Prairie Hill Waldorf School

Back to School 2021: Here is our plan

"Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility -these three forces are the very nerve of education."

- RUDOLF STEINER, founder of Waldorf Education

The future is asking a lot of our children. Waldorf education provides our students with the necessary foundation for adapting to our ever changing world. Our curriculum nurtures risk-takers, critical thinkers, future innovators and fearless leaders. Students graduate from our school armed with confidence, creativity and a unique sense of purpose.

Different by Design

Waldorf education is more relevant today than ever with a curriculum designed to inspire the best in each student.

Teaching With Intention

We offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically rigorous approach to education.

Our Admissions Process

Prairie Hill is currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 School Years for Wonder Garden (Pre-K) – Grade 7.

Go to Admissions

Visit us on Instagram for a glimpse into our days:

prairiehillwaldorf

Classroom Expectations (and we think good, genera

Classroom Expectations
(and we think good, general life guidelines as well 😉 💜)

1. Have a vision (hope and dream)
2. Be a learner, not a finisher (aim for growth)
3. Lean into struggle (you can do hard things!)
4. Feed your passion (have fun with it)
5. Own your education (invest in your future self)
6. Share your gifts (help others grow)
7. Talk to yourself like you would a friend (be kind to yourself and others)

#grade5 #classroom #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation #educatingthewholechild #headhearthands #socialemotionaleducation

Summer Dreamin' . . . Though the thermometer says

Summer Dreamin'
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Though the thermometer says otherwise, we have our minds on summer!

Administration has been busy this week wrapping up details for Summer Camp 2022 at Prairie Hill! Details will be posted soon on our website!

We are fortunate to have many of our alumni students, who have moved on to high school and college, come back to work our summer program. We love to have them back...and our current students sure do love them too! 💜

#summerdreaming #summercamp #camp #alumni #phws #prairiehillwaldorf #waldorfschool #waldorf #outdoorclassroom #kindergarten

Weaving Challah and Curriculum . . . You will find

Weaving Challah and Curriculum
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You will find that Waldorf Schools tend to overlap subjects in their lessons to help deepen the students understanding and relationship with the topic.

Grade 3 'weaves together' math measurement for baking and studies of the Hebrew traditions and festivals, especially Shabbat; the Jewish day of rest and time for family and community.

This lesson also brings the form drawings the students have been practicing into three dimensions.

The curriculum at Prairie Hill honors students’ whole experience of their expanding world and finding their place in it.

#challah #Shabbat #grade3 #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation #waldorf #community #curriculum

"If you go out when it's snowing And look up at th

"If you go out when it's snowing
And look up at the sky,
You'll feel lots of icy kisses
As the snowflakes flutter by."
-Barbara Vance

The children are shining examples of 'enjoy what you have while you have it'...they sure do make the best of winter and the snow! Our property is speckled with snow forts, giant snowballs and beautiful angels ❄️

#snowangel #outdoorclassroom #recess #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #wisconsinwinter #lakecountry #pewaukee #waldorfeducation #waldorfschool #waldorf #nature #seasons #snow

The Renaissance . . . Our seventh grade students s

The Renaissance
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Our seventh grade students study the Renaissance, which appropriately appeals to the emerging adolescent. After all, the era’s innovative thinkers were voracious learners, just like our these middle school students, who are emerging into a new era of thinking by questioning the status quo! Is it any wonder this time in history is such engaging curriculum for our 13 year olds?

This week, they spent time learning about Leonardo da Vinci and took up the challenge of his mirror writing. Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his notebook backwards from right to left, and some think this was a way to keep others from reading his ideas!

#renaissance #grade7 #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfeducation #waldorfschool #waldorf #curriculum #middleschool #experientiallearning #headhearthands #art #science

Mirror writing is incredible brain exercise and the seventh graders took up the work with great enthusiasm.

Orange Garland. This sweet garland found in our J

Orange Garland.

This sweet garland found in our Juniper Tree hallway represents the sun and the returning light, as the days begin to grow longer after the winter solstice!

(It also makes quite the lovely decoration 💜)

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday break! See you all in 2022!

#garland #wintersolstice #oranges #light #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation #winter #newyear

Santa Lucia. This festival of lights originated i

Santa Lucia.

This festival of lights originated in Scandinavian culture to celebrate the life of St. Lucia - patron saint of light and the blind.

Santa Lucia, according to legend, brought food and aid to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs and wore a candle-lit wreath on her head to light her path, leaving her hands free to carry supplies. (The name Lucy means 'light'! ✨)

It is tradition for second grade to prepare sweet saffron rolls and dress in white gowns; sharing their voices, light and treats with the other classes.

Santa Lucia is a symbol of hope and light during the dark of Winter.

#grade2 #santalucia #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorf #waldorfeducation #light #festivaloflight #winter #tradition #festival

Reading and Waldorf. Many people take notice the

Reading and Waldorf.

Many people take notice the difference in our approach to reading: drawing to writing to reading. This path is lined creativity and gentleness, so that we don’t disturb the students' natural enthusiasm. Reading requires decoding skills that develop in children at varying ages. We know that learning to read will unfold naturally in its own time for the vast majority of children, when given the proper support!

Though our early childhood program is play-based, it is truly laying a foundation for reading and academics that start in the first grade.

In Early Childhood classes, the curriculum emphasis is on spoken verses and stories: nature tales, folktales and fairy tales. Our teachers are storytellers and are careful not to simplify the language of these stories; using clear speech and enunciating well, as this immersion in literature is the basis of literacy! The same sequence and stories are repeated in daily circle time for weeks at a time. Current brain research confirms that repetition aids a child’s brain development. The connections of billions of neural pathways in the brain are strengthened through these repeated experiences.

In the first grade, the alphabet is introduced in an imaginative, pictorial way. Each letter of the alphabet is presented as a picture representing an element from a story the children are told. For example, they might hear the story of a snake. The children will then draw a picture with the letter “S” forming the snake. In this way, the student develops a relationship with each letter rather than going straight to the abstraction of the alphabet letters themselves. After learning all the letters, the next step is to copy the teacher’s writing into their main lesson books. These first written sentences are the children’s first practice of reading their own text. The final step is learning to read, which generally starts in second grade and continues into third grade!

#reading #writingtoreading #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation

Handwork is an important part of every Waldorf sch

Handwork is an important part of every Waldorf school. It teaches an ability and patience to do complex things with our hands.

While many beautiful things are created in the process, the value of handwork extends beyond the actual creation of something beautiful. Math skills are practiced; counting stitches, figuring out dimensions and proportions. Problem solving, patience and follow through are practiced.

But it's very presence (or lack there of) can affect our children's future dexterity.
In a 2019 New York Times article, "Prof Kneebone says he has seen a decline in the manual dexterity of students over the past decade – which he says is a problem for surgeons, who need craftsmanship as well as academic knowledge. “An obvious example is of a surgeon needing some dexterity and skill in sewing or stitching,” he says.
“A lot of things are reduced to swiping on a two-dimensional flat screen,” he says, which he argues takes away the experience of handling materials and developing physical skills."

Who knew...handwork makes the world go round. 😉

#handwork #woodwork #knitting #crocheting #movementineducation #dexterity #waldorfeducation #prairiehillwaldorf #waldorf #phws #sewing

Do we *really* spend time in our outdoor classroom

Do we *really* spend time in our outdoor classrooms in the winter...in Wisconsin?

You betcha!

Miss Vicki captured a moment of Grade 7's morning lesson while on a meadow walk with her class. With a little fire built and the sunshine, it was a great day to be learning outdoors <3

#outdoorclassroom #december #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorf #waldorfeducation #grade7 #lakecountry #pewaukee #delafield #wisconsinwinter

Our earth, life skills and abundance. . . . During

Our earth, life skills and abundance.
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During Grade 3, the children greet the earth and discover they have the power to transform it with skills they learn in this special year.

They learn to measure, to weigh, to keep time, to use tools, to plant and harvest, build shelters, animal husbandry, to bake, and to follow the seasons. They are taught how to quantify the world around them through these lessons and each aspect of the curriculum serves a living purpose for the nine-year-old child.

In each skill learned, they gain confidence, experience success (and failure), and comfort, with the world (and abundance) around them.

#abundance #grade3 #chickenkeeping #waldorf #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #outdooreducation #outdoorclassroom #skillslearned

Festival of Light . . . Winter - the darkest time

Festival of Light
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Winter - the darkest time of year, when the days are the shortest and the nights are the longest is when light festivals are celebrated around the world. At Prairie Hill, and many Waldorf schools throughout the world, we celebrate the Advent Spiral.
It is a true reflection of taking the time to "keep your flame alight" in these cold, dark winter months, of nourishing yourself, slowing down and appreciating the sparks of beauty and silence when we can catch them. Prairie Hill students, faculty, family and community members will be taking time throughout the day to walk the Advent Spiral to do just that.

The Advent spiral awaits you! It is set up in the field west of the school for your use today and tomorrow until 8:00pm. Please walk in your family group and wait for others to finish before entering the spiral and offer space between the family groups.

Please bring a glass jar with a tea light for each person walking. Don’t forget the matches if you have a real candle. As you walk the spiral, you may set your light down somewhere along the boughs and leave it there. Someone will come back at 8:00pm to blow out all candles; any labeled jars will be placed on the garden walls in the courtyard to be picked up later. Any unlabeled jars will be reused or recycled.

#adventspiral #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #keepingthelight

Wonder Garden. . . . It is our belief that there i

Wonder Garden.
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It is our belief that there is no better place for the children to experience this gentle introduction to formal schooling, than with Miss Vicki and Miss Lindsey in Wonder Garden. One look at their classroom leaves nearly everyone saying "oh, I wish THAT I could go to Wonder Garden, too!" (We wish that everyday!) The warm, home like environment envelopes your every sense- it's certainly a magical place!

The cornerstone of childhood is imaginative, uninterrupted play. This is how our children develop their sense of self and their understanding of how to relate to others. Whether being captivated in the world of a good story, collecting sticks for a winter fire, or skipping through the meadow with friends, the children are fully immersed in just being children!

The play-based curriculum instills resiliency, compassion, and creativity; engaging the children daily in a childhood that will prepare them for a vibrant future.

#wondergarden #3k #preschool #earlychildhood #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorfschool #waldorf #waldorfeducation

Main Lesson Books. . . . Main Lesson books are a u

Main Lesson Books.
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Main Lesson books are a unique staple to Waldorf education. These books are the textbooks; created by the students themselves.

Instead of referencing a textbook as support to the teacher's lesson, the teacher is the source material and the Main Lesson book becomes the student's personal recording of that knowledge.

Our students are learning to learn and learning to love learning. Main Lesson books help ensure that children learn meaningfully and deeply everyday.

#mainlesson #education #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorf #waldorfeducation #waldorfschool #lifeisthecurriculum #art #headhearthands

It's GivingTuesday--We humbly ask you to consider

It's GivingTuesday--We humbly ask you to consider joining us in giving back today, November 30. Prairie Hill’s goal is to raise $3,000 in 24 hours to support our vibrant Waldorf curriculum and our important, continuing work to create opportunities for families to experience community. Find our donation link in our bio if you are able and willing to contribute. <3

#GivingTuesday2021 #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #outdoorclassroom #outdooreducation #headhearthands #waldorfeducation #waldorf #waldorfschool

"Teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intui

"Teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my sacred space and love beyond my fear, and thus walk in balance with the passing of each glorious sun."
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Chalkboard art by Mr. Pfeifer
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#prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorf #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation #waldorfinspired #wholechildeducation #alternativeschool #heartbased #waldorflife #steinerschool #natureschool #naturebased #nativestudies #prayer #lakotaprayer #headheartshands #chalkboardart #waldorfchalkboard #chalk #art #waldorfblackboardresources

Gratitude. . . It's never to early to start practi

Gratitude.
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It's never to early to start practicing gratitude...and our littlest friends in Wonder Garden are quite good at sharing their thanks already.

Whether it be thanking the bees for their work making honey when they see them (instead of swatting them away) to peeking through the fence to make sure the garbage collectors know they are appreciated--they are eager to be kind and share their thanks. 💜

#gratitude #wondergarden #waldorf #waldorfeducation #socialemotionaleducation #Waldorfschool #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #lakecountry #pewaukee #thanks #outdoorclassroom

*I go outside with my lantern, my lantern goes wit

*I go outside with my lantern, my lantern goes with me. Above me shine the stars so bright, down here on earth shine we.*

We are gathering together tonight in the spirit of community for our annual Lantern Walk. Dark winter days are ahead, but we will work to keep our inner lights shining bright! 🌟🔥✨

#prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorf #waldorfschool #waldorfeducation #martinmas #lanternwalk #lantern #community #shine #meadowwalk #waldorffestivals #fallfestivals

Festival of Community. . . The children have prepa

Festival of Community.
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The children have prepared their lanterns for the Festival of Community and Lantern Walk tomorrow. The gesture of the lantern walk is to provide light and community to those who are in need. Traditionally the story of Saint Martin has been shared, though, there are many figures who have offered their light and generosity to those who have needs greater than their own. A story recognizing “the light” of another gives the children an experience of caring and sharing as we move toward the darkness of winter.
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We are hosting a clothing drive in support of Robyn's Nest, hoping to spread the light to others. If you have in season clothing to donate, please consider bringing them to Prairie Hill to share.

#recognizingthelight #lanternwalk #martinmas #caring #sharing #lanterns #thislittlelightofmine #light #lantern #community
@augustinephotography

Slow down & connect: . . . The early years of a ch

Slow down & connect:
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The early years of a child’s life are full of wonder and joy while also being the most critical years of development. Parent-Child Playgroup at Prairie Hill not only provides children a rich environment for exploration and play, but also offers parents support in creating a healthy home life.

Our Playgroup sessions fill quickly... Don't miss out on our Winter Sessions! (Tuesdays are full, with other days close behind!)
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Link in bio!
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#winter #prairiehillwaldorf #phws #waldorf #playgroup #lakecountry #toddlerlife #parentandme #toddlers #pewaukee #delafield #oconomowoc