Story "archive"

[pgstone]

I was thinking of the arithmetic stories, and the "gnomes" used for
the four processes of math. I'm curious as to whether there's a
resource of math stories for Waldorf Schools, particularly the early
grades. If anyone knows of such a resource, please reply.

Thank you.

[Mrs. Giulietta Garland]

The stories in Dorothy Harrer's math book are one good example of this.  Also, I highly recommend joining waldorfhomeeducators@yahoogroups.  There is a wealth of ideas for teaching 1st grade with stories of gnomes for math.
Below is a little info I received from a former colleague in 1st grade a few years ago:

Here are some of my songs, if they are helpful. Sorry I can't easily
send you the tunes, but your imagination can provide!

I've written a song for each math gnomes, which they sing as they go
from place to place (we act out math stories a lot in circle):

Porter Plus (very swinging melody; think old railway workers)
Walk on, brother, walk on
Walk on till the day is done
Walk on, brother walk on
Walk on to the setting sun

Melchior Minus (very minor key)
The road is long, so travelers tell
I walk along the track
And as I go, I wonder if
The way will guide me back

Tansy Times (jaunty little tune)
I flitter flutter here and away
Fa la la, la la la, dance and sway
I do all things and stay twice as gay
Fa la la, la la la, dance away

I jump and tumble this and that a-way
Fa la la, la la la dance and sway
I meet new friends every night and every day
Fa la la, la la la, dance away

So come my friends and say you will play
Fa la la, la la la, dance and sway
I'm here for today, and then I say
Fa la la, la la la, dance away

(Divide is next week's focus, so I don't have a song yet!)

Here's a game the kid's love: I count how many there are, and that's
the number I start with (let's say 24). The animal changes with every
round of the game. Again, I wish I could get you the melody:

Twenty-four rabbits were hopping in the snow
Up came a giant with arms like so!
He said, "I order you in groups of (#) to be
Turn about and turn about and then go free.

They have to get into groups of whatever number you say quickly (I
count to 4) or they sit down. This means that the number you begin
with will keep changing until just a few are left. I usually get
everyone back for the last round, and order them to get into groups of
1 or 24--they love that!

Next song/game:

I chopped the head off the dragon, hooray, hooray!
Now I'm a great big hero, hooray, hooray!
(Whispered:) But uh-oh, where there used to be just one head
(Loud and bold:) Now there are two of them to chop instead!

I chopped two heads off the dragon, hooray, hooray!
Now I'm a great big hero, hooray, hooray!
(Whispered) But uh-oh, where there used to be just two heads
Now there are four of them to chop instead!

Etc…up to 16
Then:

I'd better escape from the dragon, hooray, hooray!
I'm running as fast as I can, hooray, hooray!
There's too many heads for me to chop
So I'll hide in a bush till it's time to stop
And I'll come back tomorrow with muffins instead
Enough to feed all 16 dragon heads.
(Dragon heads:) Hooray!

And some rhymes for 3 and 4 times tables:

Three six nine twelve
I will dig and I will delve
Fifteen eighteen twenty-one twenty-four
Make a mud man, hear him roar
Twenty-seven thirty
Now I'm all dirty
Thirty-three thirty-six
Mom says "No more tricks!"

And for this next one, they clap hands with one neighbor, then the
other for the numbers, and act out the rest:

Four, eight
Hi, I'm Kate
Twelve, sixteen
I'm really mean
Twenty, twenty-four
I slam the door
Twenty-eight, thirty-two
I play with glue
Thirty-six, forty
I'm short and warty
Forty-four, forty-eight
Yep, I'm Kate
I'm pretty great!

For subtraction, I used the sausages sizzling in a pan as a warm-up.
They love acting that one out, as well--especially when I "eat" the
last sausage left. Yummy!

--

“....We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”   ~Marianne Williamson

[Christine Waskowiak]

Wonderful verses - thank you for sharing these!

~ Christine