THRIVING THROUGH E-Learning
Waldorf education is naturally flexible and innovative and it is easily adjustable to meet the current challenges of our time.
Waldorf School of DuPage has adjusted our learning model to provide both connection for our students and continuity in their learning engagement. To continue providing a meaningful and engaging environment for students, our remote learning online curriculum embraces and reflects our normal in-class rhythms.
Our faculty has collaborated creatively to bring the beauty of Waldorf curriculum directly into the homes of our community. Explore below what this looks like, and feel free to join us through these resources. We will continue to update this page with the ways Waldorf School of DuPage students continue to grow through e-Learning.
Early Childhood
Our Early Childhood faculty have put together a number of great videos, activities, and recipes for their students to engage with. Each day starts with a special circle time, followed by other guided curriculum curated by our faculty. Feel free to have a look, be inspires, and use any of these resources in any way you would like.
Start with a rhythm
Download our Spring 2020 rhythm that you can implement in your home. Keeping a rhythm in your household will help bring peace and consistency to your day.
EARLY CHILDHOOD CIRCLE TIME AND PUPPET SHOWS
Circle time Songs and Verses
Mrs. Mogavero will lead you in springtime songs and verses that are sung during Early Childhood circle time.
The Mud Circle
Mrs. Mogavero shares the Mud Circle with her early childhood students.
The Little Brown Bulb
Enjoy this special story and play told by Mrs. Undine from Sunrise Garden.
The Rabbit and the Carrot
Ms. D shares a wonderful puppet show about the “Rabbit and the Carrot.”
Early Childhood Recipes
Baking Bread
You can make a yummy loaf of bread with Ms. Rebecca. Here is a link to the recipe.
Make OUR Millet
Mrs. Morris will show you how to make a special recipe of millet. Download the recipe here!
Early Childhood Activities
Grow Easter grass
Ms. D will show you how to grow your own Easter grass.
Painting Lesson
Ms. D will walk you through a beautiful painting lesson. Here are the supplies you will need. We have also prepared a song and verse for your painting time.
GRADES LEARNING
Rudolf Steiner said “The heart of the Waldorf method is the conviction that education is an art – it must speak to the child’s experience. To educate the whole child, their heart and will must be reached as well as their mind.” As we have made the transition to e-Learning, our faculty continue to practice this essential principle of Waldorf education while preparing lessons and experiences for each of our grades students.
FIRST & SECOND Grade
FLUTE LESSONS: Ms. McLachlan teaches her first grade students additional songs on their pentatonic flutes. Every morning her class gathers on Zoom to do their morning verse, play flutes together, listen and review their main lesson story, and create beautiful drawings from their story.
STORIES ABOUT SAINTS: Our first and second graders are enjoying hearing stories about saints, creating a main lesson writing, and drawing a picture to accompany the drawing. Joan of Arc, St. Francis of Asisi, St. Patrick, and others. Click through the photos to see some drawings and writings.
Third Grade
Third graders enjoyed building their own bird’s nest to utilize their prior knowledge of making a sound frame structure and adding in debris to make it warm and dry. Students looked to nature to show them the how-to instructions as they both observed birds in nature and watched a video of a bird building its own nest. Learning building and structures are important parts of the third grade curriculum. The third graders have also enjoyed making their own bird feeders to welcome these winged friends back into their yards. You could build one, too!
Fourth Grade
CREATE YOUR OWN ILLUSTRATED BIRD JOURNAL: Have a look out your window and see what birds you see in your front yard. After you have identified what birds you have seen, look up an illustration of each of those birds. On a separate page, complete a drawing of every bird you identified in your yard. All of these drawings will be gathered and put in one book to document the birds our class identified.
CREATE A VIKING ILLUSTRATION: Choose a Viking story and read about the life of a Viking. Which part of the story is most interesting to you? Write a summary of that portion you are most interested in and include an accompanying illustration in full detail and full color in your Norse Myths Book. (If you are wanting to try this exercise at home, you may find some Viking myths here.)
FIFTH GRADE
SPRING METAMORPHOSIS: Have you ever seen a flower grow? Probably not, because most plants grow so slowly humans can’t see the changes as they happen. Let’s use drawing to try! First, divide a page into four sections. Next, pick a budding plant and draw it as accurately as you can in the first square. Then draw it again every other day on one of the other squares. Really notice the colors, shapes and size of your plant. Keep going until your bud is a flower. Or even further until it is a fruit — what amazing changes! Stay tuned for some beautiful drawings.
ACT OUT A STORY: Take a piece of an Epic story like the story of Gilgamesh (from Mesopotamia) and create a skit, puppet show or movie to tell the story. Choose the most important pieces of the story to tell and use all manner of objects to create a compelling story.
AT HOME PENTATHLON: In many Waldorf Schools the 5th Grade curriculum includes the study of ancient Greece. These studies are brought to life for the students by having them participate in a Pentathlon — a series of five events based on ancient Greek games. Training for these events helps the students develop strength, coordination, speed, stamina and self-confidence. You can make your own pentathlon — at home! WSD’s 5th Grade has begun competing in some less traditional events; like Jumping Jacks, Jump Rope, Backbends, Sit-ups and Push-ups. But you can design your very own daily and weekly challenges! See how many challenges you and your friends can do!
SIXTH GRADE
CREATE A MAP OF EUROPE: 6th grade students have been studying European history and created a map to accompany their studies.
SEVENTH GRADE
PLAN A TRIP ON A BUDGET: As the 7th grade class explores budgeting, they are given a fantastic project to think creatively and strategically. You can join along if you would like—the project is spelled out completely in the lesson plan.
FAMOUS EXPLORER BOARD GAME: Each 7th grader will choose a famous explorer from the Age of Discovery, research their discoveries, and create a final project that they will present to the class. Have a look at the special assignment.