All sessions take place in the Craft Studio on the Threefold campus. Participants meet two weeks in the summer and one week in the winter for four years. Preparatory reading, as well as independent research and projects between on-campus sessions, are an integral part of the program.

The schedule for each session is full-time Monday-Friday, in four basic curricular areas:

• Basic Foundations in Anthroposophy
• Human Development and Waldorf Education
• The Arts
• The Waldorf Handwork Curriculum

Summer Session I

Spacial Dynamics I

A movement class exploring the interplay between the human being and space. Games, exercises and Bothmer Gymnastics – related to the curriculum of the Waldorf School - enhance the sense of self within the context of community.

Painting I

An introduction to the world of color through watercolor painting. The study and application of individual color gestures and their interrelationships based on Goethe’s theory of color and Rudolf Steiner’s research brings new life to the experience of color. Through color exercises primary, secondary, tertiary and complimentary colors are explored, and the students are guided to create paintings on a variety of themes.

Lecture/Seminar: Foundations of Waldorf Education I

This course includes an introduction to Rudolf Steiner’s view of the essential nature of the human being and patterns of human development. Emphasis is on the development of the child from birth to age seven, the basic educational impulse of the Waldorf kindergarten and the nature of the child in the first and second grades. Sample lessons from the main lesson curriculum show the tone and gesture of each grade. An introduction to self-development for the teacher and ways to observe children and work with them out of Rudolf Steiner’s insights into the four temperaments are an important aspect of the course. Text: The Education of the Child in Light of Anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner.

Handwork: Grades 1 & 2

An exploration of the Waldorf School handwork curriculum and its benefits for the developing child. In these hands-on studio courses emphasis is placed on guided individual work, sharing of questions and experiences, and on researching the spiritual principles underlying practical activities. Through background reading and independent research projects, students create their individual path of learning. In this course, centered on the first two grades, the emphasis is on creating toys and other articles for daily use through knitting and crocheting. Carefully selected materials, many of them dyed with plants, are transformed into functional and beautiful pieces. In addition, small artistic craft projects as well as stories and finger games provide a rich tapestry of activities.

Winter Session I

Eurythmy I

An introduction to the study of expressive movement related to sounds of speech, elements of poetry and music, as well as to the movement gestures inherent in the world of color. Emphasis is placed on an experience of the Eurythmy curriculum of the Waldorf Schools.

Spinning

The craft of spinning, its history and lore and its benefits for human development are at the center of this hands-on course. Students are guided through the process of wool preparation, making a spindle and the use of the drop spindle and spinning wheel.

Handwork: Grades 1 & 2

Review and expansion of the Summer Session I course, including seasonal craft projects and crafts from a variety of cultures.

Summer Session II

Spacial Dynamics II

See Summer Session I.

Form Drawing

An exploration of the art of the line through freehand drawing related to the form drawing curriculum of the first five school grades. The course includes the practice of symmetry, metamorphosis of shape, ribbon forms and braided designs. The study of the art of the line in artifacts from a variety of cultures forms the rich background to this practice.

Foundations of Waldorf Education II

This course explores the main lesson curriculum and the child in third and fourth grade. Particular emphasis is on the nine year change and strategies for working with children who are undergoing a change in consciousness. A review of basic meditations helpful for teachers in working with children is part of the course. Text: The Roots of Education by Rudolf Steiner

Handwork: Grades 3 & 4

See Summer Session I. In Grade 3 knitting and crocheting projects are continued with an increased emphasis on building skills and capacities through individualized work. Handwork in Grade 4 centers on the sewing of a variety of bags, cases and purses and embellishing them through embroidery. Both linear and surface x-stitch embroidery techniques are used in the design, which is meant to organically arise out of the function of the article. The gestures of color and form are brought into harmony with the function.

Winter Session II

Eurythmy II

See Winter Session I.

Lecture/Seminar: Earth Evolution

A study of the evolution of the earth and the cosmos in connection with the evolution of humanity. Themes include: the development of physical conditions and consciousness over a span of prehistoric stages and cultural epochs; planetary evolution; the earth and its future.

Felting

An introduction to the ancient craft of felting, its history, lore and modern uses. Two-dimensional flat pieces as well as solid and hollow three-dimensional pieces are created to make a variety of useful articles. Materials, color and form are related to the function of the articles. The use of wool together with other fibers is explored.

Handwork: Grades 3 & 4

Review and expansion of the previous summer course, including seasonal craft projects and crafts from a variety of cultures.

Summer Session III

Spacial Dynamics III

See Summer Session I.

Clay Modeling

An introduction to the formative processes of clay modeling and the basic elements of sculptural form – convex/concave, curve/angular, and wide/narrow – as a language of expressive qualities. With this foundation the students create animal and human figures with the emphasis on gesture and sculptural qualities, rather than on anatomical realism.

Lecture/Seminar: Foundations of Waldorf Education III

This course presents the curricular impulses of the fifth and sixth grade and shows how the main lesson blocks support the child’s development during these years. Differences in children’s learning patterns and styles are explored as well as teaching modalities that meet the needs of different children. Text: The Child’s Changing Consciousness and Waldorf Education by Rudolf Steiner.

Handwork: Grades 5 & 6

See Summer Session I. In Grade 5 the knitting of socks, hats or mittens brings the challenge of knitting in the round to create three-dimensional hollow pieces to protect and bring beauty to the feet, hands and head of the human being. Grade 6 focuses on doll or animal making through drawing, pattern-making, sewing and stuffing (modeling the forms from the inside-out). Attention is given to capture qualitative gestures in the animal kingdom and to arrive at harmony of color and form in the doll. In creating the clothing for the doll, knitting, crocheting and/or sewing skills are practiced and brought to harmonious, artistic expression.

Plant Dyeing

An introduction to the history of dyeing and the use of plants to dye a variety of fibers. Plants from the Craft Studio Dye Garden and the local countryside as well as plants from tropical regions are used to create a wide range of colors. Gathering, harvesting and preparing plants to extract their color as well as washing and mordanting fibers is part of the experience. The students are guided to explore the benefits of entering into these processes.

Winter Session III

Eurythmy III

See Winter Session I.

Lecture/Seminar: The Evolution of Humanity through the History of Sculpture

This course begins with a history of sculpture from pre-historic time to the present. The intent is not an in-depth history of sculpture, but rather through a selection of the great sculptures of human history to enter into humankind’s spiritual evolution. The students are guided to consider the human qualities and capacities that different artists gave expression to, not only in the content but also in the style of their creations. By living deeply into this evolutionary picture, the needs of the present and future human development can be discovered. What role can the arts and crafts play to contribute to these needs, and in particular to the needs of the developing child?

What is the role of art and craft in developing head, heart and hand? What are practical reasons and methods for developing the thinking will, on the one hand, and the feeling will on the other?

The Therapeutic Aspects of Handwork - Children with Special Needs

This course combines both theoretical exploration and handwork practice to research the therapeutic aspects of handwork. What are the needs of individual children and how can the teaching and practice of handwork bring healing? These questions are researched through presentations, case studies and discussion as well as through self-observation while engaged in various handwork techniques.

Handwork: Grades 5 & 6

Review and expansion of the previous summer course, including seasonal craft projects and crafts from a variety of cultures.

Summer Session IV

Spacial Dynamics IV

See Summer Session I.

Painting II

A review of the language of color through watercolor painting. Observation exercises lead to individual work expressing gestures and moods in nature.

Lecture/Seminar: Foundations of Waldorf Education IV

Students review sections of Rudolf Steiner’s Foundations of Human Experience as the main classroom focus of this course. This is the main guidance that Rudolf Steiner gave to the teachers of the first Waldorf School. Presentations and conversations focus on the essence of the elementary school child in the seventh and eighth grade, as well as on the basic gestures in the curriculum in these grades. This is followed by brief presentations on the high school curriculum with a look at the emerging picture of the adolescent.

A review of Rudolf Steiner’s unique approach to school governance rounds off this course.

Handwork: Grades 7 & 8

See Summer Session I. In Grades 7 and 8 the focus in handwork classes is on creating articles of clothing mainly through cutting and sewing of fabrics. Hand-sewing in Grade 7 leads to the use of the sewing machine in Grade 8. While the felting of small projects can be introduced in all the grades, it is in Grade 7 that an emphasis on felting can be brought. By making slippers through cutting and sewing fabric or leather as well as through felting wool fibers, the pedagogical value inherent in these two different techniques is explored. The study of textile technology as well as the proper care and mending of textiles forms part of this course.

Winter Session IV

Eurythmy IV

See Winter Session I.

Student Projects

Presentations of independent research projects carried out by the students. The projects are comprised of a practical craft project as well as a research paper. A self-review is followed by peer and teacher reviews.

Lecture/Seminar

Open – A Course is developed according to the needs perceived.

Handwork: Grades 7 & 8

Review and expansion of the previous summer session as well as preparations for commencement including display of student work.