Rhythm of the Day

Waldorf believes children thrive with strong rhythms. Every day has a rhythm, as well as every week and throughout the year. Rhythm and routines create a happy and healthy environment for children. It is by bringing form to their days that children can relax and trust the world around them. At Fremont Community School (FCS) we let the rhythm of the day and the changes of the season carry us along on a smooth course throughout the year. Coupled with strong rhythms and routines is a hands-on, emergent curriculum which allows for each child’s inherent curiosity to blossom.

While we recognize that each child develops at their own pace, we also acknowledge and honor the unique abilities of each specific age and, at times, may separate into distinct groups:

● Ladybugs: two and a half and three years old.

● Bumblebees: four years old.

● Owls: five years old.

Ladybugs

Quite often, the two- or three-year-old, stepping away from home for the first time, needs a gentle, loving place that recognizes the tenderness of their age and receives this child with reverence and care. Even a child who has been in the care of a nanny or daycare could experience a challenging transition into their new preschool. That is why we offer quiet activities in the beehive or the option of going inside, following the teacher's judgment upon weather, play dynamics, and needs of the individual child. The Ladybugs are given the opportunity to watch and learn from the “big kids.” Imitation is the basis for all learning from birth throughout the early childhood years, and older children are often some of the best educators for these little ones. We regularly see examples of this kind of learning when a five-year-old invites a Ladybug into their play or under their wing.

Bumblebees and Owls

Bumblebee and Owls start their morning outside. The teachers will determine whether a Bumblebee or Owl may come inside for “quiet” play. The four-year-olds come to preschool with a new sense of confidence and are ready to build relationships and forts with equal joy. They still look up to the five-year-olds, but it is on more equal footing. While not quite ready to sit down for any length of time, they do enjoy dabbling in projects as long as there is plenty of time to run, climb, build, and push trucks around the yard. Of the three different age groups, it is the four-year-olds who consistently choose to spend the most time in the yard.

The five-year-olds are ready to engage in activities for a greater length of time and take on the new challenges of arts and crafts with an enthusiasm that is a joy to behold. Learning numbers and letters is part of the curriculum for five-year-olds; however, unlike other education systems, the philosophy of Waldorf Education teaches these skills in a very imaginative, creative way, making the lessons so inspired that the children easily retain the information. We call this “Learning as a Living Art.” Like any muscle, we start with simple activities and build strengths

Typical Rhythm of the Morning

Arrival: Free play and activities outside

10:00 am Potty reminders and diaper change

10:30 am Tidy up and Circle

10:45 am Wash Hands and Lunch, followed by "Library" time

11:30 am Free play

12:00 pm Potty reminders and diaper change

12:15 pm Storytime and play until 12:40

12:45 pm Pick up

Details of daily activities – Ladybugs, Bumblebees, and Owls

● Circle Time is when the children gather to sing songs, play circle or finger games, recite verses and poems, and play movement games.

● Lunchtime begins with a moment of reverence and a verse of gratitude to "Mother Earth" for all the food we have. Children then have "golden silence" while we focus on eating and let our bodies have a rest. As children finish eating, they pack away their lunches, go inside to go to the bathroom, wash their hands, and then have "library time." During library time, the children pick out three books to look at and share with other friends who are also done with lunch. Everyone eats outside, and children are spaced apart.

● Story Time is a time each group gathers to listen to a story or watch a puppet show. The stories at FCS are always told from the heart to foster imagination, and props such as scarves or finger puppets are used. Favorite stories may be acted out as a class play.

Our weekly rhythm for the Fall will be

Monday - Baking

Tuesday - Painting

Wednesday - Handwork (Seasonal crafts, sewing, finger knitting, cutting & gluing, clay modeling, etc.)

Thursday - Handwork (Seasonal crafts, sewing, finger knitting, cutting & gluing, clay modeling, etc.)

Friday - Special Baking Day (children bake their own mini pizzas, breadsticks, etc.) or visit the local pocket park located 2 blocks from our school.

Rhythm of the Year: Festivals

FCS also recognizes the value of festivals in the lives of children and the community. The teachers take great joy in preparing for these events with the help of the children.

Autumn Field Trip - Pumpkin Farm:  In late September or mid-October, prior to Halloween, families meet at Oxbow Farm, a local, organic farm to learn about the farm and select a pumpkin to take home. Parents must attend this field trip or plan for someone to bring their child/ren.

Lantern Walk: In early November, after the clocks have changed, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are longer. The Lantern Walk honors the changing of the light and the celebration of the last of the golden autumn glow. We gather at Gasworks Park and begin the walk shortly after 5 p.m. This is a very short festival. We walk to the top of “Kite Hill” and down again. Our whole community is invited to this event, and every year, well over 100 people show up to sing and walk together. 

Winter Garden: In December, the winter solstice and winter holidays are celebrated in a unique and wonderful way full of holiday music. The room is decorated with a large spiral of greenery on the floor, creating a pathway for the children to walk inward toward the center of the spiral. The children (ages 4 or 5) carry an unlit candle, resting in a beautiful apple, to the center, where a lighted candle glows. After lighting their candles, the children walk outward from the center and place their candles along the spiral. At the end, the entire spiral is lit up, and the community sings a final song together. It is the perfect way to close for winter break and begin family holiday festivities. It typically takes place in the late afternoon or early evening at FCS.

May Day Festival: The May Day Festival is all about celebrating the arrival of spring! Parents help create flowered May crowns for their children. In preparation, the children learn songs and dances for Maypole dancing. We ask that parents bring flowers to make crowns on the festival day, which is held on the 1st of May (if on a weekday) at Meridian Park. Once we have assembled these crowns, we will dance around the Maypole tree. Parents can stay if they like at the park and may bring picnic lunches for their families. All families are welcome! 

Jumping the Log:  Following the last day of the school year, Jumping the Log is a very special day for all the children, especially for morning preschool children who have been with us for two to three years and will make the exciting transition to Kindergarten or First Grade next school year. For each child, whether they are jumping the log or not, this event is equally important. For the younger child, it is a moment of watching and seeing what lies ahead for them. For the older child, it marks a moment of moving on. For all of us, it is the magical exchange between the younger child seeing where they are going and the older child looking back from where they have journeyed.

Application

Hours of Operation

2023-24: Sept. 11, 2023 - May 31, 2024

9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

Location

3530 Interlake Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103

Our Orchard preschool offers a four-hour, tuition-based afternoon childcare program Monday through Friday. This program currently runs Monday through Friday for afternoon-only students.

Waldorf believes children thrive with strong rhythms. Every day has a rhythm, as well as every week and throughout the year. Rhythm and routines create a happy and healthy environment for children. It is by bringing form to their days that children can relax and trust the world around them. At Fremont Community School (FCS) we let the rhythm of the day and the changes of the season carry us along on a smooth course throughout the year. Coupled with strong rhythms and routines is a hands-on, emergent curriculum that allows for each child’s inherent curiosity to blossom. Due to fatigue, the afternoons are paced at a slower tempo. We let them choose what is best for them at that moment and support them with what they need. We focus on quieter activities and projects, as well as reading and story time. 

Schedule

1:00 pm Arrival: Free play and activities outside

1:15-2:30 pm Nap time or quiet time, as requested by families.

2:00 pm Clean-up

2:15 pm Wash Hands and afternoon snack

2:40 pm Wash hands and "Library" time. (Look at books)

3:00 pm Project time, Arts and Crafts

3:30 pm Free play 

4:00 pm Storytime and Spanish games

4:30 pm Clean up

4:45-5 pm Pick-up

Details of daily activities

Snack begins with a moment of reverence and a verse of gratitude to "Mother Earth" for all the food we have. Children then have "golden silence" while we focus on eating and letting our bodies have a rest. As children finish eating, they pack away their snacks, go inside to go to the bathroom, wash their hands, and then have "library time." During library time, the children pick out three books to look at and share with other friends who are also done with snacks. Due to the times we are living through, everyone will eat outside and space at least 3 feet apart.

Story Time is a time to listen to a story or watch a puppet show. The stories at FCS are always told from the heart to foster imagination. Favorite stories may be acted out as a class play.

Our weekly rhythm for the Fall is

Monday - Baking

Tuesday - Painting

Wednesday - Handwork (Seasonal crafts, sewing, finger knitting, cutting & gluing, clay modeling, etc.)

Thursday - Handwork (Seasonal crafts, sewing, finger knitting, cutting & gluing, clay modeling, etc.)

Friday - Walk to the park or Baking

The afternoons are an excellent way for parents to send their children to school if they are waiting for a spot to open up in the morning program.

Please Note: 4 hours is the legal maximum number of hours that your child may attend FCS per day. We have a close business relationship with Tara’s Tots, a similar program next door to FCS, which also offers an afternoon program. If a child attends FCS in the morning and needs full day care, they are taken to Tara’s Tots in the afternoon.

Please contact Tara’s Tots directly for their enrollment information.

Application

Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Location

3530 Interlake Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103

Are you looking for a fun, wonderfully creative, and natural program for your children during the summer? Look no further:

Recognizing that many families must continue to work full-time, we offer a summer program that allows you to schedule your child as needed in a pay-as-you-go format for either a morning or afternoon session. We provide a program that feels different from the typical school year. Our outdoor summer program gives the children a sense of unbridled freedom, coupled with arts, crafts, gardening, baking, and general fun and games. Our large yard, shaded by century-old fig trees, gives children a summer full of good old-fashioned fun.

After submitting your application, you'll receive a contract that allows for flexible month-to-month scheduling (3, 4, or 5-day options) or a registration form for the option of weekly camps (5 days only)

Programs run Monday through Friday, June 3rd to August 30th. The morning program is a four-hour program from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the afternoon program is from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are restricted to a four-hour maximum per day, so if your child needs to stay for the morning and afternoon, they will do one program at FCS and one program at Tara's Tots (our next-door sister school). Separate registration is required for each school.

Our Summer Program is also a great way for our incoming 2.5-year-old students to “test the waters” and get used to preschool, transitioning from home, nanny, or other childcares into their new school for the fall.

A one-time application fee of $100 is required if you are applying for a new student.

Summer Program

Application

Hours of Operation

Monday – Friday
9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

OR
1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Location

3530 Interlake Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103