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Handwork Curriculum
As human beings, we use our hands regularly in our daily lives. Handwork as an integrated part
of an educational program, however, is taught almost exclusively in Waldorf schools. Here the
Handwork curriculum is broad and includes, but is not limited to, skills such as knitting, crocheting,
hand sewing, embroidery, felting, paper crafts, pattern design, and machine sewing.
Many of the benefits of the Handwork program are obvious: hand-eye coordination; basic math
skills such as counting, the four math processes, and basic geometry; the ability to understand and
follow a process from concept to completion; and the ability to focus on a project for an extended
period of time. There are also more subtle rewards that complement these obvious benefits.
Students must prepare and care for materials. Many of the created items have a practical use--a
case for a flute, a pot holder, a needle book, a pair of socks. Throughout the process, respect is
fostered. Creativity is another aspect that is encouraged through design and color choice. One of
the most far-reaching benefits of Handwork class is the social aspect. While there are times when
quiet is needed, such as when you are learning a new stitch, most of the time the atmosphere in
the classroom is social and conversational, not unlike a quilting bee. Students learn to speak
politely to one another. They may have to wait until one student finishes his or her story before
they can share their own. Appropriate and quiet voices are used.
Each school can benefit from the local cultural influence of crafts to shape the Handwork curriculum.
However, there are hallmarks of the curriculum that have their basis in child development and
Waldorf pedagogy. First graders always learn how to knit. This basic skill uses both right and left
hands, and brings a steady, calming rhythm to the younger child. Crocheting, which emphasizes the right or left hand, almost always follows in the second or third grade. Cross-stitch is paramount to
fourth grade as the children begin crossing over from childhood to adolescence. In fifth grade, knitting
in the round, used to make hats, mittens, and especially socks, is a three dimensional, mathematical
activity leading up to critical thinking in the middle school. Long-term hand-sewing
projects involving concepts, patterns, and mathematical computations are usually found in sixth or
seventh grade. The eighth grade Handwork curriculum often involves machine sewing, which perfectly
integrates the student's study of American History and the Industrial Revolution.
These hallmarks form a solid foundation for the Handwork curriculum. Students are empowered and
strengthened by what they can make and do. Additional information on the Handwork curriculum
can be found in Rudolph Steiner's Handwork Indications, which was compiled by Hedwig Hauk.
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