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Learning by Doing

Claire Tran
Mar 23
1 min read

We believe that education should reach more than just a child's intellect; it should engage their head, heart, and hands.


In its simplest form, experiential learning is learning by doing. It is a process where students gain knowledge and skills by engaging directly in experiences and then reflecting on those moments to create lasting understanding.


Our curriculum is built on the belief that children retain knowledge best when they engage all their senses through their head, heart, and hands.


  • Head: In a Waldorf classroom, experiments precede concepts. Instead of reading about combustion in a textbook, students observe a flame, discuss their findings, and only then derive the scientific principles behind it.


  • Heart: We use storytelling, music, and art to reach a child’s emotional life. When a second-grader hears a story of courage and then reflects on their own experiences while eating "dragon bread," they aren't just listening—they are feeling the lesson.


  • Hands: Whether it's knitting in first grade to develop mathematical reasoning or baking bread to understand chemistry and fractions, our students use their bodies to make abstract concepts tangible.


A student finishes shearing an alpaca.
A student finishes shearing an alpaca.

 
 
 

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Potomac Crescent Waldorf School

424 North Washington St.

Alexandria, VA 22314

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information@potomacwaldorf.org

703-486-1309

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Office Hours

Monday - Wednesday 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thursday - Friday 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

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AWSNA logo: Potomac Crescent Waldorf School is accredited by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
Waldorf Education logo
WECAN logo: Potomac Crescent Waldorf School is accredited by the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America
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