The following is a reprint from the 1999 Willow Wood Parents Handbook. Waldorf Education Develops the Fundamental Capacities of the Child Through the Balance of Subjects Geography , introduced first in Grade 4, develops in the child the capacity to see the world first from where one stands and moves out into the world to include family, then community, to the world as a whole. History applies to the opposite capacity to see how the larger story applies to oneself. Fairy stories, legends, and Old Testament stories in the Grades 1 through 3, Norse myths in Grade 4, and Indian and Persian stories and Greek gods and heroes in Grade 5 bring the child gradually into history as a record of mortal man, with ancient history culminating in modern man by Grade 8. Then, fractions and percentages are introduced, building to algebra and geometry by 7th.
Writing comes first, and the active, creative process is always emphasized.
The sequence of subjects depends on the season, class needs, and so forth. Equal time is given to all three, balancing the curriculum. Writing, reading and arithmetic are a part of the continuous thread which weaves throughout the curriculum. Return to the top of the page.