Te Rāwhiti Kindergarten
At Te Rāwhiti Kindergarten, we aim to protect the wonder of childhood and foster the child’s inner imaginative qualities by offering plenty of time for child-led play.
Natural, open ended and simple play resources are offered which nurture this imagination, the senses and aim not to overstimulate the child.
The more possibilities there are for using imagination in play during childhood, the more the attributes of creativity and flexibility will be carried into adulthood. During the Kindergarten years, children are not asked to give their energies to understanding abstract ideas and intellectual concepts. There is no formal teaching in writing, reading and mathematics.
Daily activities focus on “doing” experiences which nurture the child’s developing Will, such as artistic activities, gardening and bread making. Throughout the day, the Kindergarten teacher is involved in real life tasks with and alongside the children. Teachers also strive to be worthy of imitation in order to nurture in children true feelings of reverence and gratitude for themselves, one another and the earth.
At Te Rāwhiti Kindergarten we offer care and education for children 3-6 years of age in home-like environments in Raumati South. 3 or 4 year olds attend a minimum of 4 days/week and 5 and 6 year olds attend 5 days/week from 8:45am – 2:45pm
Our Kindergarten is open to every child whose parents support the Waldorf approach we provide. Every family’s spiritual and cultural background is respected.
Our programme is based on the recognition that rhythm provides support and security for the child. Therefore, we offer a daily rhythm that finds balance between child-led play and learning and times of togetherness with circle times, story telling, kai times and daily activities. The daily and weekly rhythm is part of a larger seasonal one which includes the celebration of festivals. Children experience the richness of Te Ao Māori and other cultures and languages through the different stories told and songs sung.
Let’s grow together.
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Te Rāwhiti kindergarten and Te Rā School are state-integrated, with a Waldorf education special character. As such, we give preference to enrolments where families have a specific or general connection to the aims, values and principles of Waldorf education. Regardless of whether an enrolment proceeds through the preference or non-preference pathway, all families of enrolled children/students are required to commit to respecting and upholding the special character of our kindergarten and school. Read our Enrolment Statement for more information.