Now you get to use everything you’ve brainstormed about seasons, festivals, and themes to lay out the details of your custom curriculum! I started with baking because, out of the many activities in a Waldorf kindergarten, it’s one of my favorites. However, if baking intimidates you, feel free to start with another activity and come back to this one. I do recommend including baking, though!
My understanding of a Waldorf kindergarten classroom is that the students make a yeasted bread each week. Kneading it helps to build up their hand strength. I think many classrooms make the same recipe each week so the children can learn it by heart. This activity brings together the three components of Waldorf education – head, heart, and hands.
I went a different direction when I planned our curriculum. During some of the months, I wanted to make delicious seasonal baked goods, so I chose four different recipes for the month. For the months that didn’t have as much seasonal inspiration, I repeated one recipe each week.
If you already know you want to repeat the same recipe for the whole homeschool year, then go ahead and write down the name of the recipe on your baking day for each week.
If you want some variety, look at your festivals first. Are there any special baked goods you’d like to make for the festivals? Write those down on your baking day or on another day if that makes more sense. We make dragon bread for Michaelmas, Sweet Weckmanns for Martinmas, and saffron buns for St. Lucia Day.
Once you’ve written down your ideas for festivals, look at your themes. Are there any recipes you’d like to make that fit the themes? I love making and eating donuts, so of course I had to include apple cider donuts in September and pumpkin donuts in October. An internet search could help you find out if there are recipes that fit a particular theme. I found out about a Hungry Caterpillar cake I can use for our gardening theme in May.
For any remaining weeks, go with seasonal recipes or anything else you would like to make. For the weeks that I didn’t find something that matched the season, we’re making challah bread, which also lets my daughter practice her weaving skills when we braid the dough.
Remember that you can make your baking schedule as simple or as challenging as you would like to! Keep it simple with one basic recipe all year, or add in some different recipes that you’ve never made before. Children love to measure and mix, so as long as they can participate somehow, they will learn skills and enjoy their time baking with you.
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