Preview: Find inspiration and ideas in simple activities and crafts for 3 year olds. In a constant search for new developmental activities, I looked for specific crafts for preschoolers. As I found many beautiful craft ideas and beneficial activities, this time I focused on Waldorf inspired crafts. Mostly inspired by the natural materials and
Item number: ABCPOS The Waldorf alphabet letters poster by Waldorf Family makes teaching the alphabet easier and is a beautiful decorative addition to any room!
Preview: Find inspiration and ideas in simple activities and crafts for 3 year olds. In a constant search for new developmental activities, I looked for specific crafts for preschoolers. As I found many beautiful craft ideas and beneficial activities, this time I focused on Waldorf inspired crafts. Mostly inspired by the natural materials and
Waldorf inspired multiplication crafts. Multiplication circles, multiplication flowers and weaving.
Which number do you see? This set is ideal for introducing numbers in the first class! The large cards allow children to learn numbers in a creative imaginative, symbolic and meaningful way. These "Hidden numbers" cards can be printed recto verso in order to have the image on the front and the beautiful poetry on the back. The children can guess the hidden number observing the image. They can read the image on many levels (counting elements, listening to the poetry, finding numbers in shape and geometry); each child sees something different and when this happens is really magical! The "Hidden numbers" document can be printed in A3 format. The resolution and quality of the drawing are high (were originally made on A3 paper). Ideal to hang in the classroom after guessing, drawing and number writing. The small cards (8,5x11cm) can be introduced in a second moment to exercise and memorize the numbers and symbols. For example the children pick a card and have to say the number and show it with their fingers as fast as possible. This material is made by a Waldorf teacher with lots of love, first for the pupils, now for you. In proceeding to the command you will have: -two pdf documents that group the digit posters (to be printed in A3, A2, or A4 size) - numbers 1 to 9 -one pdf document that includes the small cards (to be printed in A4 size and cut them out) - numbers 1 to 10 You can then directly access the documents by following these steps: 1. Log in to your Etsy account. 2. Click on “You” (top right) 3. Choose “Purchases and reviews” 4. Find the order. Click on “Download Files” (to the right of the order) 5. The file will go to your “Downloads” folder Please leave me a comment if you are interested in buying the finished cards and how big would you like to have them. Thank you! Note on authors copyright: this material cannot be copied or disseminated I also offer support and advice about planning a Steiner - Waldorf curriculum at home or in small school realities :) please contact me if you need. www.amaeducation.one
learning language arts and love In our last block with Class Two of East Bay Waldorf School, the life and stories of San Francesco di Assisi brought forth the learning of language arts and values such as devotion, charity, kindness, and peace. In the second grade curriculum, the deeds of noble characters in fables, in animal legends, and the saints, speak to the spirit of the seven to nine year old child. As they emerge from the oneness of grade one, they begin to see themselves as separate individuals. And with that separation comes a mixed sense of freedom and uncertainty. Guidance that gives them both boundaries and room for exploration is a challenging task of the teacher and parent. It leads them to a balanced self-awareness and world-awareness. Saint Francis offered an image for the second grader of a life that transforms from selfish to selfless, and also an opportunity to build our artistic and basic language arts skills. I brought for Class Two young Francesco born into a wealthy family, who enjoyed extravagant and boisterous feasting and partying with his friends. The town of Assisi was then engaged in wars with neighboring people and Francesco joined the army to fight, soon to be captured and imprisoned by the enemy. Alone and miserable in prison, he heard a voice, "Francesco, please help me to rebuild my Church." When Francesco was released from prison, he shunned the wealth and partying of his youth. He donned a simple burlap robe with a rope for a belt, and wore no shoes. He began to rebuild a church in the countryside (it may be the church of San Damiano). Stone by stone, he restored the church. Francesco had a great affinity for nature, and he would often be seen outside among the birds and creatures of the earth, and they would flock to see him and hear him preach. A famous story of a fearsome wolf and the townspeople of Gubbio showed the peacefulness of Brother Francesco. He came to the aide of exiled lepers on the outskirts of town, providing them with food, clothing, and care, when no one else dared. Devotion, Charity, Kindness, Peace - stories offered guidance towards selfless virtues. In the playground, at home, in the classroom, the second grader is in an amazing process of transformation. Based on a presentation made by wonderful Mrs. Ricketts, a friend and partner teacher at EBWS, I had written a letter to the second grade parents about this process: It is a process that is necessary and normal. The process unfolds, revealing human development at its most primal and at its most endearingly elegant. The poking is their way of communicating! We observe, we monitor, we are patient, we are very patient, we guide, we encourange, we model, we remain calm and smile (we cry when they are not looking), we become stern, we become firm, we become loving ogres when behaviors reach tipping points, and the children learn and grow. Lay down the fenceline, not too close, not too far, just enough room for both freedom and supervision. And always love. In the words of The Beatles, "all you need is love, love, love is all you need!" Click here for a YouTube video. The langauge arts gleaned from Brother Francesco had been fruitful. We built on previously introduced curriculum such as word families and blended consonants, and I introduced some new stuff like story sequencing, setting, and mood. We unscrambled sentences. (Mischievous elves always seem to scramble my sentences when I am not looking!) We practiced printing on lined paper. We worked beautifully in our main lesson books, learning new artistic techniques. Learning the mood of a story was particulary fun and memorable for the children. In using the story of Saint Francis, the children and I first sang songs and danced in our well-lit and gaily decorated classroom - the party youth of Francis. Then, we marched to the laundry room of the school, dark, dank, dingy, cold, and cramped - the lonely despair of Francis in prison. Then we were happily freed and we ran up to the straw bale structure on the upper fields of the school where the quiet, softly lit interior of this plastered, thick walled woodshop echoed like a church - the restoration of San Damiano. And finally, the children and I strolled into the grove of trees, where we listened to the birds, and played as second graders do, in nature. The second graders had also been doing eurythmy to Saint Francis' Canticle of the Sun, so there was this interdisciplinary cohesiveness to their lessons. During this last four week block before school's end, I hoped the children learned and grew, as I did. Interestingly, during this block with Brother Fancesco, a nest of young birds had hatched in the rafters just outside our classroom, where they chirped all day. We also, one day, returned to our classroom to find that a blue jay had come in and we carefully let it out through the window. And I, at home, was visited by mourning doves, who perched on branches just outside on our back porch. Brother Francesco's spirit lives on.
Now that 8th grade graduation is behind me, I’m starting to get all geared up for 1st grade. I’ve got just 3 weeks before my family and I head off for our big summer trip, so I’m wasting no time getting going on my summer prep. Years ago a former colleague of mine put together […]
While we continue many of the same kinds of forms explored in first grade, we begin a new impulse in second grade. (Read an introduction to this topic, as well as Rev’s piece Form Drawing in Grade One, here.) The second grader begins to experience a vague sense of duality or polarity in the wo
This week I have been working on Time and Clocks with my third grader. Surprisingly, my son knew very little about the months or where they fall in the seasons. This is strikingly different from my…
Rudolf Steiner, in lectures to the first Waldorf teachers, described the three stages of the Waldorf curriculum. Helpful overview of the Waldorf approach.
Nature is such a great inspiration for so many kid's crafts and activities and you can never miss with any of these wonderful Waldorf inspired ideas. To go even further I suggest getting one or more seasonal Waldorf books that will inspire creativity and help your child to connect even more with nature through reading and understanding
"Ci sono soltanto tre modi efficaci per educare: con la paura, con l’ambizione, con l’amore. Noi rinunciamo ai primi due". (Rudolf Steiner). La Pedagogia Steineriana si fonda sullo sviluppo della creatività del bambino, considerando tutte le dimensioni che porta con sé, cioè quella fisica, psichica e spirituale. L’anima incarnata utilizza, oltre a quello fisico, i corpi sottili, così denominati dall’Antroposofia: – corpo eterico o vitale (è quello che ci fa percepire il dolore, il piacere, il
Tema: Matemática poema de Maria Luíza Freitas Guimarães desenho de lousa da professora Beatriz Retz . Os quatro irmãozinhos Numa caverna escondida lá no reino dos duendes viviam quatro irmãozinhos, todos muito diferentes. Um magrinho, o Bondoso, sempre azul a trajar, nada guardava no bolso, seu ofício era doar. Já um outro, o Generoso, de
BLOCK CRAYON ART Make teaching the letters of the alphabet a joyful experience with these new Waldorf inspired alphabet cards! FRONT AND BACK In this generously sized deck of 5.25” x 7.25” cards, each upper-case letter is presented as a delightful, block crayon drawn image by our friend Sieglinde de Francesca, the gifted storyteller and author of our popular Limindoor Woods Gnome books and an experienced Waldorf teacher and artist. On the reverse side of each card, you will find upper and lower-case letters. Additionally, the deck includes a handy list of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales that inspired the images and a card from each of the collaborators. DRAWSTRING STORAGE These wonderful cards are printed with glowing colors on quality cardstock and are shipped in an ethically made muslin bag. No more flimsy, torn paper cartons! CREATIVE LITERACY You‘ll find these cards can be an invaluable resource for opening your child’s eyes and mind to the joys of literacy! Children love learning the alphabet this way, through pattern, imagery, stories, art and shapes. This beautiful alphabet deck of cards is the result of a collaborative effort between Sieglinde de Francesca and Melisa Nielson’s Waldorf Essentials (Homeschool Curriculum). DISCOUNT ALERT USE DISCOUNT CODE ABC123 for 15% off this card set. OR BUY ONE Montessori sand tray, GET ONE set of alphabet or number cards HALF OFF from this list (NO CODE NEEDED; MUST PLACE BOTH IN CART FOR DISCOUNT TO WORK):: Waldorf Inspired Number Cards Watercolor Alphabet Cards Waldorf Inspired Alphabet Cards YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE For similar resources to add to this wonderful learning experience, try: Waldorf Alphabet Book (link below) by Famke Zonneveld The Alphabet: How Pine Cone and Pepper Pot (with the help of Tiptoes Lightly and Farmer John) “Learned” Tom Nutcracker and June Berry Their Letters (link below) by Reg Down Both are amazing resources to round out this creative type of literacy learning. DETAILS Waldorf Inspired Alphabet Cards Artwork by Sieglinde de Francesca (Limindore Woods Gnome Books) in collaboration with Melissa Nielson of Waldorf Essentials. 5.25” x 7.5” Includes a list of Fairy Tales that inspired the art Includes a card from each collaborator Ethically-made muslin bag OTHER RESOURCES YOU MAY LIKE: Waldorf Alphabet Book The Alphabet: How Pine Cone and Pepper Pot (with the help of Tiptoes Lightly and Farmer John) learned Tom Nutcracker and June Berry Writing to Reading the Steiner Waldorf Way: Foundations of Creative Literacy in Classes 1 and 2 ( Waldorf Education ) The Roadmap to Literacy: A Guide to Teaching Language Arts in Waldorf Schools Grades 1 through 3 (link takes you to our bookshop.org bookshop) Continuing the Journey to Literacy: A Guide to Teaching Language Arts in Waldorf Schools Grades 4 through 8 (link takes you to our bookshop.org bookshop)
Seasonal verses are a cherished part of Waldorf education, both in the classroom and at home. Today we are sharing some of our favorite spring verses and showing you how to create wet on wet watercolor cards to display them on your nature table.
I find the morning warm up time to be one of the most essential elements of our day. It allows us to orient ourselves, arrive at school (mentally, as well as physically) and remember how to be at school and with our classmates. It also helps everyone to wake up a little bit! But even this […]
