Philosophy: Nature
updated May 29, 2021
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.
Philosophy lesson plans
for children
WHEN to teach Philosophy is a source of great contention; I leave it up to your discretion. I am comfortable
teaching it in elementary and middle school. Others would insist high school.
Mission Statement - Consulting Services - Lending Library
Booklist: Essential Text
Little Big Minds: Sharing Philosophy with Kids
by Marietta McCarty
You will not be able to successfully teach children philosophy simply by looking at the booklist below; you will
need her book (above) for her teaching tips, discussion questions, and exercises
for
The Topic,
The Philosophers,
Resemblance, and
Awe.
Booklist: Resources
Marietta suggests the following:
"Act Naturally" song
The Beatles
"Cha Cha Chihuahua," "Why Did the Mouse Marry the Elephant," "Desert Dog"
David Grisman Quintet
Tao Te Ching
Lao-Tzu, trans. Stephen Mitchell
Tao Te Ching
Lao-Tzu, trans. Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
The Tao of Pooh
Benjamin Hoff
Ethics
Baruch Spinoza
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Scott O'Dell
And God Created Great Whales
Alan Hovhaness
Mysterious Mountain, Mount St. Helens
Alan Hovhaness
"To the Last Whale... Critical Mass and Wind on the Water" song 
David Crosby and Graham Nash
On Love and Barley
Basho
The Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare
Nancy White Carlstrom
I also recommend:
LIFE: A Journey through Time TED talk video by Franz Lanting
National Geographic Destination Wild: Tropic Gothic video
because it is on Hulu this has ads, so you may want to suggest it to parents instead of watching it in class...
but it is an extraordinary video!
Red Dragonfly on My Shoulder
Sylvia Cassedy
Basho and the Fox
Tim Myers
Basho and the River Stones
Tim Myers
The Essential Haiku: Basho, Buson & Issa
ed. Robert Hass
Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys
Bob Raczka
One Leaf Rides the Wind
Celeste Mannis
A Collaboration with Nature
Andy Goldsworthy
The Whales' Song
by Dyan Sheldon
Outside In
by Deborah Underwood
Wild
by Emily Hughes
Board books to read and act out before teaching about the Tao, which is EVERY preposition:
 
 
50 Common Prepositions
(I made preposition cards on different colors of cardstock and passed them out when we were talking about the Tao)
In 2017 when I taught this topic, we started out with a bunch of thought-provoking activities. First we
made pokeberry ink with berries from Dayempur Farm. Then local artist Hilary
Chandler came in as a special guest and gave us a wonderful hands-on lesson on inks and the history of penmanship.
Then we read Hailstones
and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill and did the Printed Leaves Art Project,
which took two sessions, and donated the resulting art to the For Kids Sake art auction fundraiser.
Printed Leaves Art Project -- large sheets of black construction
paper, cream and white and dark blue and light blue acrylic paints, sponges, foam brushes, newspaper, variety of leaves, colored pencils or chalk pastels
 
Then we read
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
and did the
How to Paint Skin Tone Art Project. How to Paint Skin Tone Art Project --
brushes, paper, "messy mats," paint palette with several colors of paint (white, yellow, red, brown, black)
also, show Prismacolor Portrait Set of 24 skin tone colored
pencils and Colorsaurus Color Wheel to
explain primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, as well as tints and shades
 
Next, we had local beekeeper Scott Martin come in as a special guest to teach us about honeybees.
Finally, we began to discuss the philosophical question, What is Nature?
My blog posts from teaching this topic in 2016:
My blog posts from teaching this topic in 2017:
My blog posts from teaching this topic in 2021:
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