Thank you for your interest in The Rose Garden. You will find here, at the Rose Garden, an environment filled with the wonders of nature. Your child will spend days playing at the foot of ancient pines, surrounded by birdsong, and the melody of the small stream. After the midday meal, in the warmth of sunlight filtering through the forest umbrella, your child will dabble beside the brook. Or swing, or dig and make sand-pies, or build fairy huts in the garden-play-yard. The richly varied natural terrain, as well as the natural play equipment, offers endless opportunity for physical development, allowing your child to live deeply into the body, happy “inside their skin”.
The daily rhythm is full of opportunities to help work, as well as play. The children can help with the care of the playground, with tending the gardens, as well as other outdoor tasks. Indoors, they help clean and shine, scrubbing their own little placemats, and washing their dishes.
Academic foundations are laid in a simple, natural way. Circle time is a pivotal element of each day. Language development and verbal skills are trained in the traditional way, with poems, verses, and rhymes. The children deepen their knowledge of the language, understanding a rich vocabulary through context. The imitation of large graceful gestures, as well as the small hand-gestures of finger plays hone motor skills. Social skills are developed by classic circle singing games. The ear is trained through song and music. All of these skill areas are woven together and worked with in a beautifully artistic experience.
The study of science begins in the garden and beside the stream, wondering at the plant and animal life. Bird-feeders, the bat house, the compost pile, the salamanders and minnows offer a living lesson in ecology. The children learn by heart the intricacies of the web of life.
Opportunities for artistic expression of these rich life-lessons are also woven into the fabric of the program. The children paint, color, and model beeswax each week. In preparing for festivals, they will participate in a variety of other craft experiences, making wreaths, birdfeeders, stitching simple felt toys and so forth.
I look forward to sharing the wealth of this very unique home-program with your child. Please feel free to call me with questions, or to request an application form.
