The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable still exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty& this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.

The Heart of Childhood

The transition from preschool to first grade is a significant step in a child's life. The physical changes alone, at this time, are striking. Children lose their baby teeth and their baby fat as their bodies lengthen, taking on a new proportion. When children enter first grade, they change inwardly as well. Their inner life deepens and their emotional response to the world around them becomes richer.

Immediately upon entering a Waldorf preschool, visitors are struck by the peaceful nature of the room. The lighting is natural and softly muted by the curtains. The floor is carpeted and the tables, chairs, and play structures are wooden, making the room warm and inviting. The classroom is orderly, uncluttered, and harmonious, with open areas that invite and support children's play. In all, it is a setting that reassures children because it is much more like a home than an institution. 

But providing a protected, home-like setting that is welcoming and familiar is also sound educational practice.  It is based on creating recognizable routines that foster a sense of predictability and security. For the young child, the whole world is new and mysterious, and at times confusing. Young children can easily mistake morning recess time for dismissal, Saturdays for schooldays, and teachers for parents. The Waldorf preschool program helps children understand the world by providing predictability through rhythm.

Steiner developed the Waldorf curriculum as a means of helping the child's spirit and soul to take proper hold of the body, to unfold fully the functions of thinking, feeling and willing and thereby to learn about the world and be active in it in a healthy and constructive way. Many elements are involved in this education through the grades, among which are the following:

1. Physical exercises which develop spatial orientation, balance, coordination and the sense of rhythm.
2. Exercise of the will through the completion of age-appropriate physical, artistic and academic tasks.
3. Deepening of the feelings through story, drama and practice of the arts.
4. Step by step development of thinking from simple, concrete sequencing to abstract reasoning.
5. Gradual exposure to the wonders of the natural world and the cultural history of mankind.
6. Affirmation of the child's innate goodness and creativity.
7. Affirmation of the basic human values, including mutual respect, courtesy, cooperation with and service to others, and the proper use of our language.
8. Acquisition of a fund of knowledge requisite for participation in one's time and context.

The Waldorf curriculum is meant to unfold according to the stages of development of the growing child, which can be summarized as follows: