Special Subjects First Grade

Eurythmy

The eurythmy lessons in grade one generally have a fairy tale mood. Choreography (footwork) and arm movements flow from the imaginative realm. We work on the straight line and curve, on spirals and lemniscates without crossing.

Arm movements focus on consonants, and vowels are embedded in beautiful fairy tales. Short pentatonic melodies and the interval of the fifth are part of the stories we practice. Walking, running, hopping and stamping are an essential part of the lessons. We also do exercises that develop fine motor skills and right and left awareness.

Movement – Spirit

In first grade the specific aim of the curriculum is to create in the children a sense of “we, the class”. We are a group working together to make something beautiful and fun happen. To this end every class begins in a circle with an opening exercise that develops a sense of the physical body and then moves on to a fine motor exercise, usually a hand-clapping game, which does not yet cross the mid-line of the body. The basic skills of jumping rope, swinging, running, skipping, hopping, climbing and string play are typical grade one activities. All games have a strong imaginative quality with fairy tale elements and usually include some rhyming or a song. Free play is also a vital part of the curriculum, allowing the children to develop friendships and affinity groups. The children are slowly descending from the realm of spirit and see the world as a moral place. They are still strongly in the imitative phase and are a delight to teach.

Gardening

Gardening in the grade one is taught through imitation and imagination. Tasks harmonize with seasonal rhythms, and our devoted attention seems to magically call up the abundance of nature. The children delight in finding ladybugs, lizards, hummingbirds and butterflies, in addition to tending and harvesting from the garden.

The children learn basic tool use, care and safety. In addition to simple gardening tasks, imaginative play is a regular part of gardening class; we invite the gnomes and fairies into our garden, build little houses of pebbles and sticks and tend a fairy garden for them. Stories about gnomes and fairies (rather than scientific facts) help explain concepts of biological forces at work in nature. During the winter the children illustrate their own books as they hear a story about a child’s delightful encounters with the nature sprites.

Ideally, as adults the children will respect and leave places for nature to thrive. They will understand the necessity for preserving natural habitats in wilderness, agricultural and open-space areas. The development of this awareness and respect can be fostered by giving our children opportunities, especially during their early years, to explore the world of nature as a wondrous and magical place.

Spanish

In grade one, the experience of the Spanish language is completely oral. Through gestures, mime, songs, poems, rhymes, games and drama, children learn vocabulary as their ears grow accustomed to the new sounds. The first grade child lives in a world of magic and fairy tales and the Spanish lesson also draws from that source. We do not translate words into the native language, as the children relate less to meaning and content and live more in the sound and its magic.

The Spanish lesson has a three-part rhythmical organization. First comes an opening verse, followed by a riddle and a song, usually with movement. The middle portion of the lesson requires more concentration; we play games that require listening and interaction. The lesson ends with a story, song or poem. We learn numbers 1 to 50, body parts, colors, animals, seasons, personal information, etc. The children also learn by heart a variety of poems, songs and riddles.

Handwork

First graders begin the year by finger knitting a dragon. The dragon then mysteriously disappears as the teacher holds its tail while the children run with the dragon. Each autumn we take a field trip to Hidden Villa Farm where the children see and experience the sheep that give us wool, the flowers that color our yarn and the trees that give us wood to make our knitting needles. Our second project is to hand felt an orange ball that we then sew into a pumpkin. Next we make # 10 size knitting needles out of wooden dowels. This the children do enthusiastically, anticipating their first knitting project - the golden ball. The children must count each stitch to make sure they have 10. They knit a double-length square, which the knitting gnome sews and stuffs into their ball. Extra projects for the year include knitting rabbits, gnomes, colored balls and treasure bags. Skills learned are finger knitting, felting, sewing, casting on, knitting and binding off.

By accomplishing these tasks, the children awaken the innate sensitivity and intelligence in their fingers. Hands, which at first felt awkward and clumsy, become skillful. To count stitches and create a project that is balanced, the children must know what they are doing. This provides the foundation necessary for further growth in logic and analytical thinking. In the rhythmic actions of the knitting needles, the child experience the inner harmony and rhythmic strength needed to meet the disruptive influences of modern life. Handwork is a form of experience that contributes greatly to the education of a healthy, self-directed, intelligent human being.