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Meeting the Inner Need of the Child
Between the ages of seven and fourteen, a solid foundation in working with the child's imagination is vital for the later development of the intellect and abstract thought. During these years, the teacher must be an artist - transforming dry intellectual facts into great imaginative pictures, deeply-felt experiences, and all-engaging activities. The curriculum is structured around the main lesson - a concentrated daily two-hour morning session in which one subject is dealt with for three or four weeks at a time. The subjects for these main lesson blocks are set out in a well-structured curriculum which meets the inner need of the child at each step of his or her development.
The remainder of the day is complemented by a range of artistic and practical activities, or extra main lessons, depending on the unfolding curriculum. The lessons requiring the greatest degree of physical and artistic activity, such as painting, modelling, handwork, and physical education, are scheduled whenever possible in the afternoon, when children are generally more restless and active.
Ideally, in a Waldorf school, class teachers stay with their students from Grade 1 through Grade 8. This longer-term student-teacher-parent relationship enables teachers to follow and evaluate each child's progress and needs through the important stages of childhood.
Grade School Curriculum
The Waldorf approach to education encourages the development of the whole child, nurturing the emotional and physical life along with the intellectual. The curriculum recognizes that children pass through distinct development stages. Students are provided with the appropriate lessons which are created artistically by Waldorf trained teachers and presented in a supportive, structured environment.
Grade One
Main Lesson Blocks: Form Drawing, Arithmetic, Reading/Writing
Stories: Fairy Tales
Main Lesson Blocks: Form Drawing, Arithmetic, Reading/Writing
Stories: Fables, Legends, Saint Stories
Grade Three
Main Lesson Blocks: Form Drawing, Arithmetic, Grammar, Farming, Housing, Gardening, Textiles
Stories: Old Testament
Grade Four
Main Lesson Blocks: Mathematics, Grammar, Human Being and Animal. Local History and Geography
Stories: Norse Mythology
Grade Five
Main Lesson Blocks: Mathematics, Geometry, Writing, Grammar, Physics, Geology, Astronomy, Geography, History: Roman History, Middle Ages
Grade Six
Main Lesson Blocks: Mathematics, Geometry, Writing, Grammar, Physics, Geology, Astronomy, Geography, History: Roman History, Middle Ages
Grade Seven
Main Lesson Blocks: Mathematics, Geometry, Writing, Grammar, Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Geography, Perspective Drawing, History: Renaissance
Grade Eight
Main Lesson Blocks: Mathematics; Geometry; Writing, Grammar, Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Geography, History: The Revolutions to present
Special Subjects:
Languages: French, German
Music: Singing, Choir, Recorder
Fine Arts: Watercolour Painting, Drawing, Form Drawing (free hand geometric forms), Clay Modelling
Handwork: Knitting, Crochet, Cross-stitch, Sewing
Woodwork: Handcarving
Physical Education: Co-operative games, Nature Walks
Eurythmy: Artistic form of movement
Drama: Curriculum based play