Waldorf Curriculum
The Waldorf curriculum is meant to unfold according to the stages of development of the growing child. Education proceeds in three major steps as the child’ s consciousness develops. Up to age 12, it is largely a pictorial and imaginative consciousness; from then on it adds the element of reason. Until age 12, the Waldorf curriculum works with the child’s imagination, proceeding from fairy tales, legends, and fables through the Bible stories and ancient mythology. In the fifth and sixth grades, the transition is made to actual history and science. From then on, without losing its imaginative and artistic elements, the curriculum is presented in a more scientific manner, increasingly relying on direct observation, objective description, and reflection in all subjects.
Kindergarten
In the early years, great emphasis is placed on the development of a strong and deeply rooted creative capacity. The overall environment, the unique play materials, and the chosen activities all contribute to fostering the children’s natural powers of wonder and fantasy. For instance, the play materials are chosen to allow the greatest amount of the children’s own imagination to come into play. Th e more possible uses for a toy, the better. When the children are encouraged to clothe their play materials with their own powers of imagination, the truly living forces within them become active.
Another important aspect in the development of a strong imaginative life is the use of fairy tales. The art of storytelling is really alive in the Kindergarten as the fairy tales are told, rather than read, by the teacher. The children’s imaginations are active because the pictures are allowed to be created inwardly as the story unfolds. Young children experience the world more pictorially than do adults, and fairy tales provide an inner nourishment because they contain archetypal truths about the world in picture form.
Small children are beings of will and imitation, identifying themselves with each gesture, intonation, mood, and thought in their environment, and making these their own in their play. It is the Kindergarten teacher’s task to create an environment worthy of a small child’s imitation and to educate the child’s unconscious through the warmth, clarity, rhythm, and harmony of the world he or she creates.
Given the right environment and encouragement, young children exhibit a fountain of creativity never again to be equaled in the course of their lives. Deepening this capacity prepares the proper ground for thinking to emerge.
Our Early Childhood Program consists of two kindergarten classes, the Gnomes and the Fairies, each comprised of 16 to 18 children. They are mixed-age classes of three, four, five and six-year olds. This is a three, four or five-day program. The environment is home-like, calm, cared-for, and filled with nature’s beauty and variety. It is a space where the rhythm of the year and the gifts of each season are woven into children’s and adults’ lives. It nourishes the senses and is a true kingdom of childhood where children experience artistic and practical work, crafting, storytelling, puppetry, foreign languages, music, rhythm and movement, circle games, finger plays, baking, cooking, gardening, woodworking, weaving, and the great outdoors. Creative play with toys made of wood, stone, wool, beeswax, shell, and silk is encouraged. These daily activities lay a solid foundation for beginning academic learning in first grade as children build social skills, foster language development and physical coordination, preserve the life forces, and keep the wellsprings of wonder and reverence open.
We have a special play yard that was built by the school community in 2004 with equipment sized for this age group. It is a lovely space full of flowers, a tree house, a cassita and play equipment.
Meals
Kindergarten children gather around the table for snack and lunch every day. Meal times are a joyful way of forming community, baking together, serving each other, and acquiring table manners. We strive to create a flavorful kitchen and a family-friendly restaurant setting with waiters, napkins and real tableware. Lunch is provided by each child’s family individually.
A mid-morning snack is provided by the school five times a week using wholesome organic ingredients whenever possible. Dairy, wheat, and processed sugar are consciously limited at snack time and there are alternatives for children with food sensitivities.
THE FIRST GRADE year begins with the discovery that behind all forms lays two basic principles: the straight and the curved line. Th e children find these shapes in their own bodies, in the classroom, and in the world beyond. Straight and curved lines are then practiced through walking, drawing in the air and the sand, on the blackboard, and finally on paper. These “form drawings” train motor skills, awaken the children’s powers of observation, and provide a foundation for the introduction of the alphabet.
- First Grade, 2008-2009 (click for full size)
Through fairy tales and stories the children are introduced to each letter of the alphabet. Instead of abstract symbols, the letters become actual characters with which the children have a real relationship. “S” may be a fairy tale snake sinuously slithering through the grasses whispering secrets; the “W” may be hiding in the blackboard drawing of waves.
In a similar way, the children first experience the qualities of numbers before learning addition or subtraction, e.g. what is “oneness” ? What is there only one of in the world? (“Me!”) The characteristics of one, two, three, etc. are explored in the children’s inner experience and in nature. Counting is introduced through clapping, rhythmic movement, and the use of stones, acorns, or other natural objects. Only after considerable practical experience in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing are written symbols for these operations introduced.
Foreign language, eurythmy, knitting and the pentatonic flute are also introduced in the first grade.
THE SECOND GRADE brings many fables and Native American stories of animals, as well as stories of saints, heroes, and heroines. Through the stories, the children begin to see the dual aspect of human nature. Th ey work on writing by copying these stories into their Main Lesson books.
Arithmetical work includes the memorization of the times tables from 1 to 12. Imaginative stories still form the basis of operations using the four mathematical processes.
Grammar is introduced with liveliness and humor. The children may act out stories in which they can experience the contrast between “doing” words, “naming” words, and “describing” words. Nature study continues with nature walks, poetry, legends, and imaginative descriptions of natural processes.
This year crocheting is introduced, and small projects of the children’s own creation continue to exemplify an important principle: that handwork can be useful and functional as well as beautiful.
THE THIRD GRADE is often called a turning point of childhood. Nine-year olds feel themselves growing apart from the world, becoming separate and independent, and beginning to question all that was previously taken for granted. This questioning is accompanied by a serious stream of interest in everything practical such as “How is a house built?” and “Where does my food come from?” In the third grade, children study Old Testament stories to learn about people’s struggles to live on the earth, to make shelters, and to work the land. They study house building while learning weights and measures, and they learn about gardening, farming, and cooking. These acquired skills are translated into their handwork as they make a “house for their heads” in creating knitted hats. There is much counting and measuring when adding patterns to their handwork.
In the third grade, children begin a stringed instrument and play with the school orchestra.
THE FOURTH GRADE addresses the children’s inner experience of becoming separate through hearing and reading stories about heroes in Norse and other mythologies. The hero emerges as someone to look up to, emulate, laugh at, and respect. The characters’ human qualities, emotions, struggles, and confrontations are emphasized.
The theme of separateness is further reflected in mathematics with the introduction of fractions. In handwork, cross-stitch is introduced, allowing children to experience a beautiful wholeness that results from many different crossings.
Geography, local history, grammar, composition writing, and a comparative study of the human being and animals are also introduced. Through activities such as map-making; children experience the separation from nature that marks the developing intellect. In composition, simple narration of the children’s own real experiences begins.
THE FIFTH GRADE leads children into a wider world, and they are encouraged to develop a broader perspective. They study American geography and botany, and in mathematics they continue with fractions and decimals. Building on the years of form drawing, freehand geometry is introduced. Choral singing and four-needle knitting are introduced as well.
History has until now been only pictorial or personal in nature, with no attempt made to introduce exact temporal concepts or to proceed in strict sequences. Now history becomes a special Main Lesson subject, as does geography. History, telling human beings’ deeds and strivings, stirs children to a more intense experience of their own humanness. Geography does exactly the opposite: it leads children away from themselves out into the ever-wider spaces from the familiar to the unfamiliar. History brings the child to him or herself; geography brings the child into the world.
Every means is used to give the children a vivid impression of the ancient cultures. They read translations of poetry, study hieroglyphic symbols of the Egyptians, and try their hands at the arts and crafts of the various ancient peoples. History is here an education of the children’s feelings rather than of their memory for facts and figures. Through studies in art, science, government, and Olympic games, children have an opportunity to experience the balanced harmony and beauty of the Greeks. In the spring there is a Greek pentathlon where fifth grade students from Waldorf schools throughout the region come together to compete. Grace, beauty, form, and sportsmanship are lauded along with individual achievements of speed and accuracy.
THE SIXTH GRADE studies the Roman Empire: its greatness, its vanity, and its collapse. Children of this age can begin to empathize with this time of struggle and growth in human history and can begin to experience a kinship with people from other times. Thus, they can begin to feel that they are not alone in their inward struggles.
Physics is introduced to study the natural world. As with all subjects, the approach is first through art. Acoustics and optical studies are begun. North American and South American geography are studied, and astronomy is introduced.
As children approach twelve, changes begin in their physical bodies. One of the subtlest is the hardening of the bones, and at this time children become more aware of gravity and weight. With the increasing awareness of their physical bodies, the time is right for the study of the physical body of the earth. Geology turns to the structure of the earth and proceeds from the study of the flora and fauna of the geological ages to minerals, metals, and finally gems and crystals, leading to the functions of mineral and metallic substances in the human organism.
Mathematics continues to exercise the disciplines learned in previous classes and then moves on to the study of percentage and ratio. All the years of circle movement and form drawing are brought into exact constructions using compass, rulers, and right angles in geometry. Whereas geometric shapes have in the prior grades been drawn freehand as artistic exercises, now families of geometric figures are constructed and studied for the numerical laws they embody. These designs are now done with the utmost accuracy.
THE SEVENTH GRADE children are entering puberty. To help them cross this threshold, they are introduced to civilizations and people who share their mood of soul, leading them to a closer look at their own environment and inner being. Two subjects addressing these areas are English and history. The history block of the Renaissance and Reformation really begins modern times with a dauntless quest into the unknown that is also akin to the seventh graders’ soul mood. Allegiance to traditional authority no longer holds sway. Individualism overcomes feudalism, as personified by Joan of Arc. Human capacities are limitless as epitomized by Leonardo De Vinci. The emphasis of history and geography is on Europe, the lives of the early explorers, and the colonization of many parts of the world.
Mathematics introduces algebra, including negative numbers, venturing into mathematical thinking that has no relation to physical perceptions. This makes real demands on the children’s imaginative powers. Square and cube root and geometry are introduced.
Mechanics begins in physics with the lever principle as found in the human arm. Children learn basic mechanical concepts and their application in the machinery of ancient and modern times. Inorganic chemistry is introduced as a study of the combustion process. From the beautiful legend of the bringing of fire to earth by Prometheus to a study of combustion in the human organism in the digestive processes, fi re can be observed externally in the breaking down of substances by oxidation. Physiology is introduced as the study of life processes in man: blood circulation, respiration, reproduction, and nutrition in connection to digestion, health, and hygiene.
THE EIGHTH GRADE students are ready to study modern history and have the ability to see the wholeness of the globe. History becomes an intensive study of the period from the Industrial Revolution to the modern day, focusing as well on outstanding individuals in American history. Geography takes up the same theme, showing the role played by every part of the earth in modern industrial civilization.
In science, lessons bring thermodynamics, mechanics, climate, electricity, magnetism, hydraulics, aerodynamics, meteorology, and ecology. Chemistry is also considered in relation to industry.
Mathematics also emphasizes the practical applications of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. Human beings are again the subject of nature study through physiology of the human organism. Literature focuses on the theme of human freedom in the short story, letters, and Shakespearean drama.
The task of elementary education is to give children an understanding of humanity and the world they live in, to offer them knowledge so rich and warm that it engages their hearts and wills as well as their minds. Such an understanding is the basis of all real learning in later years. With the completion of the eighth grade, the children should have a well-rounded general picture of human life and the universe. This last year of elementary school should not only bring all previous experiences to a new peak but should enable the children to enter fully and potently into the life of their own time.
Handwork
Knitting and other handwork projects play an important role in the development of fine motor skills, inner calm, and intellectual clarity.
The specific handwork taught in Waldorf schools grows with the growing child. In the first grade, the curriculum calls for learning the basic knit stitch and creating a practical and useful project in a warm textile such as wool. In second and third grades, this is continued with purling and crochet, which add new movements and require more focus on each row and stitch. Around age nine or ten, the children undergo a change of consciousness: they are individuals within themselves, no longer as open. The hats that the third graders knit to cover their heads represent this developmental milestone. Third graders are also experiencing the beginning of critical thinking, and in knitting hats they are introduced to small patterns, thus engaging their new thinking skills. The cross stitch taught in fourth grade reflects this more elaborate stage in their development
The fifth grade begins woodworking and more complicated knitting such as socks. This is the age when they turn a corner in development on the road to themselves. They are perhaps less insecure than in fourth grade and are ready to start carving out and exploring this new individuality. Knitting socks requires using four needles instead of just two, and it is a task that requires much perseverance, providing challenges and valuable lessons for the children.
Developmentally, the sixth graders are coming into form. The children sew animals, which requires planning, patterns, cutting, basting, and other skills for children who are now more intellectual in their planning and thinking. The sewing the children undertake in seventh and eighth grades requires extensive forethought and mathematical skills. In seventh grade they make dolls by hand, and in the eighth grade, sewing machines are used for various projects such as patchwork quilts, wall hangings, and appliqués.
Handwork offers many opportunities for reinforcing math skills in practical, challenging, and enjoyable ways. Author and Waldorf teacher Eugene Schwartz says, “We cannot underestimate the self-esteem and joy that arises in the child as the result of having made something practical and beautiful – something which has arisen as the result of a skill that has been learned.” In an age when children are often passive consumers who, as Oscar Wilde once said, “Know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Learning to knit can be a powerful way of bringing meaning into a child’s life.
Movement Education and Games
The deep understanding of a child’s development is also the basis of movement education and games classes. Each class has a rhythm of joining together and moving apart, alternating highly active games and quieter ones, work together as a group, and reflection on one’s own body and movement.
The movement curriculum tries to give the children basic coordination and movement skills that will help them if they decide to play organized sports. Depending on the grade, the children will play games or do relay races that serve to develop skills that are also required for conventional sports such as basketball. String games and jumping rope also develop dexterity and stamina which can be useful in many diff erent activities.
Not only does a movement class provide the opportunity for the children to play games and have fun, it also works with their social interaction by teaching them to play with each other before they play against each other, to acknowledge each other, to play safely, and to gain an appreciation for all kinds of movement.
Foreign Language We offer Spanish at our school. The spoken word is the key to learning languages in the early grades. Songs, poems, rhymes, tongue twisters, counting, and group games all foster group knowledge of the language and appreciation of the folk soul of the peoples who speak that language. In the later grades, keeping a written record of all the oral work brings awareness of spelling and basic grammar in the language. Reading in the foreign language begins in fourth grade.
Music and Orchestra
There are many important inner skills to be learned in the study of music. The discipline of practicing with an instrument helps children find the inner discipline to face other challenges in life. Group music lessons offer a wonderful opportunity for children to practice the ability to listen to others and to work cooperatively. It is quite a challenge for a group of children to work completely in unison in any realm, be it social, academic, or physical. In trying to play their instruments as a group, with the same timing and pitch, the resulting harmonious sound allows them to directly experience the value of working well together. Playing an instrument is a wonderful means of self-exploration, self-expression, and creativity that allows the children to grow into well rounded human beings.
Beginning in the first grade, children are taught to play simple songs on the pentatonic flute. By the end of third grade or beginning in the fourth grade, they are ready to play a more difficult diatonic scale. In third grade, beginning level strings classes begin. The children are responsible for renting or purchasing a violin.
Singing is a regular part of the school week for all grades. In the lower grades, songs are based on seasonal themes. In first and second grades the children sing as a group, and in third grade children, with emerging consciousness about being separate, begin singing rounds. In fourth grade, two-part songs are added, and the children learn about holding their own voices against others to create harmony.
Class Plays
The plays are an integral part of each class’ curriculum, beginning in kindergarten with fairy tales. They are unique for each class yet share distinct and common threads of educational philosophy, community building, and curriculum enhancement. The fifth grade may perform a Greek play, for example, and the eighth grade generally performs a play by Shakespeare.
Contact Info:
Taos Country Day School
Mailing address:
Post Office Box 2276
El Prado, New Mexico 87529 USA
Physical address:
9 Don Ben Romero Road, El Prado, New Mexico 87529 USA
Phone: +1 575 751 7750