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Chicago,Illinois,United States
Da Vinci Waldorf School
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Teaching children how to think, not what to think. Through the power of imagination, we inspire children to think freely, responsibly, and creatively, to live compassionately, and to embrace learning throughout their lives. Working cooperatively and with integrity, teachers and parents nurture the child's body, mind, and spirit. We strive to prepare children to meet the challenges of our world and the future with clarity of thought, a caring heart, and the confidence to initiate the positive transformation of society. Da Vinci Waldorf School teaches children to embrace learning through a developmentally-appropriate, multidisciplinary, experiential curriculum which leads to clear and critical thinking, ethical and compassionate actions, and the ability to make a difference in the world. Waldorf education begins in early childhood with a strong emphasis on play, which lays the foundation for later academic success. Before age seven, children need to exercise both their bodies and their imaginations if they are to truly thrive in school later on. Waldorf education, for grades 1 through 8, provides a challenging classical curriculum for the grade school child. It encompasses a variety of subjects and activities that support the different stages of child development. Our program integrates fine arts, practical arts, music, movement and farming, with academic subjects including english, science, literature, mathematics, history and foreign languages. Subjects are taught in main lesson blocks of two to three hours per day, with each block lasting from three to five weeks. This concentrated time allows children to deeply experience and truly learn the material rather than merely memorizing facts. With small class sizes, each grade's curriculum is intended as a descriptive guide for teachers, providing latitude for each teacher's creativity and imagination as they seek to enliven the subjects for the students.