Use of Color in Waldorf Education
The founder of Waldorf Education, Rudolf Steiner, said: “Color is the soul of nature…and when we experience color we participate in this soul.” The use of color in Waldorf Schools is something that cannot be missed, and is one of the many defining features of Waldorf. Color is a way of expression and connecting our emotions with the world in which we live. Color is the emotional life of nature, and seeing color in school engages our souls and feeds our creative spirit. Colors play an important role throughout the child’s phases of development, and it is common to see […]
Music Brings Cervantes Alive in 6th Grade Spanish
Learning a world language is not just an academic exercise at Richmond Waldorf School; it’s a gateway to understanding cultural traditions and experiences in the daily lives of people. It increases the flexibility of a child’s thinking and also encourages a heightened awareness of our native language, highlighting its particular capacities of expression, its own beauty and musicality. The 6th Graders have been studying Spain this year, including performing a play of the famous legend of El Cid. In the second semester, the class has been reading “La gitanilla”, a short story about a young Gypsy girl by the eminent […]
Artistic Beauty as a Teaching Tool
Waldorf teachers know that artistic experiences leave lasting impressions. Information can be gathered or retrieved, but the experience of subjects through the arts enriches all learning and the whole of a student’s life. Every day Waldorf teachers strive to cultivate a sense of wonder and to inspire children to view the world, even in its most basic form, as magnificent. They deliver an education that is rich with meaningful sense experiences, classical academics, and artistic beauty in all subject matters. Below you will see some of our own teachers’ artwork, prominently displayed in the classroom on large chalkboards and ever-changing […]
The Spiral Walk: Carrying Light Through Darkness
The annual Spiral of Light ceremony is a favorite of many in our school community. It is a truly unique and meaningful celebration of this time of year, a time of anticipation and preparation, as we look toward the midnight of the year. In all of us there is expectation and hope. As winter approaches in the northern hemisphere, there is a growing mood of outer sleepiness in the world. The earth is growing more quiet with every passing day. The fallen leaves, the animals in hibernation, the shorter daylight hours which bring us inside much earlier, all contribute to this […]
Our Bike Program: How it All Began
Two years ago, when my students were just starting first grade, I asked RWS parent Glenn Amey, who I knew had a lot of experience with family biking, if he thought that all first graders should be taught to ride bikes. And did he think that they could get to the point where we could go out riding through Richmond, explore its trails, and take trips to interesting places. Perhaps by sixth, seventh, or eighth grade, might we even go on extended bike tours and camp along the way? “Sure,” said Glenn, without hesitation. “They can do that. Let’s […]
Beyond Vocabulary: Connecting to History and Culture in Spanish Class
For the last few weeks the 7th grade Spanish class has been discussing the beliefs of the Aztecs. The Aztecs felt closest to the divine when communing with nature and listening to poetry. The students practiced a beautiful verse of Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs) that had been translated to Spanish while sitting among the beautiful trees that line our school. We used this nature vocabulary and reflection time to transition to an important cultural element of modern-day Mexico: Dia de los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos is a time in which Mexicans celebrate the memories of loved ones […]
Celebrating Halloween at RWS
Every year our Grades and Early Childhood classes celebrate Halloween with a parade and a special performance of poems and songs for friends and family. Upon first glance, these festivities may seem no different than Halloween at any local school. However, if you look more closely, you’ll notice something about the costumes Waldorf children, parents and teachers are wearing. For our elementary and middle school students, costumes worn at school come from the curriculum. Our first graders are kings, queens, knights, princesses, gnomes, and fairies. In seventh grade you may see Leonardo or the Mona Lisa herself. It’s wide open with one caveat: […]
The Meaning of Michaelmas
On Friday, September 30, Richmond Waldorf School will celebrate Michaelmas with a pageant performed for the community by the students in the grades, a community lunch, and a “Feats of Strength” field day for the grades students. The season of Michaelmas is also felt in our classrooms, from Early Childhood to grade 8, in the songs, verses and artistic activities that characterize this time of the year. Because Michaelmas is not commonly celebrated or well known in this country, we’d like to share a little bit about the nature and significance of Michael, whom we honor on this day. […]
