It is a pleasure to work with the new first grade. The children who come from our Sanderling kindergartens, along with our new students, bring an eagerness to learn and participate. In first grade Eurythmy, all of the exercises are designed to aid the children in developing greater awareness of the left/right, up/down and front/back spatial orientation. We also work to increase dexterity, coordination and balance. In first grade, the social rather than the performance aspect of Eurythmy is emphasized, and, therefore, the children work mostly in a circle, imitating and following the movements of the teacher as opposed to an orientation toward an audience. Also in first grade, much of the work involves helping the children find their way into a sense of form and order so that cooperative movement can take place.
The main part of the first grade Eurythmy lesson is centered around fairy tales just as it is in the class main lesson. Through the telling of the fairy tales we practice our Eurythmy speech gestures. This creates living images of the alphabet, which the children experience through the movement of their limbs.
We are also fortunate to have our pianist Ms. Marie play music for our lessons so we can include little dances and music for our various activities, such as galloping, trotting, and so on that take place within the fairy tale we are working on.
In first grade the children learn to draw various forms from straight and curved lines. This is especially important while they are learning to write the letters of the alphabet. In Eurythmy, we also practice choreography based on straight and curved lines within the context of a story. We are currently working on the tale "The Water of Life" in which the Prince must at one point follow the winding path of a river and then cross a bridge as narrow as a spear. In this way, the children bring these forms into their will, through the movement of their body, in a living, imaginative way.
These are just some of the ways Eurythmy brings to life the rhythms and sounds in speech and music while simultaneously activating the development of age-appropriate movement skills and spatial orientation. I will be writing about first grade Eurythmy lessons twice a year. If you have any questions please send them to me through the contact page.
I wish all the children and families of the first grade a happy school year.