The Living Classroom: Why Camps Matter in the Waldorf Journey

In Waldorf education, learning extends far beyond the classroom. Camps are not an “extra,” but an essential part of the curriculum. They give children the chance to work more practically with that which they have learned in the classroom. Each camp is placed thoughtfully within the child’s developmental journey. In the early years, camps foster connection, with nature, friends, and daily rhythms. As children grow, they invite independence, resilience, and confidence.

For the Class 3 child, the experience is especially meaningful. Around nine years old, children cross what Rudolf Steiner called the “Rubicon.” They begin to sense themselves as separate individuals — no longer entirely held by the dreamlike unity of early childhood. This new awareness can bring questions and uncertainty. The curriculum meets this stage through practical, grounding work: farming, building, cooking, and measuring. These experiences help the child find security and meaning in the rhythms of the natural world.

This year’s Class 3 camp to Bloublommetjies Biodynamic Farm allowed the children to step into the living cycle of a working farm — milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens, kneading bread, rounding up and caring for horses. They saw how compost is made and how waste becomes nourishment again. Lessons from the classroom — measuring, building, and understanding farming — came alive through daily chores and activities.

Those who had studied weights and measures now carried buckets of grain and water. Children who had imagined farm life now lived it — waking to the rooster’s crow, feeling the soil between their fingers, and tasting food grown and prepared on the land.
Beyond the practical, there were wonderful moments of bonding: riding horses, swimming in the dam, telling stories at night and the courage of sleeping away from home. These shared experiences build confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging.
The children returned scruffy, exhausted, but happy! It was such a wonderful time away and I think we all returned with a deeper respect for one another and the amount of hard work that goes in to growing food. A huge thank you to Farmer Wendy and her team for feeding us so very well, and providing so many opportunities for learning.

Kath Kelly, Class 3 teacher