Our Parent and Child classes are designed for all the stages of early childhood in mind.
For infants: Birch Buds
Birch Buds is our weekly 75-minute program designed for infants to attend one on one with a parent or caregiver. Birch Buds classes will be held on Thursdays from 1:15-2:30pm for the 2023-24 school year. We understand that the first year with baby is always changing and can be hard to predict. NEW for this school year, Birch Buds is now moving to a come-when-you-can class pass model. Designed to be more supportive during this precious early time, when you purchase your six class pass you have the freedom and flexibility to use your pass over the term at your convenience
Celebrate and support the first year as a foundational time in your little one’s life. Together we will observe the children with curiosity and wonder, attend to baby’s developing needs with confident assurance, and deepen our intuitive child-rearing capacities. Through conversation and sharing resources, we’ll explore relevant topics to support our caregiving and also experience a simple circle with songs and rhymes to nourish baby’s senses. Each session will end with a time in our Kinderyard, weather permitting.
Location: Trillium Waldorf School (TrWS)
For young toddlers: Willow Catkins
Willow Catkins is our intermediate program for toddlers (1-2 years) to attend with a parent or caregiver (1 caregiver to 1 child ratio) held on Friday afternoons from 1:15-2:45pm at in the Heart Room at Trillium Waldorf School.
Celebrate your toddler’s growing confidence and independence in this steppingstone program between our infant and preschool programs. With developmentally appropriate toys and equipment, a slightly longer circle time, a short puppet verse as well as some outdoor playtime in our Kinderyard we will also venture over to the other side of the playroom for a simple snack and occasional craft while we continue to practice free play and social skills with peers and playmates in a safe and supportive environment.
Location: Trillium Waldorf School (TrWS)
For preschoolers: Apple Blossoms
Our weekly, full morning program designed for older toddlers and young children (from 15 or 18 months up to roughly 4 years) to attend with a parent or caregiver. Apple Blossoms classes will be held on Thursdays and Fridays from 9-11:30am for the 2023-24 school year.
The Apple Blossoms class is an early childhood education program that aims to nurture families, offering support and companionship in the early years of parenting. It can provide a helpful bridge between a child’s early life at home and their first entry into school. Under the guidance of a Waldorf-trained Early Childhood teacher, we will explore and experience nature through the seasons—playing, singing songs, learning rhymes and verses, and participating in simple activities such as preparing and sharing a snack, gardening, raking leaves, or tobogganing in the snow. In this way, teachers and parents work together to provide a model of community for the children. Apple Blossoms families will have opportunities to make seasonal crafts and receive optional parenting enrichment articles from time to time on various topics related to child development from a Waldorf-/Pikler-informed perspective.
Location: Trillium Waldorf School (TrWS)
For all ages: Morning & Afternoon Retreat
Morning and Afternoon Retreat are our 90 minute outdoor programs intended for children from birth to Kindergarten and a parent or caregiver. Held on Wednesdays in the autumn and spring of the 2023-24 school year, Morning Retreat will run from 9:30-11am with Afternoon Retreat to follow between 12:30-2pm.
Join a growing community of friends for a morning in nature with your little one. Studies have shown that time spent outside is good for our physical and mental health. Thankfully, it’s also very joyful! Our program starts with a short walk to greet the chickens, quail and sheep and includes a seasonal circle time of verses, songs and stories. After an informal picnic (bring a snack–we provide the beverage), and an outdoor adventure, a brief puppet story will conclude our time together. You are welcome to continue enjoying the retreat centre grounds informally for the rest of the day as well if you like. Seasonal adventures may include: a visit to the CSA garden, a wander around the labyrinth, a hop over to the bee hives, time for tobogganing or building a fire.
Location: Crieff Hills Retreat Centre
Locations
Trillium Waldorf School (TrWS) (540 Victoria Rd N, Guelph) is an independent school located in the north end of Guelph. Programs will be held inside in our Parent & Child classroom and outside in the Kinderyard.
Crieff Hills is one of the locations where Parent & Child sessions are sometimes held. Crieff Hills is a retreat and conference centre situated on 250 rural acres and featuring a selection of wooded nature trails, several vegetable and flower gardens, a newly planted orchard, and a small flock of sheep in addition to chickens, roosters, and several hives of honeybees. Over the past several years the centre has dedicated itself to providing or restoring habitats for bluebirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. You can visit Crieff Hills website here (link). Below are images taken at Crieff Hills by our Parent & Child teacher, Lesley.
