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River left a comment for Amanda Thornton

July 8, 2009

River left a comment for Amanda Thornton

March 24, 2009

Amanda Thornton updated their profile photo

March 24, 2009

Amanda Thornton commented on Laurie Nelson Alexander's group 'School Leadership'

Hello all, I am a student at Antioch University in Seattle, looking to begin what is called a Waldkindergarten utilizing city green spaces. It is a outdoor preschool outdoors all the time. I am running a pilot session this spring at seward park in s…

March 24, 2009

interested in this idea?

Imagine a place where kids from all parts of an urban city meet together creating a free place of the forest. Imagine the children in a place where there is no manufactured toy, all belonging to the natural cycle of the forest. Imagine when the children find the forest as a place of peace, beauty and recovery.

It is my aim to explore our city green spaces as an enormous operating field full of endless possibilities.

My plan to connect our children with nature will be designed to engender, engage, and enthuse the commitment of everyone involved, offering a symbol of guidance of radical—root based environmental education, an education that restores the original bond between humans and the rest of nature.

It is my aim to begin a Waldkindergarten in Seattle.

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At 7:27am on July 8, 2009, River said…: Hi Amanda,

How is your waldkindergarten going? I am so curious about this -an possibly starting something similar here in BC. How do you get around liscensing regulations? They are quite strict here ex: how many bathrooms per child, where food must be prepared etc. Where do you get the ideas for what you do?
~Laura

At 5:10pm on March 24, 2009, River said…: hi, I have had my own summer camp before for about 10-15 kids 5-12, I started off just throwingf a mishmash of things together that I'd learned and near the end went to the Art of Mentoring and change a lot. This was from May to September. Right now I am working for the boys and girls club in the okanagan valley in BC, Canada. I am the program leader so I decide what we do, when etc. Today I spent the entire day outside with the kids building shelters and exploring. I am not alone, there is a program coordinator who works with me and several other staff who come in for a few hours a day. However the entire program needed a lot of work after a lot of rapid turnover and many different philosophies. there are many children with behavioral issues, and just a generally active, sometimes chaotic group... they need to be outside more but we only have a small fenced concrete yard to play so we end up driving to school parks and hiking trails a lot. It is a work in progress...I am learning as I go. I am having to adapt a lot as the kids have zero attention span, and so much energy as well as deep-seated emotional and developmental issues (well some do) so it's a huge challenge.
I'd love to know more about what you're doing. I would love to eventually start my own waldkindergarten or some sort of similar program. Have you learned about enki education? There website is very neat to check out.

~Laura

At 2:13pm on March 24, 2009, Amanda Thornton said…: Hi, please feel free to send her my way, I will be running a pilot this spring for six weeks starting mid April. I will then be traveling to Germany to spend time with a few Waldkindergartens in the summer, articulating my curricula. By winter 2009 be an incorporated non-profit. I am looking for as many people who are interested in this idea. I feel that the educational approach of coyote mentoring is by far the best compliment to this pedagogy. I look forward to hearing back.
warmth, amanda

At 4:37pm on March 23, 2009, River said…: This sounds amazing! I know someone who would be interested, though not sure how close she is to Seattle. I'd love to hear more about your project