grade 1, block I: form drawing (week 1)

form drawing, 2 week block

august 24/september 3rd

resources:
main lessons: Form Drawing for Grades 1-4, Ernst Schuberth & Laura Embry-Stine

(i used some of the basic grade one forms and created a 'container story' for this first block)

monday, august 24th:

main lesson:
tell story part 1, explore form Crenelated Running Form

*for grade one the forms are simple & used to help the child get ready for writing.

our basement is concrete & so perfect for drawing the forms large in sidewalk chalk. we also draw them smaller & trace them with both hands & both feet & we trace them on each other's backs. sometimes we make lacing cards & sew the forms on using yarn. in the past we've also done prints with potatoes, painted the forms, used sticks to mark them out...drawing them in sand on a baking sheet is a good one as well.

form drawing story, part #1:

once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a king and a queen. the king & queen lived in a grand castle with servants to care for their every need, and noblemen to see to their every hearts desire. and yet, they were not happy, something was missing...a child.

then one day the queen was blessed, and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. this child would one day grow up to be queen. the king & queen were so excited about the princess's birth that they decided to throw a magnificent ball to celebrate. they invited the entire kingdom. when everything was ready for the celebration, the king climbed up to the steep steps, to the very tallest tower and looked out between the parapets. he leaned against those great stone walls, watching as the guests arrived in their finest clothes.


lesson b:
nature study challenge #1Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock & http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-hour-challenge-1-lets-get-started.html


tuesday, august 25th

main lesson:
recall story, part #1
tell story part #2, explore form Straight Line Symmetry

form drawing story, part #2:

on the outskirts of the kingdom, in the dark forest, there lived an evil witch who was not at all pleased with the princess's birth. she wanted to be queen! and so, she disguised herself as on of the queen's servants and attended the grand ball. when the queen went to lay her daughter down for bed that night, the witch followed her. she was careful to hide in the shadows so that no one would see her. and once the queen had gone back to join the celebration-- the evil witch snuck into the princess's nursery & stole her away. she took the princess to a cave far, far away from the kingdom-- a cave guarded be a dragon...a cave where no one would ever find her.

the king & queen, and everyone else in the kingdom were greatly saddened by this princess's disappearance. they vowed never to stop looking until she was found. the king sent for his three best knights, three brothers. if anyone could find the princess, it would be them.



lesson b:
handwork, exploring where wool comes from (as as introduction to knitting)
read One Little Lamb by Elaine Greenstein

*with waldorf everything is taught from the whole to its parts. so, normally you would begin with visiting sheep on a farm or at least at a petting zoo, and then follow it up with washing a fleece. but as i work with loads of wool, the boys have been exposed to this since they were little. i have no raw fleece on hand, and we have neighbors with sheep, so we see them on (almost) daily basis.

aydin has been asking to try his hand at needle felting & so we needle felted sheep & a little patch of field for them to graze.



wednesday, august, 26th

main lesson:
recall story, part #2
tell story part #3, explore form (will add photo later)
form drawing story, part #3:
the three knights were eager to be of service, to find the princess and to bring her home safely. they searched for clues all over the castle and soon realized how things had come to pass. they knew that the evil witch had kidnapped the princess out of jealousy. the king & queen gave the brave knights everything they needed for their quest. it would be a very long and treacherous journey, but the knights were courageous and honorable. they promised to rescue the princess. and with that, their journey began. they headed first towards the black sea. there were caves there guarded by creatures of the deep.

lesson b:
baking, clover leaf rolls (or joy of cooking, p. 610)

thursday, august 27th

main lesson:
recall story part #3.
tell story part #4, explore form (will add photo later)

form drawing story, part #4:
but there was no sign of the prince or the dark witch. so they rode on, towards the steep cliffs, and the misty mountains. they climbed up to the tallest peaks, searching everywhere along the way. they nearly perished a good many times, losing their footing on the crumbly mountainside. the mountain sides were quite steep and had no paths for the knights to follow aside form those made by the sheep & goats that grazed there.

once they were sure that no nook or cranny had been overlooked, they headed towards the valleys in the east.

we have been having a lot of rain this week. so after practicing our forms in the basement, we opted for watercolors rainbows to add a splash of colors to our day in lieu of a painting as our final form.


lesson b:
handwork, more exploration with wool
read Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow
card fleece with carding combs, try hand at spinning the carded wool into yarn via a drop spindle