Description
What are Living Lessons?
Living Lessons are not an online school. Our goal is and always has been to assist the parent/teacher in their own classroom. We also feel it is important that the parent/teacher remains involved in the lessons to stay true to the Waldorf methods. So Living Lessons are a classroom assistant for you and a way for you to become a better teacher by having another teacher lead, guide, and inspire you. Here are some ways in which you may use the Living Lessons:
1. You are homeschooling multiple ages and need a virtual teacher now and then so you can offer each of your students individual attention.
2. You are looking for a virtual classroom experience with a Waldorf teacher.
3. You need a break now and then from homeschooling full time.
4. You want to enhance your own skill set by watching other teachers present Waldorf lessons.
5. You want to join a community of other parents experiencing Living Lessons with opportunities for your kids to connect with other kids in the program.
6. You are running a business or working from home and need a virtual teacher to help you homeschool.
7. You recently moved or are experiencing health challenges that make it hard to homeschool full time.
8. You are new to homeschooling and need a boost of confidence to start off your year.
9. You are new to Waldorf education.
10. You feel overwhelmed with the prospect of homeschooling or you have been forced into homeschooling by the pandemic and are feeling lost.
This Block Includes…
Human Being & Animal Block: Main Lessons with Teacher Nicole
Guide to Human & Animal Block Videos with Teacher Nicole
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 1: The Threefold Human
The Threefold Human Poem
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 2: The Cuttlefish
Lesson 2: Part Two: Wet-on-Wet Octopus Watercolor Lesson
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 3: The Lion
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 4: The Cow
Clay Modeling for Human & Animal Block: Bird: Video
Clay Modeling for Human & Animal: Starfish: Video
Clay Modeling for Human & Animal: Beaver: Video
Creating a 3D Felted Sheep: Video
How to Draw a Beaver
How to Draw an Eagle
Making a Bird and Nest
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 5: The Eagle
Human & Animal Block: Lesson 6: The Mouse
Lesson 1: The Threefold Human
Length: 42:52
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Begin with a creative chalk drawing of the human, the cow, the lion, and the bird – all four animals, but what unites us as such, and what makes us different? What can we do that a lion can’t do? What can a bird do that we can’t do? What makes a human being a human being? Learn all this and more in this lesson.
- Chalk drawing activity
- What can you do?
- Draw the Human Being using the sun, the stars, and the moon
- You’re made up of the universe!
- Storytime: “The Sky Family”
Member Feedback: “I was captivated by the story that was told at the very end.”
Lesson 2: The Cuttlefish
Length: 41:25
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Start by learning about a fascinating, electric, colorful creature: the cuttlefish. Draw your own diagram and study it’s anatomy. Teacher Nicole suggests supplementing this lesson with a trip to an aquarium, or by watching videos of these amazing creatures online.
- Cuttlefish anatomy
- Chalk drawing activity
- Octopus song
- What is a cephalopod?
Member Feedback: “Learning about the cuttlefish was very interesting. I had no idea they could change colors!”
Lesson 2B: Watercolor Painting: The Octopus
Length: 9:27
Teacher: Teacher Nicole
A painting activity with Teacher Nicole. Use beautiful flowing watercolors to create your own octopus painting. A perfect addition to lesson 2.
- Watercolor
- Painting tutorial
- Relaxing music
- Calm activity
Member Feedback: “Nicole has great watercolor techniques that are very helpful while following with the tutorial.”
Lesson 3: The Lion! The Courageous Heart
Length: 37:08
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Start off with a beautiful chalk drawing of a majestic lion snoozing in the sun. Compare the lion to the human, and the Cuttlefish from lesson 2. All animals have similarities to the human being. But how do animals adapt in order to survive in their natural habitat? Why can’t a human breathe under water, and why can’t a fish breathe above it? Enjoy singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, a fun interactive duet, then finish with the main lesson book drawing of a lion, compiling all that we learned in this lesson and reflecting on a piece of poetry.
- Chalk drawing
- “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” singing
- How do animals adapt?
- What do humans have in common with the lion?
- “Unstooping” poem
Member Feedback: “The poem is a beautiful addition to this lesson!”
Lesson 4: The Cow
Length: 35:10
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Make a beautiful chalk pastel drawing of a cow and learn about this new addition to our block. What other animals are a part of the ruminant category? Next, discuss biodynamic farming and the benefits of it. Learn more about the cow and analyze a short poem. Finish up by drawing a buffalo in the main lesson book. How is a buffalo similar to a cow? How is it different?
- Chalk drawing
- Cows and other ruminants
- How many stomachs!?
- Biodynamic farming
- Poetry
- Buffalo versus cow
Member Feedback: “The story Nicole tells about the young calf and mother cow is wonderful. Hearing about her real-life experiences adds so much to each lesson.”
Lesson 5: The Eagle
Length: 30:56
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Let’s learn about our avian friends! Take a walk in your neighborhood and look up into the sky. Take note of all the birds you see and use their physical traits to make guesses about how they have adapted to their environment. Why does an eagle have long, sharp talons? Why does an owl have such big eyes? Why does a pelican have a deep beak? Why does a hummingbird have such tiny wings? Write down all your questions and guesses in your notebook so you may look back on it at the end of the week. Next, do a chalk drawing of an eagle in flight and learn a chant song about the eagle, which you may sing or learn on the recorder. Drums are encouraged for this song. Lastly, learn a poem called “The Eagle” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, and incorporate it into the main lesson book along with your own drawing of an eagle.
- Nature walk activity
- The wise eagle
- The osprey: Eagles of the ocean
- Chalk drawing: eagle in flight
- Chant song
- Adaptations
- Poetry “The Eagle”
Member Feedback: “This lesson is brilliant. It encourages a huge amount of curiosity!”
Lesson 6: The Mouse and Other Rodents
Length: 46:13
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Begin with the story of Jumping Mouse and a vibrant chalk drawing to go along with it. The story will cover many topics from previous lessons including the wolf, the buffalo, the frog, the eagle, and the mouse. Next, we encourage you to choose your very favorite animal and learn everything you can about it using the same methods we used to learn about all of these marvelous animals. How are you different from your favorite animal? What do you and your favorite animal have in common?
- Jumping Mouse story
- Chalk drawing
- Learn about your favorite animal
- Main lesson book mouse drawing
Member Feedback: “A great review of the previous lessons without being repetitive!”
Lesson Story: The Goose Girl by the Well
Story by: The brothers Grimm
Retold by: Teacher Sofi
Length: Part 1 (9:25), Part 2 (9:10), Part 3 (14:57). Total length (33:32)
A whimsical story about a princess who cries tears of pearls, a wise old woman and her flock of geese, and an energetic, kind-hearted young man. Let’s learn valuable lessons like to never judge a person by the way they look, to always have patience with one another, and to stand up for ourselves when we need to. Story is told in three parts. MP3s can be used as direct story content (fun voices and engaging inflection), or you may listen to them on your own and re-tell the story in any way you like!
- Three-part story
- Valuable life lessons
- Fun voices and engaging inflection
- MP3 and PDF
Member feedback: “I’ve found brothers Grimm stories to be a bit outdated at times, but I do love them, and I think they’re beautiful and teach unique lessons. I was DELIGHTED to find that all the content I would normally change before sharing this story with students was already changed, and so tastefully too!”
Lesson Activity: Craft a Clay Goose
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 02:31
Teacher Nicole shows us how to craft a Goose out of clay. Her technique can be used with any malleable material, so don’t fret if you don’t have clay. Another possible material that we recommend following this tutorial with is beeswax. Get creative and feel free to add additional accessories to your goose. Use your imagination and enjoy!
- Clay crafting
- Goose model
- Pair with “The Goose Girl” story
Member feedback: “Cutest little goose model ever!! Such a fun crafting activity.”
Lesson Activity: Making a Bird and a Nest
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 03:54
Make a little bird in a nest out of clay or another malleable crafting material. Get a closeup hands-on instruction on successfully recreating the details of the beak, the wings, and nest.
- Clay crafting
- Bird and nest model
- Clay care for longevity
Member feedback: “This tutorial is so fun and simple to follow along with. I thought the nest would be a challenge, but Nicole’s technique for that part of the craft was great and perfect for fourth graders to follow!”
Lesson Activity: Making a Clay Star
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 3:40
Let’s make a starfish! Follow along while Teacher Nicole shows how to turn a simple ball of clay into a star. Remember that nature is full of unevenness, and your starfish doesn’t need to be perfect. Have fun and be sure to acknowledge and appreciate your growing skills.
- Clay crafting
- Starfish model
- Reflect on your art
- Nature isn’t perfect!
Member Feedback: “The advice about spraying water into the clay bag has saved us so much clay from drying out.”
Lesson Activity: Creating a Beaver with Modeling Clay
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 02:26
Follow along with this video to see how we make a simple beaver figurine out of clay. Rather than zooming in on the details, we’ll focus on the overall shape, the fundamental skillset in clay crafting.
- Clay crafting
- Beaver model
- Clay fundamentals
Member feedback: “I like that these earlier tutorials teach about the building blocks of clay making instead of expecting the students to know all the details already. Some kids will naturally want to go ahead and get into the details of their sculpture and others will take their time, but either way teaching the most fundamental skills is so important for every kind of student. You know what they say about teaching a person to fish!”
Lesson Activity: Drawing a Beaver
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 04:20
Join Teacher Nicole and draw a beautiful sunset scene with a beaver family building a dam. Use crayons, pencils, chalk, or any other drawing medium you’d like. Different difficulty options available for scenery drawing.
- Drawing activity
- Crayon drawing
- Beaver drawing
- Different difficulty options
Member feedback: “It’s nice that there are options for if a student struggles with the scenery.”
Lesson Activity: Eagle Drawing
Teacher: Nicole Martinez
Length: 05:43
Practice drawing the majestic Eagle with Teacher Nicole. Use the scene from a whimsical story time and capture the story visually using your imagination.
- Drawing activity
- Eagle drawing
- Drawing resources for teachers
- Find confidence in “ish”!
Member Feedback: “Great book recommendation. The “ish” method is. A great one to use with students who are just starting out with drawing or maybe excel more in other areas.”
Felting and Sculpting for Human & Animal Block
Lesson Activity: Creating a 3D Felted Sheep with Teacher Meagan
Teacher: Meagan
Length: 35:39
Follow along with Teacher Meagan and felt a fluffy 3D sheep friend. Meagan shows every step of her process and shares valuable tips and tricks that you can apply to all your felting projects. Meagan also tells us her safety rules, so we can all feel safe with tools that are a bit poky!
- Felting activity
- Felt sheep
- Felting basics
- Felting safety tips
Member Feedback: “This activity is one of my favorites! I have some experience felting already, but even I learned so much from this video. I feel more confident in my own skills and my ability to teach. Also picked up some great tips for making my materials last longer and not break so easily! Thank you so much, Meagan!”
Member Feedback: “Teacher Meagan gives very clear and concise instructions. She doesn’t skip over anything. Very helpful video. The sheep is quite adorable.”
Lesson Activity: Beginning Clay Work and Sculpting for Fourth Grade
Length: 21:01
A natural and earthly approach to clay crafting. Join us in this grounding activity rooted in the idea that you as a human being already have all that you need to create with clay. Craft with intention. We encourage everyone to follow the detailed guiding words of our teacher as he shares with us this beautiful and minimalistic clay technique.
- Clay activity
- Clay Bear
- Natural clay crafting
- Minimalistic animal design
Member Feedback: “This has become my favorite clay tutorial in the fourth-grade block. I enjoy how natural everything is and how it’s encouraged to find beauty in simplicity. It’s great to use this activity to show how amazing our hands are and what we can create without any tools. Just water and clay. Amazing.”
