Four Seasons & Nature Study
updated August 19, 2023
Recorded here is my own personal collection of articles, resources, favorite links, teaching ideas, and lesson plans. It encompasses many years, from the very beginning of my experience studying and learning about Waldorf to the present time. People from all around the world visit my site and recommend it to others. Welcome!
This site records my journey. I hope my honesty is encouraging and helps break down some barriers that may prevent people from trying Waldorf methods. Because this is an ongoing site documenting my curriculum planning and ideas, some materials are more Waldorf-y than others. Please feel free to take what you like and leave the rest.
This page has helpful links and LOADS of free resources to help you plan your first grade year. Enjoy!
Mission Statement - Consulting Services - Lending Library
Four Seasons & Nature Study
for Class 1
5-DAY ONLINE COURSE:
Waldorf Main
Lesson Block Planning: Four Seasons
Join a community of fellow homeschoolers planning this exact same main lesson block for plenty of help and support.
This course is aimed at homeschoolers who are already familiar with the Waldorf method, but
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Pinterest - Renee Schwartz
My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for Nature Table as well as
I'll be completely honest and say that this block has always somewhat baffled me. I have lots of notes on my
Four Seasons & Poetry page as to how I have taught it
in the past. Please also visit it as well.
This 2020 iteration is the most recent and contains my current ideas of what should be done. My third/fourth grade homeschool
group was doing the Farming & Gardening main lesson at the same time, so the two groups did many things together. As always, take what you like and
leave the rest!
Hum and Swish
by Matt Myers
Summer
FREE eBooks at the Online Waldorf Library
Excellent resource! Published Waldorf curriculum books provided here in PDF format for you to download, keep, and read... for free!
Sample Lessons and Free Curriculum
Other Helpful Links
Books to Buy for a Year-Round Nature Study Curriculum
I think the best thing you can do for this block is to buy the excellent Nature Activities for Children series by
Irmgard Kutsch and Brigitte Walden. These books are organized very thoughtfully, with specific topics to teach each month and three months included in each seasonal book. For every topic a number of
detailed projects are provided, with instructions and photographs.
 
 
 
 
Spring Nature Activities for Children
March - Nesting; Sowing, Sprouting, Growing
April - Creating Garden Spaces
May - Plant-Based Dyes and Paints; Milk Processing; Beekeeping
Summer Nature Activities for Children
June - Working with Herbs; Breeding Butterflies
July - Water; Earth; Air; Fire
August - From Grain to Bread
Autumn Nature Activities for Children
September - Harvesting Fruits and Vegetables
October - Basket-making; House-building
November - Caring for Birds; Working with Beeswax; Making Paper
Winter Nature Activities for Children
December - Advent
January - Working with Wool
February - Working with Willow; Woodworking; Working with Clay
Another option I highly recommend is
using Exploring Nature with Children ($18)
as your 1st/2nd grade Nature Study. It goes along with Anna Botsford Comstock's
Handbook of Nature Study.
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
If presenting it as a main lesson block, the focus is on stories and art projects and hands-on activities which give
a sense of the essence of each season. It can be fun to travel through the cycle of the year in this abbreviated way, and enjoy
the things which are your favorite about each!
My blog posts from teaching this as a quick three-week main lesson block in February 2020:
My blog posts from brainstorming doing the Four Seasons again, taking more time for each one:
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