This month’s parent education comes from Mr. Nick, our Middle School Teacher. He explains why Practical Life is so important for all ages.
Real Life Lessons
In every classroom in our school, students are often busy doing “Practical Life” work throughout the day. These activities have many goals, but one of the most important is that the child should do something real. Our students use real cleaning tools, which are the right size for their bodies, prepare and serve real food and drinks for real guests at the Spring Tea, and in later years use real tools to construct real items for school use. (Keep an eye out for student built items like tables and soccer goals)
Many of these Practical Life works also have academic aims that will not be apparently right away, but will appear later on. Being able to complete a set of tasks in a logical order builds concentration skills that will aid the child later on, and the grace and courtesy lessons they practice as a Toddler and in the Children’s House help them build their social skills as an Elementary student and beyond.
Elementary Practical Life work connects to our curriculum as well. While caring for pets and plants within the school, students learn the proper diet and environment for each living thing, the signs of overwatering in plants, and Grace and Courtesy now extends to welcoming guests into the classroom, how to plan travel outside the school building, and at the Adolescent level running a business. All of these skills prepare the student to care for themselves and to become a member of society later in life.
For more information, learn more about Children’s House practical life work here: https://amshq.org/Blog/2023-10-23-Practical-Life-Through-the-Ages-Part-One-Early-Childhood
And elementary classrooms here: https://amshq.org/Blog/2024-12-09-Practical-Life-Through-the-Ages-Part-Two-Elementary
