Sunflower Garden Parent and Child Play Group has Returned!

Parent and Child Play Groups

The Sunflower Garden Parent and Child Play Group meets in a nurturing setting where support and friendship grow out of weekly conversations with other parents and a facilitating teacher, while the babies and toddlers explore their world.

In the first three years, children develop, as if by a miracle, the three fundamental capacities of being human: they walk upright, they learn to talk, and they awaken to their individuality.

Striving to counteract the fast paced mentality of today, our parent-child classes support parents in creating a nurturing, rhythmical environment for their children.

Through quiet observation, parents deepen their own intuitive knowledge and discover new ways of being with and loving their children. Special attention is given to support the unfolding of children’s interests, motor abilities, social interactions, and problem solving skills.

The classes also cover topics such as care and protection of the senses, rhythms and routines, sleep, health and nutrition. Many of the difficult questions which face parents today are explored in a spirit of inquiry and mutual respect.

Our weekly teacher-led play group is held in a warm inviting Early Childhood classroom. Parents are welcomed with tea and handwork while the children enjoy free play, climbing, crawling and socializing. Each rhythmic morning includes bread baking, singing, a warm organic snack, puppetry and outdoor play.

Sunflower Seedlings Baby Class

Based on the respectful caregiving approach of early childhood pioneers Emmi Pickler and Magda Gerber, this class will support families through the first year of the child’s life. Parents and babies will meet once a week with tea and a nourishing snack.

2022/23 Session Dates

Sunflower Garden Spring Play Groups (for 12-36 months),
9:00am to 11:30am

*Tuesdays: 3/28, 4/11, 4/18, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23, 5/30. 8 classes at $320.

 

Sunflower Seedlings Baby Class (Prenatal to 12 months), 1:15pm to 2:30pm

*Wednesdays: 4/12, 4/19, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17. 5 classes at $150

To apply, please send us an email to administration@mountainlaurel.org or call 845-255-0033.

Meet the Sunflower Garden Teachers

Nancy Hoose has been teaching in Waldorf settings with children aged birth to 6 years since 2008. Nancy worked under the mentorship of Wendy Weinrich at Mountaintop School in their mixed age kindergarten in both morning and afternoon programs before leading the school’s first toddler program, The Little Ones. Along with her love of children, she loves baking, handwork, singing and puppetry. Nancy is certified in Early Childhood having attended the Alkion Center, a branch of the Hawthorne Valley Association with a focus on birth to three years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Stockton State College. Nancy’s hobbies include swimming, hiking, yoga and snowboarding/skiing with her family. Nancy and her husband Randy’s children are Stella, class of 2018 alumni and Asher enrolled at Mountain Laurel Waldorf School.