Part of this fourth grade year looks specifically at animals,usually in two separate blocks, for several reasons.  One reason is in part because children of this age just love animals, but also because once past the nine-year change children are fully ready to move into how they themselves relate as individuals to the natural world.  Steiner felt zoology and botany were also necessary precursors for children to really be able to delve in and understand history well from the age of twelve onwards (You can see the lecture “Teaching History and Geography” in The Renewal of Education if you are interested more in this connection). And, like all subjects in Waldorf Education, this one is really also about the upright human being and the moral education of the student.

Steiner’s idea was to help children of this age to develop a relationship with nature. Continue reading →