Enriching Education
Waldorf Education values specialty classes as an enriching part of an overall educational experience. Some of the classes taught in Waldorf schools world wide are: Foreign Languages, Woodworking, Eurythmy, Handwork, Music, Art, Building Construction, Orchestra and Strings, Games, Drumming, Ropes Courses, Gardening, and Higher Math Skills, just to name a few.
Some of these classes are taught by class teachers and some are taught by special teachers who come in to share their professional knowledge and work.
Below are just a few of the specialty classes offered.
Handwork
Handwork encompasses many skills. Like playing a violin, knitting involves cross body movement (shown in studies to help children connect right and left brain cognitive development). Children will learn to knit, crochet, sew, weave, and create. They will study form and create realistic looking animals from patterns they, themselves, have drawn up. They will work with color, shape, textile variation and the like to create beautiful and functional products.
Eurythmy
Better known in European countries, Eurythmy is the art of movement that attempts to make visible the tone and feeling of music and speech. Eurythmy helps to develop concentration, self-discipline, and a sense of beauty. This training of moving artistically with a group stimulates sensitivity to the others as well as individual mastery. Eurythmy lessons follow the themes of the curriculum, exploring rhyme, meter, story, and geometric forms.
Below are a few examples.
Orchestra and Strings
Playing a stringed instrument usually begins in 4th Grade. By this time students are familiar with many musical concepts, such as reading written music, harmony, and the like. This familiarity is mainly due to the experiences the students have already had with regards to singing and playing the pentatonic flute (starting in first grade). Students will learn to read music, timing, and to play intricate parts for various songs from modern to classical genres. Many students become life-long players and go on to play other instruments, sing in choirs, teach music to others, and enjoy participating in various musical groups outside of their school careers.
Foreign Language
Spanish and sometimes German are taught from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. These classes are taught by a special teacher who is fluent in the language being presented. Students also learn customs, cultural aspects, and geography associated with the different languages they are studying.
Woodworking
Woodworking takes skill, hand-eye coordination, creativity, patience, an artful eye, and the ability to be flexible. There are many lessons to be learned form working with your hands and using tools to create something out of raw wood. Waldorf students learn to carve, sand, finish, and use various tools when working in the wood-shop. They learn how common items such as chairs and stools are formed. They learn and apply physics, higher math, and ingenuity in daily activities. Such classes help students to build strong foundations in math by helping the abstract to become a bit more concrete.
