What is our inspiration?

If you've been reading the posts up til now, you may be wondering what to expect from Countryside Playschool.  What we are NOT is a high pressure get-you-reading-by-age-four kind of community.  We do not segregate children by age - that is not how the real world works and we seek to imitate real life-  including tasks like cooking together, cleaning together, & nurturing each other.  We DO go outside every day no matter the weather.  We DO love natural and many handmade toys.  Earlier is not always better when it comes to academics, and there are many things children need before they are ready for formal education. 
We will have two outdoor playtimes: one first thing in the morning, which will allow for slight variations in arrival times; and again last thing in the afternoon (also allowing for variations in pick up times).  There is no such thing as 'bad weather', only bad clothing!  We will enjoy the snow, the heat (lots of water play!), and even some rain if it is not a downpour.  Please dress your children accordingly, and also keep a change of clothing at playschool. 
After our first outdoor playtime, we will wash up & have a small snack, story & singing, and then playtime.  Indoor playtime will include crafts, painting, science & math activities as free choices, as well as opportunities to help prepare our lunch.  Next comes clean up, lunch & back outside.  Parents are always welcome, but are not required to stay. 
Our hope is that parents will have ample time during drop off and pick up to visit with each other and get to know the other children & families!  I'd like to have some family and parent events as we grow, so that our group can be a support for each other as we raise our families together.
With 2 more little ones in our family, I've done more reading on Montessori & Waldorf education, and that has been my recent inspiration for early childhood education.  If you would like to see some of what we do at home and research a bit more, see my other blog: http://learningtowaldorf.blogspot.com/  There you will find links to other Waldorf sites on the (hidden) sidebar.  For grades 1-9 I am a big fan of the classical model, which we used with our younger children, and we will likely follow with our younger ones.  For the majority of high school I believe young adults need much practical training and apprenticeship with experts in their fields of their interest along with logic, rhetoric, and practical math.
What about you?  What inspires you to spend time with your children?  I look forward to reading your comments and hearing more about what your family is looking for in a preschool experience.