Stories of Chrysalis and Steiner Education

Jason Lowe - Turning off the critic

There are teachers who instruct. And then there are teachers who open something up. Jason Lowe is the second kind. In this episode of Stories of Chrysalis and Steiner Education, Lisa sits down with Jason — musician, artist, and one of those rare humans who seems to carry warmth in everything he does — to talk about what it really means to teach art to children. Not the kind of art teaching that's really just technique-delivery in disguise. The kind that trusts children. That makes space for mess and mystery and the particular joy of not quite knowing where something is going. Jason talks about how he brings freedom into the art room — how he helps students find their own hand, their own eye, their own instinct — and why enjoyment isn't a nice-to-have in creative education. It's the whole point. It's a conversation that'll make you think differently about creativity, about teaching, and about what happens when a child is given room to just... make.

Morning Star - Harvest Festival

In this warm and nourishing conversation, Chrysalis Steiner School's Education Director Lisa sits down with Paige, our beloved teacher at Morning Star, to explore one of the most cherished moments in the Steiner calendar — the Harvest Festival. For Paige, the harvest season is far more than a pretty event on the school calendar. It's a living, breathing classroom. The gathering, the cooking, the songs sung together in the golden autumn light , these experiences speak directly to something deep in young children, a primal recognition that the earth provides, that community matters, and that gratitude is something you feel in your hands and your belly, not just your head. Lisa and Paige talk about what harvest celebrations actually look like at Morning Star , the textures and smells and sounds of it, the way the children carry themselves through the day — and why these embodied, seasonal experiences lay down roots that no formal lesson plan can replicate. When a child helps bring in the harvest, kneads dough, or sits around a shared table with their classmates and teachers, something settles in them. A quiet knowing that they belong to something real. They also reflect on what this kind of rhythm offers children more broadly in their early years , not just a beautiful memory, but a foundation for becoming curious, caring, grounded human beings who know how to show up for each other and for the world. If you've ever felt drawn to an education that moves with the seasons and trusts that the slow things matter most , this episode is a beautiful place to start.