Today was our ‘official’ start to our homeschooling year after our December holidays. Jenna is busy with Physics, she studied all about colour today using a triangular prism to experience the rainbow spectrum of colour, the experiments were wonderful! (I will blog these this week) Caiden is busy with time and measurement and Erin began her Grade 6 Geometry Block, I have included some of Erin’s work.
Resource Books: Geometry
Geometry Lessons in the Waldorf School by Ernst Schuberth
Nature, Number and Geometry by Live Education
A Path of Discovery, A Steiner-Waldorf Mathematic Resource, Grades One to Eight by Eric Fairman (Wonderful!)
A Wonderful Grade 6 Waldorf Geometry Video by Eugene Schwartz:
I am having a yarn giveaway (above photo) at the moment, if you would like to enter, just leave a comment here.
xo
(I am looking to buy some of the Childcraft How and Why Library Books, I do have a few of them, if anyone is willing to part with theirs I would be so grateful if you would email me, lindadawkins@mweb.co.za I did manage to find some of them on Betterworld Books.)
Thanks so much:)
I love your daughter’s geometry drawings. What book does she use?
Thanks Sarah:) I have added the resource list to the blog post:)
xo
Linda
I used to love doing these (there was no Waldorf then). And my 5th grade teacher had us make a series of folders for our studies – one for each “subject” and a master one – and all of those folders were decorated by a graphic theme each of us designed for ourselves using color and graph paper – as though we were graphing a knitting pattern. I still remember doing it and feeling it – choosing the geometric progression of color in the array of boxes. I wonder why exercises of this kind stay so strongly in mind –
What, now that these have been done, does the doing of them, do you think, teach the kids functionally about geometry? I’d be curious to know what the designers of these projects hope to accomplish in terms of mathematic functionality. Or is this primarily an aesthetic exercise?
Dear K
I have added a wonderful Waldorf Geometry video:)
xo
Linda
wow. The voice talent was a little, just a touch, dull – but the concepts – WOW. And those samples. I think I might have been one of the LESS gifted of those children, because they went places I’d NEVER think of going. I think I’m going to do this myself. I wish I’d seen it when the kids were in my house. But I can play with the grandchildren this way. I love the bisecting, the relationships of angle and circumference, the introduction of more complex shapes and their mathematical origins – but one thing he did NOT mention was the opening up of the concept of graphic representations of perspective, which were plainly and overwhelmingly evident.
The thing about math that I have learned only in the last few years (I loved math, but opted to spend my life in the science of language) is that equations are sentences, and math is a language all of its own. It doesn’t address emotion or human complexity, but it predicts the universe, and can act as a microscope – so that we can find particles of knowledge we can’t see, because we are too far removed from them. String theory, M theory, the precursors of what people like to call the Big Bang – snapshots of the functions behind our physical realities.
If you are conversant in the language of mathematics, it seems that you have to think in a new way as you read it – in shapes and functions, balances and morphing relationships. A completely different seeing. But one already incorporated into our thought, usually on a sub-aware level. The operating system that lets us know when to cross the street safely by analyzing the vectors of our physical world. And underlying human expressions of art.
Wow.
Beautiful drawings! Some of my favorite homeschooling moments were doing artistic geometry with the kids. Hope you are doing well!
Gorgeous yarn! I love the colours!!
If only geometry had worked like that at my school, I might have persisted a little longer. Your daughter’s geometry drawings are just beautiful.
Amazing video and amazing geometric drawings/colorings. The skein of yarn is a beautiful image in conjunction to the drawings in color and form.
Linda, thanks for the links and the video. We started form drawing this week. I’m letting all four of my kids join in. I’m already excited about it, because the kids seemed enthusiastic, and I loved that we could all do it together. I know my daughter would love these geometry lessons. She spends a lot of time drawing with a compass already.
Beautiful! I just love Waldorf geometry.
The geometric drawings your daughter made are so fascinating! We never did anything like that when I was in school. My son is in grade 6 so I’m going to check out this math program.
I am just starting to use waldorf materials with my youngest two. Do you think that we could just pick up and use this book for my son since we have never used anything like this before?
Great geometric drawings, this is something I would like to look into.
We are right here with you. We’ve been making so many geometric drawings. They are so calming to do. We really love them. Your families are beautiful. Be well.
Dear Rosina,
I am sure you could try these drawings with your son, my daughter has really enjoyed them:)
Take care
Linda
Hello my friend, how lovely are those drawing. Your children are very talented and artistic like their mama.
Ohhh! My Colin would love doing these! I’m going to have to show him this. Something different for a change for school. We’re kind of borring right now. I’m blaming it on January. 😀
Your yarn is just beautiful as well. I wish I could buy all of your yarn from you. I don’t think you’ve put any up that I didn’t drool over.