“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Slöyd at St. Paul
Slöyd, first and foremost, is about shaping the character of children through the process of working with their hands.
Though its influence has faded in the US, Slöyd (Swedish for “skill”) was quite prevalent worldwide 100 years ago. Its philosophical roots spring from
the same 19th c. education ideas that lead to the development of Kindergarten in Germany. It is still in use as a standard curriculu
m in some
Scandinavian schools.
Luke and Allison Johanson – married Air Force veterans and Christian parents of two young boys – created Slöyd Experience 5 years ago. SE is a non-profit organization that brings this method back to the US. They’ve been successful in integrating what started as a summer program into classes at an elementary school, an afterschool program, and continuing their summer offering in Louisville, CO. some students have been with them from the beginning. Using their research and original textbooks from the Slöyd “seminary” that once thrived in Naas, Sweden, they’ve developed a curriculum focused on building character in children. As Luke put it:
“We are not developing carpenters. We are developing human beings.”
Slöyd is not trade school. It is not “shop class” as commonly understood. Slöyd engages children’s body, mind, and spirit toward the good, the true, and the beautiful. Using traditional hand tools to make useful objects, Slöyd develops temperaments such as patience, resilience, confidence, 
concentration, the ability to work through difficulty, and to find joy in experiential challenges and productive tasks. Slöyd encourages neatness and care for one’s work. It encourages doing things well, without striving for perfection. Slöyd strengthens a child’s ability to solve problems, to proceed with intention and resolve, and to work with integrity and purpose. Slöyd begins with simple models and tasks, proceeding toward greater complexity. Teaching is individualized, with each student working at their own pace, ability, aptitude. The classroom atmosphere is one of focused attention to their work, as well as encouragement from teachers and peers.
This individualized learning means that class sessions do not need to be divided rigidly by age. Mistakes are opportunities to learn and to grow. Children are always encouraged to “try again” to discover for themselves their limitations and their possibilities. Beyond this, Slöyd has many cross-curricular benefits, touching on subjects such as engineering, math, forestry, biology, botany, art, design, music, reading, and history, among many others.
Parameters:
- Class is for students ages 7 – 14
- Maximum of four (4) students/class
- Term length – 12 classes/semester
- Class length – 75 minutes (total of 15 hours of instruction and supervised work time)
Class Schedule – Classes will be offered once every day Monday – Thursday and four times on Saturdays (9:00a, 10:30a, 1:00p, 2:30p)
- Tentatively, classes will begin in January
- No class during Holy Week (Apr 13-20)
- The last class of 2025 TBD by instructor and individual students
Instructor – Steve Schwolert – please contact him if you have questions about the class, its start date and any other class-related questions you may have at sschwolert@icloud.com
Tuition/Fees:
- Classes can be purchased in blocks of 4: $160/ block
- St Paul members only: If you have a concern about the fees (multiple registrations, financial hardship, etc.) please contact Jonathan Mueller directly to discuss your situation.
