Waldorf Early Childhood Courses at WCI

Waldorf Early Childhood Educator Training Auditing

Join our Waldorf early childhood educator training courses as an auditor.

Courses are open to Waldorf educators and those interested in anthroposophy. Course participants will join our teacher training program and are asked to pay an auditing fee of $30 per class and in some cases a materials fee. Auditors must commit to, and pay for, all classes within a course.

(Please note that auditors are asked to be quiet participants—present as observers only—unless asked by instructors to contribute.)

All prices are Canadian dollars

November 7-13, 2026

In-person at the Vancouver Waldorf School

Click the link for the November Auditors schedule.

Grade One Readiness with Ruth Ker

When we as teachers observe potential first-graders, we need to look not only at the chronological age of the child, but also at other capacities and aspects of ability and behaviour. What happens for the young child as they go through this mighty transformation during the six-year change will be the topic of our conversations as well as ways to witness this metamorphosis. This course will examine a variety of things to look for in the young child’s development, which will aid the teacher when the time comes to determine whether the child shows readiness for first grade.

Nutrition with Astrid Lackner

This course offers an introduction to nutrition, relating it to the development of human consciousness, as a guide to understanding the most suitable foods for young children. The grains will be introduced and their different qualities discussed. In this way the preparation of snack, including the different preparation of grains and bread will be presented. Recipes will be given.

Older Child in the Kindergarten with Ruth Ker

Children pass through many developmental stages in early childhood and each stage has its own challenges. Somewhere between 5 ½ and 7 the child goes through a time of metamorphosis. This course will look at the changes the child experiences and how the teacher can meet these changes with grace and support. We, as teachers, find that we need to shift our approach somewhat as children grow older in the EC setting.  By looking at chronological ages, developmental stages, and the new-found abilities and behaviours of the older children in the kindergarten, we will examine fresh approaches in the classroom that meet the needs of these children. This course will also examine a variety of first grade readiness games, observations and questions that will aid the teacher when the time comes to determine whether the child is ready for first grade.

Spacial Dynamics with Marita Tulloch

Spacial Dynamics® raises our consciousness about personal space, the dynamics of movement, movement streams, and the posture of the teacher. Creating a movement environment that promotes confidence in the participants, – by their becoming conscious of this space and the dynamic forces of the movements within it – is important to the teacher’s practice. The physical body learns to eventually follow and to ease into these movements. When the body moves into a dynamic space that has already been consciously created for it, the movement itself can be performed with less effort, greater effect, enhanced mental clarity, and less strain upon the body. Spacial Dynamics® activities help people to learn and integrate the human being’s relationship to the dynamics of space.

Storytelling and Puppetry for the Older Child with Ruth Ker

This course will provide an opportunity to practice storytelling and a variety of puppetry experiences for the older children in the preschool/kindergarten setting. Upon completion of this course the student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to: comprehend age-appropriate stories for the development of speech and the oral and auditory processing of the young child, corresponding to different developmental phases in early childhood; develop some puppetry and marionette skills by working with puppets to stage three different plays; understand how to present stories to young children so they can be fully received; learn how to memorize and portray a tale.

Woodworking for the Young Child with Herb Walsh

Wood in its organic nature is a beautiful medium with which to develop skill and dexterity, and to awaken imagination. Getting to know the trees in each of our neighborhoods will be a part of our observation exercise.

Click the link for the November Auditors schedule.

Summer Courses & Workshops

Summer courses and workshops are held at the Sunrise Waldorf School on Vancouver Island, in beautiful scenic British Columbia, Canada.