Day 3 of Waldorf Kindergarten | What I've Learned So Far
Our third day, Tuesday, September 1, 2026, together reminded me once again that the best kindergarten lessons grow naturally out of everyday life. We started the morning with another batch of our organic decaf cold brew coffee. There was still a little left from our previous lesson, so the triplets enjoyed a small cup before we began our first project of the day.
My mom was visiting this week, and she arrived with a whole bag of seed packets, which made the perfect inspiration for another planting lesson. My older nephew took on the job of making newspaper seedling pots while the triplets filled them with soil. Using a simple wooden pot maker, he wrapped newspaper around the mold, pressed it into shape, and made nearly fifty little seedling pots. The triplets each chose their own seed packets, planted two or three seeds in every pot, covered them with soil, and carefully followed each step. We planted a variety of squash and beans, even though it isn't quite the right season. The experience itself was what mattered, and we'll certainly do it again when the timing is better.
One of the things I'm noticing already is how much the children enjoy making things they can take home. They seem to love the projects even more than the toys, and these first few weeks are giving me the opportunity to simply observe. I'm watching how they interact, what naturally interests them, what skills they're already developing, and where I can gently support them. Honestly, I don't see many areas that are lacking. There are certainly things I want to incorporate from my Waldorf teacher training, but right now it feels like we're simply living life together, and that seems exactly right for kindergarten.
Another thing I've been so impressed by is how naturally they participate in caring for their environment. After every project comes the cleanup, and they're sweeping, mopping, wiping the tables, washing their hands, and putting everything away. Those everyday tasks are just as important as the projects themselves. Caring for our space is part of life, and that is very much part of kindergarten.
I've also learned something about myself. I have a very hard time saying no. I already knew that, but these little boys have certainly confirmed it. They want to take every project home, even the ones I had planned to keep here, and it is incredibly difficult for me to refuse. My sister-in-law and I have come up with a simple solution. They'll take something home after each lesson, enjoy it for a while, and then she'll quietly bring it back before the next class. It keeps everyone happy, although I suspect learning to say no may become one of my lessons this year. Then again, I'm not only their kindergarten teacher, I'm also their aunt, and I think that gives me permission to say yes a little more often.
We also spent time making guacamole and tortilla chips together. Besides being a delicious snack, we were saving all of the avocado pits and skins for a natural dye project we'll be doing later this season. Earlier we had already collected rosemary, and now we're simply waiting for our silk and wool to arrive so we can begin dyeing. I love how these projects connect with one another over time. Something we cook today becomes part of an art lesson weeks later.
The one challenge I'm discovering is time. I love including food in our lessons, but with only two hours twice a week, we simply run out of time. Today's lesson went about forty minutes longer than planned, just like the previous lesson did. I may need to become much better at time management, or perhaps the better solution is simply to make our lessons three hours instead of two. I'll have to talk with my sister-in-law about that because, so far, twice a week has been wonderful, but I can already see myself wishing we had even more time together.
We ended our morning the way we've begun to establish as part of our rhythm, by reading a few more pages from The Hedgehog Leaves Home. Each lesson I bring another small prop to accompany the story, and I love watching the children become more and more engaged. Little by little, we're building the rhythm of our kindergarten together, and with every lesson it feels more like home.
