Waldorf Kindergarten Curriculum | Seasons

This video covers the four season books that are included in the Waldorf Kindergarten curriculum from Live-Education.

We use the Live-Education Waldorf curriculum as inspiration for grades K-8th. Today, I’m covering three of the seven books that come in the KG curriculum: Folk and Fairy Tales, The First Seven Years and Introduction to KG. You can find the curriculum and more pictures at Live-Education.
In a Waldorf curriculum, the day follows a rhythm as does the week and the season. Each day of the week is devoted to a grain, color and activity, for instance Monday’s color is purple and the grain in rice. Washing and cleaning dominate Monday’s activities, while Tuesday’s color is red and the grain is oats. Tuesday’s breakfast may be oatmeal topped with red strawberries. Tuesday’s activity may be bread making or soup making. Each week the same pattern is repeated, but instead of strawberries, raspberries top the oatmeal. When the seasons change, so do the activities and celebrations. May Day, singing, outdoor activities and gardening dominate spring time, while candle making, baking and holidays dominate the winter.

Toys are simple and made of natural materials with wool being preferred over cotton and wood being preferred over metal. There is a tendency towards items made from living things over non-living things, so wool is from a sheep while cotton is from a plant and wood is from a tree while metal is inorganic. Plastic is highly discouraged. Natural light is favored over artificial light and candle light is preferred over oil, as candles are made from beeswax. Colors are natural and derived from plants.

Playthings include but are not limited to silks, faceless dolls (allows for greater imagination), wooden toys and blocks, wooden or felt swords and shields, child-sized versions of tools such as broom, mop, ironing board, kitchen, garden, wood shop, etc. and other dolls like finger puppets or peg dolls.

Activities and play time are open ended and lend themselves well to creative imagination. Art is focused on water-coloring and drawing with block crayons in yellow, blue and red on large pieces of paper or watercolor paper (typically 22″x17″). High end supplies are always encouraged and are a staple to the Waldorf philosophy.

No academics are present in kindergarten.

Festivals and celebrates mark important milestones in the world of five and six year olds.

Some books I recommend:
Children and Their Temperaments by Marieke Anschutz
Storytelling & The Art of Imagination by Nancy Mellon
Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior by Susan Perrow
You Are Your Child’s First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin
The Education of the Child by Rudolf Steiner
The Kingdom of Childhood by Rudolf Steiner

All supplies are from A Child’s Dream.
The complete list of products are as follows: