At the end of the 2nd term the school staff and volunteers hiked through the Orange Kloof with professional guide Evelyn. The sounds and scents of the forest, the play of the sunlight through the trees and on the water, together with the cool fresh air has so many physical and mental benefits. Everyone immediately experienced the calming, rejuvenating and restorative effects of being surrounded by unspoilt nature.
For the children to thrive at school it is vitally important for staff to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In the 1980s scientists in Japan developed ‘shinrin-yoku’ or “forest bathing” and have published robust scientific literature on the healing and health benefits of spending time in a living forest.
Waldorf Education aims to awaken our relationship to the world, and this Steiner says is achieved by teaching through the twelve senses. There is a relationship between sensory perception and health and vitality. In his pedagogical concept Rudolf Steiner dealt with temperament and developed in great detail the wisdom of the twelve senses which he groups according to thinking, feeling and willing.
