The children now leave the nurturing, secure world of the first two grades and land fully on earth on their own two feet. They are newly aware of their surroundings as separate from their inner experience, and are able to differentiate more accurately between the two. This realization of their separateness from the world, known in Waldorf pedagogy as the “nine-year change,” may result in a sense of loss or disorientation, even a mild emotional crisis. In response, the curriculum provides reassurance through the discovery of various forms of lawfulness. Lawfulness in the inner world is experienced via Old Testament stories of the ancient Hebrews; in the outer world, through the study of practical life on earth: Shelters, Farming, Food and Clothing, and Measurement.
This year brings the study of a stringed instrument (violin, viola, or cello), which requires newfound discipline. The students begin private lessons, and their first “homework” assignment is to practice their instrument. Reading and Writing skills progress; Grammar reveals the underlying structure of a previously unconscious activity. Daily movement continues to strengthen and nourish body memory and intellectual memory.
The students now see and experience the work of their own hands as it relates to basic caring for the earth and their environment. In the Third Grade Building Project, they build a permanent structure on the school grounds. Farming and gardening enhance the curriculum, and for five days and four nights—The Third Grade Farm Trip—the children live and work on a farm, waking up to the sound of the cock crowing, feeding the animals, milking the cow, collecting eggs, planting seeds, spinning wool, baking, and preparing their meals.
Field Trips may include farms, nature preserves; museums. All Third Grades go on the Farm Trip.