Morning Garden

Morning Garden is faculty-facilitated parent and child program for newborn to 5 year olds.  Families wanting to learn more about Waldorf-inspired education, or to make connections with other parents are welcome. Parents and children come to learn more about the kindergarten program at Edge Hill, to socialize and ask questions about Edge Hill and to ease the transition to school for their little ones.  Free play, teacher-led circle, healthy snack and seasonal crafts are part of the program.  Morning Garden runs each year on Friday mornings, in Fall, Winter and Spring sessions. Email info@edgehillschool.org to find out more and to register.

Kindergarten

Elementary School

Designed to engage the whole child, Edge Hill’s grade school lessons are cross-curricular, engaging artistic, musical, social, mathematical, linguistic and movement skills simultaneously. Students produce work of high academic and artistic quality during intensive main lesson blocks, and at the end of each school year take home a collection of textbooks that they have created themselves.

The curriculum is structured around the main lesson, a concentrated daily two-hour session in which one subject is the focus. When one topic has been fully explored (approx. four weeks), a new main lesson block is introduced. The subjects for these main lessons are set out in a curriculum designed to meet the needs of children at each stage of development and include language, mathematics and a variety of academic skills. During the main lesson students have time to enter into each subject in depth and to approach it in a variety of ways, their work enlivened with poetry, painting, sculpting, and drama. Thus, intellectual learning is always combined with artistic, rhythmical, and practical work.

Subjects requiring regular repetition are taught in shorter lessons. Afternoons are devoted to activities that are more social and “hands-on.” The challenges of handwork, music, painting, gardening, and games are vital parts of a complete education. At all times, a strong foundation for academics skills is built to further confidence and a life-long love of learning.

As students progress through the grades, they create works of increasing sophistication and craftsmanship, building upon many years of holistic learning and demonstrating excellent learning habits and capacities. Through our program, they become confident, self-motivated, and well-rounded learners. Students who complete their course of elementary-school studies at Edge Hill are well-prepared to meet the academic and social challenges of secondary school.