Morning Circle activities centre children in themselves: mind, body and soul. Wholehearted recitation in chorus feeds their imagination through poetry’s word-pictures. Acting out a poem’s characters together engages the class in moral activity, and miming actions with purposeful gestures naturally trains dramatic expression. Singing songs about the seasons, and topics that range from practical to …
Seating plans are a pedagogical tool that needs careful consideration. And creating a new seating order is one of many essential tasks when class teachers prepare for a new academic year. In the classroom, a seating plan brings order and stability to the social dynamics of the peer group. And yet such a plan ought …
Waldorf pedagogy is concerned with what lies behind the actions we carry out; with the effects which sounds, colours, images, words, gestures and movements have on children’s souls. We regard these souls not as empty vessels to be filled with information, but as entities, malleable as warm wax upon which even subtle impressions leave formative …
The Seventh Year – Exploring New Horizons Alongside an introduction to algebra and the golden ratio of phi, human physiology and life cycles, study skills and chemistry, the theme of Class 7 can be summarised as preparing to meet the world. The Art of Writing More independent writing is to be done now, and creative …
The Sixth Year – Introducing a Scientific Approach Alongside an introduction to geometry, the work with percentages and ratios, the study of the home continent and the Roman Empire, Class 6 begins investigating quantifiable facts. The Physical World Human laws, engraved on Rome’s public tablets, and the laws of nature that are met in a …
The Fifth Year – Viewing Humanity’s Past Alongside a study of homeland geography, an introduction to botany and decimal fractions, Class 5 takes a look at a range of ancient cultures, their customs and beliefs. The path of human development we study is distinguished by the unique fact that it links five great cultural epochs. …
The Fourth Year – Gaining Self-Control Alongside the study of fractions, local geography, and Man and Animal, this year’s central topic is a spirit of brave exploration. Class 4 strike out with increasing confidence as they overcome the fading bliss of early childhood. Norse Myths and Legends This age group’s boisterous manner is captured by …
The Third Year – Training Practical Skills Alongside the study of measuring units, word groups and letter-writing, the central topic of Class 3 is the expulsion from Paradise, the loss of the spiritual homeworld. Genesis tells that, having tasted the forbidden Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve could not remain …
The Second Year – Setting the Moral Compass Alongside the practice of decimal value, cursive writing, and drawing without contour lines, the central topic of Class 2 is the human gift of distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong. What is good, what is bad, and why? These are profound questions, and the …
The First Year – Building Social Awareness Alongside an introduction to form drawing, literacy and numeracy, the central topic of Class 1 is bonding as a learning group that will stay together for up to twelve years. The children have a deep need to study each other and their teachers, observing different personal styles, challenges, …
