[AccidentalHousewif]

I had thought I would send my son to a Waldorf school at least through kindergarten, but I'm now about 90% sure that the local Waldorf pre-K where we had pre-enrolled him will not work (you can see my other thread in the Waldorf forum if you want to know more about that!).

Does anyone know of programs or pedagogies with emphasis on music and art and storytelling and imagination/rhythm rather than academics/accomplishment? That was really the core of my attraction to Waldorf education. Montessori appeals to me not at all because I feel it would reinforce my son's tendencies toward rigidity and hyper-focus and reward him for his "academic" skills -- rather than promote social development and creativity, not to mention physical activity...

Waldorf and Montessori are really the only two philosophies I have any knowledge of (I kinda stopped looking once I found Waldorf, thinking it sounded so wonderful

), so i'm casting around for information and advice. Book or web site suggestions would be great!

I'm in the Los Angeles area (San Fernando Valley), so any specific school recommendations around here would also be MOST welcome.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Veronica, nursing mama to Max 6/03

:, non-nursing mama to three ginormous dogs

:

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:, & wife to Michael

 

[flyingspaghettimama]

I am a Montessori mama myself, but I think a Reggio Emilia school might be what you're looking for. I like them and think it's a very complementary style of education. They are usually pretty spendy, but the teachers are very highly trained. We might consider it except for the cost (2x as much as Montessori) made us rule it out in our city.

You can also investigate preschools that advertise "process-based art/music/discovery" or "inquiry based learning."