The Waldorf School of Rijeka, third and fourth grades with their teachers Maja, Iva and assistant Dunja, and one mother Darija, visited Ogulin on 21st October 2020. The trip was conceived to get to know Ogulin and the surroundings in one autumn day. After a short introduction, i.e. orientation, we went on a tour of the town.
Halfway through the tour, in Đula’s park, we took advantage of the favourable weather conditions after the explanation of the abyss, and after talking about Ivana Brlić Mažuranić – about where she was born, how and where her family moved, what influenced her as a writer, and so on.… we moved were just a few steps into the amphitheatre and I narrated Ivana’s story Regoch.
Next was a walk by Lake Sabljaci, through the leaves, grass and wind, we learned through questions and play something about the other river sinkhole in Ogulin, and in a way we greeted and celebrated autumn. In the end, we listened to a folk tale.
Waldorf education teaches the meaning and interconnectedness between man and the world.
It encourages the will for learning and empathy, it teaches responsibility and engagement, it strengthens the creativity and inventiveness in children.
“Steiner schools, especially on the continent (Europe), have a well-developed curriculum of scientific fields in which one never loses sight of the whole. It does not begin with the sterility of white uniforms in laboratories, but with an accurate observation of everyday phenomena, and without rushing into theories and models. They take the view that there is a deep connection between the human species and nature and that human life is ascribed meaning and purpose, and a not aimless coincidence. In practice, this means that student workbooks in science are works of art, full of wonder, but also with accurate observations, and everything is embellished with richly coloured diagrams.”
Kevin McCarthy, Education Editor, the New York Times
I hope to see you again soon with new fairy tales. Thanks to Dunja Tomić for the photos.
Translation by Martin Mayhew