How many times have we seen children become a bit shy when they encounter a new person? Is it possible that this shyness could come into play even when they encounter a new page? If so, what habits can we begin to engender that will serve the child for years and years? Yes, I am talking about making a border around a new page. If you have seen pages or books from Waldorf students, then you know how beautiful this touch can be for such pages.
There are many things like borders, many "nice" and/or "pretty" things that we associate with Waldorf Education. Usually, there are deeper reasons at work than aesthetics when we have students do this kind of work. The page border is another example of that. When we create a border, even if it is a simple, one-color border made with a few swipes of a block crayon, we are actually greeting a new space. The page, thus greeted, is more familiar. We have said "hello" to the blank page, thus beginning a new relationship. It is easier to do a drawing with a page that does not feel so new and foreign. It may seem like a little thing, and I would agree that it is, but when we create a habit of greeting in the child's soul, this can make a big difference over time.
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