Sciences

Science in a Waldorf classroom begins with observation, experimentation, and questioning—the basis of all great scientific discoveries. Young students experience the wonders of nature, benefiting from the school’s organic gardens and proximity to the 185-acre Great Meadows conservation land. Hours are spent outdoors, in all weather, observing natural phenomena.

As students move through the elementary grades, instruction becomes increasingly formal. By middles school, in the physics and chemistry blocks for example, instruction incorporates experiments, observations, measurements, and recordings—from which students are asked to draw conclusions and discover the underlying scientific principles for themselves.

Learning is documented through illustrations, graphs and charts, and written summaries in each student’s hand-written Main Lesson book, a portfolio of their work in all Main Lesson blocks throughout the year. The goal of this approach is to develop independent, scientific thinking, and to make science a relevant part of students’ everyday lives.

For two perspectives on the Waldorf science curriculum, visit our blog posts “Marveling at Mushrooms” and “Why This Skeptical Engineer Trusts Waldorf Education.”