You don’t have to be a teacher or a parent to appreciate this film about a Waldorf-influenced school on Salt Spring. For almost the whole film we watch children play, and their delightful blossoming illustrates the philosophy provided in voiceover by teacher Kim Hunter and other experts. Children under 7 need time to explore their bodies and their world before entering formal academia. They are encouraged to join in chores, to grow food and create meals, to unhurriedly make beautiful crafts, and to spend long hours outside to be in harmony with the natural world, themselves, and each other.

Kim will be leading a discussion about childhood development and the issues raised in her film after the screening. She will be joined by Professor Marilyn Walker and physiotherapist Judith Bradley.

Marilyn Walker is a professor at Mount Alison University in New Brunswick. She has seen changes in the students in recent years and has concerns about why young people are reaching the university level without the skills that used to be standard. She is an anthropologist.

Judith Bradley is a physiotherapist and is currently working as the official physiotherapist for our School District. She has spent her career working with clients privately combining her studies of related therapies such as Cranial-sacral and working with retained reflexes. Her focus at this time is working with children.