Glacier Waldorf School opened school doors in fall 2006 with a mixed-age kindergarten class. In fall 2007 we added a first/second grade class. We will continue to grow and meet the needs of the children who come to us, whose parents are interested and willing to work with our Waldorf community to raise and educate our children with Waldorf principles. We are located in Kalispell, Montana.

Our location in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by abundant wildlife, jewel toned lakes, clear streams, and four resplendent seasons lends itself well to our nature-based program. The school is part of a three-acre organic farm. Located between two rivers and along a major bird migration corridor, it provides daily experience of all the gifts Mother Nature has to offer.

In addition to the beautiful, natural setting with the activities it affords, our program also includes an experience reminiscent of simpler times that being off-grid with solar and wood power can provide, such as baking bread in a 100-year-old wood-fired cook stove.

GLLC provides all the familiar Waldorf kindergarten activities of watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, sewing, felting, finger knitting, storytelling, circle time, chopping fruits and vegetables, baking and lots of free play time. What is truly special, however, is the unique setting, both indoors and out, in which the children experience their day.

The organic garden and forested creek provide a quintessential outdoor classroom in which the children can experience gardening, hiking, tree climbing, log balancing, sliding on the frozen creek, and wildlife and bird watching. This lush setting encourages endless ways of creative play.

The domed yurt classroom is filled with natural light, beautifully decorated, and operated with a conservation consciousness that includes solar power, a wood cook stove and composting toilet.

The Flathead Valley is tucked into the mountains of northwest Montana. Farmland and small communities are surrounded by millions of acres of rugged wilderness, inviting experiences of hiking, cross-country skiing and camping. For fishing and boating enthusiasts, there are many pristine rivers and lakes, including the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, beautiful Flathead Lake. In addition, two downhill ski mountains flank the Valley. The Flathead Valley is also the western gateway to Glacier National Park, renowned as the “Crown of the Continent”- a continental apex along the Rocky Mountains bordering Canada. Glacier National Park, located less than an hour from Kalispell, is one of the few places left in the Lower 48 with grey wolves, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and other wildlife present at the time of the European settlement. Nearly 750 miles of hiking trails provide access to and spectacular views of high peaks, waterfalls, 50 glaciers, and over 600 sparkling lakes.