French and German are taught in the first three grades through imitation and repetition. The emphasis is on conversation and learning through doing, singing songs, and reciting poems, playing games, and performing plays. The purpose of the language classes, beyond the evident goal of learning French and German, is to develop a certain flexibility of outlook. An attempt is made to foster in the students a feeling for the special character of the people who speak it. In the upper elementary grades French and German lessons increasingly include written work, reading, grammar and vocabulary in addition to perfecting oral skills. In eighth grade all students begin a the study of Spanish and continue with either French or German.
Handwork skills are important in a Waldorf education because this activity develops fine motor coordination and increases the student’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Children learn to knit in first grade, to crochet in second grade, and to weave in the third grade. From this handwork, which continues throughout the grades, the children come to appreciate the effort and skill required to make something that is not only useful but also beautiful. Handwork includes cross-stitch in fourth grade, knitting using four needles in fifth grade, and a variety of increasingly complex projects in sixth through eighth grade. Woodworking is introduced in the fourth grade and continues through the twelfth grade.
Music is an integral part of the curriculum throughout the school. From the first grade, all the children sing and play the recorder, with the music and the technique becoming more demanding as the years progress. Each fourth grader chooses an orchestral instrument and plays in the class orchestra. Singing in a choral group and playing in the orchestra continue throughout the remaining school years.
Eurythmy, an artistic form of movement developed by Rudolf Steiner, is taught from the preschool years through high school. Through it a student learns to orient himself in space, develop coordination, and learns to create forms while moving in a group. Through characteristic gestures, the sounds of language and music become visible through movement.