Classes
Classes Overview
Our classes are divided into age groups, each group having children with birthdays within a couple of years of each other. While each class will engage in similar activities, our curriculum is structured so that each age group will be provided developmentally appropriate materials at the right time and presented in a lively way.
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AGES 5 AND 6 (THE WILLOWS CLASS)
In this age group we use the “Three R’s” (Reverence, Rhythm and Repetition) to give the children a sense of security and confidence to and participate in the activities around them.
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AGE 7 (Waldorf First Grade)
Children in this age group see the world as good vs. bad. Children are able to explore their feelings and understanding of these ideas through Fairy Tales and Nature Stories.
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AGE 8 (Waldorf Second Grade)
At this age, children begin to recognize the duality of human nature and the stories teachers bring to the students reflect that growing awareness. These stories still use archetypal imagery and feed their imaginations. Teachers tell fables from a variety of traditions, including Aesop’s fables, Jataka tales, trickster tales from West Africa and indigenous North American traditions, as well as stories of heroic deeds.
Learn MoreAGE 9 (Waldorf Third Grade)
Children at this age are beginning to leave the dreamy world of earlier childhood. They are learning many new skills as they engage more fully and actively in their thinking, feeling, and willing.
Learn MoreAGES 10 and 11 (Combined Waldorf Fourth and Fifth)
At this age, the children’s image of the world begins to find a new balance, as reasoning begins to emerge as a complement to feeling. The class studies the culture and myths of the Norse people, as well as classical Greece and other ancient Asian and Middle Eastern civilizations. The wisdom of these stories mirror the exponential growth in the children’s overall ability and perceptive power.
Learn MoreAGES 12 (Combined Waldorf Sixth and Seventh)
This class studies the Roman Empire, Middle Ages and Renaissance. Hearing biographies of such personalities as Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, and Shakespeare, the children experience the radical transformation of culture and consciousness represented by the events in these remarkable people’s lives. This reflects the rapid emotional and intellectual growth of children at this age.
Learn MoreAGE 13-14 (Waldorf Eighth Grade)
This is the “senior year” of the Lilac Children’s Garden experience. This year, the eighth grade class will be studying the Golden Age of Islam and physics (specifically, optics). It is a tradition for the senior class to collectively write an original play to perform at the end of the year.
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