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Erin
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acystay wrote:
| I encompase Waldorf as well into many of our learning lessons. I love the calming and arts they do. I am going to be doing watercolors with DD this fall as part of her art lessons and more with wax crayons and beeswax molding. She is knitting now with 2 neddles and will have her creating some felted projects for Christmas. I love the natural side to Waldorf. I think many things do fit with Waldorf from Montessori for the natural and practical life, but it stops there IMO. Academics are a much different story...sorry for the tangent but I thought I should offer what else I like to do with them. |
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I would love to hear more about Waldorf art. Does anyone here know more? I have seen some Steiner/Waldorf art and it is beautiful.
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Erin
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acystay
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| Posted: June 14 2007 at 11:48am | IP Logged
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A great place to get some really good ideas is
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acystay
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Sorry, got distracted there!
A great place to get some really good ideas is waldorf preschool curriculum Poke around a bit and you'll find her unit lessons. There are some great handwork activities there.
One activity we did was creating our own felt and it was truly a great experience with my children. My friend found someone who spun her own yarn and gave us our roving. It was great b/c the first time it didn't work out well so it became an experiment.
We also made "fairies" from pipe cleaners and silk flowers and DMC floss to add to our nature table. We picked acron tops for them too, but we decided that using a little silk flower was nice for the top.
Mercuius USA has some great ides too for doing some art and handwork activities.
besswax molding
wax crayons and first steps
wax crayons-working materials and practical tips
paint and layering
Mercurius has many other ideas too. Just look around and you'll get some great things.
The thing I like most about Waldorf is the need for quality products to use when creating art or handwork activities. I plan on doing water colors with stockmar and water color paper and real paint brushes. Teacchers will do different things when doing water colors. They will wet the paper by either submerging it in water or with a sponge. I plan on doing the sponge technique in the fall. I did some acryclic work with dd with a real pain brush and canvas paper. She really liked it.
I forgot to add in that we have done silk dyeing with plant dyes and kool-aid. Our night sky is just beautiful. I did it with kool-aid (grape and berry) made really strong with viniger and water. We srunched the silk and soaked it in the mixture. Then heat set it in the microwave and rinse in tepid water. After that we put star stickers in the form of constallations and other starts then did a spray fabric paint in gold over it. AFter that was dry we pulled the stickers off and got a beautiful night sky. We made pale colors and oragne ones for fall.
You will notice too waldorf doesn't do the color black. I can't remember the reason right now.
My daguther learned finger knitting a couple of different ways and is now doing it with neddles. She's doing pretty well.
I'm sure I'll come up with something else that I do already. Need to change a diaper.
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acystay
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| Posted: June 14 2007 at 12:15pm | IP Logged
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Oh, one thing I forgot to add...Art is seen as a practice too in the beginning. It is not something you keep around. You strive to make it right and keep the finished product once you learn all the techniques. YOu learn techniques over time and in stages.
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donnalynn
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| Posted: June 15 2007 at 5:58pm | IP Logged
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You will notice too waldorf doesn't do the color black. I can't remember the reason right now.
Years ago, I took quite a few workshops and classes at a Waldorf teacher training college. There is a lot of good common sense in this approach to art. With younger children - especially under the age of seven both the color black and white are not used.
In water color painting and coloring - the children are encouraged to fill the page with color so that no white remains. White is really not a color - when painters paint something white there are always other colors used - greys, blues, yellows - you cannot paint clouds or a white cat or a snow scene for instance without other colors.
Black is the combination of all colors - it does not exist in nature. So I think the main reason is very practical - these colors are difficult to work with artistically.
I know when my young boys get a hold of black crayon it tends to take over the page - it is a difficult color to blend or correct. By 1st grade the color black is usually made available for detail work or when a child requests it.
Generally - whether you are using crayons or water color paints many Waldorf Kindergartens have three colors available - red, yellow and blue - then through self discovery or guided "color stories" children find other colors. But this is not a hard and fast rule - many Waldorf Kindergartens offer more colors from the start - others making more colors available later.
Also - the wet-on-wet painting - it is most important to realize that this is meant to be an experience of color - it is difficult to paint specific shapes using this technique - so the idea is to simply play with colors. Shapes and "pictures" will appear but it can be very frustrating for children who want to paint a picture of a specfic thing or idea. As you get used to the technique you learn how to add more detail and see where a more specific form might come out of the picture rather than having a preset idea in your mind of what you want to paint.
I'd be happy to further clarify if anything doesn't quite make sense or answer other questions. It's a big topic!
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: July 08 2007 at 5:51pm | IP Logged
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Oh goody! I love to talk about Waldorf art!
Donna (it's really, really nice to see you here  ) , Rudolf Steiner wrote about black:
Now submerge yourself in black; you are completely surrounded by black--in this black darkness a physical being can do nothing. Life is driven out of the plant when it becomes carbon. Black shows itself alien to life, hostile to life; when plants are carbonized they turn black. Life, then can do nothing in blackness. And the soul? Our soul life deserts us when this awful blackness is within us. In order to keep the child in touch with his "soul life," it was important to keep him away from black.
One thing I have always appreciated about Waldorf is that art permeates the curriculum. Main Lesson books are as much about art as they are about words. We're working hard to re-establish that in my house, as we've definitely gotten away from it. My eldest was immersed in Waldorf art and to this day art is a huge part of his life. I think as I got busy and, particularly, as my hands were always full (literally), I tended away from modeling art all the time or enabling drawing and painting. I'm definitely recommitting to it this year. At least that is how I'm justifying the humongous order I just made at Paper, Scissors, Stone .
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| One thing I have always appreciated about Waldorf is that art permeates the curriculum. Main Lesson books are as much about art as they are about words. We're working hard to re-establish that in my house, as we've definitely gotten away from it. My eldest was immersed in Waldorf art and to this day art is a huge part of his life. I think as I got busy and, particularly, as my hands were always full (literally), I tended away from modeling art all the time or enabling drawing and painting. I'm definitely recommitting to it this year. At least that is how I'm justifying the humongous order I just made at Paper, Scissors, Stone . |
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So, how does one go about incorporating it into the learning? How are you putting Waldorf into your learning, Elizabeth? Are you using any books for direction? Is one of the differences having certain art projects with materials, working together, rather than just having materials available?
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Elizabeth
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There are aspects of Waldorf that are just a part of what we do and have always done--rhythmic cycles to the day, the week and the year (Waldorf doesn't address the liturgical year, of course, but it fits); imaginative play and lots of storytelling; meaningful handcrafts; even notebooking. In the case of Waldorf, notebooks are call "Main Lesson Books" and the children use both pictures and words to record what they are learning. It's narration in a sense. What I've found is that my increasing use of the computer with the children has led me away from pictures as well as handwritten words. I'll be encouraging more of both this year. Here's a second grade example. This is another example. This is a portfolio of sorts from a second grade homeschooler. And here's a high school one. Finally, a mom one
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Erin
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| Posted: July 09 2007 at 12:26am | IP Logged
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Thank you for all the info so far. I have been pouring over the websites, going back over Lissa;s blog re-reading posts just generally researching Anyhow a question, I am more of a book person than an internet reader, I would love to have a couple of books recommneded as 'must have's'. Must have's for art application that is, I'm really not that interested in philosophy. Although Elizabeth your post has me interested in the 'main lessons'.
Elizabeth wrote:
| What I've found is that my increasing use of the computer with the children has led me away from pictures as well as handwritten words. I'll be encouraging more of both this year. |
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This is one of those sentences that fascinates me  I'm intrigued. Your post on how writing is a living, breathing part of your family meant so much to me, it have me something to strive for.
Off to check out the portfolio links.
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Erin
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Erin
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Having looked at the portfolio links I can now understand why your children love to write Elizabeth if that was how you introduced writing to them. I can really see how that approach would resonate with my dc, the high school main lesson would definetely appeal to my nearly 14yr old. 
So I now know where I am going the question is how to get there  I've looked at the Paper, Scissors, Stone site, what would you consider a basic starter's kit?
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Elizabeth
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Hmmm, a basic starter kit? If you were to go to Oak Meadow and look at the craft kits at each level, that would give you a good idea of the media they think are appropriate. Here's the kindergarten kit, for example: beeswax block crayons, 3 colors of watercolor and 90# paper, modeling beeswax and some blank books. that about covers it, with some homemade modeling clay thrown in.
In terms of incorporating, beeswax to model is great for read aloud time. Some kids get frustrated with it but if you do it with them at first, most children like to warm the wax in their hands and then tease figures out of it.
Only block crayons? I'm not a purist (and even some true Waldorfians debate this). The idea is to discourage hard detailed lines when they're little and to focus instead on color and broad forms. I have beeswax stick crayons for my Katie, too. I think they get frustrated with the block only approach pretty quickly.
The thing about incorporating art in my house is that it's simple when they're little. It's natural to have a picture narration. When they get bigger, the main lesson books have a picture on at the left and the written narration on the right. Or they have a watercolor pasted in or dried flowers or whatever visual addition the child sees working. The idea is not to lose the visual component as the child gets older...
Does that make sense?
Starter books? I think the Oak Meadow Learning Processes book gives you a good sense of how art figures into the curriculum, without too much Steiner stuff. Oak Meadow isn't pure Waldorf (a plus in my opinion).
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Elizabeth
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Erin wrote:
Having looked at the portfolio links I can now understand why your children love to write Elizabeth if that was how you introduced writing to them. I can really see how that approach would resonate with my dc, the high school main lesson would definetely appeal to my nearly 14yr old.
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Erin,
You just lit a light bulb in my brain. I showed the above quote to Michael and asked him if that's the way we did it. He emphatically agreed it was. He's very, very visual and I had no idea until this conversation today how important all those components were to him. This little trail is important to me because I think we've drifted a bit from the art-across-the-curriculum in favor of efficiency. But how efficient is it if it's missing a key component?
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msclavel
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I think my children think in pictures. My house is a constant stream of picture and stories. I'm ashamed of how much paper we use. One the neatest things lately was watching Carmen (7yo) on our car trip. She literally drew for hours. Sometimes she sang as she drew, just little made up songs. Sometimes I could hear her telling a story as she drew. I was dying to hear it all clearly and ask her about it, but I also had a very strong sense not to interrupt.
As far as the older kids are concerned, Maddy (almost 13) is on love with the Magic Cabin catalog. They would all happily do arts and crafts all day long.
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Erin
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Elizabeth
Thank you for the craft kit links I now have an idea what to get. I just have to research whether it is cheaper to buy here or from the USA.
How important is it to have the 'correct paper'? Is that a real beginner question?  Are the main lesson books made of any particular sort of paper?
The 'Learning Processes' link didn't give me a description of the book.  Are you trying to say that there is no correct 'how to' way to use the materials but just a matter of incorporating art into our learning?
Maria
I wonder if we could beat you for the amount of paper use?
Elizabeth wrote:
| This little trail is important to me because I think we've drifted a bit from the art-across-the-curriculum in favor of efficiency. But how efficient is it if it's missing a key component? |
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Isn't it funny how we drift as our dc get older and yet come back again for our younger ones at some point. I've also drifted away for a time from what works best for our family , combination of a few things partly which includes more school age children and more of an impact I think is the diversity of ages, having that dreaded 'highschooler'  really threw me for a loop. Yet why?
Part of this term is getting back to what works for us; craft/art which is why I am finally having a good look at Waldorf, lots and lots of literature and for the younger ones, re-visiting Montessori. I did lots of Montessori with my younger ones and my middles missed out They are very jealous of the younger ones now and are playing 'catch-up'
Isn't homeschooling a wonderful journey with our family and of self- discovery? One thing for sure we'll never be bored.
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Elizabeth
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90# watercolor paper is important for watercolor. Lighter weights won't hold the water immersion and you'll end up with "paper lice." The "Teaching Processes" book describes the correct processes for the Waldorf approach to art-in-education. There were several books listed in acystay's first link that might serve the same purpose. I think Waldorfians would argue that there absolutely is a correct way to use the materials and I think there is value in knowing what they think the correct way is. But, I'm a bit of a renegade and I don't always do things "Just So." My four-year-old is coloring with a beeswax stick crayon right now and I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep over it.
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Elizabeth
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have you ordered from Merurius, acystay? We have a group that is willing to go in on a homeschool group order, but I can't find the price list...
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Lissa
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Erin wrote:
| Thank you for all the info so far. I have been pouring over the websites, going back over Lissa;s blog re-reading posts just generally researching Anyhow a question, I am more of a book person than an internet reader, I would love to have a couple of books recommneded as 'must have's'. Must have's for art application that is, I'm really not that interested in philosophy. Although Elizabeth your post has me interested in the 'main lessons'. |
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Erin, thanks for the link. For convenience's sake I'll post a few direct links here—
Discussion of Waldorf art supplies
Donna Simmons audio downloads
Waldorf resources, pro & con
Some of my favorite Waldorf books
My whole Waldorf series (a month's worth of posts)
Hope this is helpful!
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Erin
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Lisa
Thanks for the links, I had read them all before except your first one on art supplies, very very helpful to me at present as I decide where to spend my budget.
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Erin
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Aug 16 2007 at 9:24am | IP Logged
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acystay wrote:
Sorry, got distracted there!
A great place to get some really good ideas is waldorf preschool curriculum Poke around a bit and you'll find her unit lessons. There are some great handwork activities there. |
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Whoa! Anyone know what happened here?? The site is gone...?
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Blessings, Elizabeth Foss
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MarieA
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I was fortunate to get a copy of Paper Scissors Stone at the conference.  My dd will love these projects!
Marie 
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Waldorf/ Steiner Art
