Spring and Summer Nature Activities for Waldorf Kindergartens

Quick Look

• Engaging and educational activities for children, including building bug hotels, using plant dyes, making earthworm boxes, growing and cooking fresh herbs and caring for butterflies
• Also includes large-scale projects such as landscaping a garden, beekeeping and working with earth, water, fire and air
• Activities are tried and tested from the Children's Nature and Garden Centre in Germany
• New fully revised edition of the much-loved books Spring Nature Activities for Children and Summer Nature Activities for Children

A wonderful resource book for any Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired kindergartens. It is full of fun and educational nature activities to help children connect with the seasons, plus valuable background reading and advice for educators.

Description

A wonderful resource book for any Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired kindergarten.

Encourage children to engage with the seasons as they build bird boxes, use plant dyes, make earthworm boxes, grow and cook fresh herbs, create Easter bowls and care for butterflies.

As well as fun nature activities -- both indoor and outside -- for children, this book also includes valuable background reading and advice for teachers, such as how to create your own kindergarten garden.

All the activities in this book are based on practical experience from the Children's Nature and Garden Centre in Germany, and are fully tried and tested.

Table of Contents

Contents
Foreword
Spring
Gardening in a Box
Dyeing with Vegetable Juices
Radish Caterpillars
Nature Nests
Pressed-Flower Easter Eggs
Daisy Games and Activities
Strawberry Decorations
Growing Your Own Cuttings
Embroidered Fantasy Tablecloth
Dandelion Games and Activities
Cardboard-Box House and Flower Shop
Spring Flower Bouquets
Felt Vegetables
Muddy Games and Activities
Discovering Moss
Mossy Crafts
Summer
Exploring a Stream
Building Boats
Insect Hotels
Outdoor Summer Games
Spiderweb Frames
Natural Soap
Outdoor Play Kitchen
Forest Dens
Resources

Reviews

'This is a wonderful resource book for Steiner-Waldorf kindergartens! It is full of ideas and projects for educators on how to help children engage with the seasons... A sturdy book with illustrative photographs and easy to follow instructions.'
-- Kindling

'The authors display a deep understanding of child development and the important role that high quality sensory experiences play within healthy development...What sets the books apart is the imaginative quality of the projects, which range from landscaping ideas to apple-ring drying...so we are helped to create a rich outdoor environment with our children and then given lots of ideas for interesting things to do out there...Our children's relationship with the environment will surely be enriched through trying some of these projects...'
-- Resurgence

'A very exciting book full of wonderful activites and information. Ideal for home schoolers and a must-have for any children's group. This book is totally inspiring and fills you with enthusiasm for the new season!'
-- Education Otherwise Homeschooling Journal

'This book is full of innocent fun activities to do with children ... I am now itching to get out and make a caterpillar house so that we can see them grow to beautiful butterflies.'
-- Totz2teens.co.uk

Author

Irmgard Kutsch, born 1952, trained as a vet before working with children with special needs. She established the Children's Nature and Garden Centre in Reichshof in 1994, where children and teachers can learn about nature and participate in workshops.

Brigitte Walden, born 1953, worked as a Waldorf teacher for fifteen years. She is a carer at Haus Hohenfried in Bavaria, Germany, a centre for people with additional support needs.