"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour." - William Blake


In the early years, life imprints the child much the way a foot leaves its mark in the wet sand. Every part of her is actively engaged with the world, and she learns by imitating or recreating all that goes on around her. It is a time of intense absorption; one need only attempt to interrupt a young child at play to discover this. Therefore, the young child is best nurtured by a simple, ordinary environment that allows her to relax into the rhythms of the day. In Enki schools periods of active play and movement are woven into a schedule that includes opportunities to explore through imagination, imitation, story, song and the many activities that grow naturally from living and working together. The young child's innate sense of wonder provides us with a rare opportunity to celebrate the magic of the ordinary world. 

All around the child, the natural world is in a continual process of change. One-season rolls into another, a rhythmic succession of endings and beginnings. In all of the early childhood activities and in the environment itself we seek to strengthen the child's connection to that process. In October, colored leaves and bundled corn stalks may decorate rooms where children are grinding grain and baking breads. Winter may bring bare branches lying on blue and white silks and children carding wool or making felt beads. Spring may warm up the classroom with baskets of spring grass, flowers, paper butterflies and handmade nests - but for the most part the children will be found outside: gardening, climbing trees and squealing as they run about free of boots and mittens once again. This connection and natural delight are the essential ground from which the child will later explore all the arts and sciences. 

Creative play and imitation are the most important learning tools for the young child. Therefore, great care is given to the environment. The classroom materials are carefully chosen for their aesthetic as well as their practical qualities; the approach is simple and embracing. In the course of a day, entire worlds are created and destroyed, as stones become mountains, a stool becomes a truck, a chair becomes a boat, a cloth the sea. By engaging in creative play, children are building foundations that later develop into the imaginative, conceptual and physical abilities essential to learning.

NURSERY - For the very young child, the Nursery School experience is a first step in expanding her sense of home and safety into a bigger world. Therefore, our nursery programs offer an extended family experience. In these home-school environments, the ordinary daily routine of a home provides both the rhythms and adventures of each day. Projects such as baking, animal care, gardening and cleaning fill the days; these can be developed into stories, songs, arts and crafts as the young child makes her first steps toward participating in a group. 

KINDERGARTEN - The kindergarten student stands at a threshold of widening relationships and more structured learning experiences. She has begun to take a new kind of initiative, planning and organizing her play. For example, she no longer accidentally discovers a volcano in the sand that she has piled up for the sheer pleasure of the piling. Now she sets out to bury a hose in a great pile of sand, gather the class around and then turn on the water when, to the delight of all, the volcano erupts.

With this new sense of initiative, the kindergartner is now ready for more complex stories, projects and movement activities that will build the inner sense of rhythm and spatial awareness needed for the academic learning that lies ahead. In these more complex activities, the kindergartner is gently guided to learn and contribute as a member of a group. This combination of independent initiative and the ability to learn within the group will be key to her success in the grade school environment. 

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