In the Class 1 Writing in Nature main lesson, I mentioned the power of anthropomorphism in the education of 7-year-olds – as strongly recommended by Rudolf Steiner. On one occasion this took the form of four special Tree Watchers. (These popular story characters also appeared in the Class 1 Local Geography main lesson, see my […]
BOOK: Genii of Language
Genii of Language: The Genii of Language
“When we are dealing with growing children, we are brought into contact with beings who attain to spirit self; beings who are further on in evolution than man. If we set out to develop our education and really mean our work to have life, then we must appeal not only to the human beings who […]
Genii of Language: The Mystery of the Double in Childhood
When I was a child I was deeply troubled by a story I read called The Bad Seed. This was about a sweet-faced little girl who was intrinsically evil. Among her more ghastly crimes was to push her crippled grandfather down the stairs! Perhaps my soul turbulence was caused by the fact that I instinctively […]
Genii of Language: The School Inspector
In my long career as a Steiner teacher and teacher-educator, I have frequently been called upon to act as a de-facto school inspector, on invitation of course, for various schools across this wide, brown land. I am still available for this service from both primary and high school, as is my wife Susan for Kindergarten. […]
Genii of Language: Handwriting in Second Grade
The human being has many smaller beings within the whole – the ‘little people’. We see in the lateral division of the head, a whole man – skull to eyes is a small ‘head’ in its own right; the nasal area is a mini reflection of the central rhythmic system; and the mouth and jaw […]
Genii of Language: Word Games in Second Grade
All eyes are focused on one of the many popular word games children play; this Oral Expression Middle Lesson in Class 2 formalizes these as a valuable and enjoyable learning experience. Games of course call firstly on the heart forces, so this middle lesson is their ideal time. Word Games give an unexpected fillip to […]