Practical arts, handwork, and crafts are an
integral part of the Waldorf curriculum. Decades before brain research
could confirm it, Rudolf Steiner recognized that brain function was
on body function. Learning these skills in the early Grades leads to
motor skills that later metamorphose into lively thinking and enhanced
Coordination, patience, perseverance, and
imagination are developed through practical work. The creation of beautiful handmade objects, increasingly rare in a
utilitarian society, also feeds the child’s sense of accomplishment and
aesthetics, and the use and movement of hands and limbs offer an
important counterpoint to intellectual pursuits.
1st Graders, both
boys and girls, learn to knit scarves or small animal forms. 2nd-5th Graders crochet, cross-stitch, and knit with four needles.
At the onset of adolescence in 6th Grade, each student creates and
stitches a stuffed cloth doll or animal. 7th and 8th Graders knit
sweaters and sew garments, by hand and machine. The practicality of
handwork projects infuses the children’s everyday world with meaning and
offers an opportunity for them to appreciate the uniqueness and beauty
of the work of others.
The Grades curriculum also includes activities such as building and
gardening, which give the children an understanding of how things come
into being and a respect for the creations of others.