In the Waldorf classroom, verses are an important part of the rhythms of the day. During circle time for the lower grades, the teacher directs the students through verses that are accompanied by movements. In this way, the children are involved in a multisensory experience that speaks to their hearts and souls. The verses may be poems, songs, ballads, or reflective prose. Steiner himself had written many verses used in the Waldorf classroom and in anthroposophical circles. Often, the words from these verses give thanks to the wonders of the world around us.
The Waldorf teacher can pull from a vast resource of poems, nursery rhymes, and songs to use in his or her classroom, or the teacher may even compose one. Thoughtfully designed with movements, the verse adds a practical, yet spiritual, touch to the Waldorf classroom. Here is one I wrote for the first grade circle time (you can create your own movements):
Good day to you and you my friends,
Together we stand as one,
A circle formed in loving light,
Sparkly sprinkles of morning sun.
Good day, big blue sky.
Good day, turquoise sea.
Good day, great green earth.
Good day, mighty tall tree.
Into our circle a caterpillar crawls,
"Good day my friends, one and all."