By Annikki Bloomquist, 1st Grade Teacher
This week the first graders have been wrapping up their block on Nature Studies and literacy. Throughout the block the children have been encouraged and asked to observe a budding tree as its leaves slowly unfurl and mature. Several assignments have asked them to draw the tree’s progress, write a couple descriptive words, and formulate a sentence describing how their tree has changed since the last time they saw it. Another fun assignment from this block included a video and description of how to play “Pooh Sticks” on a nature walk.
The first graders have been reading independently or becoming familiar with a simple text called “Kit” which is about a girl who has various adventures. Most of the words have three letters in them and the pages alternate between pictures and text, challenging the students to use all of their emergent phonics skills to sound out as they go.
One of our favorite parts of the day is story time. First grade is hearing the story called “The Secret Prince.” It is an ongoing narrative written by a fellow Waldorf teacher that describes a prince who is stuck inside for weeks. It is meant to help support their inner journey in this time of solitude, help normalize staying home for many days, and foster imagination.
Each week, a skills class includes an artistic activity. This week the children created a watercolor painting after listening to a simple “Color Story” and, of course, their painting verse:
“One morning joyful yellow was tired of being inside all morning doing her work, she saw the sun’s rays peek out from her window and she ran outside to her backyard. She ran up and down her yard jumping and skipping. All around her she saw beautiful green, wide green stretching from one end to the other in her yard. Then bold red jumped in and shouted “I bet I can run faster than you!” Red insisted on having a competition. He decided he wanted to make a hopscotch board next to the yard, and continued to play until he had won the game.”
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