The first years of life are of critical importance for our further way into life. It’s for this reason that learning shows itself again in a changed understanding during kindergarten:
We don’t feel restricted to any teaching theory, but rather we are of the opinion that a good team of teachers must continuously develop a new environment with the help of accurate observation, theoretical knowledge, practical skills and a huge helping of love in which the children themselves can develop further without teaching methods that spoon-feed information. In this respect, we stand by situation-orientated education, in which the middle point stands the child with his needs and individual gifts. We don’t simply offer things to the children (music, art, and other activities) in order for them to awaken and encourage their talents: as independently thinking personalities, our children bring their own interests, themes, joys, and fears with them which will be present in the conversations with each other and in the educational part of the kindergarten everyday. The children’s encouragement finds expression in the regular project weeks that take place and in the free play phases during which the educator consciously keeps himself in the background.
What holistic means to us: we are a part of the world, which we with all our senses must grasp in order for us to be responsible for the world and our actions in this world. Holistic means to address as many ways and talents as possible and not view the body (feeling) and intellect (understanding) as contrary to it. It is with these things that the kindergarten for us is a place for learning “with the head, heart and hands” (Pestalozzi), which takes place inside the home and in nature in dealing with our environment. In addition, Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences helps us to become more knowledgeable in working with children. Our holistic understanding further reflects itself also in our ecological lunches.
Today no one questions whether language plays a decisive role for our access to the world. The more languages we know, the more comprehensive our understanding of the world will be. Early childhood is ideal in learning foreign languages by playing games. One way of learning languages that has proved itself a success all over the world and which is best oriented towards the acquisition of language, and which is connected to the concept known as bilingualism. We support the acquisition of language through the development of musicality, on which we place great importance. Our time of being together in the kindergarten is not something that is static, rather something that must be developed anew all the time: a condition for this is the readiness from children, parents and educators to work together. A close cooperation between parents and educators is for us a natural and important part of our concept.