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Preschool and Elementary School
Started
by Jewelstaar29
on January 10, 2013
Wanted to ask all of the fellow vegan/kind mamas what you all think about preschool/elementary school and what lends best to the kind lifestyle. I have a 3 1/2 year old little boy and a 11 mo little girl. We have had experience at a Montessori and Me program- where we went together once per week when he was younger and played for 2 hours. That was fun! The drawbacks were the snacks...not always vegan or organic, and the crafts were not always eco-friendly. He has now been attending a Waldorf/Lifeways inspired preschool 2 mornings/week for almost 1 year. We like the community and values a lot. Many eco-minded families, lots of organics, and mostly vegan snacks. Looking ahead trying to figure out which path to go done Montessori or Waldorf and feel confused...and input or experiences would be appreciated! Thanks.
My kids are older - 14 and 11 now. They have gone to Montessori schools since preschool and we plan to continue that. We are extremely fortunate to live near one of, if not the only, Montessori charter schools in the US that goes all the way through High School. I love the Montessori philosophy of letting the kids learn at their own pace, giving them lots of freedom (yet with definite boundaries), and teaching respect for others and the environment. I feel like that lends itself well to our lifestyle. I have looked into Waldorf quite a bit in the last couple of years and I really think it may have been a bit of a better fit for my younger daughter, with its emphasis on the arts and creativity, but she doesn't want to switch now :) Her best friend goes to a nearby Waldorf school and really loves it though. Neither program focuses on test scores, homework, "grade levels", or grades.
I really think it depends a little more on the individual school/community itself rather than the program. Both Montessori and Waldorf I think tend to be more friendly toward different lifestyle choices, being eco friendly, etc. In our school, there aren't always vegetarian options (and seldom if never vegan ones) for school lunch - I would say a couple days a week there is a vegetarian lunch though. I've always just packed my kids lunches and snacks to be sure (and my kids are not vegan, they do eat cheese occasionally). The lunches and snacks that the school provides are at least healthy, cooked at the school rather than provided as part of some huge program, and often contain produce etc. grown at the school's own small farm, which I love! They are never teased about what they are eating and indeed have met with mostly very respectful questions. My oldest daughter has had the opportunity to do some projects and presentations to her class on factory farming, ecological issues etc. In addition, the school does try to be eco-conscious, with recycling, solar power, organic farming, etc.
I suggest really researching the philosophy behind each program and deciding what best fits with your kids learning styles and what you want for them in their education. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either - both will foster independent thinking and a love of learning in your kids!
Thank you Starflower! This is all such great info that has furthered my decision. I agree that is hard to go wrong with one or the other type of school. I do think it depends greatly on the actual school itself. I think we are going to go for Montessori, starting with private in hopes that he eventually gets into the chartered Community Montessori. I'm going to plan on packing his lunch and communicating with the teachers about snacks, since it has been my experience that Montessori snacks are usually not vegan or organic.
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