Forest Fest to highlight plans for the Waldorf Nature School

PLANS are progressing to open a new national school in North Wexford. If given approval, the Wexford Waldorf Nature School will be based in a woodland in Kilanerin. The committee has so far pre-registered over 70 children from 2017 to 2021 and is holding a Forest Fest this weekend to highlight its plans.

Committee member Aoife Minnock said they have identified the need locally for an alternative primary school - one that is multi-denominational and accessible to all.

‘We propose establishing a Steiner-inspired Forest School, namely the Wexford Waldorf Nature School,’ she said. ‘ We will draw on the strong and internationally successful pedagogies and methodologies of the late Dr. Rudolph Steiner and the initiatives of the Forest School movement which encourages taking learning outdoors.’

‘ The national primary school curriculum will be delivered by state qualified teachers and we intend to apply for state funding and to become a state recognised school.’

For more, or to register, visit www. wexfordwaldorfnatureschool.org or go to the Forest Fest this weekend.

On Friday, March 3, at 8 p.m., in Ballymoney Steiner Kindergarten, the organisers are showing a DVD - ‘Dancing with Thoreau’, which discusses connecting nature and the modern world. Donations welcome.

Then, on Saturday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the woodland at Kilanerin where they hope to establish the school, a family day will include: poetry reading; a tree planting ceremony; crafts; storytelling around a campfire; scavenger hunts at 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; a foraging walk at 12.30 p.m.; and tea and cakes.

Entrance on Saturday is €10 per car. To get to the woodland, take the Kilanerin road opposite Greens Berry Farm on the Arklow Road. After Byrne’s Garage, take the second entrance to the left.