DaVinci Waldorf School 847-526-1372 » Brian Howard http://davinciwaldorfschool.org A Developing Waldorf School Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:35:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 On The Web: Kindergarten Cram (NY Times) http://davinciwaldorfschool.org/on-the-web-kindergarten-cram-ny-times/ http://davinciwaldorfschool.org/on-the-web-kindergarten-cram-ny-times/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 15:00:39 +0000 Brian Howard http://blog.watersedgewaldorf.org/?p=108 Thank you to Claudia for finding this week’s link to a NY Times article about homework cramming at Kindergarten.

It mentions a study of New York and Los Angeles kindergartens spending 2-3 hours per day on math/reading instruction and testing.

How different our Waldorf kindergarten is…

Comments are open!  Please share your thoughts on the article.

]]> http://davinciwaldorfschool.org/on-the-web-kindergarten-cram-ny-times/feed/ 0 On The Web: Just one of Nature's Benefits for the Brain http://davinciwaldorfschool.org/on-the-web-just-one-of-natures-benefits-for-the-brain/ http://davinciwaldorfschool.org/on-the-web-just-one-of-natures-benefits-for-the-brain/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 14:00:05 +0000 Brian Howard http://blog.watersedgewaldorf.org/?p=53 “Nature … is surprisingly beneficial for the brain,” says a recent article at boston.com, the on-line site for The Boston Globe.

The article focuses on the effects that urban life can have on the brain, and says that time spent in nature can have a restorative effect. Concentration takes effort, and busy urban life “overstuffed with stimuli” means constant redirection of attention. It has impact on memory, attention, tempers…

On the other hand, “…children with attention-deficit disorder have fewer symptoms in natural settings. When surrounded by trees and animals, they are less likely to have behavioral problems and are better able to focus on a particular task.”

Waldorf schools know that this is nothing new. We keep our children away from screen time (just as overstuffed with stimuli) and bring them outside to play. Old-fashioned and cutting-edge at the same time.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/

Comments on this post have been opened for discussion.  Please share your experiences, questions and comments relating to the article!

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