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.
The class works with stories from a variety of cultures that illustrate the human quest for understanding where we come from and how we create communities and survive through the development of technologies and agriculture and home-building. These uncompromising stories lead the children to a new understanding of their place in the world, its laws, and its anomalies. These tales give them guidance and hope for the challenges in their lives.
A focus at this age is productive work. In addition to the activities listed in the Classes Overview section, the children might learn about the lives and concerns of people such as farmers, blacksmiths, and tailors; teachers may incorporate activities such as cooking and baking, sewing, gardening, and building into the class work.