Botany Resources

First and foremost, if you want to teach Botany using the Waldorf method of storytelling, Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Childrenby Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac is an ESSENTIAL resource. This book weaves in Native American legends to introduce the concepts in the unit, beginning with Biomes. Algae, Fungi and Lichens, Mosses and Ferns, Wetlands and Bogs, Carnivorous Plants, Conifers, the Fibonacci Sequence, Flowering Plants, Pollination, Prairies and Other Grasses, Deserts and Desert Plants, Plants of the Arctic Tundra and Alpine Environments, Temperate and Tropical Rainforests, and Endangered and Threatened Plants are just a few of the topics covered in this wonderful curriculum.

The FABULOUS and comprehensive (covering every continent, including Antarctica) Biomes material by Waseca would be a wonderful tie-in to this book.

As for the artwork portion, we are creating Botany journals with watercolor paper. Sketching first in pencil, then outlining in fine line marker, then using watercolor pencils for the colors.

Drawing from the Book of Nature is an excellent Waldorf resource for Botany.

Chapter 11: The Leaf
Chapter 12: Algae, Fungi, Lichen, Ferns
Chapter 13: Higher Plants
Chapter 14: The Flowering Plants


Charles Kovacs has also written a Waldorf Botany curriculum which I haven't yet had a chance to buy, but which Nancy Parsons recommends highly.