The Waldorf Schools of Connecticut Proudly Present Where Do the Children Play? Hosted by noted child education expert, Joan Almon Thursday, February 25,Th 7 PM
Where Do the Children Play? is a one-hour documentary that examines how restrictive patterns of U.S. sprawl, congestion, and suburban development are impacting children's mental and physical health and development. “Children’s ability to play is one of the principal criteria of mental health,” says Joan Almon, Executive Director of the U.S. Alliance for Childhood. “Data shows that children who were the most active players in early childhood classes also showed the greatest gains in language development -- a key to becoming good readers -- and in imagination, which makes all subjects come alive. Active children are also the least aggressive.” At the Waldorf School, creative play is central to early childhood education because play enables children to assimilate and integrate the world around them. Play is important for physical, social and emotional growth; it is also the formative element for the development of thinking and intellectual activities. The more children become absorbed in their play, the more freely and effectively they take hold of their potential in the future. The Waldorf school programs offer a developmentally appropriate, balanced approach to education that integrates the arts and academics for children from preschool through twelfth grade. It encourages the development of each child's sense of truth, beauty, and goodness, and provides an antidote to violence, alienation, and cynicism. The aim of the education is to inspire in each student a lifelong love of learning, and to enable the child to develop his or her unique capacities. The U.S. Alliance for Childhood is a partnership of educators, physicians, parents, and others advocating for social change to improve children's overall health and well-being. A major focus of the Alliance is therestoration of play to childhood. Joan Almon has more than 30-years’ experience as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher and consultant to Waldorf kindergartens throughout the world. Join us for a fun and enlightening evening! Suggested donation $10. Refreshments served. For more information call 203-364-1113. view trailer