HearthSong's merchandise selection
and product development goals are inspired by a philosophy
of child development, drawn from a broad base of child
psychologists, parents, religious teachers, toymakers,
and educators-especially those from the Waldorf school
of thought. HearthSong's founder felt strongly that
childhood is a unique period in the life of an individual,
that the consciousness of a child is completely different
from that of an adult, that there is a specific purpose
and a specific pattern to childhood and to the development
of a child's consciousness, and that adults can help
or hinder the accomplishment of that purpose and pattern.