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history & social sciences
One of the goals in the social studies program is to encourage children to learn about practical things by doing. There is a de-emphasis on testing; our school stresses a hands-on approach to learning.

For example in the third grade the children study farming and house building. They grow and harvest foods themselves. They examine how houses are built and then build a play house themselves as a class, or they build small-scale models of dwellings. They travel to a farm and work in groups doing farm chores. These are experiences they will never forget, experiences which anchor what they’ve learned in ways appropriate to their age.

In the fourth and fifth grades they are developmentally prepared to step out of their environment and look at it objectively. The study of local geography and local history helps them recognize their place in the world around them, starting at home and school and extending to the state of New Jersey. In the fifth grade they move on to North American geography and later, world geography. 

The children combine studies of literature, history and social studies as they study the myths, religions, and cultures of ancient peoples. This study also serves as a foundation for the understanding of their own culture and way of life. The usual historical progression in Waldorf schools is: 

Third Grade: Old Testament and Judaism
Fourth Grade: The Norse myths 
Fifth Grade: The ancient Greeks, Buddhism, Hinduism and ancient India 
Sixth Grade: The Romans, the Middle Ages, Islam, Christianity
Seventh Grade: The Age of Exploration, the Renaissance and Reformation 
Eighth Grade: The Age of Revolutions, Individual Responsibilities and Duties

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