"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."
- William Butler Yeats
- William Butler Yeats
At Children’s Garden, we believe young children learn not only through their minds, but through their whole being.
Our approach draws inspiration from many educational philosophies and modalities, weaving together the ideas and practices that resonate most deeply with our vision for childhood and cultivating a more joyful, loving, peaceful world. In creating our own unique approach, we are especially inspired by the Waldorf understanding of the twelve senses and the importance of nurturing the whole child—hands, heart, and head.
When we think about the senses, we usually think of the familiar five: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, described twelve senses—a broader way of understanding how children experience themselves, one another, and the world around them.
This perspective beautifully reflects what we see every day at Children’s Garden: children learn through movement, through relationship, through nature, through imagination, and through hands-on experience.
Steiner spoke of educating the whole child through hands, heart, and head. Another way of expressing this is 'willing', 'feeling', and 'thinking'. In early childhood, this means creating an environment where children have abundant opportunities to move their bodies, experience the world through their senses, develop meaningful relationships, and discover the joy of learning through play while learning how to be considerate of others.
The goal isn't simply to fill a child's mind with information. It is to nurture the foundations of healthy will, loving heart, creative imagination, and clear thinking.
And one of the most natural ways young children develop these capacities is through play and story.
Our approach draws inspiration from many educational philosophies and modalities, weaving together the ideas and practices that resonate most deeply with our vision for childhood and cultivating a more joyful, loving, peaceful world. In creating our own unique approach, we are especially inspired by the Waldorf understanding of the twelve senses and the importance of nurturing the whole child—hands, heart, and head.
When we think about the senses, we usually think of the familiar five: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. But Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, described twelve senses—a broader way of understanding how children experience themselves, one another, and the world around them.
This perspective beautifully reflects what we see every day at Children’s Garden: children learn through movement, through relationship, through nature, through imagination, and through hands-on experience.
Steiner spoke of educating the whole child through hands, heart, and head. Another way of expressing this is 'willing', 'feeling', and 'thinking'. In early childhood, this means creating an environment where children have abundant opportunities to move their bodies, experience the world through their senses, develop meaningful relationships, and discover the joy of learning through play while learning how to be considerate of others.
The goal isn't simply to fill a child's mind with information. It is to nurture the foundations of healthy will, loving heart, creative imagination, and clear thinking.
And one of the most natural ways young children develop these capacities is through play and story.
THE SENSES OF THE WILL
Touch • Life • Movement • Balance
Young children are wonderfully physical beings. They learn by climbing, carrying, digging, running, jumping, balancing, pushing, pulling, and creating with many materials.
At Children’s Garden, our days offer many opportunities for this kind of embodied exploration.
Children dance, climb, chase one another outdoors, balance on logs and stepping stones, build with natural materials, carry things from one place to another, and invent their own games. Sometimes they play barefoot, feeling the earth beneath their feet. They experience the textures of soil, clay, leaves, bark, water, stones, and other natural materials in their hands.
Being outdoors also invites children to experience the natural rhythms of the world—the warmth of the sun, the coolness of shade, the movement of wind, the sound of rain, and the changing light and seasons.
These simple experiences help children become comfortable and confident in their own bodies while developing a sense of connection with the living world around them.
Touch • Life • Movement • Balance
Young children are wonderfully physical beings. They learn by climbing, carrying, digging, running, jumping, balancing, pushing, pulling, and creating with many materials.
At Children’s Garden, our days offer many opportunities for this kind of embodied exploration.
Children dance, climb, chase one another outdoors, balance on logs and stepping stones, build with natural materials, carry things from one place to another, and invent their own games. Sometimes they play barefoot, feeling the earth beneath their feet. They experience the textures of soil, clay, leaves, bark, water, stones, and other natural materials in their hands.
Being outdoors also invites children to experience the natural rhythms of the world—the warmth of the sun, the coolness of shade, the movement of wind, the sound of rain, and the changing light and seasons.
These simple experiences help children become comfortable and confident in their own bodies while developing a sense of connection with the living world around them.
THE SENSES OF FEELING
Smell • Taste • Sight • Warmth
Our senses also connect us to beauty, nourishment, comfort, and relationship.
Children are naturally drawn toward warmth—warm sunlight, a cozy corner, the softness of a cloth doll, the companionship of an animal, or the comforting embrace of a friend. These experiences help children feel safe, connected, and at home in the world.
At Children’s Garden, the senses are woven naturally into our days. We notice the fragrance of flowers and herbs, taste foods we prepare together, listen to the sounds around us, create with natural materials, explore color and texture through art, and enjoy the changing sights and sensations of the seasons.
There may be a warm muffins coming from the oven, a handful of berries being shared, a fragrant leaf being crushed between little fingers, or simply the feeling of sunlight warming our faces as we play outside.
These ordinary moments are rich with sensory experience.
And we love to get to enjoy the special pleasure of growing and harvesting something together from our garden.
Smell • Taste • Sight • Warmth
Our senses also connect us to beauty, nourishment, comfort, and relationship.
Children are naturally drawn toward warmth—warm sunlight, a cozy corner, the softness of a cloth doll, the companionship of an animal, or the comforting embrace of a friend. These experiences help children feel safe, connected, and at home in the world.
At Children’s Garden, the senses are woven naturally into our days. We notice the fragrance of flowers and herbs, taste foods we prepare together, listen to the sounds around us, create with natural materials, explore color and texture through art, and enjoy the changing sights and sensations of the seasons.
There may be a warm muffins coming from the oven, a handful of berries being shared, a fragrant leaf being crushed between little fingers, or simply the feeling of sunlight warming our faces as we play outside.
These ordinary moments are rich with sensory experience.
And we love to get to enjoy the special pleasure of growing and harvesting something together from our garden.
THE SENSES OF RELATIONSHIP AND THINKING
Hearing • Speech • Another’s Thought • Another’s “I”
Some of the most important senses are those that help us experience other people.
Children learn to listen to one another, express their own ideas, recognize another person’s feelings, cooperate in play, solve problems together, and gradually discover that another person may see the world differently than they do.
This is one reason play is so powerful.
When children build something together, negotiate the rules of a pretend game, work out how to share a favorite material, or comfort a friend who is sad, they are developing capacities that cannot be learned from a worksheet.
They are learning to listen.
To communicate.
To imagine another person’s experience.
To understand that each person has a unique inner world.
And slowly, they begin to discover their own.
Hearing • Speech • Another’s Thought • Another’s “I”
Some of the most important senses are those that help us experience other people.
Children learn to listen to one another, express their own ideas, recognize another person’s feelings, cooperate in play, solve problems together, and gradually discover that another person may see the world differently than they do.
This is one reason play is so powerful.
When children build something together, negotiate the rules of a pretend game, work out how to share a favorite material, or comfort a friend who is sad, they are developing capacities that cannot be learned from a worksheet.
They are learning to listen.
To communicate.
To imagine another person’s experience.
To understand that each person has a unique inner world.
And slowly, they begin to discover their own.
LEARNING BEGINS WITH WONDER
In early childhood, we don't need to rush children toward academic achievement. We can first give them something even more foundational: a love of discovering.
A child who has had the freedom to explore, move, imagine, create, question, and connect is building the inner foundations for future learning.
At Children’s Garden, we want children to know the feeling of:
“I wonder…”
“What happens if…?”
“Can I try?”
“Let’s make it together.”
Our hope is to nurture children who are not only capable learners, but curious, compassionate, creative, confident human beings—children who feel connected to themselves, to one another, and to the living world around them.
Because childhood is not simply preparation for life.
CHILDHOOD IS LIFE.
And there is so much to discover when we give children the time, space, and freedom to experience it with their whole being.
Here are some insights into the rhythm of our days and some of the fun learning we've been getting up to - can you see these 12 senses develop as we learn and play?
In early childhood, we don't need to rush children toward academic achievement. We can first give them something even more foundational: a love of discovering.
A child who has had the freedom to explore, move, imagine, create, question, and connect is building the inner foundations for future learning.
At Children’s Garden, we want children to know the feeling of:
“I wonder…”
“What happens if…?”
“Can I try?”
“Let’s make it together.”
Our hope is to nurture children who are not only capable learners, but curious, compassionate, creative, confident human beings—children who feel connected to themselves, to one another, and to the living world around them.
Because childhood is not simply preparation for life.
CHILDHOOD IS LIFE.
And there is so much to discover when we give children the time, space, and freedom to experience it with their whole being.
Here are some insights into the rhythm of our days and some of the fun learning we've been getting up to - can you see these 12 senses develop as we learn and play?
Three Little Pigs
One of our favorite stories this month was the classic 'Three Little Pigs'. We loved making our own houses out of 'straw', sticks, and bricks and pretending to 'huff and puff and blow the house down'.
Stories such as The Three Little Pigs offer rich opportunities for social-emotional learning. As children follow the pigs through their different choices, they begin to explore ideas of perseverance, problem-solving, resilience, and the consequences of our decisions. They can wonder together: What makes a home feel safe? What could the pigs have done differently? How might we help a friend when something feels difficult or frightening?
Through storytelling, children are not simply listening to a tale—they are practicing empathy, imagining another person's experience, expressing their own ideas, and discovering that there can be many ways to solve a problem. These shared stories become a gentle place for children to explore big feelings and important life experiences through the safety of imagination and play.
Through storytelling, children are not simply listening to a tale—they are practicing empathy, imagining another person's experience, expressing their own ideas, and discovering that there can be many ways to solve a problem. These shared stories become a gentle place for children to explore big feelings and important life experiences through the safety of imagination and play.
Inspired by building houses, the children started to create an entire cardboard village!
Collaborative projects allow young children to naturally experiment with language, negotiate ideas, and listen actively, making them an excellent catalyst for early childhood communication skills.
Houses started showing up in all kinds of play... sand castles, block homes, nests!
After yellow and blue from last month, here comes... RED!
Deep in my heart burns a little red spark,
It guides my brave feet when the morning is dark.
With hands that are willing and feet that are strong,
I’ll work and I’ll help as I travel along!
It guides my brave feet when the morning is dark.
With hands that are willing and feet that are strong,
I’ll work and I’ll help as I travel along!
To infuse our community mealtimes with real magic, we hand-dyed our napkins in rich, natural hues of madder root, strawberry, and raspberry, lovingly sewing borders and stitching our first initials into the fabric.
I wonder what color a dye with red onion skins will create?
Green!! What?? How did that happen?
Jewelweed Art and Poultices
The enchanted jewelweed plant holds a healing juice within its stalks that instantly calms irritated skin, while its explosive seed pods pop open at a mere touch to scatter a surpirising sense of wonder!
Goldenrod Sketches and Oil Infusion
Lighting up late summer fields like brushstrokes of pure sunshine, goldenrod shines with the changing of the seasons.
We started a simple oil infusion to make an anti-inflammatory medicine by covering the dried flowers with olive oil.
We Love to Soup!
Autumn Equinox Celebration
Thank you to all the families for coming out and celebrating the Autumn Equinox together!
Here's a little version of the yellow, blue, and red stars story we listened to:
"Once upon a time, high in the deep blue night sky, three star friends loved to shine together.
First came the bright Yellow Star, bursting with pure, dancing joy. It peeked through the dark clouds like a pocket of sunshine, filling the world with happy thoughts, laughter, and golden hope.
Next was the quiet Blue Star, as peaceful as a still mountain lake. It poured down a soft, soothing gentleness over the restless earth, helping busy minds rest deeply in calm security.
Finally, the warm Red Star shone out with a steady, fiery courage. Seeing the chilly winds below, it puffed out its chest to send a cozy light of strength and protection to every sleeping child.
When a heavy fog rolled in, these three friends held hands and pooled their lights together, guiding the creatures below safely home."
Through this story, children intuitively meet the three great forces of their own growing souls. The bright Yellow Star represents Thinking, bringing clarity and light to our minds. The gentle Blue Star represents Feeling, anchoring us in deep peace and empathy for the world. The brave Red Star represents Willing, giving us the fiery strength and active courage to do good deeds in the world.
Here's a little version of the yellow, blue, and red stars story we listened to:
"Once upon a time, high in the deep blue night sky, three star friends loved to shine together.
First came the bright Yellow Star, bursting with pure, dancing joy. It peeked through the dark clouds like a pocket of sunshine, filling the world with happy thoughts, laughter, and golden hope.
Next was the quiet Blue Star, as peaceful as a still mountain lake. It poured down a soft, soothing gentleness over the restless earth, helping busy minds rest deeply in calm security.
Finally, the warm Red Star shone out with a steady, fiery courage. Seeing the chilly winds below, it puffed out its chest to send a cozy light of strength and protection to every sleeping child.
When a heavy fog rolled in, these three friends held hands and pooled their lights together, guiding the creatures below safely home."
Through this story, children intuitively meet the three great forces of their own growing souls. The bright Yellow Star represents Thinking, bringing clarity and light to our minds. The gentle Blue Star represents Feeling, anchoring us in deep peace and empathy for the world. The brave Red Star represents Willing, giving us the fiery strength and active courage to do good deeds in the world.
Yellow, Blue, and Red Muffins!
To honor our color friends, we made some banana muffins topped with mangos, blueberries, and strawberries.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 3 medium overripe bananas, thoroughly mashed
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup smooth almond butter
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with mini parchment liners or grease the cups lightly with coconut oil.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the almond butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in the almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt just until a uniform batter forms—avoid overmixing.
- Fold & Scoop: Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to fill each mini muffin cup almost to the top. Top with blueberries, strawberries, and mango.
- Bake: Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. The tops should rise, turn a light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Cool: Let the muffins sit in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Pop them out gently and let them finish cooling completely before serving
This strawberry slicer is a hit! Everyone wanted a turn :)
We decorated our muffins in a rhythmic A-B-C-ABC pattern, carefully repeating a colorful sequence of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and bright bits of chopped mango.
Repeating an A-B-C-ABC pattern helps them internalize the concepts of order, prediction, and rhythm long before they ever encounter a math worksheet.
Baking turns abstract math concepts into a delicious, tactile experience, making foundational patterns far more memorable when children can visually trace, physically touch, and ultimately taste their creations
Rainbow Magic!
We Love Art!
Sweet Friends!
See you next time!
RSS Feed