Been offered a place at a STEINER NURSERY, any experience?

[QuintessentialShadows]

My nearly 3 year old son has been offered a place at a Steiner Nursery. Does anybody have any experience of this kind of nursery?

"Oh, yes, there was a picture of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus on the wall (actually the only adornment in the room) and she said they did recognise Mary as one of the goddesses, and they were bound by law to follow Christian Ethic in their teaching, but it was not really important to them."

Oh dear. I'm afraid that this is a whopper, although the individual teacher might not have been aware of the significance.
'The Christ Event' as anthroposophy styles it, is perhaps the single, most crucial event in 'Anthro-(man) po sophy (wisdom) in our evolution: it maks the turning point from our decent from the state of pure spirit through solidifying processes to our more-or-less current state. 'The Christ Impulse' fecilitated the upturn back, leading eventually to pure spirit.
Ah gee- it's another aspect that needs to handled carefully; critics are so aware that in simply relating some of the more esoteric stuff of Steiner, it can be us who seem like the space cadets. Had it not been for this thread, how the hell could one introduce anyone to Steiner's revelations that we are on an aeons long evolutionary journey from what he called 'Old Saturn' embodiment, through a series of other events, to our ultimate destination, which he called 'Vulcan'
I'm very sure most of you are aleady at a ffs point, but if anyone is interested, I have tried to 'pot' it at easeonline.org/The_Ages.htm
Right I'm taking cover, but before you call the guys in the white coats, please remember not to shoot the messenger.
Ducking now.
Davy

Every small detail that looks "strange" results from trying to follow Steiner. It influences even the smallest things. One of the reasons they fly under the radar is that parents are likely to think, as you did, of lots of small reasons that things that look strange probably don't mean anything - the teacher is a tad eccentric, "strange carpentry" LOL, some odd thing that is just some person's preference. Nope - usually, straight Steiner. Steiner determines everything down to what color to paint the classroom walls.

Maybe a strange question, but do they also throw spells and curses? Just wondering.....

Quint, I love your descrption of the loopy carpentry!
And teaching children housework always irritated me.
I remeber saying something about feminism, and how I wanted my daughters to have othe role models, not just cleaning and fairy tales, the boys were always wood cutters etc.
I was met with stunned silence!

The teachers all had to wear skirts and dresses too, (well not the men ) apparently that's to do with being a smooth spiritual rounded shape.
"There are no trousers in the spirit world"

When they did outward boundy walks and hikes over the moors, and made fires, climbed stiles etc, it was quite tricky. Climbing siles "side-saddle"

My kids liked to wear black anyway. Sometimes they opted for stripes, but never rainbow ones.
In the end, my children realised that wearing black was their own little rebellion, as all the other kids were rainbow/boden/poshgerman labels.
And I didn't stop them.
It got them every time.

QuintessentialShadows on Wed 23-Apr-08 16:49:19
Maybe a strange question, but do they also throw spells and curses?

Nah. Mind you the whole family can be ostracised without anaesthetic.

Davy! I hope you're ducking!
Thanks for that explanation!

Why is man's ultimate destiation Vulcan, do you know?

And I still don't understand the two Jesus thing either.

No one understands the two Jesus thing, don't worry Northern, anthroposophists don't either

"Why is man's ultimate destiation Vulcan, do you know?"

Dunno. Something along the lines of fire/warmth/spirit maybe? I think it's something I used to know though. I'll try to check it.

Maybe they are just a tad bit inspired by Star Trek??

"And teaching children housework always irritated me.
I remeber saying something about feminism, and how I wanted my daughters to have othe role models, not just cleaning and fairy tales, the boys were always wood cutters etc."
Absobloominlutely Northern! Remembering all this I really can't believe I fell for it or questioned it until much later.
Though when one becomes a mother it can turn your world upside down and inside out. I really wanted to give my dc's the very best I could (I still do). Post millenium parental anxiety or something - looking through my child's eyes, the world appeared scary, fast, harsh etc. I was looking for the antidote.

My dh has gone and bought a copy a dvd of the Wickerman today - oh how hilarious thought I! But why watch it when we are living the dream darling

Barking, the sense of regret about wanting to give them the best is poignant when i think of what they got there...

Oh The Wickerman! OOOhhh it's still gets me that film. Don't think I could watch it after our journey to planet Steiner community

Have you seen 'The Village'?

DH and I watched The Wickerman a few months ago and were a bit gobsmacked to 'recognise' certain rituals in it!!!

Did anyone see the article about a Steiner nursery the other day in the Daily Mail? Apparently to demonstrate smoking one of the staff had actually lit a cigarette and started to puff away in front of the kids

I think he's been suspended or something..