Sanderling Waldorf School

Beautiful Education. North County San Diego is so fortunate to have a Steiner School here!
The Sanderling Waldorf School is a haven in this otherwise techno-​world where academics is pushed on children younger and younger. Personally, I think what kids need more of is to JUST BE KIDS and play! Play is their learning. As children get older, the Waldorf method introduces academics in the grades at developmentally appropriate ages.
My son attended Sanderling Waldorf School from 2yrs to 12 yrs of age. He then transitioned in 7^th grade into a non-​Waldorf middle/​high school that has a more traditional academic school focus. He has received academic excellence recognition for 2 years now, after never having been introduced to a «computer», taken a «test» or even been given a «grade» — before 7^th grade! The best part is that he is a very independent and free thinker. I believe alot of who he is today is due to his Waldorf Education.
If you are interested in the Sanderling Waldorf school I would highly suggest you do your homework. It does not work for everyone’s families. There is a big emphasis on being media-​free. It is very difficult to do in this media-​crazed world, but trust me — it is SO worth it!
Some ideas to help aid in your decision:
1. attend an open house
2. read the website
3. study up on why electronic media is not healthy for the young child’s developing brain
4. check out the very interesting news article written a few years back -«Why are Silicon Valley Tech Execs Sending Their Kids To a Tech-​free School»?

Sanderling Waldorf is everything you could wish for a school to be. The teachers are very dedicated and nurturing. The focus is on an age appropriate curriculum, giving the children exactly what they need when they are ripe and ready for it. This fosters a life long love of learning and a strong sense of confidence. My son is SO very happy at school and looks forward to each day with joy.

We have two boys at Sanderling, a 6^th grader and pre-​schooler. We started our pre-​schooler at the parent-​child class and moved on the to the Nursery after a year. Our 6^th grader three years ago was in a public school and saw his brother’s school at the Open Houses and was really intrigued at the beautiful workbooks created by the grade-​school children that were exhibited at these open houses. He was not happy at the public school. He felt stifled and was not challenged. Despite getting top scores in the Star testing and breezing through his classes, we felt there must be more than tests and scores to an elementary school experience. After trying out for a week at Sanderling, we made the decision as a family to move our older son to Sanderling from 4^th grade. Immediately, he came home happy from school. He was challenged in so many different ways. He was learning Spanish and German, drawing so much more and creating beautiful work instead of slogging over worksheets. He learnt to crochet and was so proud of his end products. Woodworking was an instant hit. The strings program at the school is excellent and it is always amazing to watch the children perform at the assemblies twice a year. All the outdoor and nature-​based field trips engaged his attention. He was learning so much more than he ever was siting at this desk in the public school. The Waldorf way of teaching Math using movement allowed him to easily memorize the times tables and it solidified his foundation in Math skills. This is what education should be for children. It stimulates his head, heart and hands.

I love Sanderling Waldorf. When we were first moving into the area I was looking for an environment for my daughter that was nurturing and would encourage her to explore the world around her and foster every child’s innate desire to be curious and to love learning. I literally drove by the school and saw the sign. I stopped in and I am so glad I did! We have found a permanent educational home for our children. My daughter is now in the 2^nd grade and she loves it. She is learning German and Spanish and plays the recorder. They are preparing a class play and she loves doing eurythmy. I feel Waldorf captures the child’s imagination and takes her on a wonderful educational journey every day. She is also very fond of her classmates whom I find to be thoughtful, happy children. My daughter never has anything negative to say about her classmates and always speaks about how much she enjoys her friends. I would recommend Sanderling Waldorf to any parent (and I have).

We are a new Sanderling Waldorf family. I give four stars only because we’ve not spent enough time there for me to give it five. Our middle son attends in the Nursery/​Kindergarten program. We are looking to send our soon to be third grader.
Our son who attends tells us he loves it. He looks forward to going to school each day and has made new friends in the short time he’s been there.
He had been in a Lifeways (Waldorf-​based) childcare program as parent-​tot at 8 months and «home-​care» from eighteen months to four and a half. This type of program helps the transition into Waldorf School.
We love the heart, head, hands philosophy, the soft and natural toys and loving teachers. The school community is warm and inviting. The parents are friendly, supportive and involved in school activities.
Personally, we’ve had experience with public school as well, and we like Sanderling’s focus on preparing the child’s fine motor control with handwork, working with others through interactive play, science and mathematics through nature lessons, and outdoor activity VS sitting in a classroom pushing academics, early reading, letters, cut and paste and other academics.
Waldorf education is unique. We did deep research before choosing this path for our children. It is an integrated approach to learning and quite different from what you might expect out of state funded education. We love it so far and hope to attend for many more years to come.

I have three daughters who attend the Sanderling Waldorf School. We started with my oldest daughter last year and she entered the first grade. Her experience went so well that we moved our two younger daughters into the nursery/​kindergarten program this year (and our oldest moved to second grade).
I like to think of Waldorf education as an «old-​fashioned education for modern life». People are sometimes taken aback when I describe the Waldorf curriculum, and its emphasis on movement, art, storytelling, crafts, and music, because it’s so different from the mainstream curriculum taught in the public school system. But then I point out that our grandparents’ and parents’ elementary education probably wasn’t all that different from how a Waldorf school is run, and it clicks. (The same is true even for our generation! Public school today isn’t the same as it was when we were in elementary school.) So maybe saying a «classic education for modern life» would be better. (Or even a «liberal arts elementary education». That’s another favorite phrase of mine.) Don’t be swayed by some of the biased things you can read on the Internet about Waldorf.
Sanderling is a wonderful example of a Waldorf school. The teachers are tremendous, taking a deep, genuine interest in each student in their care (classrooms range from 15 – 25 students with one teacher at the grades level, and 10 – 15 students with two teachers at the nursery/​kindergarten level). The administrators are warm and helpful. And the parent community is engaged and welcoming. It was the strong community at Sanderling that was a key reason for us in choosing the school.
If you or your child is dissatisfied with the status quo in education these days, come take a look at Sanderling.
P. S. The reason I gave four stars in what might seem like a glowing review is 1) I’m one of those crazy people that rarely gives out five star review, and 2) Sanderling is still a «developing» school, and despite its many commendable traits, there are some places where it is working to get better.

Excellent environment for kids. The school focus on the whole child and is not concern with just academics. It gives children the opportunity to learn about nature, arts and themselves. My daughter is in first grade and she looks forward to of to school everyday. No complaining! She is joyful and excited everyday.

My two children have attended Sanderling for more than three years. We have been so pleased with the nursery-​kindergarten program, which meets the children’s need for play-​based enrichment. I love the stories, songs and connection to the rhythm of the natural world. My son blossomed from having the same lovely and dedicated teacher for three years. My older child transferred from a private school, where she was stressed out and unhappy. She truly loves to go to school each day at SWS. Her learning is integrated through movement, hands-​on and creative projects, and songs and stories. She and I also attended SWS’s parent-​child program for two years, which gave us a wonderful opportunity to play and learn (especially for me) in a nurturing environment. Waldorf education has been so rewarding for our children and family.

We have 2 boys attending Sanderling Waldorf — currently in 5^th grade and 2^nd grade. We transferred to Sanderling from a public school 2 years ago. Here are some of the things we like about the school: the emphasis on creativity and a lifelong love of learning, the fact that kids learn two languages (Spanish and German) starting in 1^st grade, the emphasis on integrating movement into learning (great for my active boys), the academic program which is deep, rich, and experiential (with few worksheets!), the music and games classes, the outdoor/​nature emphasis, the caring and dedicated teachers, and so much more.

I can’t imagine my families life without Sanderling Waldorf– it’s not only an education for your child but it helps guide you as a parent throughout their life. I sort of stumbled into the Parent Tot program when my oldest daughter was 2 years old, a friend suggested it to me. At the time I had no idea what a Waldorf education was. I quickly fell in love with the warm and inviting room, the natural toys, the delicious food that was made, and the crafts the parents got to work on. Not to mention the incredibly wise teachers that always were able to give me the best parenting advice when I needed it most. Their philosophy on letting a child be a child– a play based pre-​K and K program were amazing. Now with my children in 1^st and 2^nd Grade I continue to be impressed with the curriculum– these kids don’t just sit at a desk– they are tossing bean bags while saying their times tables at the same time, there is so much art woven into the learning process– they learn Spanish and German, Handwork (knitting starts in 1^st grade), and their games teacher brings the most creative games to get the kids running around the field.
As my children get older a lot of their neighborhood friends are too busy to play because they have too much homework. Waldorf believes play is as important to the child as school work– so there is no home work in the younger grades. By ⁴⁄₅^th grade their might be a little homework coming home, but there is always the consciousness that the child needs free time to be a kid, create, and imagine. Oh yeah– there are no «tests» either. The teachers are so closely involved with each child they don’t need tests to tell them what are their strengths and weaknesses. The curriculum is so rich the children LOVE to learn– in fact my 2^nd grade daughter likes to create her own «homework» because she enjoys what she is learning so much.
The Sanderling Community is like an extended family– you are with the same families as well as the same teacher for years. The teachers are always available to the parents– and my parent teacher conferences have often run over an hour!
This is a school for involved parents– parents that want to be a part of their child’s education and environment.
There are monthly school tours, and two family open houses a year. Look on the school’s website
and if you like what you see come see it for yourself! I couldn’t imagine our life without it.

The Sanderling Waldorf School has a interesting curriculum. Many parents and families like it but it turned out not to be a good fit for our son, at all. It is not academically focused enough for our son. This school places an emphasis on movement and natural skills (i.e. learning through daily life)
No formal academic focus in the preschool classroom. Appeared to follow a more normal academic curriculum in the grade levels, but I was focused more on the preschool so I didn’t take to many notes on the grade level classes.
Accommodates 18 months-​5^th grade. This is a very different approach to preschool. Has a Montessori-​LIKE feel but is defiantly NOT Montessori (emphasis on the NOT).
The children help make lunch each day, they eat family style, they have no electronics in the school, and the preschool classroom has no books, only simple toys for imaginative play.
School days end at 12:45 for preschool, extended care until 3:00pm is available three days a week. If you’re interested I’d recommend going to one of their open houses or family days for a visit. Then you could get a good feel for the school and whether or not the teaching philosophy would work for your children.
Tuition is $ 8900 annually or $ 741.66 per month for full-​time care, for a 4 year old (8:00am — 12:45pm) extended care to 3:00pm is extra.

Great Waldorf school in Encinitas! I am not a mom, but I have been to several events (art fairs, rummage sales, etc) and know some kids that attend. The school creates a very positive impact on students, as well as the community. The kids are encouraged to bring their daily lunches in a basket. This school promotes an eco-​friendly and outdoorsy way of living (to the kids).