Lower School

An Important Note on Our Current Offerings
At the Waldorf School of St. Louis, we are deeply committed to providing the highest quality Waldorf education. To best serve our community and focus our resources, our program currently extends from Early Childhood through Third Grade. We are not accepting enrollment for Grades 4 through 8 at this time. We invite you to explore our vibrant early elementary curriculum and see how we build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

First Grade Curriculum: A Year of Beginnings

In first grade, a child’s imagination coexists with an emerging curiosity for traditional academics. Our curriculum uses rich, multi-sensory experiences to meet each student's innate desire to learn.

Throughout this foundational year, the teacher and students build deep relationships while forming a socially cohesive classroom unit. Students establish lifelong learning habits both inside and outside the classroom.

Core Academic Subjects

Our core academics blend traditional subjects with creative expression. In Language Arts, students discover consonants, vowels, and phonics through storytelling, drawing, watercolor, and beeswax modeling. Mathematics introduces the four core processes—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—through imaginative stories and art. Science connects children to the natural world via nature stories and weekly walks, while Foreign Language offers early immersion through songs, poems, and group games.

Arts, Movement & Handwork

Arts and physical activity are deeply integrated into the daily rhythm. Physical Education uses group games to build class cohesion, rhythm, and spatial awareness, which directly support language and math skills. In Handwork, students develop fine motor skills and concentration by learning to knit projects like a personalized flute case. Music rounds out the day through daily singing and learning to play the pentatonic flute.

Second Grade Curriculum: A Year of Discovery

In second grade, children experience a time of discovery as they develop a newfound alertness and keener observation skills. Students become more conscious of the positive and negative qualities in themselves and others. To support this deeper awareness, our curriculum strives to harmonize polarities, helping students develop a strong sense of wholeness.

Core Academic Subjects

Our second-grade academics dive deeper into foundational subjects with artistic and narrative support. In Language Arts, children explore the richness of language by studying vowel teams, word families, and silent "trickster" letters, while also learning cursive writing. Mathematics expands on the four core processes by introducing place value, which prepares students for carrying and borrowing. In History, students explore fables and the legends of saints to strengthen their understanding of contrasting human qualities as characters overcome obstacles. Science continues to connect children to the world through nature stories and weekly outdoor walks.

Arts, Movement & Handwork

The specialized curriculum established in first grade continues to deepen the students' developmental growth. Artistic expression is fostered through watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, crayon drawing, and form drawing. Physical Education utilizes tailored movement and group games to build cooperation and bodily awareness. Handwork focuses on knitting to enhance fine motor skills and concentration, while Music rounds out the day with daily singing and playing the pentatonic flute.

Third Grade Curriculum: Security in Individuality

In third grade, literacy and math skills flourish as children gain physical and inner strength. Third graders experience a profound internal change as their sense of individuality emerges, which can sometimes bring feelings of separation or loneliness. Our curriculum is designed to help children stand confidently as individuals and recognize their ability to become valued members of the community.   

Core Academic Subjects

Our third-grade academics mirror the developmental shifts of the student. In History, students hear stories from the Old Testament, such as the Garden of Eden, to mirror their own feelings of separation and illustrate the importance of individual choices and community laws. Social and Natural Sciences focus on practical arts like farming and shelter building to show how basic human needs are met. Language Arts introduces spelling and parts of speech to facilitate independent writing. In Mathematics, students master long division, advanced multiplication, and the study of measurement—including time—to help them orient themselves in the world.

Arts, Movement & Special Subjects

The specialized curriculum expands to challenge the students' growing capabilities. Students transition from the pentatonic flute to the soprano recorder, begin playing the violin, and continue daily singing. In Handwork, students move from knitting to crocheting, while continuing to develop their fine art skills through watercolor painting, crayon drawing, and form drawing. Physical Education introduces collaborative games and circus arts, while the annual class play brings forth each student’s innate gifts through drama.