We recently attended West Coast Steiner School's playgroup and I was really amazed with the ambience/ setup within the playroom. Coming from a Montessori playgroup prior to Waldorf, it was a drastic change in environment compared to the rigidness and organized Montessori. The Waldorf playgroup is so so so...... dreamy and cosy. Even the child in me was excited to be in the room.
There were toys surrounding most of the corners, and a small kitchenette on one. Everything was placed in such a way that encourages imaginative and creative play. Little NAPB, who rarely shows me that she was capable of doing imaginative play on her own, was immediately drawn to the play kitchen upon arriving at the room. She went ahead to take some kettles and cups and pretended to pour herself some water. It was such an enjoyable thing to see her be able to play so creatively. And when other children and mothers started arriving, she began engaging other children to play together with her and was constantly sharing her utensils with others. I was so proud of her, and I was so happy that I decided to give Waldorf a chance because Montessori was never able to offer her the sort of social skills she needed.
So far the rest of the session went on smoothly. Little NAPB even got to have a go and making bread! All the kids were given dough to roll, squish and squash, and then our lovely facilitator Miss Corina put everything into the oven to prepare for our morning tea. Within the next half an hour, the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air and we had the bread that the kids "made" outside at the beautiful play garden (see pic below).
What I really liked about the Waldorf playgroup is that everyone felt like family. Mothers took turn cutting fruits for the kids, made coffee for other mothers, wash the dishes after morning tea, etc. We never experienced that while at Montessori, where individualism and independence was their core. Here, children get to play together and explore the world together, whereas at Montessori, children were encouraged to play on their own and to set boundaries when they were focusing on their "jobs".
I never knew how different the Waldorf and Montessori systems were until I've experienced both. I respect that both systems are absolutely wonderful, but I think the most important thing to think about when choosing between the two is to determine which one suits your children more. I'm happy that I started off with Montessori, at least our time there has taught Little Miss NAPB a sense of self and independence. However, I can't help think that perhaps Waldorf would do her a lot more good as what she need is not more independence, but more childhood and social skills. Hopefully I'm sending her off to the right path with Waldorf.
