We have had a wonderful start to the year in Class 2.  We launched straight into an English Main Lesson called the King of Irelands Son which is an interweaving of many Celtic tales put together into an adventure just right for Class 2 children.

To go with this ongoing chapter book we have learned many old Irish tunes, rhymes and songs with actions, movement and gesture.  Here is an excerpt from the Steiner Curriculum which describes why this story is so appealing to the children at this age.

The King of Ireland’s Son – author; Padraic Colum

The King of Ireland’s Son appropriately provides imagery of an individual who is striving to develop.  The King’s Son, in meeting the experiences laid along the pathway of his journey through life, is tested as to his strength of purpose, his inner ‘substance’ and ‘qualities’.  He grapples with his ‘lower’ (or less conscious nature) and finds his way through difficult encounters, by virtue of his ‘higher’ (or more conscious) nature.  In this way, he at last comes to maturity (individuality) as King.  None of this would be achieved without the help of other beings (his companions), who guide and support him, sharing the journey with him.

Such a story is a real support and guide to the growing child.  The child’s development toward individuality is not undertaken alone.  The child can develop an inner trust in the world around, to offer experiences for growth (choices and consequences) as well as companionship and guidance.

It provides imagery for the idea that development is worth striving for, even whilst it involves struggle.

In craft we have been mastering ‘purl’ stitch to go with the plain stitch we are familiar with from last year.  We are making cloaks and capes and scarves for a little knitted character from Ancient Ireland.

The children are working so well writing and reading from their main lesson books daily.  We have been illustrating each page beautifully and the children are showing increasing pride in their work. 

We are working on familiarizing ourselves with the 100 most common sight words and are exploring sound blends and word families each day.

As part of our morning rhythm we have been warming up with morning math from the blackboard as well as extending our clapping and singing of number patterns.  So we are all ready to launch into our new Main Lesson which is a Math one. 

We will be exploring the patterns and magic of times tables as we hear more about Celtic Ireland in the days of dragons and little folk!