Dandenong Ranges Steiner School (DRSS) offers a rich and nurturing Early Childhood program at its Menzies Creek Campus.
The campus will be open with teachers available to talk about their programs at the Early Childhood Open Day on Saturday, May 17.
Playgroup
Three playgroups are offered each week to parents of children from birth to Kinder age. Led by an experienced Playgroup leader, Playgroup provides an opportunity for families to meet weekly, in a nurturing and healthy environment. A parent or other carer accompanies the child each week to the Playgroup session.
Activities include: Morning Circle with seasonal songs and poems, free play, bread making, and a short story at the end of the session. The sessions are run on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Menzies Creek Hall, across the road from Kindergarten and Prep.
Kindergarten
DRSS offers a Little Kinder (three-year-old program) and Big Kinder (four-year-old program). The Kindergarten timetable consists of a rhythmical flow of different activities. Use of a variety of natural materials in play areas gives scope for imagination in play, a key concept in Steiner Education for pre-schoolers. Rhythms during the day, during the week and during the year provide a rich source of content for the teacher’s program.
A rhythmic day provides the stability and security in which creative play can arise. Routines include:
Free Play
Morning Circle in which verse, rhyme and song are carefully selected to reflect the season and complement other aspects of the program.
An artistic or creative activity such as painting, drawing, sewing, woodwork or clay modelling.
Daily menu of cooked morning tea which children may help to prepare (Allergies are catered for).
A spoken story, finger or puppet play, carefully chosen to nourish the inner life of the child
Weekly Eurythmy (specialised movement program).
Prep
The Prep year allows the children to develop new social, artistic and fine motor skills and also allows the class time to strengthen and mature before they continue their journey into Class One and begin their academic work. The focus in Prep is to provide the most appropriate environment for the child’s development and to facilitate opportunities for learning through imitation. Cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills are all afforded equal value and many different competencies are developed.
Children thrive physically and emotionally in the security of a predictable daily, weekly and seasonal rhythm. These strong lively rhythms help to give the children a deep sense of security.
For those who miss the Open Day, the school offers monthly tours.
