Handwork at Lotus & Ivy
Handwork is a lifelong skill from which one can create beautiful and useful items while benefitting in deep and lasting ways. Creating beauty in perfectly imperfect handwork is a fundamental element of the Waldorf curriculum throughout the grades and informs our daily living in surprising and delightful ways.
Through practical and meaningful handwork activities, younger students develop strength and coordination in their hands and fingers. In addition, improved fine motor skills build healthy foundations in students for writing, drawing, maths and artistic work in grade school.
Learning to skillfully use their hands not only develops the child’s sense of self-reliance and confidence, but hand skills also awaken creative powers, promote a sense of reverence for craftsmanship, and instills respect for the creative artisans of the world.
Handwork is an important component of development which aids the child in acquiring the following benefits, traits and skills:
• patience and perseverance to work on projects which require weeks to complete
• expanded skill sets involving in-depth experimentation with techniques and materials over time
• enlivening of the senses and nourishment for the soul through use of natural materials and colors
• rhythmicity of repeated movements which creates calm for the nervous system as an antidote to anxiety and over-thinking
• confidence and independence in creating beautiful and useful items
• creating new neural pathways to the brain which strengthens the brain-body connection
• problem-solving skills which builds future decision-making abilities
• goal orientation based on understandable outcomes from immediate, step-by-step, tangible results
• strengthening of soul forces - example: encouraging thinking in the dreamy child, feeling in the overly intellectual child, and activity in the weak-willed child
“The density of nerve endings in our fingertips is enormous. Their discrimination is almost as good as that of our eyes. If we don’t use our fingers in childhood and youth, we will become ‘finger-blind,’ and this rich network of nerves will be impoverished which represents a huge loss to the brain and thwarts the individual’s overall development.“ - Matti Bergstrom, Neurophysiologist
First/Second Grade
Beginning knitting
The first and second graders will start by making their own knitting needles out of wooden dowels and sandpaper, polished with beeswax. Learning to wind a ball of yarn, cast on, and knit will result in a square from which a bunny is magically formed. Any additional projects, such as butterflies, chickens, or balls, are also made from squares. Learning how to create different projects from the same shape develops flexibility in thinking and joy in creation. When knitting is humming along, I may read stories to the students, as well.
Second/Third Grade
Continuing Knitting
Second and third grade students will move quickly along in this class from beginner projects such as a beautiful butterfly mobile to more advanced knitting projects where they learn to increase and decrease stitches, and learn to purl. Other projects students are likely to encounter include knitting their own four legged animal such as a lion or lamb, a gnome and a knitted mini-doll using the stockinette stitch.Third/Fourth Grade
Third/Fourth Grade
Embroidery & Cross-Stitch
Third and fourth grade students will learn the basics of sewing learning to do the running stitch, back-stitch, whip-stitch, blanket stitch and increase their knowledge of embroidery stitches including stitches such as the lazy daisy, satin stitch and more according to the student's curiosities. Projects could include a beautiful needle book, a hand-embroidered candle mat or sewing place mat and more. Students will also be introduced to cross-stitch and will be invited to make a cross-stitch needle book, a pencil case or a cross-stitch pouch for their sunglasses or glasses.
Fourth/Fifth Grade
crochet
Fourth and fifth graders will be welcomed into the world of crochet where they will learn to do a variety of projects from coasters and a treasure pouch to net bags, wind spinners and hacky sacks.
Please note: Depending on the student, some projects may require greater assistance for your child to complete, so please be readily available while we are online together to support your child’s learning during class time each week.
Lotus & Ivy offers Handwork for Classes 1 through 6 as part of our Complements Classes.
Students may enroll in Lotus & Ivy Complement Classes separate from our other classes. Together, our Main Lesson Classes, our Math Classes, and our Complement Classes are a solid, whole-child, and rigorous academic education.