting, sewing, modeling with beeswax, crayoning, watercolor painting, and others.

Storytelling

A further contribution to language development is our practice of storytelling. In this way the child’s memory is developed along with a sense for the beauty and expressiveness of language. Some stories are presented as puppet plays.

Poetry and Singing

Daily circle time features poems, games, and songs that further build language skills and also provide the basis for mathematics skills through counting games and rhymes.

Outdoor Gardening

Gardening is a wonderful and enriching experience for the children. Throughout the seasons the children, faculty and parents all are able to assist in planting at the school. Each class tends to its own garden plots by planting various bulbs, flowers, and vegetables during the spring and fall.  As a result, the children are able to see for themselves the fruits of their labor. They enjoy decorating the classroom with the flowers, and eating the vegetables for snack!

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.”

— Rudolf Steiner