The past two radio shows focused on coming to Waldorf during the grade school years. I want to address some of the key points that we feel are important when you are new to Waldorf homeschooling. Most people only think of the beeswax crayons, nice pencils and paint - these are great, but what do you do with them? It all starts with good planning and understanding the curriculum, otherwise the materials are just things - they aren't the heart and soul of Waldorf. Below are some sets for each of the grades (you can find full descriptions in our store), purchasing these bundled sets directly from our blog will save you some money as they are discounted from the full price. Be sure to visit our radio station to listen to both shows on the topic.
Grade 1 (age 6-7): While you want to make sure you have a good grasp of the grade one basics, be sure you also do your background work. I recommend studying Steiner himself where possible. I also recommend this bundle below that includes: A Journey... audio series (in download mp3 format), Coloring with Block Crayons DVD set, Form Drawing DVDs, Waldorf Homeschool Planning DVDs, e-book versions of our Grade 1 curriculum and our Grades 1-5 math book. $125
Our daughter with her grade two Saint Patrick drawing.
Grade 2 (age 7-8): In many ways, grade two is an extension of grade one. Some children are reading well and some are still coming along. When you come to Waldorf at this stage, you will need many of the foundations that we recommend for grade one, the exception being that you will want our grade two curriculum instead. This bundle includes everything above substituting with grade two. $120
Math wheel
Grade 3 (age 8-9): Consider not working on the regular Waldorf festivals this year but rather celebrate Jewish festivals and ease into your year. Remember to keep any history to an age-appropriate level. You can skip the fairy tales and the fables at this point unless you want to use them as extra stories. This bundle includes: A Journey...downloads, e-book copies of our Grade 3 curriculum and Math book, Block Crayon DVDs, Planning DVDs, and Form Drawing DVDs. $122
Grade four lesson from Norse myth, past, present & future.
Grade 4 (age 9-10): If you begin with Waldorf this year, you will want to be certain you fully understand the man/animal main lesson as this will give you a foundation of what is to come in the upper elementary grades. You may also consider some drawing classes or our block crayon DVD. For this year's bundle we recommend: e-books of our Grade 4 curriculum and
our Math book, A Journey downloads, Planning
DVDs, and Form Drawing DVDs. $90
Grade 5 Geometry drawing
Grade 5 (age 10-11): You should consider doing the 4th grade man/animal lesson block before the botany block. Be sure not to skip form drawing and geometry. The fifth grade bundle includes: Grade 5 curriculum and
Math both e-books, A Journey downloads, Planning
DVDs, Form Drawing DVDs, and Geometry e-book & DVDs. $120
Example of grade 6 map drawing
Grade 6 (age 11-12): This year will start off great if you have a good understanding of the history covered in grade five through ancient cultures. Take the time to understand the time periods and the geography. Spend time covering zoology and botany. The bundle for this grade includes: Grade 6 curriculum e-book, A Journey downloads, Planning
DVDs, Form Drawing DVDs, and Geometry DVDs. $97
**Although I didn't bundle our Block Crayon DVD for the upper elementary grades, it can be a great tool for you as a resource on learning how to make beautiful chalk board drawings - the processes are very similar. Also, while I did not mention it in each grade, handwork is an important part of Waldorf education. We have many handwork supplies in our shop.
From grade seven through high school, Waldorf can be a bit trickier to integrate. My best suggestion is to go through the base history curriculum to be sure your child has a good understanding of the work and how we got to where we are as a society. Be sure to cover the sciences in depth.
Remember that Waldorf is about allowing the child to develop through age-appropriate material and activities. Stand back and watch them blossom - do not be in a hurry. Be sure to take the time to plan and understand the material for yourself. You can do it! Welcome to Waldorf!
I hope everyone is having as much fun as we are getting back in the rhythm of school and lessons. Preparation and planning are key so if you aren't feeling quite right, perhaps go back and see where you can tweak your plan. If you need some inspiration, I invite you to listen to one of our recent radio shows.
My daughter has been begging for a fountain pen ever since they came into our shop! She has dreamt of the day when I would hand her the pen and she would write perfectly in beautiful cursive lettering. To make that a reality, many things needed to happen. First, she needed to practice her writing; she's been my best student when it comes to taking form drawing to heart, the reverent tone she brings is amazing for her age and is evident as she works that it is stirring something within. She has always loved form drawing and misses it is not a part of our lessons. Toward the end of last year, I noticed she was working some of the forms she had known into cursive letters - seeing the progression herself. When we returned to our lessons this fall, she began to ask, "When do I get my pen Mommy?"
Grade three is a perfect time for this, and if you are using our curriculum then you can easily tie the presention of this special new pen in with the lessons for the first weeks when the children write a letter to their Oma. There is another opportunity later in the year to present it if you feel your child needs more practice. Let this become a fun and grand event!
I am blessed with a dear Jewish friend that agreed to be Ellie's pen pal during this lesson block. After practicing day and night (literally... silly girl), she received her pen for yesterday's lesson. I can't convey her excitement. She immediately sat down to write to her pen pal on special stationary which was then sealed with sealing wax.
Lesson highlights and planning notes:
*Be sure you are clear with your child about your expectations. We wanted my daughter to strive for wonderful handwriting and that came through regular practice. We used the fountain pen as an incentive, and she loved working for it.
*Have your materials on hand. Go shopping for fun stationary and sealing wax (we will carry this soon). Order your pen with plenty of time of time to spare. I also bought a pad of parchment to play with. I want my children to feel the fun of sending and receiving a beautiful letter. The art of letter writing is dying with the rise of the Internet so be sure to make it a priority.
*Plan your lesson well. Who is your child writing to? If you don't have a Jewish (or Native American) friend as per our curriculum, then perhaps a letter to a grandparent or family friend. While planning your lesson, explain how letters are different - there are business letters and personal letters. They share some of the same elements. Be sure to cover the basics such as date, greeting, body, closing, signature. We also always do a first draft and final drawing - especially helpful when you are working on a nice piece of stationary for your letter.
In closing, while we find all form drawing to be a benefit to their drawing skills as well as wonderful inner work, the ones that it really helped to practice were running forms from first and second grade. Some are below. If you haven't jumped into form drawing yet, it would be well worth it! We have a great DVD set that you might enjoy.
From our home to yours...
Melisa & Erik Nielsen Owners A Little Garden Flower & Gnomes Home www.alittlegardenflower.com
There are few things that really strike fear into the hearts of some moms like the thought of geometry. Geometry was not like this for many of us in school... I remember *getting it* but hating it! And I didn't get everything, only bits and pieces and Pythagoras was certainly not my favorite dude. So when I decided I was going to write a geometry resource, I knew I had to overcome my own bias before I could get into it and bring it to others. I did a lot of reading... a lot of praying... more praying... more reading... then I finally picked up the compass and just got busy. To my surprise, it was easy! Ok maybe not easy but enjoyable! Better than the dentist. Better even than pasta... not better than pie.
The set comes with: FULLY laid out geometry lessons for grades 5-7. 12 lessons for each year for a total of 36. These are laid out in in ebook format with full color pictures for nearly every lesson, over 40 pictures total. There are also two DVDs that walk you through all major constructions. The presale goes through the end of August and is $25. After that the regular price is $35.
Below you will find a sample lesson from our book (grade 5, lesson 12) and also a segment from our DVD. (be sure to click on the pictures below so you can see a full view!) Enjoy! Get excited - hurry up - go get a compass! get some paper... go on.. do the lesson below and see how easy it is. Just do it.
Lesson 12
This is by far the
hardest lesson you will do in grade five geometry – we saved the best for
last!Really though, it looks hard but
isn’t once you get going. Today you
will construct a flower within a dodecagon.What is a dodecagon?It is a 12-sided
shape with 12 angles.A regular
dodecagon has 12 equal sides, this is where our focus will be today.
While twelve sides seems
overwhelming at first, it can be done easily by using the instruction for
constructing the hexagon.Being certain
that your arcs for your hexagon go both through the center and through the
original circle, you will create extra points.Before joining all over your points, count them, there should be 12. See this lesson on our DVD.From each of these extra points, create
another arc until you have constructed 12 total.Now it might look like a mess! Refer to our
finished picture and start coloring in
the center, erasing the lines that are not needed.Soon your shape will emerge.
It's that time... you see school supplies and backpacks in every store... well we don't have backpacks but we do have a sale! AND a new book too!
First the sale: 10% off our store from now until July 31st. The coupon code is school2009.
Now the book: We just finished our geometry book and we think you will love it! This project has been so much fun! Here's the description from our store: A Journey through Waldorf Geometry is a
simple addition to your math program for grades 5, 6 and 7. With 12 or
more lessons for each block plus suggestions for additional activities,
you will have everything you need to confidently present geometry
lessons to your fifth through seventh grader. The detailed instructions
with accompanying illustrations will help even the most math-phobic
parent implement the lessons.
This set includes a CD and two
DVDs. The ebook is on the CD and individual pages can be printed if
needed. The DVDs contains video demonstrations for you of all of the
base constructions both on the chalkboard and on paper. In addition,
each lesson in the book has step-by-step photos. Some of the
constructions you will learn are hexagons, octagons, equiangular
spirals, nested octagons, and many more.
Never fear - geometry made simple is here!
Other great things are happening too! We hired more staff - we are really so excited about this. We know it will decrease shipping times and get things into your hands faster than ever! We have hired Tammy, Manager of Operations to over see our Idaho warehouse and get things whipped into shape! We also have Betsie joining us as our Director of Marketing. Both ladies are wonderful Waldorf mamas who have both older kids and younger ones, they know Waldorf and they are committed to helping us grow so we can continue to bring you great resources for your journey.
Now go! Shop... and then enjoy your summer some more! *wink* Blessings!
We just spent some days in northern California. I had a friend who wants to build a school here in Idaho and she wanted to check out some schools - I took some wonderful pictures and these are a few that I caught that were all centering around geometry - some fifth grade, some sixth grade - some free hand, some exact. I enjoyed them as inspiration for our own journey into geometry with my oldest coming up next month (we'll be sure to blog it!)
This was a project that some students were putting together for an auction I believe - the sides of this barrel.
These next few are from a bulletin board in the foyer at a Waldorf school. They are gr5 free handed geometry.
This was the back wall of the grade 6 room... it was crowded and I couldn't get closer but you can see that these drawings are much more exact than the ones above are from the fifth graders.
Normally I would put this on the blog for the radio show but this blog gets more traffic and I thought it might be useful to some families.
We created a DVD from the webinar that has MANY more forms on it... over 50 and more notes as well. This should get you started. The DVD set is available in our store for $15.00!
If you scroll down on this post (lol, I know it is long) there is a slide show with some of the forms we did in the webinar.
“In breathing, grace may twofold be.
We breathe air in, we set it free.
The in breath binds,
The out unwinds,
And so with marvels life entwines.
So thanks to God when we are pressed,
And thank Him when He gives us rest.”
~ Goethe
Form drawing.In Waldorf speak that could really stress someone out – especially if they are new to the method – it sounds kinda weird and a little crazy and if one doesn’t understand the ins and outs of form drawing as spiritual activity then it is easy to dismiss it and not stick with it at all.
Form drawing in the home takes on a different feel than it does in the classroom but it is still done for many of the same reasons. In an ideal Waldorf setting, a child will have had little or no exposure to writing. Now, of course, that could have been true in Steiner’s time, it isn’t very likely today, but form drawing still gives those early pre-writing skills that children need in order to really gain a command over their hands, their will and of course the straight line and the curved line.
Now, I know, to the new Waldorf parent it seems like this is yet one more thing to learn and you might opt to just forget it.I would think twice.I often hear in homeschooling circles, mothers worrying about what handwriting program to use or that their child isn’t writing properly.I have never found any handwriting program that brought more satisfaction in my children’s penmanship than form drawing.Form drawing also brings calm and peace to lessons that are hard to bring forth unless you are working on another artistic endeavor like painting, drawing or modeling.Of course, in the early years, form drawing is a great pre-writing skill, while later it becomes a very artistic medium and can bring a lot of fun to your lessons.
I have taken many form drawing classes through the years from great teachers such as Barbara Dewey (form drawing through the grades) and Lee Sturgeon-Day (form drawing as inner work.)Between those classes and my own reading of Steiner’s thoughts on the matter, I have come up with a very relaxing way to work on form drawing at home.I am not an expert, just someone who has worked with the curriculum for several years and has taught children, my own and others in this method.Remember that at home things look different than they do in a Waldorf classroom and you should not expect to have a classroom experience just as you would not expect the classroom to be a home experience.This is YOUR dance… no one else’s so it may look different in your home than it does in mine – that is part of the beauty in the work.
Now of course some will ask “how do I work on forms with several children of different ages?” – this can be a challenge in the earlier years when you are needing to give a fair amount of instruction on a form, what I have found is that my older children still enjoy the forms of second and third grade so they sit in while I am working with my daughter while she loves to see how hard their more artistic forms are.The process for teaching them is a bit different so I would approach this just as you do your regular lesson work and see if you can have other children occupied while you get one situated working on a form.My older children (grades four and up) know the drill… they approach a form by studying it, tracing over it with their finger, perhaps drawing in it the air or attempting a few strokes on the chalkboard before putting pencil to paper.I can easily hand them a form now or let them find one on their own that they like in the cultures they are studying and go from there.My younger daughter needs more time and one-on-one instruction so when it comes to form drawing, she will get more of my time than my older boys do.
There are some things to take to heart when beginning your journey with form drawing:
·Work on form drawing for a bit first before you take this to your child, you want to be the authority, especially in the early years when you need to be the one driving the boat!
·Form drawing for the early years (generally gr1-3 and some of 4) should be done in crayon – STICK crayon.For some of the knotted forms, pencil can be used.I like to start out light and darken/shade as you need to for the knotted forms.
·To teach form drawing properly, you really need to make a relationship with the form – the feeling for the line and the curve and get a feeling for how it will affect the will.
·Form drawing teaches pre-writing skills in young children, working on fine motor control and hand-eye coordination – it is also an evolution of art to come.
·In the early years, form drawing isn’t meant to form a picture although you can tell a story where the form may look like a flower – you are focusing on the form, not the flower.Steiner indicated that the form was only a trace or an outer manifestation of the process of movement which is the inner activity of the child.
·Form drawing teaches children to think in a non-intellectual way – teaching flexibility.
·The process is almost more important than the perfection of the form but if the proper time is taken then the form will be good.
·Form drawing is a reverent activity – there shouldn’t be a bunch of craziness going on when you do it – get into a good relaxed spot. For mom it can be a good meditative activity.
·Form drawing works on the will – as they grow it begins to work on the thinking and feeling parts too.
·You should encourage the child to try the form with both hands.I am left handed and was surprised that even though I don’t write well with my right hand, I can do many forms with both hands. It is very good for the child to use both hands as it balances.
·You should also encourage your child to try it with their toes… holding the crayon between the toes and drawing – this will give you both a good laugh!
·If your child has trouble with a form, put it away for a while and then come back to it.
·Please remember that my forms are far from perfect!I can easily see where I need balance each time I draw!
The progression through the grades –
Grade One
·Learning to write – in a Waldorf school, the first block would often be a form drawing one.I do not always start this way, in fact our books are written so that you work with forms right in your weekly lesson work, I felt it appropriate since you have more flexibility at home.Now if you have a very young first grader, just barely six, I would definitely start out working with just forms for a week at least, get those hands loosened up, work on those fine motor skills and get them ready to take more direction from you.
·In a school setting they may work with both the straight line and the curve together on the first day or introduce them, only to work on the straight line first – feel your child out.I tend to see if they are willing to only work with one (again if they are younger) but if not and if you are getting a lot of resistance then I think you can work on both, but doing it in a relaxed story type atmosphere and making sure they are taking their time.It is about controlling the line (acting on the will) not just drawing the line (which can be all over the place if they don’t learn to control it.) Encourage your child to go slowly, be reverent about it, draw it in the air, walk it – I like to do chalk on the sidewalk but if it is winter, then do bean bags on the floor and walk that.Trace it in flour, make play dough snakes from it.There are many ways to work with it for the child to “take it in” before they are ready to put it on paper.A favorite during these first school days is to make your snack into these forms – using a simple bread or roll recipe, let your child shape the dough into the forms.
·Shorter straight strokes help to loosen the wrists for the young child and will help open them up more to writing and drawing.
·All of the grade one forms are different aspects of the straight line and the curved line.Remember they are not pictures to be drawn at this point, they are exercises… the letters that come from them later have personality, these lines are to help the child control their movements, their small hands, their will.
·After the first few forms, then move on to some more running forms, wavy lines, zig-zaggy lines, crazy lines.Make up stories about crazy squirrels or rabbits and how they cross over themselves – how hard they are to track because they tend to go back and forth – while a dog can go here to sniff, then there, then back over here in a more zig zag pattern.In our grade one story, I layout a zig-zag type path that the children take, you can easily weave forms into your storytelling if you remember that the forms are a gesture of movement.While children in a school would have eurythmy classes to take them through movement, at home this isn’t often possible so we make up our own movements to help pull things in and make them our own.
Grade Two
Towards the end of grade one and into grade two your child should be ready for some mirroring forms, these are forms that use a vertical line for an axis and then the form work is to bring balance to both sides. This process starts by you drawing one half of the form and then challenging your child to draw the other half.
If your child is left handed then make sure you give them the right side first and then let them work it.
Once your child can master one half of the axis then encourage them to do both halves.
Grade Three
Grade three brings about the nine year change and some of this transition is evident in form drawing as well.Many of the forms appear to be going through some sort of transition too.
To support the transitions this year, often forms are on a curved axis and mirror each other in a different way.
Metamorphic forms suggested by Steiner illustrate an inner and outer transformation.The form can be shown to your child and practiced and then ask them what would happen to the inner form if the outer form is changed.
I have found in working with my children that in times when they seem to be struggling with changes in their lives these forms are perfect too (children who have already crossed over the nine year change) – giving the forms helps them to feel some control over the changes – with this in mind, I would never say “come do this and you’ll feel better” – I would just do the forms as part of their lessons during their rough times.
Other forms in grade three include balancing forms where the inside and outside may be different but balanced (rather than the four planes worked with in other grades) the shapes begin to change and take on much more artistic qualities.
Grade four
There are many weaving forms that would be appropriate this year – why weaving forms?These forms go along with their study of Norse myth in grade 4.The myths paint a weaving picture of right verses wrong, good verses evil.There are knotted designs from all over the world, but the ones from Celtic and Nordic forms are most commonly used this year.
At this age, children are more able to intellectualize more complex concepts -weaving in and out.
When introducing these forms, be sure to say aloud “over, under, behind” etc. so that they can make a connection with how the form weaves.
Taking a look at knots (if you have a Boy Scout then this is a perfect time to work on knot tying requirements!)
For many weaving forms, move to using a pencil – start the form with a light line that gets darker in the working of it, erase when needed.It also really helps to trace with your finger and also to go back to drawing them in the air, making the motions of the form… remember movement is very important.
Grade five
·The studies of this year give you a rich base for drawings!There are so many cultures to draw from – take them right from your main lessons to help decorate lesson pages and bring understanding of each culture to your child.
·Our grade five book has some more examples of forms using the scripts from some of the languages studied in the cultures of this year.
·This year also has the introduction of free form geometry as part of form drawing. This gives them a base of really feeling the shapes before they are introduced to the compass in grade six.
·This is a good time to review the geometric shapes that can be made with the times tables (if you are not familiar with these, we illustrate them in our math book, A Journey through Waldorf Math and also on our main lesson blog in the form of a video illustrating them.)
Grade six
Form drawing this year takes the form of exact geometry but also mosaics and other forms from the cultures children are studying.The themes of
Rome
and Islam are present and had a great impact on the world during that time, through to today.Finding these forms in bits of architecture will help your child make more relationships with them.
Steiner wrote of forms in many of his lectures on education, I have found these helpful through the years as I have been working to dance my own dance with this curriculum.It is important to remember whenever you are working with any aspect of the curriculum that it was written for the classroom and you are at home… adapt it to suit you – your child benefits from the mere experience of being at home with you.Stay in a good place, keep your inner work and planning in check and go from there.Taking care of you will always translate into taking care of them.
Bibliography:
Many of the forms came from work shops (Barbara Dewey is a favorite of mine!) I took over the years, others came from studying some good form drawing books:
"Form Drawing Grades One through Four" by Laura Embrey-Stine & Ernst Schuberth "Form Drawing" by Hans R. Niederhauser & Margaret Frohlich "Creative Form Drawing" by Rudolf Kutzli
