The Foundations of WonderKids
Families with children attending school in Craftsbury, Greensboro, and Hardwick know that we have been working hard this school year with Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union (OSSU) to put an afterschool and summer enrichment program back in place. You can read the result of our efforts on the OSSU website.
Sarah Mutrux and Virginia Lapierre envisioned a new approach to an afterschool program that combines rhythm, enrichment, and elements of family and home life in the hours between school and home. The WonderKids Afterschool program is a restorative experience for grades K-8 where children are nurtured through whole foods, exploratory creative experiences, and positive adult role models. The foundations of the program draw fro the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, incorporating elements of Waldorf education and philosophy. Central to this experience is the daily rhythm intended to help students grow their emotional resilience. The rhythm, explained below, is like the metamorphosis of a butterfly: gathering nourishment during snack time, building skills and resilience during imaginative play, then resting to reflect inwardly on what they have experienced before emerging from the school setting back into the home. By serving the children, WonderKids serves the entire family, as the child brings home positive energy and creativity.
Daily Rhythm
Our WonderKids program takes its inspiration from the life cycle of a butterfly. In our minds, we picture the program and our staff as the environment (garden if you will) that supports the development of the youth (caterpillars to butterflies) we serve.
Our day starts when we Gather the kids from the bus, classrooms, or their parents and Settle them into our program environment. We start with a circle with a welcoming movement exercise that signals the start of our day together. After this, we lead the children through Move, a time to get out their wiggles and focus their energy. This time can involve active games, relays, obstacle courses, yoga, creative dance, traditional exercises (i.e. lunges, etc.), stretching, and more. Move is done inside our classroom, in the gym, or outside. After Move and a bathroom break, we Nourish the kids' bodies with a snack while we also connect with them around the table. This time mimics a family mealtime and helps create friendships and connections. Create is the enrichment part of our day in which kids use their minds and bodies to learn and explore. This creative time is the bulk of our program and lasts a whole hour. Finally, during Reset we come back to a closing circle exercise, returning to a calmer energy. The kids remain in this restorative and reflective circle until they Emerge back into family life when their parents pick them up and our day is done.
Supporting Students
WonderKids mirrors some behavioral supports and strategies used during the school day. Zones of Regulation is one strategy we use to help staff understand the emotional and energetic state of the children, and help them utilize familiar coping methods.
Click here to read about the Zones of Regulation and common exercises.
“There are no bad kids, just impressionable people wrestling with emotions and impulses, trying to communicate their feelings and needs the only way they know how.”
— Janet Landsbury