Writing a 5-paragraph essay might sound like a big task, but it’s easier than you think! Think of it as building a sandwich or burger — each part has its own role, and when you put it all together, it creates something amazing. Here’s a step-by-step guide to writing an awesome 5-paragraph essay.
What Is a 5-Paragraph Essay? A 5-paragraph essay is like a roadmap for your ideas. It has:
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Kindness Quilt ProjectEach Daily Wonder unit comes complete with three weeks of guided daily curriculum and a 4th week called a Flex Week. Parents can rest assured that the curriculum is covered as planned for each unit during the first three weeks. If parents choose to continue the daily routine with Flex Week, they will continue to cover the curriculum and expand on that with design thinking as well.
The Flex Week project for the Grade 2, Month 7, The Wonder of Reading unit is the completion of a Kindness Quilt. The theme of kindness runs through the stories told during this unit. Stories of kindness are a perfect backdrop for the level of reflection appropriate for the 7 or 8-year-old. It is more developmentally appropriate for a child this age to feel how they feel rather than to think about how they feel. This means it is easier for them to read about kindness and feel how that care feels than for them to bring this into their thinking for analysis. Martinmas the Festival of CompassionThroughout the year, Waldorf Education celebrates festivals to connect with the cycle of nature, establish a yearly rhythm for the children, and strengthen the community. The Festival of Compassion (Martinmas) is celebrated around November 11, between Michaelmas - the Festival of Courage's fiery out-breath and the winter holidays' deep in-breath. Universally, it honours St. Martin's story, patron saint of beggars and outcasts, known for his gentleness and ability to bring warmth and light to those in need. He is best known for his kindness toward a poor beggar freezing outside. Martin used his sword to cut his cloak in two and gave one half to the beggar. This act of compassion, which gave the beggar warmth and hope, is why this festival is also called the Festival of Compassion. Waldorf Education celebrates this festival by making lanterns with the children and gathering for an evening Lantern Walk.
The Power of Crossing the Midline: Creating New Pathways in the Brain The brain is an incredible organ, constantly growing and forming new connections, especially in children. One fascinating process that supports brain development is crossing the midline—the ability to reach across the imaginary line that divides the body into left and right halves. When children practice crossing the midline, it helps to create and strengthen neural pathways between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, enhancing coordination, focus, and cognitive development. Why Crossing the Midline MattersEach hemisphere of the brain controls different functions: the left side typically manages logical tasks like language and problem-solving, while the right side is responsible for creativity and spatial awareness. However, to perform complex tasks effectively, both hemispheres must work together. Crossing the midline allows this integration to occur, facilitating communication between the hemispheres through the corpus callosum, a bundle of nerve fibres that connects the two sides. For children, crossing the midline helps with skills such as reading, writing, gross and fine motor coordination, and even social-emotional regulation. It enables them to use both sides of their bodies together more efficiently, an essential part of everyday activities. Lack of midline crossing can hinder these developmental processes, so it is important to provide opportunities for children to engage in activities that encourage this skill. 10 Fun Games to Practice Crossing the MidlineHere are ten fun and engaging games that can help children practice crossing the midline while simultaneously promoting brain development:
What is Michaelmas?Michaelmas (pronounced Mi-kel-miss) was originally a Christian festival in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It is the feast day of the archangel St. Michael, and is celebrated at the end of September.
Waldorf Meal BlessingsWaldorf meal blessings are a beautiful tradition that can help establish a sense of gratitude, mindfulness, rhythm, and ritual during meal times. In Waldorf education, meal blessings are an opportunity to foster a deep sense of thankfulness for food and community. These blessings often involve a simple verse or prayer that expresses gratitude for the food and the efforts of those who prepared it. Modelling gratitude is such a gift we can give our children, and mealtime blessings are a great way to establish the family rhythm and ritual together.
Here are three of our favourite mealtime blessings that we used at our Waldorf school. Back to School PrepDaily Wonder lesson plans provide the daily, monthly and yearly rhythm of your school year. The educational planning is done, and there is minimal preparation awaiting you, the parent. We all know how hectic the school year can get with all the things that need to happen in one day. The Wonder Squad highly recommends taking the time now to look into your prep needs. You will be so grateful down the road for taking the time now to get organized. Lazy summer days offer leisurely ways to check things off the "back to homeschool to-do list".
Here are our suggestions:
The Four TemperamentsHas your child been displaying behaviours that are puzzling to you? Do you find yourself becoming frustrated with behaviours and tendencies your child exhibits? Are there clashes between your children, despite all your best efforts to mediate? Are you wondering why they approach their projects and studies in a certain way? Most importantly…are you wondering how to support your child more fully? As parents and teachers, we are always looking for ways to understand our children, to interpret their behaviours, and to be able to support them more fully in their development. In Waldorf Schools around the world, it is very common for teachers to use the Four Temperaments Model, as a foundation for understanding their students.
What is Anthroposophy anyway?This is a big topic that can be quite confusing for many people. Especially if you’re searching online and finding many contradicting statements. So here goes… Anthroposophy is a spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, born out of his deep knowledge and experience of both Theosophy and Anthropology. Anthroposophy means Wisdom of the Human Being and is fundamentally a study of the human being: our nature, development, and soul/spiritual task. Rudolf Steiner maintained that every human being (Anthropos) has the inherent wisdom (Sophia) to solve the riddles of existence and evolve as individuals and a collective. In other words, Anthroposophy is a Spiritual Path. To add to the confusion, many people discover Anthroposophy because it has been applied to initiatives that they are a part of. In these scenarios, Anthroposophy is found as the bedrock of various initiatives such as Waldorf education, Biodynamic farming, Medicine, Curative education, Eurythmy, the Christian Community, and Architecture. So, does this mean my kids are taught Anthroposophy if I send them to a Waldorf school?The Gift of Boredom for ChildrenWe're not exactly psychic, but we can predict that your children will complain that they are bored and bicker with their siblings (if they have some) at least ten times during the summer. So we are here to highlight the amazing work that is taking place behind these annoying scenes.
Long summer days can offer so many wonderful opportunities for family time and activities that we forget to honour the downtime. Children hardly get unstructured time these days. When they do, it can be met with complaints and loud, uncomfortable noises. As parents, our first inclination is to stop that noise however we can. When we remember that boredom is the doorway to creativity, we give ourselves permission to sit back and wait for the magic to happen. Things that can come out of boredom... |
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