Out of the Garden and into the Desert : The Nine-year Change Through the Stories of the Third Grade Curriculum

Imagine a beautiful garden where life is blissful, the spiritual fruits are within easy reach, and the divine knowledge of the cosmos is still close at hand. Now, imagine you are forced to leave this serene paradise, only to be cast out to work and toil in the harsh desert. The Divine is still there —if you but look for it––but now seems so far away. As much as you would like to rediscover your garden paradise, the gates have closed, allowing you no return. This is the landscape of the third grader. As a result of the nine-year change, the child’s ego has taken hold in a new way, and there is no turing back, and nothing can be more difficult than trying to parent or teach a child who is going through the nine-year change. They are moody, secretive, assertive and volatile. One minute they are cuddling with you on the couch, and the next they are storming off to their room and slamming the door on the way, while we are left wondering 'what happened?' Out of the Garden takes you deep into the inner experience of children during this turbulent time, while shedding light on the purpose behind it. This book takes you through the imagery of the third grade curriculum, showing how Waldorf education truly meets the soul development of the child. Both parents and teachers will come to a greater understanding of the use of archetypal images used in Waldorf education, specifically those used during the third grade year.