Eucalyptus Magazine / December 2009 / Schooling Inspired by Nature

Schooling Inspired by Nature

Research shows that during the first five years of life, a child’s brain develops more dramatically than at any other time. Habits that children adopt in the early years tend to last a lifetime. Although some traditional preschools tout their offerings with advertisements of four-year-olds carrying briefcases, critics warn that young children learn most effectively through play.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, proposes a remedy for the detrimental effects caused by well-meaning parents who keep their children busy with enrichment activities from dawn till dusk: unstructured playtime outdoors. He states in his book, “New studies suggest that exposure to nature may reduce the symptoms of ADHD, and that it can improve all children’s cognitive abilities and resistance to negative stress and depression.”

Many preschools incorporate unstructured outdoor play into their curriculum. Waldorf schools, originated by Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner in the early 1900s, have traditionally embraced nature. At its essence, Waldorf teaching strives to educate the child in a holistic sense: through the head, hands, and heart. The goal of Waldorf teachers is to inspire curiosity and a profound love of learning in their students.

Interest in this type of alternative education has increased, and schools have cropped up to fill the void. A new school in Saratoga, The Spirit of Play, opened in September 2009. Inspired in part by Waldorf philosophy, the program is influenced by founder Jennifer Jeffcoat’s background as a physical education teacher at Los Gatos High School. What she saw during her tenure there concerned her.

“So many children seem lost…they don’t have a sense of self,” she says. Such observations led her first to study healing through movement, and later to enroll at the Rudolf Steiner College in Los Altos, where she is beginning her second year of study.

Soft music plays in Jeffcoat’s light-filled classroom. Pinecones and dried sunflowers brighten the room; children's art adorns the walls. Handmade pottery bowls and cups, crafted by the children, rest on a wooden table. The morning begins with circle time, in which Jeffcoat leads the children through seasonal songs. They recap their adventure on a nearby farm the previous day. Three-year-old Kyan says, “I enjoyed picking the grapes. I love grapes!”

Stretching and counting exercises follow, as the children reach upward to pluck imaginary lemons off an imaginary tree. Mondays are spent outdoors, often at nearby Saratoga Springs. Once a month, the children visit Live Earth Farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which provides hands-on opportunities to learn about organic gardening.

Jeffcoat says, “My vision is to build a community school where children can be fully present and awake with life, a place that enables them to truly play and keep their imagination awake, while being present in the beauty that nature has to offer.”

Her vision for the school is a serene, restful space created in part by the families who attend. She’s planning a painting party for parents, where they’ll spend time decorating the walls with warm hues. In the yard, a solitary lemon tree resides, but Jeffcoat pulls out the plans for an L-shaped container garden to be planted with kale, chard, and carrots. Her long-term goal is for the school to become self-sustainable, generating income at farmers’ markets through the sale of handmade herbal salves, children’s artwork, and garden vegetables.

Parents choose to send their children to a school like The Spirit of Play for a variety of reasons. For many, the focus on the natural world is a huge draw. Nicole Rossi of Los Gatos says, “It’s really important for me to give [my son] Nicholas that same connection with nature that I grew up with... I think it’s unfortunate that many children have lost that.”

Others, like Sunanda Rangarajan of San Jose, appreciate the curriculum variety and the chance to play a part in their child’s schooling. “I wanted a place where I could be with my daughter, and I just love the Waldorf way of teaching,” she says. “I want her to take things slowly and learn to appreciate nature and cooking. I know she’s going to learn the other things in years to come. I really want her to be well rounded, rather than just focusing on academics. The parents help out here and are involved in the school. My child doesn’t have a fear of going to school. She’s learning to appreciate twigs and rocks and touching things in nature and painting leaves. I really like that for her.”

The Spirit of Play, 14103 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga;

Also read: More Schools Inspired by Nature