Library Workshop: Waldorf Language Arts and Cultural Main Lesson Blocks

I'm leading a workshop series at my local public library on progressive education. The sessions will take place on Tuesday evenings from October 3 to December 12 (not including Halloween).

Some of the sessions are on Montessori and some are on Waldorf. Here I will put a corresponding series of blog posts listing what materials I took with me, both to help out other people who may be leading similar workshops and to help me out if I do another set of workshops like these in the future!

Waldorf Language Arts and Cultural Main Lesson Blocks

This time I had so many books that I covered our main conference table area (four tables) with all of the books, grouped in piles by main lesson block topic. I had a smaller table with the puppets and art supplies, and one more table with all of the example MLBs. It was a tremendous amount of stuff, but I think overall people found it helpful. I would NOT try this again in one workshop. It is simply too large of a topic to cover all the Language Arts, History, and Geography main lesson blocks from grade 1 to grade 8... in one evening.

Here, in case you find them useful, are the lists:

Puppets and Art Supplies

wool felt finger puppets from patterns in Suzanne Down's book, Around the World with Finger Puppet Animals

needle felted hollow pumpkin with spider and mouse, to accompany Autumn story in Suzanne Down's book, Autumn Tales

needle felted Lady Spring, Little Brown Bulb, and Snowdrop, from Suzanne Down puppetry workshop (the instructions for making these puppets, and the story itself, are found in my blog in these two posts: Part I and Part II)

"Mother archetype" rod puppet from Suzanne Down puppetry workshop in 2009, "The Sense of Touch and Warmth: Puppetry as Bridge for these Foundations for Life" at the Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten; Boulder CO

needle felted red and white apple from the story Little Snow-White

needle felted Little Bo Peep


Stockmar Beeswax Block Crayons, Set of 16


Stockmar Beeswax 24 Stick Crayons in Wooden Storage Case


Stockmar Modeling Beeswax - 12 Assorted Sheets

Main Lesson Books and Student Work

A large collection of Language Arts and Cultural main lesson books made by my daughters. Links below are to my blog posts with pictures of the pages of these books. Not all of them have been photographed.

Grade 2
Fables - Leah
Saints - Leah

Grade 3
Days of Creation - Becca
Old Testament Stories II - Becca
Old Testament Stories III - Becca

Grade 4
Personal Narratives - Leah
Norse Mythology - Leah

Grade 5
U.S. Geography - Becca
Ancient Mythology: India, Persia, Mesopotamia - Becca

Grade 6
The Middle Ages - Becca

Grade 7
Age of Exploration, Renaissance & Reformation - Natalie
Creative Writing - Natalie

Grade 8
World Geography & Economics - Natalie
Shakespearean Drama - Natalie
Beowulf - Natalie

Also, Natalie's beautiful wet felted tapestry of Grendel in his lair, glaring in anger at the light from the happy feasting hall.

Form Drawing & Learning to Knit

Also, The Write Approach Book 1: Form Drawing for Better Handwriting by Joen Gladich and Paula Sassi, Form Drawing: Grades One through Four by Laura Embrey-Stine, Form Drawing by Hans Niederhauser and Margaret Frohlich, and Beginning with Form Drawing from Live Education!

Capital Letters, Grade 1

Also, Teaching Children Handwriting by Audrey McAllen, Waldorf Reading for Homeschoolers by Barbara Dewey, L M N O P Wall Cards, and the Grimm's Wooden Alphabet Pattern Game.

Stories, Poetry, Verses, and Additional Resources, Grade 1 - 2

Also, Riddles published by Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, Phonic Rhyme Time: A Unique Collection of Phonic Rhymes for Precise Practice in Speaking and Reading by Mary Nash-Wortham, Nature Stories by Margaret Peckham, Fairy Tales by Margaret Peckham, The Knocking-Door-Tree Forest and Other Bangalow Tales by Susan Perrow, Garden of Light: A Collection of Therapeutic Children's Stories by Susan Perrow, and Gifts from the Sea: A Collection of Stories for Children by Susan Perrow, et al.

Grammar & Composition, Grade 3 - 8

(an example of a story written in second person)

Also, Teaching English by Roy Wilkinson, and Ted Warren's English Workbook for Fourth Grade, Teacher's Manual for English Workbook for Fourth Grade, English Workbook for Fifth Grade, and English Workbook for Grades 6-8.

Fairy Tales & Folktales, Grade 1

(sewing pattern for seven rainbow felt gnomes for Little Snow-White)

Also, More Tales from Grimm retold and illus. by Wanda Gag and Grimm's Fairy Tales illus. by Jiri Trnka.

Aesop's Fables, Grade 2

Also, The Fox that Wanted Nine Golden Tails by Mary Knight, Animal Legends by Donna Simmons, and Making Picture Books with Movable Figures by Brunhild Muller (for The Tortoise and the Hare).

Native American Legends, Grade 2

Also, How Thunder and Lightning Came to Be: A Choctaw Legend retold by Beatrice Harrell.

Jataka Tales (Buddhist Mythology), Grade 2

Saints (Christian Mythology), Grade 2

Old Testament Stories (Jewish Mythology), Grade 3

/

Norse Mythology, Grade 4

Also, Norse Mythology and the Modern Human Being by Ernst Uehli.

Ancient Civilizations & Additional World Mythology, Grade 5 - 6

(Chapter 8 - Age 11 - The Greek Olympics)

Also, A Child's History of the World (1951) by V.M. Hillyer and Famous Myths of the Golden Age by Beatrice Alexander (Greek myths).

Fall of Rome through Middle Ages, Grade 6

Also, The World of Walls: The Middle Ages in Western Europe by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth.

Age of Exploration through Renaissance & Reformation, Grade 7

Also, The World Awakes: The Renaissance in Western Europe by Polly Schoyer Broks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth.

Age of Revolution through Modern History, Grade 8

Fibers & Clothing, Grade 3

Housebuilding Around the World, Grade 3

Also, Pogo's House: The Story of Lumber by Jo and Ernest Norling, The Story of a Nail by Irving and Ruth Adler, and How Do People Live? by Philip Steele.

U.S. Geography & Native American Cultures, Grade 4 - 5

World Geography, Grade 6 - 8

Complete Set of Control Charts for the Biome Puzzles, Map Legends Stamp with jumbo ink pad, and Waseca Biomes product catalogue.

General Resources

Also, Eric Fairman's Path of Discovery Series, Resource Guide for Waldorf Teachers: Kindergarten - Grade 8 by David Mitchell, handouts (A Block Rotation for Main Lessons in Waldorf Schools and Signs of First Grade Readiness), and several mail order catalogues (For Small Hands, Nova Natural Toys & Crafts, Magic Cabin).

A Sprinkling of Books for Early Childhood

Also, Let's Dance and Sing: Story Games for Children by Kundry Willerth, Around the World with Finger Puppet Animals by Suzanne Down, Autumn Tales by Suzanne Down, Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures and Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures: Therapeutic Support for Early Childhood volume 2 by Nancy Blanning and Laurie Clark.

homeschool organization: Becca's plan book, my plan book, box of Lyra Waldorf Selection colored pencils, Prismacolor gold and silver pencils, Becca's current MLB in progress (The Age of Discovery) open to the page she finished that day on Gothic cathedrals, and the rough draft she wrote that day on King John (which was awaiting an edit)

business materials: business cards, attendance sheet, session topic handout, flyers for the Women's Health Naturally Expo & Workshops on November 11th, lending library materials (box storing circulation cards with due dates for books which have been checked out, extra book pockets, extra circulation cards), book group flyers, books for Autumn book group (The Breathing Circle: Learning through the Movement of the Natural Breath for early childhood and School as a Journey: The Eight-Year Odyssey of a Waldorf Teacher and His Class for the grades)

This post contains affiliate links to the materials I actually use for homeschooling. I hope you find them helpful. Thank you for your support!