Thus, the rhythm of the day starts with the work that requires intellectual focus, and ends with the more physical activities that engage the body and hands. In structuring the year, class teachers will order the main lessons so that the subjects unfold in a varied and orderly sequence. In the high school, main lesson is followed by three subject classes in the morning. The afternoon periods include practical and fine arts and physical education as well laboratory classes related to science main lessons. In a Waldorf school the arts are an integral part of the curriculum.
All students learn to paint and draw, beginning in the nursery.
Sculpture also begins in the nursery with the modeling of figures out of colored beeswax and progresses to working with clay, stone, and metal. All the children sing, play the recorder, learn to read music, and by fourth grade choose an instrument for intensive study. Each year, every grade presents a play that relates to its academic program. By learning to knit, crochet, sew and work with wood and clay, students develop manual dexterity, patience, coordination, skill, appreciation for natural materials, a feeling for color, form, and design, and a personal sense of achievement. Each art follows a sequence of development from year to year and all of them supplement and reinforce the main lesson curriculum.