Home / Bookstore / Curriculum / 1st Grade Curriculum

The above is the complete package for Christopherus first grade. Some of you may already have one or more of the components and do not require the full package. Here are the individual components:

The First Grade Syllabus

We are sure that people looking for a complete, step-by-step, clear and friendly curriculum born out of the riches of Waldorf will find the support, inspiration and materials they need for a joyous year of 1st grade at home! Born out of our commitment to Waldorf education and to bringing do-able and empowering resources to homeschoolers, this First Grade Syllabus is unlike any other materials currently available. It includes:

• All the language arts stories needed

• All the math stories needed

• Tips, hints and advice to create your own science (nature) lessons based on your geographical location (some stories, crafts and lesson plans included to get you going)

• Advice on working with either a recorder or pentatonic flute including many ideas for building listening and pre-playing skills

• Full of teaching advice so you can adapt your lessons to your child's needs and abilities

• Many, many craft and handwork ideas including instructions, tips, patterns, verses and stories

• Full schedule for daily, weekly and yearly plans, all based on the Main Lesson approach and with much guidance on how to tailor this to one's own needs

• Fully illustrated (black and white) with pictures for you to copy and present to your child

• Lists of Waldorf and non-Waldorf books for teacher prep as well as read alouds for your child

• Ideas on celebrating festivals with your child as part of your year's  work together

• Advice on working with children of different ages

And much more! (See below for sample pages) This is the only Waldorf-inspired 1st grade curriculum available written by someone who has not only been involved with Waldorf all her life as a student, teacher and parent, but is a homeschooler as well!

Additional First Grade Components

To use this Syllabus fully, you will need our Form Drawing for Beginners book for the first main lesson block scheduled (unless, of course, you're already confident with this subject and the sequence in which it is taught). We feel it is extremely important that these first school lessons be Form Drawing as this therapeutic art is a wonderful and gentle introduction to formal learning for the young child. (Form Drawing for Beginners covers lessons for 1st through 3rd grades).

You will also need our book,  Joyful Movement,  which is a resource chock full of ideas to help bring balance and harmony to your child's listening skills, senses and fine and gross motor skills. It is full of games, fingerplays, songs, verses and movement exercises, as well as tips and advice to bring a healthy rhythm of active and quiet times to your child's education.

We have also discovered the marvelous book, Learning About the World Through Modeling by Waldorf teacher Arthur Auer and now consider it an essential part of the Christopherus Curriculum. Donna has spent a lifetime as student, teacher and homeschooler involved with Waldorf education and has never seen such an incredibly rich, doable and exciting book on a crucial element of Waldorf!

Please note: whilst our First Grade Syllabus is not as extensive as the following grades' curriculum, it is a complete year's worth of lessons. In the form in which it exists now it is a gentle introduction to Waldorf homeschooling. In the future (no earlier than 2010), we will go back to it and add to it, bringing it more in line with the rest of the curriculum. Additions will include more step-by-step drawing, painting, modeling, handwork and craft projects; more information on meeting state homeschooling requirements; and full-color illustrations. It already includes all the story material, scheduling considerations, lesson plans and subjects for a full first grade at home.

Lastly, we would invite all people wishing to work with our First Grade Curriculum to consider purchasing either or both our Waldorf Curriculum Overview for Homeschoolers and From Nature Stories to Natural Science. These books will considerably broaden and enrich the homeschool parent's way of bringing Waldorf to her homeschool.

Please also note: Charter schools or teachers wishing to use the Christopherus Curriculum must contact us to discuss terms.

The sections and chapters of the First Grade Syllabus are as follows:

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Homeschooling is About Family!

• Materials and Resources

• Rhythms and Schedules (view a page)

• How to Teach (view a page)

• Storytelling

SUBJECTS       

• Language Arts

• Drawing, Painting and Modeling

• Foreign Language

• Science (view a page)

• Math

• Music

• Handwork and Crafts

THE SYLLABUS

• Block I: Form Drawing

• Block II: Language Arts (view a page)

• Block III: Nature

• Block IV: Math

• Block V: Language Arts

• Block VI: Nature

• Block VII: Math (view a page)

• Block VIII: Language Arts (view a page)

• Block IX: Nature

• Block X: Math

• Block XI: Language Arts

• Block XII: Nature

THE STORIES

 

---

 

Customer Testimonials

"I just completed reading through and then planning out my blocks for first grade using Christopherus Homeschool Resources’ First Grade Syllabus. What a wealth of information and help! I have always chosen to use a more labor intensive curriculum and have avoided the ones that are laid out for you day by day. Donna’s syllabus strikes the balance between “here it is, spoon fed to you” and “here are a few ideas, now go make up your own”. I feel that with her syllabus I have the freedom to meet my first grader’s interests and needs as well as make sure he is receiving a good solid Waldorf first grade education.

"I was pleased to find Donna’s scheduling ideas, her advice on teaching and storytelling, as well as the stories! Each subject is discussed in ample detail and then each block is laid out for you to use. Each block contains ideas as well a good direction and choices for what to do on the subject. And, the true help for me….the part I have difficulties with…..she has a Lesson A and B for each block (recorder, painting, drawing, modeling, baking, etc.) there too! No more sitting with all my Waldorf books piled around me looking for crafts that I don’t have the stuff to do.

"Because I also have a 5th grader this year, and it looks to be a very intense year, Donna’s syllabus has saved me so much time and struggle. I am not entering this year as prepared as I wanted to be, but I have great confidence that my load will be lighter using Donna’s syllabus.

"Thank you Donna for making a Waldorf education possible for my children, and thank you for making it easier."

K.P. (California)

"I ordered a first grade syllabus along with a few other curriculum books from Christopherus about 3 weeks ago. I just wanted to let you know how wonderful all of it is. It amazes me how thorough and organized it is. It is exactly what I had been hoping for in my homeschooling adventures. I just want to let you know how impressed I am. Once I get a bit more organized, I will surely be using more of your resources. Thank you again!"

Lia, Madison, WI

"Dear Donna,

"I am so glad I bought your first grade curriculum. So far homeschooling has been a joyous and therapeutic experience for our family because of the encouragement we receive in the Waldorf at Home forum and through your curriculum.

"Although you are probably swamped with pictures from your fans I thought I would send along a few. I don't know anyone using Waldorf where we live (Springville, Utah) so I have no one to share this stuff with!!! We just finished our first Language Arts block and used the story about the puffed up prince. My girls love this story and at dinner time they puff up their chests and pretend to be puffed up and petulant.

"I love your down to earth advice and flexible guidelines.

"This is our first year homeschooling and in the past weeks I have sometimes doubted our decision to do this. But when I doubt I take out my girls "Good Books" and see their progress and marvel at the beauty of this form of education. Thank you for helping us make Waldorf a reality in our home.

"Much Love, KC"

More testimonials