Curriculum & Programs
Curriculum
Waldorf education begins with the premise that childhood is made up of three distinct phases of roughly seven years each: birth to age 7 (early childhood), age 7 to 14 (middle childhood), and age 14 to 21 (adolescence).
Each phase shapes the way children feel about and approach the world — intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually — which, in turn, shapes the way they learn. Waldorf educators believe that curricula and teaching methods should be appropriately tailored to these developmental stages
Early Childhood (Birth to 7)
Focus on hands-on activities, sensory-rich environments, and play-based exploration to lay foundations for intellectual, emotional, and physical development.
Middle Childhood (7 to 14)
Emphasis on developing the heart through imaginative lessons, integrating storytelling, drama, movement, arts, and music into the curriculum to enliven creative forces.
Adolescence (14 to 21)
Shift towards developing the mind through exploration, fostering independent intellect, critical thinking, and judgment. High school students gain increasing autonomy under specialized teacher mentorship.
Essence of Gatha
Rhythm and Routine
Rhythm offers a natural order, fostering safety and trust for students. By completing tasks in the same order daily, familiarity is nurtured within our school community.
Own pace
We recognize that each child follows their unique journey, prioritizing experiential learning before formal literacy and numeracy instruction begins at age 7 years old.
Free play
We value the importance of play-based learning, recognizing it as a fundamental aspect of education for children from birth to 7 years old.
Nature
Nature is integrated into our curriculum, with time spent outdoors and efforts made to bring the outdoors inside, enriching the learning experience.
The arts, nature and imagination
A well-organized space that encourages children to engage in activities and practice self-care.
Story Telling
Telling stories every day, even without books, helps us practice using our imagination and talking in interesting ways, making learning more fun and creative!
Kindergarten
- Academics is introduced around 7 years of Age.
- Learning and Play Go Hand-in-hand.
- Early Learning Focuses on Make-Believe, Fairies and the Arts.
- Fantasy and Play are woven throughout the Curriculum.
- Children are encouraged to use their imagination with the classroom materials.
- Early learning is Group work.
- Classrooms contain Groups of the same age children.
- Children remain with the same teacher for 6 years.
- Lessons are teacher-directed.
Curriculum
- An ideal day in kindergarten starts by greeting the child by holding their hands. This is the only time; the teacher would talk directly to the child. The teacher gets to know about their home rhythms and how ready is the child for the day.
- We proceed to the morning play which is planned by trying to bring in the feel of outside nature, customs and traditions into the classroom in the form of a play or a song. This would involve a lot of rhythmic movements (movements that are good for children) along with songs.
- Activity time different activities are planned for different days. The activities include drawing, pasting, beeswax, cleaning, painting, stitching & lot of things that can be seen during the activity time.
- Grip of the crayon or paintbrush.
- Which hand is used to work?
- Choice of colour in drawing.
- Pressure applied on bee wax while working with it.
- The willingness and interest shown towards the activity.
- How involved are they in the activity time?
- The creativity and aesthetic sense.
- We also see how organised and systematic they are.
- The neatness
Greatest Curriculum
Grade One Curriculum Standard
First graders come to school with a sense of wonder and a longing for something more. They stand at the culmination of seven years of physical development, which they spent getting to know the physical world through senses and play. Now the world of literacy beckons and formal teaching begins. With all academic learning taking place in the morning, first graders have the opportunity in the afternoon to fully engage in play and digest the rich experiences and content from their morning classes.
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Grade 1 – Age 6-7 yrs
| Central theme | Fairy tales, fables and myths from around the world |
| Math | Number patterns, manipulate numbers up to 12 with the four processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division |
| Language Arts | Letters of the alphabet; word families; exercises in reading, writing, and speech; story properties; drama Science: Nature studies and nature walks |
| Languages | Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit – stories, songs and poems |
| Art | Form drawing, watercolour wet-on-wet painting, crayon illustration |
| Music | Pentatonic flute, singing in harmony |
| Handwork | Knitting |
| Eurythmy and movement | |
Grade Two Curriculum Standard
Second graders live in two realms at once. They continue to live in a rich imaginative world. At the same time, they are becoming increasingly, though not completely, aware of self and others. The curriculum addresses this duality with two types of stories: fables and legends of saints.
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Grade 2 – Age 7-8 yrs
| Central theme | Legends, saints, fables |
| Math | Place value (1–1,000), addition and subtraction of large numbers by carrying and borrowing, regrouping, number patterns, all four arithmetical operations, multiplication tables |
| Language Arts | Phonetics; reading and writing letters; words and sentences; drama; reading in groups; library time |
| Science | Animal behaviour, gardening, nature studies and nature walks |
| Languages | Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit – stories, songs and poems |
| Art | Form drawing, watercolour wet-on-wet painting |
| Music | Recorder, singing in harmony and in rounds |
| Handwork | Crochet |
| Eurythmy, movement and games | |
Grade Three Curriculum Standard
Third graders love to work. Their self-esteem grows with accomplishment and the mastery of wonderful challenges. In this year the curriculum begins with the Old Testament story of creation and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. New order is achieved on the earth through civilization. Third graders explore the practical aspects of life on earth: the cultivation of food, the building of shelters, and the manufacture of garments. Class activities are enhanced by gardening and building projects outside the classroom. Mathematics studies serve practical needs with the study of measurements (time and distance) and money, while continuing practice in the four operations on ever-larger numbers.
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Grade 3 – Age 8-9 yrs
| Central theme | Old Testament Stories |
| Math | Calculate with time, money, measurement; continued practice with the four arithmetical processes and the multiplication tables. |
| Language Arts | Reading, composition and grammar, cursive writing, spelling, drama, library time |
| Science | Farming and gardening |
| Languages | Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit - beginning vocabulary |
| Art | Watercolour wet-on-wet painting technique, drawing |
| Music | Recorder, choral singing, string instruments |
| Handwork | Knitting and crochet |
| Eurythmy, movement and games | |
Grade Four Curriculum Standard
As fourth graders emerge from the “nine-year change” they are sturdy, self-confident, and robust. One can picture each student standing at the crossing point of two universal coordinates. From this vantage point the study of geography begins looking outward in ever widening circles. The first map may be a scale drawing of the classroom or the student’s bedroom. From there the geographical outlook is extended through the school/home environment into neighbouring towns all the way to the state boundaries. Historical articles enliven the fourth grader’s connection to the land and its use over time.
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Grade 4 – Age 9-10 yrs
| Central theme | Norse mythology, stories, the animal kingdom |
| Math | Fractions, long division, averages, factoring, simple geometric forms |
| Language Arts | Grammar, composition, research project, drama |
| Science | Animal physiology, environmental science |
| History & World Cultures | History and geography, map making |
| Languages | Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit - vocabulary development |
| Art | Watercolour wet-on-wet painting, form drawing, clay modelling |
| Music | Recorder, choral singing, string ensemble, scales, notation |
| Handwork | Embroidery |
| Eurythmy, movement and games | |
Grade Five Curriculum Standard
Fifth graders arrive at a balance in the middle years of childhood. Development of the individual as separate from the world is acknowledged in a new verse that is spoken each morning. Now it is possible to direct the gaze outward into the world while becoming ever more conscious of the world within.
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Grade 5 – Age 10-11 yrs
| Central theme | Ancient cultures of India, Persia, Egypt and Greece |
| Math | Fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, beginning geometry |
| Language Arts | Composition, grammar and syntax, research, drama Science: Botany |
| Science | Botany |
| History & World Cultures | History and geography of ancient cultures |
| Languages | Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit - beginning grammar |
| Art | Coloured pencil, drawing and shading, watercolour wet-on-wet painting |
| Music | String ensemble with an option to begin a wind instrument, choral singing |
| Handwork | Circular knitting |
| Woodwork | Carving |
| Eurythmy, games, training for the 5th grade Olympics | |
Waldorf Olympic Games
Pupils experience Ancient Greece first hand in the Waldorf ‘Olympic Games’ - a 3-day residential trip with over 300 pupils aged 10-11 from various cities.
The Purpose
The Waldorf Olympics is an immersive experience that marks the end of the Class 5 year with 3-day residential trip and a one-day sports event. Full of ceremony and adventure, it celebrates the children’s physical and personal development as they end their time as ‘Lower School’ pupils and marks the beginning of ‘Middle School’.
As with all aspects of our Waldorf curriculum, it unites several different academic, physical and emotional elements bringing together Classical Studies (the Ancient Civilisations), Handwork (Sewing), Mathematics, Teamwork and Sport.
The spirit of the event is self-development, relationship, teamwork, setting challenges and achieving personal goals, with children involved in the daily camp life and chores. As well as athletics the children enjoy hiking, camping in the landscape and of course a campfire!
The Olympic Event
Pupils from different school’s form teams named after ancient Greek cities, with 1 or 2 children from each school, led by a leader - a Class teacher from a participating school.
- Marathon
- Running Race
- High Jump
- Long Jump
- Discus
- Javelin
- Relay
- Wrestling
Parents attend the Olympic Event on the Opening Ceremony beginning early morning with a torch-lit procession. The event training focuses on each child bringing the best of themselves to the day of the completion.
Architecture of Gatha Waldorf School
The Architecture of Gatha Waldorf School is designed to support the pedagogy and philosophy of the Waldorf Education. The buildings are constructed with the aim of fostering the natural growth and development of students. The architecture of the school is influenced by the belief that art and nature intersect in various ways, and this is reflected in the design and construction of the building. The building is also designed to be environmentally friendly and ecologically sustainable. The architecture of Waldorf/Steiner school is seen as a form of "performed art" that is integral to the education and daily life of the school.
The spaces are capable of delivering a totalizing experience of education, and the interior settings are adequate for each activity carried out (handwork, art work, clay work, craft classes, sculpture, carpentry, and many more activities). They are also consistent with the age and development cycle of the children who occupy them.