Waldorfish Blog
Waldorf Seventh Grade Physics Curriculum: Challenging the Laws of Nature
Waldorf Physics curriculum offers plenty of opportunities to experience the laws of nature!
Seventh grade physics curriculum in Waldorf education is designed to meet students where they are in their development.
Students at this age are beginning to be more critical of the world around them, pose difficult questions, and form steadfast opinions about almost everything. By bringing in the study of physics in a phenomenological way the students explore the laws and rules of nature, and are asked to think in more abstract ways. They are ready for something challenging, and the curriculum offers just that!
A central focus of seventh grade physics is mechanics through the exploration of simple machines: the lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and wedge.
For each machine, students investigate how work is accomplished and how force can be redirected, multiplied, or balanced. This exploration is done by doing. Students may set up a pulley system to lift something very heavy; it is not uncommon to see a teacher’s car being lifted out in the parking lot! Other activities such as constructing seesaws, pulling a palette of bricks up a ramp, and building Rube Goldberg machines all provide the student opportunities to explore physics in the physical and analytical realms.
An example main lesson book page from our Seventh Grade Physics course.
Seventh grade physics also deepens the exploration of optics, and begins the study of simple electromagnetism.
In optics, students work with mirrors, lenses, prisms, and the camera obscura to explore reflection, refraction, and how images form. Introductory studies around electromagnetism may include creating simple circuits and building a simple motor, which seamlessly incorporates the study of simple machines.
As with all topics in Waldorf education, the Physics block also provides an opportunity for the educator to weave in biographies of great scientists, and the scientific discoveries of the Renaissance and Age of Exploration. As well, the Physics block offers the perfect opportunity to bring in mathematical topics such as the study of ratios, measurement, and more.
The seventh grade Waldorf physics curriculum provides fresh perspectives and a new way of looking at the world around us, perfect for the seventh grader who is ready for more challenges and creative thinking!
About the Authors
Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and also a course instructor for Simple Season, Waldorf Art for Beginners, and Weekly Art Foundations. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers. Robyn has been in the world of education for over 25 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children for some of that time. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable for homeschoolers all over the world.
Caitlin Amajor is Waldorfish’s course instructor for Geometry grades 5 & 6, Botany, and Geology as well as our Administrative Assistant. From a young age, Caitlin has been immersed in Waldorf education, attending a Waldorf school from K-8. After receiving a BA in History, Caitlin gained her certification in Waldorf teaching, and is a teacher in the upper grades. With a special fondness for watercolor painting and geometry, Caitlin loves bringing Waldorf education to her students all over the world, and seeing their own individuality and style bloom from the curriculum!
The Middle Grades Research Project: Four Ways to Challenge and Inspire
The middle schooler is in a particularly special and challenging time in their development.
They are undergoing great change in the physical body, and also cultivating their own inner world as an individual.
Research projects create space for students to draw on existing skills, cultivate new ones, and immerse themselves in a subject more deeply than ever before!
The middle schooler is ready for new challenges and approaches to learning.
As the educator gently guides the process, the student becomes the driving force behind the learning - perfectly suited to the middle grader, who is beginning to experience themselves as a more independent individual. Many schools introduce such projects in sixth grade, though they can be utilized throughout middle school.
Research projects may include some or all of the following components, each requiring unique skills:
Written portions that include summaries and detailed descriptions.
Artistic components that portray the subject at hand through the students’ own work.
A physical representation, which could be in booklet, poster, or other form.
An oral presentation, which asks the student to be well-versed in their subject.
A social component, which asks others to assist in their learning. This could be an interview, written letter, or some other form of person-to-person communication.
Putting all of these elements together is certainly a challenge, and it provides an opportunity for the middle grader to experience and learn in new ways.
Here are a few examples of learning opportunities offered by a research project:
Discovering the Greater World
A project allows the student to connect with a topic outside of what they currently know; something brand new and unfamiliar! This awakens inspiration, and a curiosity about what else there is to know and explore.
Students learn from authors through research materials, such as guide books, biographies, articles, and more. As well, this is the perfect opportunity to discuss the importance of citations and bibliographies!
2. Skill Building and Application
Projects require the student to apply many skills at one time: reading comprehension, note-taking, the ability to summarize, provide detail, and much more. They also need to communicate their findings to others in a clear and dynamic way: a new challenge in itself.
3. Awakening New Artistic and Presentation Skills
With a research project, the students are not working out of their own creative imaginations. Instead, they are using the power of observation and artistic representation to illustrate and portray the beauty of their subject. For example, students may be asked to draw a state flag, a specific animal, or a recognizable landmark- all requiring attention to detail, careful drawing, and other artistic skills.
Some projects may require a poster, booklet, or other display. It is the students’ job to present their information clearly, and also make things balanced, colorful, and eye-catching.
4. Stepping into the Social Realm
The middle school student is ready for a challenge, and is ready to communicate in a more mature, focused, and purposeful way. A research project is the perfect time to introduce an opportunity to speak to and ask questions of a professional, either in oral or written form. Learning from experienced professionals is a direct and personal way to learn, and also asks middle school students to be prepared with their questions, respect others’ time, and be in charge of the conversation.
A charcoal drawing lesson of Half Dome is included in our Geology course.
If you’re feeling called to offer your middle schooler a thoughtful research experience - but aren’t quite sure where to begin - our Geology course would be a gentle place to start.
Included is a carefully structured research journey called The National Parks Project, designed to support both student and educator every step of the way.
You’ll find language arts components, artistic extensions, clear outlines, citation and note-taking guidance, and even optional interview questions for a park ranger or other professional in the field.
With these pieces already in place, you’re free to spend less time planning and more time learning alongside your child!
Together, you can choose a national park that sparks curiosity and allows the project to unfold naturally, guiding your student into a deeper understanding of geology, flora, fauna, and the living landscape as a whole.
And if questions arise, you’ll have access to the course instructor, Caitlin Amajor, one of our trained Waldorf teachers, offering steady guidance and support along the way!
More from Waldorfish!
About the Authors
Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and also a course instructor for Simple Season, Waldorf Art for Beginners, and Weekly Art Foundations. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers. Robyn has been in the world of education for over 25 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children for some of that time. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable for homeschoolers all over the world.
Caitlin Amajor is Waldorfish’s course instructor for Geometry grades 5 & 6, Botany, and Geology as well as our Administrative Assistant. From a young age, Caitlin has been immersed in Waldorf education, attending a Waldorf school from K-8. After receiving a BA in History, Caitlin gained her certification in Waldorf teaching, and spent seven years as a Waldorf class teacher in the upper grades. With a special fondness for watercolor painting and geometry, Caitlin loves bringing Waldorf education to her students all over the world, and seeing their own individuality and style bloom from the curriculum!
The Beauty and Challenge of Eighth Grade Geometry
Waldorf eighth grade geometry works with forms from different points of view.
Eighth grade marks the culmination of the middle grades in Waldorf education, and the curriculum is designed to meet students with new levels of challenge - both intellectually and artistically.
In the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades, the Geometry curriculum evolves beautifully: students move from freehand geometric drawing, to using tools to create foundational forms, and then to exploring analytical concepts intertwined with patterns and artistic expression.
By eighth grade, something new and exciting begins - students step into the world of three-dimensional geometry, working with the remarkable Platonic Solids.
These are five perfectly symmetrical 3D shapes - the tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron - each with its own unique combination of faces, vertices, and edges.
Why Eighth Grade?
At this age, students are ready for new kinds of thinking. Their capacity for abstract reasoning is growing rapidly, and they’re able to hold complex forms and relationships in their minds in a way that wasn’t possible just a year or two earlier.
From the perspective of brain science, this is no coincidence.
Platonic Solids are the focus of Waldorf eighth grade geometry.
During adolescence, the prefrontal cortex - the area of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning, and seeing patterns - undergoes major growth and rewiring. Engaging with geometric concepts like the Platonic Solids helps strengthen these neural pathways through the very process of visualizing, planning, and constructing something that bridges the abstract and the concrete.
Becoming the Mathematician
In eighth grade, the geometry curriculum moves fully into the realm of thinking.
Armed with skill and confidence in the tools of the geometer - and the experience of studying form and proportion in both nature and the human body - students begin to take on the mantle of mathematicians in the truest sense of the word: those who study the underlying forms of all things.
Enter: The Platonic Solids!
Students engage with these shapes on many levels - philosophically, artistically, and mathematically. Plato himself associated each solid with one of the classical elements and the twelve constellations, inspiring students to consider the harmony and order inherent in the universe. They explore the qualities of numbers, the relationships between shapes, and the ways these solids appear in nature - from crystals to flowers to the structure of the human body itself.
Art, Math, and Mind in Motion
As in all Waldorf geometry, art and math work as one.
Students draw the Platonic Solids with compass and straightedge, then design 2D nets to construct 3D models. Through this process, they experience how geometry moves from the abstract to the tangible.
Each step requires spatial reasoning, careful observation, and meticulous craftsmanship - skills that mirror the kind of focused, flexible thinking adolescents are developing neurologically at this stage. This hands-on work not only refines fine motor control but also helps balance the maturing adolescent brain, which thrives when both analytical and artistic processes are engaged together.
Class is in session: A chalk drawing from a Waldorf eighth grade geometry block.
A Classroom Alive with Form
There is no single way to approach the Platonic Solids. Walk into an eighth-grade classroom, and you might see these geometric wonders transformed into mobiles, centerpieces, or softly glowing lanterns. However they appear, they are always the result of deep thought, patience, and a growing sense of inner order.
Looking Beyond What Meets the Eye
By the end of eighth grade, students begin to recognize that there is always more than meets the eye. The geometry curriculum has given them not only tools for measurement and observation, but also for seeing the world as a place of underlying harmony and structure.
Through their study of form - both beautiful and precise - they learn to describe what they can see, and to reason about what exists in the unseen, abstract world of ideas.
About the Authors
Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and also a course instructor for Simple Season, Waldorf Art for Beginners, and Weekly Art Foundations. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers. Robyn has been in the world of education for over 25 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children for some of that time. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable for homeschoolers all over the world.
Caitlin Amajor is Waldorfish’s course instructor for Geometry grades 5 & 6, Botany, and Geology as well as our Administrative Assistant. From a young age, Caitlin has been immersed in Waldorf education, attending a Waldorf school from K-8. After receiving a BA in History, Caitlin gained her certification in Waldorf teaching, and spent seven years as a Waldorf class teacher in the upper grades. With a special fondness for watercolor painting and geometry, Caitlin loves bringing Waldorf education to her students all over the world, and seeing their own individuality and style bloom from the curriculum!
Waldorf Geology: Adapting the Curriculum to Your Region
In Waldorf education, the curriculum really shines when we adapt it to our local regions.
Use your observation skills and senses to explore geology where you live!
This encourages students not only to connect with the material and the greater concepts, but also to deepen their relationship with the land on which they live.
When we teach through the lens of place, we invite students into a living relationship with their surroundings. This is especially true in the Geology block, where children begin to explore how the Earth was formed, how landforms came to be, and how the very ground beneath our feet tells a story about time and transformation.
In the Waldorf Geology curriculum, we explore many facets of the Earth - the formation of rocks, mountains, and valleys; the work of glaciers and volcanoes; and the long arc of change that shapes the landscape. These are big, sometimes abstract ideas. But when we connect them to what’s right outside our door, they become tangible and meaningful.
Pedagogically, this connection is vital. Around ages 10 to 12, children are moving from an imaginative, story-based way of knowing to a more observational, cause-and-effect understanding of the world. Geology meets this developmental moment beautifully: it offers real-world evidence of forces at work, while still appealing to the child’s sense of wonder.
When students can see, touch, and question the rocks in their own landscape, learning becomes personal.
Here are five simple ways to make the Geology curriculum come alive where you live:
Our course creator for Geology grew up in Northern California, and was inspired by nearby Half Dome in Yosemite National Park!
Keep it simple- go outside!
Go on a hike for the day, walk around your neighborhood, and notice the rocks around you. Even landscaping stones, rock walls, or architectural features can become starting points for observation and conversation. Ask: What might this rock have looked like before it was shaped or moved? Where might it have come from?
Go to your local library and explore books about your region.
Even tourist-focused resources may be helpful.
Do some internet research around local mineral, rock or geology clubs.
You may be surprised at how many active groups are nearby!
Go to your town’s local visitor center and explore the history of your town.
See how you can connect the vast world of geology to your region. Remember: Geology is connected to everything! Industrial history, rivers/lakes/water usage, city planning, etc.
Visit a Natural History Museum.
Many museums have geology or rock exhibits that tie local formations into larger geological stories. Seeing specimens up close helps students link their personal observations with the broader scientific picture.
Enjoy exploring the beauty of the natural world, and find geology all around you.
Overall, enjoy weaving the curriculum with where you live, and keep it simple. The act of observing, discussing, and connecting the material to what is around you is one of the most important and valuable activities your student can engage in.
When children experience that the land they live on is part of a great, unfolding story, learning becomes not just academic - it becomes soulful. This is meaningful learning, rooted in place and alive with curiosity.
About the Authors
Robyn Beaufoy is Waldorfish’s CEO, and also a course instructor for Simple Season, Waldorf Art for Beginners, and Weekly Art Foundations. You’ll find her intuitive touches and influences throughout everything Waldorfish offers. Robyn has been in the world of education for over 25 years, with an MA in Education and a certification in Waldorf teaching - she also homeschooled both of her children for some of that time. In 2012 Robyn co-founded Waldorfish.com, creating it with the vision of making Waldorf inspired-art and pedagogy more accessible, joyful, and doable for homeschoolers all over the world.
Caitlin Amajor is Waldorfish’s course instructor for Geometry grades 5 & 6, Botany, and Geology as well as our Administrative Assistant. From a young age, Caitlin has been immersed in Waldorf education, attending a Waldorf school from K-8. After receiving a BA in History, Caitlin gained her certification in Waldorf teaching, and spent seven years as a Waldorf class teacher in the upper grades. With a special fondness for watercolor painting and geometry, Caitlin loves bringing Waldorf education to her students all over the world, and seeing their own individuality and style bloom from the curriculum!
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