In a truly balanced educational program, each student will find many ways for his or her gifts and talents to shine. And even a very bright child who can zoom through "reading, writing and arithmetic" needs a school that provides real challenges for growth in other dimensions.
At Aurora Waldorf School, students do their best in the academic core and find their balance in a rich program of gymnastics, sports, drama, speech, German, painting, clay modeling, instrumental music, singing, creative writing, knitting, crocheting, woodworking and so much more.
The harmonious development of our students depends on the integration of the arts into every aspect of the curriculum. With their class teachers and with specialists, all students learn to paint, draw and sculpt. They also all sing, play musical instruments, learn eurythmy (an art of movement to music and the spoken word), and perform in their class plays.
Eurythmy is an artistic movement discipline developed by Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf School. It is related to modern dance, is expressive as is mime, and flows as does Tai Chi. It is a stage art, but also has pedagogic and therapeutic applications. The alphabet appears in specific sound gestures, as do the tones and intervals of music. Group choreography is drawn from forms found in nature, such as spirals, stars and figure eights. In older grades complicated geometric forms are pursued in work with larger groups.
The eurythmy curriculum parallels that of the age and grade of the children: Kindergarten and 1st Graders work with Nursery rhymes, small practical stories of daily life with simple work movements and interactions, and, especially in 1st Grade, with Grimm’s Fairy Tales; 4th Graders with Norse or other folk myths; 6th Graders with large, exact geometric form in beautiful motion. Eurythmy strengthens the students’ vitality through this artistic deepening of the curriculum, providing a strong foundation for lifelong physical as well as emotional and social health.
Foreign language instruction opens students up to the larger world outside of their home culture and challenges them to consider their own native language through a different lens.
German is taught beginning with the natural process of imitation in the Kindergarten. The language work continues in the early grades with poems, songs, and games. In the later grades there is more formal work with reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar.
In the Handwork classes, boys and girls are taught many hand skills including knitting, crochet, sewing and embroidery. Learning to knit and crochet develops the powers of discipline and concentration. In addition, the density of nerve endings in our fingertips is so enormous that it is of great value to develop this “sense;” brain research now confirms the connection between small-motor activity and increased neurological development. Natural fibers and tools are essential to our work of creating practical and beautiful items.
The class teacher starts the children on the pentatonic flute in Grade One, with simple pentatonic songs. Recorder study continues through the grades with diatonic music and ensemble playing. An instrumental specialist introduces stringed instruments to all fourth graders; in Fifth Grade, students can elect to continue with violin, viola, cello or bass, or to begin a wind, brass or percussion instrument. Participation in the School Ensemble is required for each 5th - 8th Grader.
All of the arts, including the performing arts, are central to the Waldorf curriculum. Singing, speech and recitation, drama, recorder playing and movement are interwoven with subject matter in virtually every class.
In addition to classroom work, every grade student:
In all grades, gymnastics, tumbling, acrobatics, games and many other athletic activities complement the curriculum and meet and assist the child's development, alongside the movement provided in our Eurythmy classes and many other indoor and outdoor activities. Because we believe that all aspects of academic readiness are achieved or strengthened through movement, this program incorporates much more than “the usual” gym class. For instance, when the students are studying ancient Greek history in Fifth Grade, they will take part in sports that were part of the original Olympics. Emphasis is placed on helping children acquire and improve their movement and sports skills.
In 7th and 8th grade, the athletics/movement program is accelerated and expanded to include dance (African dance, hip hop, ballroom); orienteering; swimming and diving; cross country skiing; advanced gymnastics; volleyball; tennis; and wrestling. Our primary goals are to enhance current fitness, prepare graduates for a high school team sport, and introduce a wide range of activities for healthy, joyful movement throughout life.
Our program is a varied and full complement of activities. Some reflect and support the Main Lesson curriculum and some are experiential, artistic, or therapeutic. Still others promote ownership and care of our school, such as helping in the kitchen, prep tasks for Winter Faire, or spreading wood chips. Practical Arts is a fluid program determined by opportunity, needs, weather, and the occasion of altruism.
The Woodwork program begins in Grade 5. Using hand tools like the rasp and gouge, Students create functional, beautiful objects, including bulb planters, spoons and bowls. The culmination of the four years of Woodwork study is the creation of a wooden stool by each Grade 8 student. The students start by splitting a green ash log, use mortise and tenon joints to connect the parts, and finish with a dried red oak seat. The result of their hard work is a cherished item of furniture: lovely, practical and durable.
Singing together is an important part of every school day; students sing with their class teacher and with a music specialist. Music reading, theory, and part-singing are all part of the progressing curriculum, which supports and coordinates with the academic curriculum of each grade. All children from 5th through 8th Grade sing in a school chorus.