Welcome families and friends of El Rio Charter School.
Our vision is to found a Kindergarten through 5th grade public charter school, opening in 2013, which brings the advantages of a Waldorf style education to Northeast Los Angeles.
We are calling for participants willing to strategize, collaborate and give skills and time to help us
make it happen.

What if L.A. children had more PLAY and less PRESSURE?

Posted: August 1st, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Child mental health, Parenting, play, Teacher Training | No Comments »

PRESSURE TO PERFORM, SUCCEED, WIN, COMPETE, PLEASE

NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO PLAY: FREE, SELF-INITIATED PLAY WITH “LOOSE PARTS”.

Imagine a kindergarten where PLAY is the main subject.  Where play is the pre-requisite for acquiring proficiency in the three R’s? Where free, experimental, child-initiated play is the pre-requisite for critical & creative thinking, getting along & collaborative networking, and taking individual initiative in life?

What if free play becomes the new way to keep students’ brains active?

Is there anything about the idea of non-prescriptive, self-directed, no-rules, no winners/losers play as children’s essential ‘work’ that worries you?

What are the obstacles you think stand in the way of giving L.A. children and students the play they need for a satisfying childhood and meaningful life?

How would your own life change if you adopted more of a no-right-or-wrong-way-to-play approach to your world-view, your relationships, your activities?

  • “Building a Better Playground” TIME [video: http://bit.ly/bYfrIs] [story: http://bit.ly/bAMpXD]
  • “State of Play” The New Yorker [article: http://bit.ly/aGkb95]
  • Monique’s Magical Waldorf Kindergarten Class 2010 San Francisco: [video http://bit.ly/cRF27q]

CHILD-INITIATED PLAY GROUND: Who would we be if this was our daily experience as children?

TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF THIS SUMMER

“Play Every Day” ideas and fact sheet from the Alliance for Childhood

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