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 fourth grade year. Enjoy!
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Pinterest - Renee Schwartz My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for
Norse Mythology.
Viking Food from Fotevikens Museum
Small culinary cook book for working vikings
Cheese and butter
Baking bread
Porridge
Meat and fish
Soup
Drink
Green
And some more...
I always seem to have so many books for every block but I sat down and deliberately chose just one anthology to guide us here. D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
has 30 chapters, so two blocks of four weeks each. I took a lot of time before I picked their book; their Greek Myths volume is not my favorite. But I think this collection is very well done! (Notes on other Norse Mythology collections, if you want some different options, are listed at the end of this page.)
The stories go as follows (and if I see a painting/modeling/handwork connection from one of my art books -- or a source for a class play script for a certain myth-- I've included it here in my notes):
in the MLB this works best when the illustration itself extends across the two pages. we used a
large assortment of beautiful colored pencils because
my students wanted to add a lot of detail
in order to make that happen, do the Yggdrasil summary alongside an illustration of the Norse runes, and then
have the next two page spread be the nine Norse worlds
Sample from the Fourth Grade Curriculum by Live Education! The World Tree from The Norse Myths
this looks to me like it could inspire a lovely wet-on-wet watercolor painting with salt
Creative Pathways: Activities that Strengthen the Child's Cognitive Forces Modeling - page 42 modeling suggestions, including making a three level wooden construction -- Niflheim, Midgard, and Asgard, with the tree growing in the middle and its long roots extending down into Niflheim -- onto which the diverse characters, animals, and creatures are placed
memorizing this story is also the fifth assignment in the Storytelling class for the Sophia Institute (online Waldorf teacher training program for the grades)
there is a class play script for this story, "Loki - the Mischief Maker," in Two Plays for Grade Four by John Miles (Promethean Press) -- we did this as a table read
Loki's Monstrous Brood
this story is also alluded to in the introduction to "Loki - the Mischief Maker"
Balder, the God of Light
Balder's illustration should rightfully be a field of flowers!
I would print the template on card stock so that it does not wrinkle from the paint, or you can just hand draw the lines. Use acrylic or tempera paint and not watercolor!
Heimdall, the Watchman of Asgard
Njord, Frey and Freya
because we spent an extra day on the table reading of "Loki - the Mischief Maker," and then we had three snow
days, we read about Balder, Heimdall, Njord, Frey, and Freya all on the same day
I let the children choose which god or goddess they wanted to write about and create
a two page spread, on one side an acrostic poem using the name of the god or goddess and on the other side an illustration
Michaela Macha wrote a poem about Freya called "Tears in the Ocean." On the webpage there's a link to an audio file where you can hear her sing it.
Bragi, God of Poetry
go hear a live harp performance, if possible
I love the illustration my daughter Leah did for this, by painting a large circle on her
paper -- to represent the outside edge of the kettle -- and then spatter painting paint inside it -- to represent the spittle -- using
an old toothbrush and some wire screen
then she wrote her summary around the outside edge of the kettle on the spatter painted background
Odin's Eight-legged Steed
instead of trying to draw an eight-legged horse, I think a border works well for this story too... Leah echoed the
circular shape of her "kettle" illustration by creating a wall of construction paper blocks around the border of her page and then
writing the summary inside
Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the battle-slain;" valr "those slain in battle" + höll "hall"
the word for hall goes back to PIE *kel "to cover, conceal, save"
this is the root of words such as ceiling, cell, cellar, color, conceal, hall, helm (like helmet), hold (like of a ship),
hole, hollow, holster, and hull (like a seed covering)
My puppetry apron storytelling idea! Dye the silk background in beautiful ocean blues, wet felt the rocky landscape, sew two wool felt seal finger puppet animals, and embroider Freya's beautiful necklace with embroidery floss or embellish it with glass seed beads.
Suzanne Down's book Around the World with Finger Puppet Animals has a nice seal finger puppet pattern.
we are doing gold and silver colored pencil drawings of the necklace (adorned with paper collage colorful gemstones) for the illustration. this makes a nice colorful two page spread
and border to the summary of the story
there is a class play script for this story, "The Apples of Iduna," in Two Plays for Grade Four by John Miles (Promethean Press)
-- we did this as a table read
there is a class play script for this story, "Iduna and the Golden Apples," in Plays for Grades One through Four by Michael Hedley Burton
Roy Wilkinson also wrote a poem version of this story, "Thor's Journey to Giantland," which is found on pp. 12-14 of his Miscellany.
there is a class play script for this story, "The Theft of Thor's Hammer," in 25 Plays
Inspired by Waldorf Teachers, edited by David Mitchell (free PDF download)
there is a class play script for this story, "The Fate of Baldur," in 25 Plays
Inspired by Waldorf Teachers, edited by David Mitchell (free PDF download)
You will not want to miss the D'Aulaire's pronunciation guide. It is in the back.
Painting and Drawing in Waldorf Schools: Classes 1 to 8 has paintings for four additional myths:
Siegfried and Mime (forging the sword) - page 201
Siegfried slays the dragon - page 202
Weland's flight - page 203
the wild wood wife (Siegminne and Wolfdietrich) - page 204
Although he writes it as "Siegfried," the first two paintings are for the legend of Sigurd Sigmundsson. If you are including this legend, there are a few other resources
you might like as well. Stories, Verses, and Plays for Children by Roberto Trostli is available for FREE
at the Online Waldorf Library as a downloadable PDF. It contains a script
for this story called "The Curse of the Ring."
This legend is not in the D'Aulaire's book but it is in
The Children of Odin by Padraic Colum, which can be found FREE online
at Gateway to the Classics.
The Trostli play tells the story of PART IV, THE SWORD OF THE VOLSUNGS. Colum tucks it in right at the end chronologically, after Loki's Punishment and before Ragnarok.
Norse Mythology and the Modern Human Being no retellings of legends, strictly an explanation of why these are so important in Waldorf education
by Ernst Uehli, translated by Rudolf Copple
chapter 1: Mimir
chapter 2: Baldur and His Death
chapter 3: Odin and the Fenriswolf
chapter 4: Thor and the Giants
chapter 5: Freyr and Gerda
chapter 6: Odin, Vidar and Michael
More Norse mythology collections available online for free at mainlesson.com:
The Norse Stories and Their Significance 27 stories, plus explanation of anthroposophical significance in the development of the child, no illustrations
by Roy Wilkinson
Odin's Family: Myths of the Vikings collection of 15 stories and illustrations for each, best if you only have time for one 4 week Norse Mythology block
retold by Neil Philip, illustrated by MaryClare Foa
It is also an excellent choice if you want to do two blocks, with superior illustrations and longer more detailed retellings than D'Aulaires', which may be your preference
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