Ruby Saltbush News

Steiner Education is often described as an education for the whole child: the head, the heart and the hands. But what does this really mean in a real-life preschool context?

The Three Aspects in Ruby Saltbush:

• Head (Thinking / Cognitive) can be seen in the teacher imparting knowledge through songs, storytelling, practical activities like gardening and encouraging curiosity, and engaging children in understanding concepts. 
• Heart (Feeling / Emotional) involves nurturing feelings, imagination and a sense of appreciation as well as fostering social skills, encouraging a connection to oneself and others, and cultivating empathy. 
• Hands (Doing / Physical) children learn through physical activity, hands-on exploration, and practical tasks that involve their hands. 

In Steiner Early Childhood education (from birth to age 7), the emphasis is on Hands: “learning through doing” — through imaginative, hands-on play and movement, developing practical skills, a sense of agency, and the joy of purposeful contribution, as this is their main way of learning. Children’s learning is rooted in rhythm, imitation, and meaningful activity. 

As children grow, the "heart" (feeling) becomes central (ages 7-14), developing through imagination, stories, and appreciation for the arts, before abstract "thinking" (head) is highlighted. Different aspects are emphasized at different developmental stages, but all three components are continually working together.

Some preschool classroom examples of activities that build practical skills, action-oriented engagement, empowerment through doing, and the ability to contribute:

🌱 Practical Life & Handwork

• Baking bread or cooking simple meals – measuring, kneading, shaping, and sharing the food.
• Sweeping, dusting, washing dishes, folding laundry – children imitate adults and gain pride in caring for their environment.
• Gardening – planting seeds, watering, harvesting herbs/vegetables, learning the cycles of nature.
• Handcrafts – beading, weaving, simple sewing, beeswax modelling. These develop fine motor skills, patience, and creativity.

🏠 Care for the Classroom/Home-like Setting

• Tidying the play space – putting toys back in baskets, arranging cloths, folding play silks.
• Setting the table – placing plates, cups, jugs and spoons with care.
• Serving food & pouring drinks – learning independence and generosity.
• Caring for dolls and toys – washing doll clothes, mending, cradling, imitating nurturing roles.

🌳 Nature & Seasonal Activities

• Outdoor free play in all weather – climbing, digging, balancing, building with logs and branches.
• Seasonal crafts – polishing apples in autumn, lantern-making for winter, making wreaths or seasonal decorations.
• Nature observation – collecting treasures (stones, leaves, feathers) to bring back for the nature table.

🎶 Artistic & Movement Activities

• Circle time games with movement and gesture – clapping, skipping, finger plays that build coordination.
• Watercolor painting, beeswax modelling, crayon drawing – flowing, open-ended forms that foster creativity rather than fixed outcomes.
• Singing, rhymes, and storytelling with movement – encouraging language, rhythm, and memory through bodily engagement.

🌍 Contribution & Empowerment

All of the above activities cultivate in children:

• Competence – they feel capable (“I can do this myself”).
• Responsibility – they see how their actions matter to the group.
• Belonging – they contribute to the life of the classroom community.
• Connection to the world – through nature, seasonal rhythms, and purposeful work.
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In Ruby Saltbush the aim isn’t just “skill training” but nurturing will force — the capacity to engage, act, and later bring ideas into reality. Practical tasks and movement-rich activities build the foundation for children to become doers and contributors in life.

How better to illustrate that the “play” children engage in is not simply trivial, but deeply meaningful and foundational, something to set them up for the rest of their lives.

Thank you, parents, for giving your children the wonderful gift of childhood, with a Steiner Preschool Education!