Verses for Main Lesson
Creating a rhythm for your main lessons helps to create predictability and helps your child to focus on the tasks at hand. One thing that can especially help to create a feeling of rhythm is beginning and ending your lessons with a verse! Here are several ideas for verses. It’s good to stick with the same opening and closing verse for the entire year but it’s fine to choose different verses in different grades. In Waldorf schools children in grades one through four begin each day with the verse by Rudolf Steiner below. All verses are traditional or unknown author except where noted.
Opening Verses
The earth is firm beneath my feet, The sun shines bright above. And here I stand, So straight and strong, All things to know and love.
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Morning has come, Night is away, Rise with the sun, And welcome the day.
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The Sun with loving light Makes bright for me each day, The soul with spirit power Gives strength unto my limbs, In sunlight shining clear I revere, Oh God, The strength of humankind, Which Thou so graciously Has planted in my soul, That I with all my might, May love to work and learn. From Thee stream light and strength To Thee rise love and thanks.
{Rudolf Steiner}
Closing Verses
All my doing now has ended, What I have learned may rest. When I have done my best, Wisdom, love, and strength may grow, And I shall bless all those I know.
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Stars and moon and sun, And now my lesson is done.
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All round the great world we will go on our journey, On lands and wide oceans we seek our adventures, Then back to our own little circle of homeland.
Note: This can be spoken while you walk a spiral slowly into the middle.
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The sun is in my heart He warms me with his power He wakens life and lives In bird and beast and flower