Practical life skills
One of our first goals is to develop in the very young child a strong and realistic sense of independ
ence and self-reliance. Along with love and a stable environment, this is the child’s greatest need.
This area of the curriculum focuses on developing skills that allow the child to effectively control and deal with the social and physical environment in which he lives for a large part of each day.
There is a growing pride in being able to “do it for myself.” Practical life begins as soon as the young child enters the school and continues throughout the curriculum to more and more advanced tasks appropriate to the oldest students.
Early Tasks (Age 3-5)
Dressing oneself
Learning home address and phone number
Pouring liquids without spilling
Carrying objects without dropping
Carrying liquids without spilling
Walking without bumping into furniture or people
Using knives and scissors with good control
Using simple carpentry tools
Putting materials away on the shelves where they belong when finished
Working carefully and neatly
Dusting, polishing and washing just about anything: floors, tables, silver
Sweeping and vacuuming floors and rugs
Flower arranging
Caring for plants and animals
Table setting—serving yourself—table manners
Folding cloth: napkins, towels
Simple use of needle and thread
Using common household tools: tweezers, tongs, eye-droppers, locks, scissors, knives
Simple cooking and food preparation
Dish washing
Weaving, bead stringing, etc.
This process continues logically so that the older children learn such 
practical tasks as:
Caring for animals
Dog training
Sewing
Cooking complex meals
Working with tools
Making simple repairs
Basic auto maintenance
Making consumer purchase decisions, comparison shopping, budgeting
Maintaining a checkbook
Earning spending money
Mastering test taking strategies 
Caring for younger children
Interior decorating
Making clothes
Furniture refinishing
Wilderness survival
Running a small business enterprise
Gardening