Creativity and Natural Materials

Even in early childhood, whole-child, holistic education impresses the importance of working with natural materials that create a strong connection between children and the earth. Children really do feel the difference between a silk play cloth or a polyester one, between a wooden firetruck or a plastic one, and they automatically treat these natural things with more reverence.

 

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced the difference between a mainstream preschool with bright, plastic toys everywhere and a Waldorf-inspired classroom with wooden furniture, natural toys, and beautiful art. Walking into the Sunflower House early childhood classroom is like walking into a nurturing haven. Nearly every parent who enters my classroom has expressed how they wish they'd had a such a beautiful early childhood experience in their own life. 

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• Stockmar watercolor paint

• Stockmar stick and block wax crayons

• Stockmar wax and wooden colored pencils

• Swedish 140g painting paper

• 120g drawing paper

• Wool and cotton yarn

• 100% wool felt

• Stockmar modeling beeswax

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Our curriculum invites children to be fully immersed in the entire process of creating, from preparing the materials to cleaning up afterward. It is amazing how mindful they become when encouraged to be an important part of the beginning, middle, and end rather than racing through one thing looking for the next source of entertainment. Sunflower House's methodology gives the children time to feel inspired, connect more deeply with the beautiful work they create, and intrinsically nurture the belief that quality is so much more valuable than quantity. 

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