Quality of Numbers Booklist - 2023

This is one of my favorite blocks to teach, and a classic in Waldorf First Grade. After Form Drawing, children learn the Roman and Hindu-Arabic numerals and then begin an introduction to the Capital Letters. From there they progress throughout the school year to writing words, phrases, and then sentences. It is all done very gently and is meant to be stress-free.

The numbers are introduced in fairy tales (such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff) as well as places that children find them in the world (like 6 in the color wheel and 8 in the spider), so that the experience is one of wonder or joy in recognizing an old friend. The stories are always accompanied by riddles to solve and new symbols to be revealed.

I use a container story inspired by this one. My characters are two flower children, Calendula and Plantain.

I've written an entire Ruzuku course on this block which may be helpful if you are a homeschooler preparing to teach it, but here is the quick overview and booklist of stories that I used this year:

I / 1

story - Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven

poem - "The Sun" by Grace Nichols from The Hutchinson Treasury of Children's Poetry edited by Alison Sage, p.126

riddle - sunshine

hands-on activity - make Sun Bread (recipe in back of book)

artwork - wet-on-dry watercolor painting of sun

II / 2

story - "Snow White and Rose Red" from Tales from Grimm, translated by Wanda Gág, pp.207-221

riddle - rose

hands-on activity - make Middle Eastern Rice Pudding with Rosewater

artwork - colored pencil drawing of two rose bushes

III / 3

story - Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Joseph Jacobs

riddle - seed

hands-on activity - wrap three dried beans in a wet paper towel and place in a plastic bag

bonus story - The Three Little Pigs retold by Paul Galdone

hands-on activity - build little piggie houses with Teifoc mini bricks

artwork - colored pencil drawing of three magic beans OR the giant's treasures (bag of gold, goose that lays golden eggs, talking harp)

IV / 4

story - Peter and the North Wind retold by Freya Littledale

riddle - wind

game - "The Northwind" from A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty Jones, p.45

artwork - glue line squiggles on Lapis Lazuli Blue Stardream Pearlescent Cardstock Paper of winds in the four directions

V / 5

story - The Pea Blossom retold by Amy Lowry Poole

riddle - pea

finger play - "Five Little Peas" from The Breathing Circle: Learning Through the Movement of the Natural Breath by Nell Smyth, p.82

hands-on activity - eat snow peas

bonus story - The Princess and the Pea retold by Rachel Isadora

hands-on activity - build a beautiful palace with rainbow blocks (Grimm's Spiel und Holz Large Stepped Pyramid, 1001 Nights Building Set, Rally Building Set, Nautilus Puzzle), use wooden figures to act out the story (wooden figures from The Gigantic Turnip set, giant cactus rainstick, pea, 10 folded Kleenexes, 4 folded washcloths)

artwork - colored pencil drawing of peapod with five peas

VI / 6

story - Song of the Hermit Thrush: An Iroquois Legend (Native American Lore and Legends) retold by Gloria Dominic

riddle - stars

bonus story - Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Corita Kent by Matthew Burgess

activity - look at image of Corita Kent's Love stamp from 1985

artwork - wet-on-wet watercolor painting of color wheel
(using only Medium Yellow, Scarlet Red, and Cobalt Blue)

VII / 7

story - Seven Blind Mice retold by Ed Young

riddle - mouse

hands-on activity - write numbers I through VII with sidewalk chalk (one, two, three, one-from-five, five, five-and-one-more, five-and-two-more)

bonus story - "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids" from More Tales from Grimm, translated by Wanda Gág, pp.241-249

artwork - colored pencil drawing of seven mice in rainbow colors

VIII / 8

story - Louise Bourgeois Made Giant Spiders and Wasn't Sorry by Fausto Gilberti

poems - Spiders Spin Webs by Yvonne Winer

riddle - spider

hands-on activity - make spider sculptures with craft wire

watch video of Maman sculpture being assembled in 2011

artwork - colored pencil drawing of spider (Maman, the spider sculpture you made, or your favorite from the book of poetry)

IX / 9

story - Pezzettino by Leo Lionni

riddle - rock

activity - explore square numbers with Grapat Wooden Mandala Sets (we used Little Blue Coins)

artwork - cut paper collage of 9 squares arranged in a square

X / 10

story - The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

riddle - hands

hands-on activity - how to paint skin tone with Cassie Stephens

artwork - trace both hands and color with skin tone crayons

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