Registration for school year 2024-25 is open!
Indigenous Scholarship available while funds last.
Apfelhaus (Apple House) Forest Kindergarten Options:
Blossoms turning age 5 after June 1st but by September 1st, children with late spring and summer birthdays (young 5’s or Transitional Kindergarten) M - W or M - Th 9 am - 12:30 pm or 9 am - 3 pm (15 min before and 30 min after care available M - Th, and Friday Friends for 1 - 3 Fridays/month can be added if there is enough interest.
Stars age 5 by June 1st or turning age 6 over the school year, or may start the year as a young 6 year old with a summer birthday. M - W or M - Th 9 am - 3 pm (15 min before and 30 min after care option M - Th, and Friday Friends for 1 - 3 Fridays/month can be added if there is enough interest.
*If before or after care beyond our hours is needed, parents are encouraged to help each other with arrangements. Students can arrive 15 min before or stay 30 min M - Th, after for an additional $5/day by special arrangement if the Teacher’s schedule allows and if space is available. After care programs beyond what we can offer may be offered at local childcare centers or home childcare programs for before or after care and Friday care. Pine Pals Intergenerational Childcare and Preschool may have after care options.
We have a full time Apfelhaus KindergartenTeacher, a part time Preschool Teacher, and our German Teacher on staff. Seedlings Preschool joins with Forest Kindergarten for Monday and Wednesday mornings.
*We believe in mixed-age learning. 1st and 2nd graders may join full day Kindergarten on M - W afternoons, and the full day kindergartners join with 1st - 4th grade for a mixed age day on Thursdays. Our school year runs from September - May in 4 seasonal sessions, each ending with a family festival. Festivals include a Harvest Festival, Lantern Walk, Winter Spiral Festival, March Puppet Play, and a Spring Celebration. We plan to be fully outside at our yurts September - May with a winter break. We provide Forest and Garden skills in fall and spring, and Winter Sports and Activities in winter. A home cooked daily snack, or zweites Frühstück (German for second breakfast) is provided each day, incorporating foods that we have harvested, foods native to Minnesota, and other cultural foods. Organic when possible. We are able to accommodate vegan, gluten free and dairy free diets.
*We have high behavior expectations in our developmentally appropriate Preschool and Kindergarten. We are experienced and nurturing early childhood teachers with a variety of educational backgrounds and experience. Apple Blossom teachers also have training in Waldorf philosophy and curriculum. We know children are still learning and we have developmentally appropriate expectations. We offer SEL (Social Emotional Learning) for the full day Kindergartners through Peacemakers Resources with many opportunities to learn skills throughout our play filled days. Due to our unique set up with yurts as classrooms and outdoor play yard, and no Special Education staff onsite, we can accommodate a variety of learning styles, but we are not equipped to accommodate high behavior needs. Children must be able to be safe with their bodies, appropriate with their language, and listen to teacher directions in order to attend.
Recommended Reading: *Movement as a Foundation for Literacy Literacy in Early Childhood *The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel *Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom *Simplicity Parenting Article
Waldorf Early Childhood Education
Come Grow with us!
Apfelhaus provides a beautiful home-like environment and children are provided with a program that is protective, predictable, and secure. Our goal is to develop the whole child; the physical, social, emotional and creative skills that support later success in life and school. This child-centered approach matches current research on how our youngest children grow and develop.
Storytelling
Our mornings together include:
a nurturing home-like atmosphere in our cozy yurt
consistent teachers
small class size of 10 - 14 students
daily outdoor time and nature exploration
a language rich environment through oral storytelling and puppetry
music and singing
imaginative play
visual arts
natural wood toys and fibers
practical life activities (baking and making soup, woodworking, washing and gardening)
German and Ojibwe language and culture
Apfelhaus friends learn skills necessary for the foundation of academic success in the kindergarten portion of the program. These might include sequencing, sensory integration, eye-hand coordination, tracking, and appreciation of rich language and storytelling. Children are given a range of activities and the structure needed to prepare for the next phase of school life.
Social Emotional Learning plays a large part in our daily time together. Our students have intentional blocks of time dedicated to authentic play experiences outdoors everyday in all kinds of weather. During these times, they may choose to spend time alone reflecting quietly or they may choose to play with their peers. These extended open periods of practice in communication, negotiation and problem solving help develop empathy and compassion for others. The Teachers model appropriate social skills and allow students to work out social struggles independently or with support. At Apple Blossom, social and emotional skills are woven into the rhythm of our days through storytelling, art, circle time, meals, cooperative or group games, transitions and play. Teachers use mindfulness techniques and our rhythm includes in breaths (quieter activities such as painting) and out breaths (large movement and play). Older children learn to nurture the younger children and help care for our Apfelhaus little one (the Assistant’s toddler)!
Literacy and language learning begins in our morning circle time through songs, fingerplays, storytelling and puppetry. Writing precedes reading as children's fine motor skills are honed through painting, finger knitting, beeswax modeling and other arts and crafts. Check out these articles on reading readiness: Reading readiness has to do with the body and Teaching our children to write, read and spell and brain development: The Right brain develops first
Mathematics is taught first through hands on activities such as baking, gardening, rhymes and counting games. Bean bag and clapping games support the identification of numerals, and children learn to count out the number of napkins needed for snack or how many paint brushes are needed on painting day.
Science comes in the form of exploration and discovery of the world of nature including earth, air, water, fire, through the seasons and natural rhythm. These processes, such as the water cycle or ecology, are brought to the child through nature stories, songs, games and hands-on experiences. Through these early experiences, we foster a love for the earth and a desire to take care of the environment. We are outside everyday as much as possible, staying cozy in our winterized yurts as needed in the coldest months.
Arts, World Culture, Language, Movement, and Handwork are integral to the classroom experience. The yurts themselves come from Mongolia where they are handmade and hand painted. We learn about the traditional way to enter a yurt as we step over the thresh hold with our right foot and move through the yurt in a clockwise direction. Yurts are designed to connect the outdoor world with the indoors. We learn through songs, verses, food, and games in German, Ojibwe, French, and Spanish! We include and incorporate languages of our families whenever possible. Our German Teacher teaches alongside the Apfelhaus staff, telling stories and singing songs in German each week. Our Apfelhaus Assistant speaks French. We hear stories from many cultures and value and honor diversity. Families are welcome to share cultural traditions with the classroom throughout the year. Painting, drawing, modeling, finger knitting, wet felting and music, are a natural part of our weekly and seasonal rhythms. A range of skills are developed through wet on wet watercolor techniques, beeswax block and stick crayons, beeswax modeling clay, whittling and weaving.